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Inferno333
12-09-2013, 03:59 AM
American Kami Boker Colubris

I received this knife as part of a pass around sponsored by DJ Ubanovsky, Owner of American Kami Custom Blades. I was pretty excited when he decided to send out a knife for some hands-on time. It’s not every day that a company just lets so many people be trusted with using and abusing, (Not in my case), one of their products.

The basic specs for it are:
Overall length: 8.875”
Blade length: 4.25”
Weight: 8oz
Blade material: 440C
Handle material: G-10

Now on to my thoughts!

First of all the packaging was excellent. It was similar to how jewelry is boxed with the magnetic closure. The belt clip, knife, and sheath each have its own slot.

-Presentation: Excellent

The knife itself has excellent weight and feel in the hand. The grip fit me perfectly! I haven’t had a lot of experience with G-10, but I can see why people like it so much! The contour of the scales filled my hand just right. It felt quite balanced for having such a thick and wide blade. I would attribute that to the full tang and generous G-10 scales. I’m a huge fan of thick blades and this particular shape is quite functional and visually nice to look at. It was extremely sharp! I don’t know if the gentleman before touched it up with some ceramic, but the blade showed minimal signs of use and could easily shave hair off my arm. I really liked the satin finish on the blade as it fit very well with the OD green scales. The full tang also allows it to have a small extension to use as an impact tool.

-The blade: Very, very nice!

The belt clip and sheath were the main negatives for it. The belt clip was clunky and a bit complicated to get adjusted where a person would need it. I didn’t use it much.

The sheath was completely opposite of the blade on the quality front. A tighter fit, thicker kydex, and a different design would’ve served this blade a lot better. It had almost no retention at all. The grommets offered no decent way to lash it to webgear or molle loops since they were only on one side. The drain hole was a nice touch, but it can’t make up for the poor design of the whole sheath.

-Belt clip: A big Meh.

-Sheath: More Meh.

I used the knife for a variety of tasks and on a number of materials. It had no problem cutting foam sheets, thin plastic, and paper. Thick cardboard posed no threat to it. After a thorough cleaning and a couple pulls through ceramic the edge was like a razor again. I used it to cut up fruit, vegetables, and meat. It felt pretty at home doing the mundane tasks since it fits my hand so well. I also lashed it to my vest while we did two days of range at drill. I carved wood sticks while sitting around and it also chopped down some little saplings. I volunteered the knife for other to look at and handle. Pretty much all the comments related to how well it fit their hand and the how it had good balance for being so hefty.

-Overall: The blade was great, but the belt clip and sheath were very lacking. I would still recommend the knife, but would probably have a new sheath made for it.

SGT Court Kayser
USAR Military Police


http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r665/private_kayser/Boker1_zps0cadf7c5.jpeg (http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/private_kayser/media/Boker1_zps0cadf7c5.jpeg.html)

http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r665/private_kayser/Boker2_zps966bffdb.jpeg (http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/private_kayser/media/Boker2_zps966bffdb.jpeg.html)

Snowman
12-30-2013, 05:36 PM
I thought about getting in on the pass around when the sign ups were taking place. Nice to see someone local get in on it!

I really enjoy his designs and would love to own one of his knives, however, his prices are a little steep in my opinion.

Thanks for posting your review here.

AutoMods
12-30-2013, 08:18 PM
how much is it?


I've never looked into knives but i wouldn't mind buying something really light and thin to carry around while jogging at night. kinda worried about stray dogs and the such

FiFdYnUtZ
12-30-2013, 09:25 PM
So...did you do anything to it that a $5 gas station. Knife cant do?

Snoclo
12-31-2013, 06:11 PM
If you were worried about dogs, get a dog to run with you or pepper spray, that way you won't have to feed it!

Inferno333
01-02-2014, 12:03 PM
I thought about getting in on the pass around when the sign ups were taking place. Nice to see someone local get in on it!

I really enjoy his designs and would love to own one of his knives, however, his prices are a little steep in my opinion.

Thanks for posting your review here.

Not a problem! I knew someone would find it interesting. I would agree with you on the prices for his blades and axes. They are pretty high, but custom made things are worth it sometimes.


how much is it?


I've never looked into knives but i wouldn't mind buying something really light and thin to carry around while jogging at night. kinda worried about stray dogs and the such

If I remember right you can get these for around $70. Not bad considering the quality of it.

This knife is neither light nor thin so I wouldn't pick it for your purpose.


So...did you do anything to it that a $5 gas station. Knife cant do?

I did not. Destructive testing wasn't allowed since it was a pass-around.

I heed on the side of quality for anything that my life could depend on. A $5 gas station knife might be good for opening some boxes and stripping some wires, but I would not trust it for much else.