The14 Best Boker Magnum Folding And Fixed Blade Knives

These 14 Knives Are The Stand Outs In Our Review of Boker’s Budget Magnum Line

Boker Magnum is what you call a budget line. It’s the kind of brand you go to when you need a new carry for under $100. Magnum gets a bad rep and poor reviews sometimes for its quality, but you have to remember what the intention behind the brand is: It’s Boker’s way of selling their designs at a more reasonable price by using cheaper materials and an accelerated production method.

This means you’re not getting the same quality from Magnum as you would from Boker’s other brands, but there’s also not a consistent quality across Magnum knives. Some are out-of-the-park terrible, but you can find plenty of gems in the sharp pile of cheap steel. Fortunately, you don’t need a perfect knife to have a useful knife, or even a fun knife, and those are the two categories Magnum knives typically fall into.

Recently Boker has added the Advance series to the Magnum lineup. These knives all feature 44C steel rather than 440A which is a much appreciated upgrade. Fortunately the Magnum Advance series knives are still budget friendly.

Folders

• Advance Checkering Dark Bronze – 3.35″ Drop Point Blade | 440C Steel | Aluminum Handle | Read More…
• Co-Operator – 3.38″ Spear Point Blade | 440 Steel | Wood & Stainless Steel Handle | Read More…
• Backpacker – 2.75″ Drop Point | 440 Steel | Wood Handle | Read More…
• Compact Rescue Knife – 2.37″ Clip Point Blade | 440 Steel | Aluminum Handle | Read More…
• The Milled One – 3.5″ Drop Point Blade | 440 Steel | Stainless Steel Handle | Read More…

Fixed Blades

• Persian – 4.3″ Drop Point Blade | 440 Steel | G-10 Handle | Read More…
• Lil Giant – 3.6 ” Clip Point | 440 Steel | G-10 Handle | Read More…
• Lil Friend Micro – 3.37″ Drop Point Blade | 440 Steel | G-10 Handle | Read More…
• Neck Flash Knife – 2.875″ Trailing Point Blade | 440 Steel | Stainless Steel w/ Rubber Grip | Read More…
• Breacher – 4.25″ Tanto Blade | 440C Steel | G-10 Handle | Read More…

Ridiculous Magnum

• Spike Karambit – 3.75″ Hawkbill Blade | 440A Steel | G-10 Handle | Read More…
• Ring-O: 3.25″ Spear Point Blade | 440 A Steel | G-10 Handle | Read More…
• Outdoor Cuisine III – 4.75″ Cleaver Blade | 440 A Steel | Wood Handle | Read More…
• Damascus Lady Knife – 2.5″ Clip POint Blade | Damascus Steel | Wood Handle | Read More…

Magnum Folders

I honestly never expected to find nice folders from Magnum, but there is a thin line of practicality running through their designs. It’s buried in a sea of blades that look like they came from cartoons, but beyond that is a land of a solid pocket knives in a consistently affordable price range. Obviously there’s some good stuff in here for first knives or just for beating up, but I’d go so far as to set some of these next to a Buck or Kershaw in an EDC rotation.

Advance Checkering Dark Bronze

Overall Length:	7.37″
Blade Length:	3.125″
Blade Steel:	440C
Blade Style:	Drop point
Blade Grind:	Hollow
Handle Material:	Aluminum
Weight:	3.97 oz
Lock:	Liner

This knife has a weird name, but their is a pretty decent knife hiding behind that weird name. I am generally not a fan of aluminum handled folders, but the texturing on this cool looking knife make the handle fairly grippy.

The ambidextrous pocket clip, smooth action and tip up pocket carry make the Dark Bronze a bargain at it’s current sub $40 price point.

Co-operator

Overall Length:	7.88″
Blade Length:	3.38″
Blade Steel:	440
Blade Style:	Spear point
Blade Grind:	Flat
Handle Material:	Wood w/ steel bolster
Weight:	5.6 oz
Lock:	Liner

Here we have something more along the lines of a gentleman’s folder: nice wood scales capped with stainless steel with a plain-edge, spear point blade. The colors of the knife are bold and clean and the design is just unique enough to be fun to look at. Setting the looks aside, though, this really is in the top 5 of Magnum folders. It’s a little on a larger size for a pocket knife, but that comes with a stouter blade and a thick, comfy handle.

