The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

“Stay ‘unreasonable.’  If you
don’t like the solutions [available to you], come up with your
own.” 
Dan Webre

The Martialist does not
constitute legal advice.  It is for ENTERTAINMENT
PURPOSES ONLY.

Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
reserved.

Boker HK (HK14)

A Product Review by Phil Elmore

Few things are more “tactical” than a firearm created by
German manufacturer Heckler and Koch, whose MP5 submachineguns are famous both
in Hollywood action films and in real life.  German knife manufacturer Boker
has collaborated with H&K to produce tactical knives evocative of the
company’s weaponry.  One of these is the HK14, an aggressive tanto-style
folder whose handle features design elements from the H&K P2000 pistol.

The Boker HK14 is an aggressive tactical folder, good
for self-defense.

The HK14 is a rocker-bar locking folder with a 3.125-inch
partially serrated blade of X-15 T.N., described in Boker literature as “the
most corrosion resistant stainless steel available, [boasting] the same
cutting power of high-grade stainless steels like 440C and ATS-34.”  The
black blade cloating is listed as PVD, which I believe stands for “Physical
Vapor Deposition” (an industrial process used for protecting all kinds of
surfaces).

The black blade has a “PVD” coating.  Handle is
Polyamid, a polymer.

Made in Solingen, Germany, the HK14 weighs well under four
ounces and is about five inches closed.  The textured Polyamid handle is
very comfortable and provides a secure grip, swelling to a substantial
integral guard.  The blade has a grooved thumb ramp (though I wish the
grooves were sharper and deeper) and there are grooves on the blade release
and the butt of the handle.  There is a lanyard hole in the butt, which
is tapered and would make a good striking tool.

There are grooves on the thumb ramp, blade release,
and butt.

The textured handle is comfortable and provides good
traction.

Point of balance is right at the blade pivot.  Because
it is nice and light, the HK14 handles well, moving quickly and with good
control.  The blade opens reasonably smoothly using the ambidextrous,
knurled and tapered thumb studs – which have luminous dots on them evocative
of the night sights on a firearm.

The thumb studs have luminous dots evocative of night
sights.

The HK14 has an extremely “tactical” black-on-black
appearance.

The HK14 has a wire pocket
clip that, while fairly loose, works well thanks to the knife’s light
weight.  It slips easily into and out of my jeans but does not fall out
in normal use.  The wire clip also enhances the politically incorrect
black tactical look of the knife, as it has a “high tech” look one associates
with such things.

The wire pocket clip enhances the knife’s high-tech
look and feel.

The sharply angled and elongated Americanized
tanto blade is great for scoring with the secondary tip.  The
needle-sharp primary point penetrates well in stacked cardboard and plastic,
while the serrations were particular good for ripping up softer material like
fabric and hanging paracord.  There is a very subtle curve to the edge of
the blade forward of the serrations.  Many tantos are chisel ground, but
the HK14 is ground on both sides (with the exception of the serrations).

The Americanized tanto blade is ground on both sides.

The HK14 locks open without blade play and
releases easily using the rocker-bar lock release.  There is no retention
device to keep the blade closed.  Friction from the handle is sufficient,
but you must keep this in mind if you live in a municipality in which such a
retention device is necessary to prevent your knife from qualifying as a
“gravity blade.”  A wrist snap will easily get the blade open and locked
with one hand only.  The knife is configured for tip-down, right-hand use
only.  If the pocket clip is removable at all, one would have to
disassemble the blade pivot, which I could not bring myself to do just to find
out.

The HK14 would make a good self-defense folder for
any martialist.

The HK14 is immediately appealing to those who like their
tactical folders black-on-black and visually lethal.  A decent utility
blade that would make a good self-defense tool, this is a knife that is equal
parts image and function.  When you buy the HK14, you’re getting not one,
but two well-known German names for the price of one.

Boker and HK definitely
complement one another nicely.