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Burnley Kwaiken’s Latest Metamorphosis is into the OTF Category

February 16, 2021

The expansive Böker 2021 catalog includes a lot of surprises, but one of the headliners is the Böker Plus Kwaiken OTF, which brings Lucas Burnley‘s famous pattern into the popular double action format.

The Burnley Kwaiken was extraordinarily popular even in its custom beginnings; ever since Burnley’s partnership with Böker began, it’s been a multifarious one too. Through this collaboration we’ve seen this signature design as a flipper, fixed blade, in a compact form, as a kitchen knife – there’s even been a button-style, single action automatic release. But this is the first time fans will be able to get the knife in a double action, out the front configuration.

In terms of OTF deployment, Böker and Burnley equipped this knife with a spine-riding slide button. The blade length is shortened somewhat compared to the single action Kwaiken auto. That knife’s blade ran out to about 3.5 inches, whereas the Kwaiken OTF’s cutting edge measures 3.19 inches – an appreciable drop in length, but one that shouldn’t alter the application of the knife generally – and will help keep the weight (always a sticking spot with OTFs) down to boot. Blade steel is D2, the semi-stainless that we see appear on an upper tier of products within the Böker Plus lineup.

The Kwaiken’s linear ergonomics lend themselves well to variation. You can see that Böker and Burnley didn’t need to alter the handle shape much to accommodate the OTF mechanism. The entire chassis is made from aluminum, available in either a black or blue anodization; that, combined with a focus on overall thinness, means that the Kwaiken OTF tips the scales at an entirely reasonably 3.46 oz.

Given the particular legal and logistical issues involved with automatic knives, Böker teamed up with Pro-Tech for the original Kwaiken autos. Here, they tapped a different U.S.-based company to make the Kwaiken OTFs: CobraTec. CobraTec specializes in OTF designs, so they were able to bring the technical know-how to the project.

Böker is currently saying that the Kwaiken OTF will be available late Summer 2021. Meanwhile, there is more to cover in their 2021 catalog, so stay tuned.

Knife in Featured Image: Böker Plus Kwaiken OTF

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