Boker’s M4 Sherman: Battle Hardened Blades
By Frank S. Karl
At any knife show the cutlery constantly clamors for your attention. Sometimes the knives are new, sometimes not. Böker caught my eye at the 2021 Blade Show. They are developing a new and interesting line of knives made from what you and I would consider ‘battle tested’ steel. It’s a project Kenton Green, their Southeast and Mid-Atlantic sales manager, had envisioned and pursued.
After three years of hard work behind the scenes, Kenton has drawn back the curtain and these knives are center stage. Böker has introduced a set of knives with damascus blades made from steel of the iconic weapons used by the countries that slugged it out in World War II. The first and perhaps most formidable in this lineup is the Sherman Damascus knife made with steel from actual M4 Sherman tanks.
The first thing I noticed when Böker’s Sherman Damascus knife arrived was the jute or burlap Micarta handle. It has a wonderful coarseness that seems to be barely submerged in the resin and instantly reminded me of the military packs and pouches used in WWII. The brown coloration was reminiscent of the mud and trampled vegetation of battlefields and staging areas.
This article appears in the December 2021 issue of KNIFE Magazine. You can read the whole thing by clicking the blue button below.
