Just in time for the season of haunted houses and sugar skulls, Böker Plus has released a knife shaped like the one thing everyone is trying to avoid: a coffin. The Hidden Release Coffin, designed by custom knifemaker Chuck Gedraitis, is an automatic folder with a party trick — there is no visible button, lever, nail nick or switch anywhere on the handle. The blade deploys when the user slides the bolster at the top of the handle, firing the steel in a way that looks like magic to anyone who has never handled the design.
A Puzzle Box of a Knife
Gedraitis, a Massachusetts custom maker known for clever automatics, built the Hidden Release around a concealed bolster-actuated mechanism. Instead of pressing a firing button, the user grips the front bolster and slides it firmly toward the rear, which releases the blade to snap open along the handle's spine. To the uninitiated, the knife appears inert — a closed coffin-shaped folder with no obvious way to open it.
The design invites comparison to CRKT's Fulcrum 2, another stealthy auto-adjacent release, though the Fulcrum uses a two-step manual process rather than a true spring-fired action. The Coffin's approach keeps the clean lines of the handle intact, which is the whole point of a knife whose visual identity depends on smooth, unbroken surfaces.
Blade and Materials
Under the theatrics sits a genuinely practical EDC platform. The 3.15-inch spear point blade is cut from Sandvik 14C28N, the Swedish steel that has become the default choice for value-priced knives that still want real performance. It offers solid edge retention for its class, excellent corrosion resistance and easy sharpening — the right call for a knife priced under $100.
The handle is black G10 with a smooth but textured surface, and the knife ships with a deep-carry pocket clip that keeps the coffin motif riding low in the pocket. The blade features a refined ricasso, adding a touch of custom-style finishing to the production build.
Blade: 3.15-inch spear point, Sandvik 14C28N
Deployment: concealed bolster-slide automatic
Handle: black G10 with deep-carry clip
Designer: Chuck Gedraitis
Price: $98, in stock now
Why Hidden Release Matters to Collectors
Hidden-release mechanisms occupy a curious corner of knife collecting. Because the firing method is not obvious, the knife doubles as a conversation piece — most people who pick one up cannot figure out how to open it, which is exactly the appeal. Gedraitis has explored similar concepts in his custom work, and Boker Plus has a history of translating his designs into production with his signature blend of humor and engineering.
For collectors, the timing also matters. Boker Plus limited runs and themed releases have historically held their value reasonably well on the secondary market, and a Halloween-adjacent coffin auto with an unusual mechanism is precisely the kind of piece that gets remembered long after seasonal shelf space clears. It is not trying to be the toughest knife in the drawer; it is trying to be the most surprising one, and on that count the mechanism delivers.
Availability and a Legal Footnote
The Böker Plus Hidden Release Coffin is available now for $98 through retailers including GPKNIVES and Böker's own store. Timing is doing the marketing work here: the drop lands within days of Halloween and Día de los Muertos, and a casket-shaped knife with a secret release is about as seasonal as EDC gets.
One practical note for would-be buyers: because this is a true automatic, its legality varies significantly across states and municipalities, and automatic knives also face restrictions in a number of countries. Anyone considering the Coffin should check local regulations before ordering.
The Takeaway
As a novelty, the Hidden Release Coffin is nearly unbeatable this time of year; as a tool, it is a competently specced 14C28N auto at a friendly price. Gedraitis's mechanism is the real story — hidden-release designs remain rare in production, and every time one surfaces, it reminds the market that deployment methods are still an open canvas for designers.