Böker Beer Barrel Congress Review

 

Product Name:Boker Beer Barrel Congress
Brand:Böker
Rating:
Type of Knife:Congress
Blade Type:Sheepsfoot, Pen Blade, Coping
Blade Material:Carbon Steel
Blade Length:~
Overall Length:~
Closed Length:3 3/4″
Handle Material:Wood
Lock Type:none
Weight:~
Warranty:Limited Lifetime Manufacturer Warranty

Böker Beer Barrel Congress Review

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CLICK HERE for the latest price on the Böker Beer Barrel Congress Pocket Knife

Böker Beer Barrel Congress Pocket Knife

I have to say, this is one of my favorite knives in my collection, and for good reason.

Ahhh .. the Böker Beer Barrel Congress Pocket Knife – what a beauty! With a handle carved out of genuine German beer barrels, you’ll feel the deep German roots when you hold this knife in your hands for the first time. This great knife sports a pen blade, a sheepsfoot blade, and a coping blade, with Boker’s classic “Tree Brand” engraving on one of the sheepsfoot blades. The steel used in these blades is C-75 carbon steel, and the beer barrel handle is held together by brass liners and nickel silver bolsters. This knife measures in at 3 3/4 inches when closed.

These blades are as good as it gets in this price range. Buy a Boker, you won’t regret it!

Great for whittling too!

The History of the Böker Beer Barrel Congress Pocket Knife

This Boker knife is hand crafted in Germany’s capital of cutlery, Solingen, and celebrates the city’s long history of cutlery and beer. The Boker company is not quite as old as the German beer trade, which dates back to 800 B.C., but also has a rich part in German history.

The story goes back hundreds of years ago when in 1516, Duke Wilhelm enacted the Munich Purity law, governing the beer brewing industry in Germany. Numerous laws governing the production of cutlery were also going into effect around the same time.  Boker has very strict guidelines of their own when it comes to producing top of the line cutlery, and to commemorate these parts of history, they started re-purposing the old German beer barrels into handles for Boker knives.

This makes this knife a fine collectors blade.

boker-beer-barrel-congress-blade-specifications-200x200The Blades

The Böker beer barrel congress pocket knife comes equipped with four different blades: 2 Sheepsfoot, 1 pen blade, and 1coping blade. All four blades are finely crafted from C-75 carbon steel, making this one of the few carving knives on the market that still use carbon steel in their production. The blades come extremely sharp right out of the box. I was very impressed when I easily sliced some hair off my arm upon un-boxing mine for the first time.

One of the coolest things about the blades aside from how good they are, is the old “Tree Brand” etching that comes on one of the sheepsfoot blades. Another nice thing about all four blades is that they stay very well in a half opened position which is not seen in pocket knives as often these days. Another sign of a quality knife.

Lastly, after all of the use my pocket knife has gotten, there is still zero side to side play in them. Not something I can say for all of my heavily used knives.

I’ve used my knife many many times over the past few months and the blades have remained very sharp for the amount of use they have gotten. I am extremely happy with the quality of the blades without a doubt.

boker-beer-barrel-congress-natural-wood-handle-200x200The Handle

The handle on this knife is where the history lies. The side panels are what’s made from the genuine old German beer barrels, and are held together by solid nickel silver bolsters with brass liners inside it to help prevent rusting while closed. The handle has a slight downward curve which helps it to sit perfectly in my hand while I’m using it. There’s also a smallBoker insignia embedded on one side of the handle.

This knife feels great in my hand. I love it!

The Pros

It couldn’t be easier to come up with a list of pros for the Böker Beer Barrel Congress Knife. I’ve already covered many of them, but here’s a quick list to recap them for you.

  • Great for an EDC, carving knife, or collector’s peice
  • Awesome blade steel
  • Tight bolsters
  • Perfect angle for whittling
  • Rich company history
  • Fits very nicely in your hand
  • Brass innards to help keep it from rusting
  • 4 useful blades
  • Beautiful design yet extremely functional

The Cons

To be honest I couldn’t really come up with any cons to this pocket knife! I think this might be the first time this has ever happened. If I had to choose one cone, it would be:

  • Two of the blades had scratches from the factory in them, but that’s not really an issue for me because I bought this knife to be used, not to sit on a shelf on display. If you want to buy this knife as a collector’s item, you might have to do an exchange if the same thing happens to you. The customer service at Boker is awesome and they stand by their knives.

Insider Tip!

Most people who have purchased this pocket knife have gotten a piece of paper outlining the history that lies behind the knife. My knife did not come with this story, and the same has been said for many other people who have bought it. Don’t fret though, Boker covers the history on their website, so it really wasn’t a big deal to me.

The Verdict on the Boker Beer Barrel Congress Pocket Knife

If you want a very high quality carving knife at a great price with a rich history, this is your knife. The blades are as good as you can find in this price range, and they come extremely sharp right out of the box. This is one of the best knives for under $100 you could possibly buy these days. It’s great as an EDC knife, a carving knife, or a collectors piece or family heirloom to be passed down through generations.

BUY THIS KNIFE!!

CLICK HERE for the latest price on the Böker Beer Barrel Congress Pocket Knife