It has a good structure throughout, so I would almost consider it for bushcraft. I wouldn’t want to put it under too extreme of conditions. Even with good heat treatment, 440 steel is liable to chip if you start hacking, and I definitely wouldn’t want to tarnish that wood. But I also wouldn’t mind having the Co-operator in an emergency.

Click here to check out our in depth review of the Boker Magnum Co-Operator.

Backpacker

Overall Length:	7.75″
Blade Length:	2.75″
Blade Steel:	440
Blade Style:	Drop point
Blade Grind:	Flat
Handle Material:	Wood
Weight:	3.81 oz
Lock:	Liner

This one might look a little funny as it has slightly more handle to knife than your typical pocket knife. The all-wood handle itself looks good, but it presents an interesting problem with the intention of the design. Magnum called this knife the Backpacker, presumably because it was made for extended hiking trips, but the wood handle really makes it better as a gentleman carry.

You could take this knife to the office. You could break down boxes and get some compliments with it, but I wouldn’t want it to get caught in the rain for too long. The weight is right for backpacking, and I like the simple flat grind, but honestly I’d go for the Blue Sierra for that kind of thing. Get this knife for your home EDC. It should go great with your sweater vest.

Compact Rescue Knife

Overall Length:	5.5″
Blade Length:	2.37″
Blade Steel:	440
Blade Style:	Clip point
Blade Grind:	Hollow
Handle Material:	Aluminum
Weight:	3.0 oz
Lock:	Liner

In terms of overall utility, this is probably the most useful knife I’ve come across from Boker Magnum. I’ve found that’s often the case with smaller knives. This beast of a runt would almost be a caper knife if it weren’t serrated. They clearly had slicing in mind when they designed the shape.

The serration removes some use for fine cutting, but definitely gives you better cutting power in general. This is a tactical knife though, not a trophy-hunting knife. You’ve got a glass breaker and a seat belt cutter in a solid aluminum handle. This thing is clearly meant to be abused in an emergency. It’s not much for looks but definitely a good thing to keep in your glove box.

The Milled One

Overall Length:	7.75″
Blade Length:	3.5″
Blade Steel:	440A
Blade Style:	Drop point
Blade Grind:	Flat
Handle Material:	Stainless steel
Weight:	2.9 pz
Lock:	Frame lock

This is a practical hard use frame lock that is a good choice for anyone who needs a budget knife for actual work. The practical design features a sturdy frame lock, relatively thick spine and large thumb rest make the this knife a great option for camping, fishing or working.

The pivot uses washers rather than caged ball bearings, so this knife will handle water and dirt fairly well. This may decrease the smoothness of the action, but the lack of a flipper tab on this knife shows that Boker didn’t design this for fidget flipping. They designed it for dirty work. The Milled One is a great pocket knife choice for anyone who needs a tough knife at a great price.

Magnum Fixed Blades

Since almost all Magnum knives are made with 440 stainless steel it’s a good idea to get something with a bit of heft to it. Fortunately, Magnum really likes to make gigantic knives. Actually I had to look specifically for smaller fixed blade knives that I could justify adding to this list just so I wouldn’t have to change the title to “A Hundred 10 Inch Knives for Some Reason.” Turns out they do make a couple of really nice smaller fixed blades, but the majority will be bigger than any rational person would ever need to own.

Persian

Overall Length:	9.8″
Blade Length:	4.3″
Blade Steel:	440
Blade Style:	Drop point
Blade Grind:	Hollow
Handle Material:	G-10
Weight:	9.5 oz
Sheath:	Kydex

You find some descriptions trying to push this knife as an “oriental” style blade or handle or something. Ignore that. I don’t know what style “oriental” is, or exactly how giving a knife a curvy handle makes it Persian, but the Magnum Persian is a good tool.

