For over 2.4 million years, the knife has been an indispensable all-purpose tool. Knives in a wide variety of shapes and designs exist for almost every occasion. Whether as a tool, household utensil, decorative object, or collector's item, people appreciate the advantages of these sharp objects in every kitchen. Almost as diverse as the possible uses and applications of kitchen knives—from slicing a fresh roll to carving a beef tenderloin and filleting freshly caught fish—is the possible design of a kitchen knife.
At the Böker factory, we use three different blade and handle constructions, depending on the series. Each construction has its own tradition and justification, offering distinct advantages in manufacturing, handling, and application. However, one thing unites all the Böker chef's knife designs presented here, despite their differences: in every case, they are excellent and superior chef's knives that you won't want to put down. You're sure to find the perfect knife to suit your individual preferences regarding design, weight, ergonomics, and balance.
The forged goiter
European kitchen knives are primarily used for cutting with pressure. The forged bolster, created in a die, offers several advantages in this regard. With this cutting technique, the index or middle finger presses against the end of the blade. The bolster's three-dimensional structure provides a comfortable contact surface for this pressure. Furthermore, its weight assists the cutting motion of the forward-moving blade. The knives in our Böker Core series are die-forged with a bolster. Die forging dates back to the early days of industrialization. First, a roughly pre-shaped piece, the so-called split piece, is cut from the raw material. This split piece is heated to red heat and then shaped in a solid die consisting of an upper and lower half. This die serves as a counter-support. The die, which strikes the split piece from above, is mounted on a two-ton drop ram. The resulting blade blank must be annealed again before the wing—the excess material surrounding the blank created during forging—can be trimmed. Finally, the blank is calibrated once more on a toggle press with 800 tons of pressing force. This process is particularly suitable for highly contoured blade profiles. Even after forging, the bolster remains a challenge for the craftsman. The fine contours of the knife must now be worked out of the rough-forged blank by a grinder. The complex, three-dimensional, and conical structure of the bolster demands their full experience and concentration. At all transitions to the blade and handle, unsightly dents and grinding marks can easily occur if the grinder is not careful.
The fuller
The full tang is the robust and simple solution. Originating from the outdoor knife sector, it is typically used where a little more stability is desired, for example, in cases of misuse such as prying or hacking. The full tang follows the entire contour of the handle; the scales are riveted on from both sides. The handle scales are then hand-shaped by a craftsman using a belt sander to fit the tang and round off for a comfortable grip. The knives in our Böker Saga series feature a full tang .
The plug
The tang is the lightest of the listed joints. It follows the philosophy: as much as necessary – as little as possible. The actual tang is even narrower than the blade base, which transitions into the handle, and extends approximately one-third of the handle's length. Here, it is held in place by a single stainless steel rivet. The wood towards the front of the handle is protected by a finely satin-finished stainless steel ferrule. Fitting the ferrule is particularly delicate, as the recess for it on the handle wood is both conical and oval. It therefore does not represent a geometrically regular shape. With this construction, we follow Japanese tradition and use it in our Böker Damast Olive and Böker Damast Black series. In Japanese cuisine, cutting is primarily done with a pull stroke. The blade is easier to control with this cutting technique if the handle is correspondingly lighter in relation to the blade. If bending forces were to occur during cutting – which are negligible when working with food – they would occur at the strongest point of this joint.