Boker Kwaiken Air Review: A Sleek Flipper with One Frustrating Flaw

This Lucas Burnley design measures 8.39 inches overall, with a 3.54-inch VG-10 blade and a 4.85-inch handle. The blade is only 0.09 inch thick, with a narrow trailing-point profile and a flat grind. At 2.93 ounces, the Air name actually means something.

The version I have is black G10 with a satin blade, a liner lock and a right-hand-only tip-up clip. It cost $67.46 when I reviewed it. Wood and titanium versions were also offered, but this review is about the full-size G10 knife.

This is not a little three-inch Kwaiken. It has a useful amount of length, and the Benchmade 940 and Boos Blades Smoke make good size references. Beside the Kizer Genie and Ferrum Forge Stinger, its long, narrow profile stands out too.

With the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 and Benchmade Bugout alongside it, the Kwaiken Air is just a hair longer than the PM2 overall. I think it makes a very good gentleman’s carry if you are comfortable with a longer knife. Our gentleman’s pocket knife guide covers other approaches to that kind of carry.

The packaging genuinely surprised me. The box is fine, but the zippered pouch inside is the part I really like. It has soft lining, separate layers and even dual zippers.

I do not remember my earlier Boker Plus knives coming with a pouch this nice. At the roughly $67 price, it is impressive. Nice packaging deserves a little credit, provided it does not come at the expense of the knife itself.

The blade is surprisingly slicy. The blade is about 0.013 inch behind the edge, although it thickens fairly quickly because this is a narrow blade. The flat grind covers most of the blade height rather than going all the way to the spine. Even so, it slices pretty darn well for me.

I really like this combination of length and slenderness, and I prefer it to the smaller Kwaikens. The satin lines run along the blade rather than across it. I would not call it hand-rubbed at this price, but it has that more elegant look.

The flipper tab has very nice jimping. Where I wish there were more is along the handle spine, right where my thumb lands. That area is slick, and a little well-placed texture would make it better without spoiling the design.

For such a slim knife, the ergonomics are better than I expected. The handle is long enough for a full purchase, and it feels secure to me even without that extra jimping. I can squeeze it hard without an irritating hot spot. Very wide hands might notice the end of the handle more than I do.

The way the pocket clip is installed is excellent: recessed screws, a recessed clip and a useful entry ramp. It goes into my pocket without trouble and does not create a hot spot in my hand. Functionally, I have a lot of good things to say about it.

The G10 has a subtle grain that suits this knife. I like that Boker kept it fairly smooth instead of covering it in aggressive texturing. It complements the whole slender design.

The biggest disappointment is the finishing along the liners and clip. There are visible machining marks and little nicks along the edges. The clip works very well, but its edge finishing and the liner finishing look rough. That is frustrating because the rest of the knife was getting close to home-run territory for me.

I know this was a roughly $67 knife, but CJRB, Civivi, Kizer and QSP were doing better finishing in that price range. I do not think the price excuses those edges. A little more smoothing would have made a real difference.

Access to the liner lock is good, especially considering how narrow the knife is. The cutout and texture on the liner give me an easy place to release it. There is also internal weight reduction in the liners, another detail Boker got right.

The action is really good for a pure flipper. It has a mild fidget factor that I was not expecting, and the blade comes out with a satisfying feel without kicking too much in my hand. It is smooth enough to make me happy, even if I would not call it glassy smooth.

The flipper-tab jimping and angle work well together. This is a light-switch flipper: pull the tab down rather than pushing straight into it. That motion sends the blade out very nicely, and I like the sound and the slender Kwaiken profile it leaves behind.

Centering on my example is plenty good enough for me. The tip looks almost perfectly centered, with only a very slight offset farther up. It is too small to bother me.

All in all, this is a very solid Boker offering. The presentation, profile, blade and action are good. The rough liner and clip edges are the thing holding it back. I still really like it, and it is one of my favorite Bokers I have handled, but better finishing would have made it a home run.

Boker can drive me crazy because it works with talented designers and gets so much right, then makes decisions I struggle to understand. The pricing of some smaller D2 Kwaikens was another example for me. That does not change what I like about this VG-10 Air: it is a distinctive, slim design that I would recommend considering.

I prefer this longer version and am happy to keep it around. For casual everyday carry, provided you are not looking for something super heavy duty, it is a really good knife. It is not the best in its price category, but it is good, and it is absolutely worth a look if you have always liked the Kwaiken style.