The hefty full tang is a good work around for the economy 440 steel. You get a long plain edge and a slight drop point with a false edge, then some G-10 bolted to the sides for a handle. They don’t try to do anything fancy with the knife. They just made a well-designed blade with a big handle that’s just barely modified for a more secure grip.

This is exactly the kind of bushcraft knife you would take into the woods and beat the crap out of.

Lil Giant

Overall Length:	7.0″
Blade Length:	3.6″
Blade Steel:	440
Blade Style:	Clip point
Blade Grind:	Hollow
Handle Material:	G-10
Weight:	6.29 oz
Sheath:	Kydex

This is another big, solid Magnum fixed blade only in a more reasonable size. The blade is much more stout, with a severe drop point style blade.

In terms of hunting and bushcraft this is about as tough as you’re going to get in the larger Magnum categories. The sheath leaves a lot to be desired (no surprises there), but the blade and construction are solid, with a thick spine and out-of-the-box sharpness. So long as you don’t smack it sideways too hard or leave it in the rain, this is probably one of the most long-lasting of the Magnums.

Lil Friend Micro

Overall Length:	3.37″
Blade Length:	1.3″
Blade Steel:	440
Blade Style:	Drop point
Blade Grind:	Hollow
Handle Material:	G-10
Weight:	1.34 oz
Sheath:	Kydex

I don’t know if the Lil Friend came first or the Lil Giant, but this runt was a weird stroke of genius. A plain edge on a leaf-shaped drop point style blade makes for a good neck knife design. Typically, the shorter and fatter you can get a 440 steel blade the better, and you probably won’t find anything shorter than the Li’l Friend.

This knife has just enough of a point to give you some functional poking power, but the angle is still wide enough that you don’t have to worry about chipping. This could make a handy EDC for cutting stray threads off your clothes or doing any little thing around an office in a place that isn’t so knife friendly. It’s possible people will laugh at you for taking it out, but you can also count on them not freaking out about your one-inch neck knife.

Of course after all that defending of this tiny thing, I have to admit that I’d like to see a somewhat larger version with at least a two-finger grip, but I also appreciate the originality of this knife.

We liked the Lil Friend Micro enough to include as a budget option in our Best Neck Knives article.

Collection 2021

Overall Length:	9.92″
Blade Length:	5.28″
Blade Steel:	D2
Blade Style:	Drop point
Blade Grind:	Flat
Handle Material:	Micarta
Weight:	8.2 oz
Sheath:	Leather

The Boker Magnum Collection 2021 fixed blade is easily the most expensive knife in this article. It is also the best from both a design and quality standpoint. Boker collaborated with knifemaker, Jesper Voxnaes, on the design of this knife. Jesper is a well known designer who works with a few of the top knife brands. Most of his knives cost considerably more than this one, so the 2021 Collection is a bargain considering it’s origins.

Fortunately Boker chose to use D2 steel rather than the 440A steel used on the knives in the majority of the Magnum line. D2 holds a better edge than 440A, but it is still pretty easy to sharpen. We ordered the 2021 Collection knife as soon as it was available, and we have used it on many camping and wilderness excursions.

The Magnum 2021 Collection knife ships in a great looking wooden display box, so it is a great gift option for the outdoor enthusiast.

Breacher

Overall Length:	9.0″
Blade Length:	4.25″
Blade Steel:	440C
Blade Style:	Tanto
Blade Grind:	Hollow
Handle Material:	G-10
Weight:	9.4 oz
Sheath:	Kydex

This is Magnum’s chopper. If you’re looking to baton or carve out a few logs, this is what they made for you. They claim it’s a tanto style blade, but the top edge is a little too curved to be full on traditional tanto.

That being said, I actually think the slight curve is a good feature since it’s meant for heavy bushcraft work and not piercing through samurai armour. For all your outdoor hacking needs, you have a full-tang build with a thick 3/16 inch spine all the way through. There’s a generous chunk of material across the whole knife which makes it heavy, but if you’re getting a 9 inch fixed-blade knife, it’s right about where you’d want it be.

