Boker
Natural Handle Materials

Which One Do You Think Is Most Beautiful?

Boker natural handle materials add a classical, traditional flair to the personality of Boker's German knives.

"A picture is worth a thousand words", but I hope that even without photos, the descriptions on this page will give you an idea of how attractive and durable these materials are.

Amboina Burl, sometimes referred to as padouk, comes from India and Southeast Asia, and is only available in limited quantities. It is a rare, exotic hardwood which varies in color from yellow to golden brown to red. The figuring in the wood is tiny reddish-orange curls with a reddish/yellow background. It finishes up as a strikingly beautiful knife handle.

Bocote is a fine, beautiful wood from South America. Its color can vary from light to golden brown. It is a strong, durable wood that makes attractive, lustrous knife handles.

Cocobolo is a very beautiful tropical rosewood from South America. It has a dark color that can range from brick red to dark brown. It is tough, has a fine texture and a natural luster, and makes a beautiful knife handle.

Desert Ironwood, from the desert of America's southwest, is a very dense, tight grained wood, medium to dark brown in color. It is durable and attractive, takes a very high polish, and tends to darken with use and age.

Macassar Ebony is black, with a faint grey-brown contrasting grain. It is a beautiful wood with a fine texture, and can look almost metallic depending on how it's finished.

Thuya Burl is from Morocco. It is the root of the red cedar. It is incredibly hard, and can be polished to a glass-like finish.

Walnut is not as rare or exotic as the other Boker natural handle materials described here, but it is a tough wood, and Boker uses it on some models of knives. It can range in color from light tan to dark brown, and has an attractive, irregular figuring in the grain. It finishes up as a durable, beautiful knife handle.

Sambar Stag-Horn is from India, and is available only in limited quantities. My understanding is that it is the densest, most durable, and most desirable type of stag-horn used for knife handles.

Red Stag Horn is from South America. It is durable and beautiful, but not as rare as the Sambar horn.

Bone: The bone used for knife handles is strong, dense, and tough. Usually taken from the chin bone of a cow, it can be carved and dyed to make durable, attractive knife handle scales.