We love writing about the high end stuff here at KnifeNews, that’s no secret; and we love covering pieces that push the mechanical boundaries of knife design in general – but sometimes it’s good to reel it in and cover a straightforward, affordable user like the new Boker Barchan.
The name of a knife is sometimes chosen just because it sounds cool – but other times the name offers a little insight into the inspiration or vocation of the knife in question. The Barchan is such a case, as that is the term for a particular kind of desert sand dune. The desert theme clearly informs the color scheme of the Barchan, but it also seems to have played an imaginative role in the, well, role of the Barchan: this is a large, rugged knife, a good candidate for a beater or backup adventure piece.
The Barchan has front and back flipper tabs
To that end, the design team (this is an in-house creation) outfitted the Barchan with a hefty 3.94-inch drop point blade. Openable with both a front and back flipper, it has a wide, sturdy-looking profile that won’t balk at some of the gnarlier tasks we put our folders through. The steel, 440B, is admittedly not a top-tier steel, but it does have some benefits, namely, it is highly resistant to rust and very easy to sharpen, so it will be easier to fix up the edge should any damage occur.
The desert tan G-10 scales have some dune-shaped sculpting on them, and cover the steel frame underneath, part of which is cut into a liner lock. The clip is loop over and fairly deep carry, but is not reversible to the show side. Despite its large size and stage presence, the Barchan is not as heavy as you might think: according to the Boker spec sheet it weighs in at 4.48 oz., making it a fairly unobtrusive pocket companion all things considered.
The Barchan is available now.
Knife in Featured Image: Boker Plus Barchan