Michael Burch Brings out the Swoopy with Boker

Our ongoing coverage of Boker’s 2024 lineup continues with the Swoopy. Don’t let the quirky name fool you, the Swoopy is a hardworking knife from big name custom maker Michael Burch.

Michael Burch is no stranger to production collaborations (see: the Spyderco Bombshell from 2020, among others). Burch’s style emphasizes the brawn that today’s folding knives can achieve thanks to modern materials and hefty dimensions; but Burch’s work is always sensibly hefty; his penchant for the tanklike does not mean hinder their performance in or out of the pocket, instead striking a balance that blends beef with the carryability and nimbleness that most users need in the knives.

So take a look at the Swoopy, starting with the blade. At 3.11 inches it fits rather nicely into the do-all EDC category; that role is further facilitated by the broad wharncliffe blade, just ever so slightly modified to imbue the edge with a hint of belly. You might be surprised to see the steel here is not D2, but Nitro-V, a rarer Boker cast member, but a welcome one. This nitrogen-enhanced steel is fully stainless, holds an edge quite well, and touches up without the need of special equipment. It’s a well-rounded choice for a knife like the Swoopy, which may need to flex into chores on opposite ends of the light-heavy spectrum at a moment’s notice.

It’s in the handle that the Burchtree Blades beefiness really comes into play. The Swoopy’s back scale is a slab of stainless steel, which allows for a full steel frame lock set up. However, thanks to a G-10 slab front and sensible overall dimensions, the presence of steel here doesn’t weigh the Swoopy down; at 3.28 oz. it’s able to compete weight-wise with many liner locks in the same size class. The spine-like scallops in the G-10 keep the hand in place, and on the back side a loop-over pocket clip (non-reversible) is present for carrying duty.

The Swoopy is available now. We’ve got plenty more new for 2024 Boker releases to cover, so stay tuned on that front.

Knife in Featured Image: Boker Plus Swoopy

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