Böker’s Classic Samurai-Derived EDC Knife Is Back in a Blacked-Out, Fast-Deploying New Form
The Lucas Burnley-designed Kwaiken has always been sleek, but the latest edition adds "slick" to the resume.
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My favorite line in 2005's Christopher Nolan-directed Batman Begins drops relatively early in the film.
After taking a spin in the prototype armored tank carrier known as the Tumbler, a smugly satisfied Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has just one question for Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman): "Does it come in black?"
The Kwaiken is a Lucas Burnley design with a name and silhouette that run deep into Japanese history. - Credit: Böker
I imagine many an EDC knife fan has uttered the same query about Böker's Kwaiken, a Lucas Burnley design whose name and shape derive from a traditional Japanese dagger often carried for self-defense purposes by women of the samurai class.
A top-mounted thumb slider makes the Kwaiken OTF All Black a true out-the-front automatic, firing and retracting in one smooth motion. - Credit: Böker
The word translates to "chest knife" or "bosom knife," and due to its lack of a hand guard, it could be concealed within the folds of a kimono, inside the sleeve (tamoto), or tucked into the sash (obi).
With the latest, tactically positioned edition of this renowned knife (launched alongside a similarly styled Kalashnikov ), the answer is definitively "yes," and that's not all.
Both blade and handle are finished in shades of matte black to reduce glare and keep the profile low. - Credit: Böker
As its full name also makes clear, the Böker Kwaiken OTF All Black is an out-the-front automatic, with a top-mounted thumb slider that deploys and retracts the 3.46-inch straight-back blade in a single smooth motion.
The material of choice is VG-10, prized for its blend of edge retention, corrosion resistance and cutting performance, with a black-coated finish that boosts durability and lowers the profile.
The streamlined aluminum handle helps keep the weight to just 3.42 ounces — light enough to (almost) forget it's in your pocket. - Credit: Böker
The accompanying handle is also black — a streamlined aluminum body that keeps the overall weight down to a relatively light 3.42 ounces.
That helps make carrying the knife easy, as does the right-side tip-up pocket clip that rounds out this Kwaiken's presumably Bruce Wayne-approved feature set.
Availability and pricing
The Böker Kwaiken OTF All Black is available now for $150.
Boker Plus Kwaiken OTF All Black
About the Author:
Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men's Health, Men's Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone's bike seat is at the proper height.