There’s some talk from people about using it as an EDC. That seems like an insane choice for anyone who doesn’t live a few miles into the country, but it will definitely come in handy on your next camping trip.

Ridiculous Magnums

I don’t think any of these knives will be useful. If you end up doing something useful with them, it’s probably because you’re using them wrong, but at some point we need to stop pretending all we care about in knives is their ability to cut boxes and make feather sticks. There’s a kid in all of us screaming “get that because it looks neat.” Here are a few that made me think that, anyway.

Spike Karambit

Overall Length:	8.5″
Blade Length:	3.75″
Blade Steel:	440A
Blade Style:	Hawkbill
Blade Grind:	Hollow
Handle Material:	G-10
Weight:	7.34 oz
Sheath:	Kydex

I’ve actually seen a few people talk about this knife like it’s something they would use everyday. I don’t know what for, but they seem to like it.

I’m not really clear on the history of the Karambit style of knife, but my understanding is that it wasn’t made for hunting or cutting cardboard. Forgetting the blade shape for a moment, the thumb dip at the choil and the big ring at the end of the handle are actually nice features to have.

They open up a lot for handling and carrying the knife. It’s just that once you add the crescent blade shape on top of them it becomes something you would use almost exclusively for fighting Chuck Norris.

Ring-O

Overall Length:	7.75″
Blade Length:	3.25″
Blade Steel:	440A
Blade Style:	Spear point
Blade Grind:	Hollow
Handle Material:	G-10
Weight:	5.0 oz
Lock Type:	Liner

Okay, this might actually be handy to have. A big O ring just below the blade would provide some interesting options on grip that could be handy in certain situations.

The main reason I put it under this section is because I think that ring is just going to get in the way most of the time. It’s a fun gimmick, but I can’t imagine it’s ergonomic for 90% of the things you would use a knife for regularly. But I still kind of want it. It’s almost certain to be awkward, and the flip mechanism probably wears out easily, but there’s a big part of me that wants to pick this thing up and mess around with it for a while.

Outdoor Cuisine III

Overall Length:	1025″
Blade Length:	4.75″
Blade Steel:	440A
Blade Style:	Cleaver
Blade Grind:	Flat
Handle Material:	Wood
Weight:	6.0 oz
Lock Type:	Liner

I don’t know what to call this thing. It’s a cleaver that’s not a cleaver. It’s a folder, but likely too big to fit in your pocket comfortably.

They say it’s a great outdoor kitchen knife, but if you’re cooking while your camping there’s probably a hundred other regular knives you could take that you can use to prep food and use for other stuff too. And they probably aren’t 10 inches long. The very regular 7 inch folder I normally carry around works fine for food and a hundred other things too.

If I had the option though… I mean, if the Outdoor Cuisine III was just lying around, and someone asked me to cut the asparagus up, obviously I’m going pick up the Outdoor Cuisine III. Not because it’s necessarily the best decision, but maybe because it’s specifically not the best decision.

Damascus Lady Knife

Overall Length:	5.5″
Blade Length:	2.5″
Blade Steel:	Damascus
Blade Style:	Clip point
Blade Grind:	Flat
Handle Material:	Wood w/ steel bolsters
Weight:	2.26 oz
Lock Type:	Lockback

As a rule I don’t really recommend Damascus steel blades. We should all know by now that those wavy lines aren’t making your steel any better. It’s entirely for looks.

You can talk about metal heating and folding technique all day; the truth is no one is making true Damascus steel anymore. You just want a knife that looks fancy. But if you’re so keen on getting the stuff anyway, you might as well get it from Magnum, since they still make a passably  good steel, and you have better chances of finding a Damascus steel blade you can actually use at a fair price with them. And since you’re getting it for the looks, at least get a knife that looks good anyway.

The Lady is a pretty solid gentleman folder (or lady folder, technically, I guess), with a classic design reminiscent of a Buck 110. It’s probably the closest you’ll get to a 110 in Damascus steel, because, last I checked, Buck had no intention of getting involved in this kind of nonsense.