Boker Arbolito El Gigante after 1 year

Music used in this video:

Krampus's Workshop by Kevin MacLeod

#Boker knives #Bowie knives

[Marcoantoniopp]

Very good, you really show how it s made

[hcooC]

Fantastic review, thanks so much. I'm certainly considering purchasing one.

[longshanks]

Great review, I think people always have this idea of Bowie knives being over built, and very thick, and that’s due to a lot of the designs being intended for outdoor use and battoning but if you look back to original Bowie knife designs, they weren’t very thick, and they did have a very fine point for piercing, and these knives were intended to cut off fingers, hands and even limbs in combat, if you want something, you can really pound on get a BK9 or an ESEE Junglas

[lino]

Best review I've seen so far for this knife, by a long margin.

Since lots of people often want to see the Gigante and the Trail Master compared I'll chime in my two cents, before Megaron chooses to drop around 180EU on one:

I've had the pleasure of owning both this one and the Trailmaster in O1, and I have to say I actually prefer this one. The Trailmaster is a little bit more front heavy, though not a lot more; it's thicker at the spine and carries that thickness further towards the tip; which makes you feel more secure while batoning. The craftsmanship of the TM is also way better and O1 sharpens easier than N695, albeit again, not that much easier.

That being said, the El Gigante is way better balanced for finer cutting, and believe it or not, I think it actually splits better than the TM. The TM has a very sharp swedge along it's first 10cm (4 inches) which absorbs a ton of the effort you put into driving the blade through wood; and also the angle they ground the blade to makes it very prone to binding; which I didn't found to be the case with the Gigante, which being thinner actually moves better through the wood. The times the TM gets to split the wood actually feels more powerful, but I found it to be just an OK splitter which is underwhelming for an 8mm thick spined knife.

I found chopping very disappointing with the TM, while being thicker and a bit more front heavy than the el Gigante, it actually didn't have that much chopping power; also the handle had pretty rough checkering and it's not very girthy, so it moves a around a lot in your hand and rubs against your skin. However if you'd need to go through brush or thin vegetation, the Gigante being better balanced feels overly lighter and less tiresome, so I'd pick it to fulfill machete type duties. Again thei're both pretty bad for chopping into hard wood, but for lighter wood I actually prefer the lighter and nimbler Gigante, since the added weight on the TM almost doesn't show on the chopping capabilty (go and watch Tactical's review for another kind of disappointing chopping performance on the TM).

Another point I'd like to make notice of is the stainlesness. O1 is extremely rust-prone, amazingly so. Go watch Gideonstactical review on the knife to show how much the thing actually rusts on you; whilst N695 is very stain resistant and also holds an edge a little bit better, as I found the factory edge on the TM to be prone to chipping, albeit I solved that by sharpening to a thicker pseudo-convex edge.

Overall the TM is a better crafted, tougher sturdier blade that really doesn't translate that craftsmanship, toughness or sturdiness into performance, while also adding the fact of being extremely high maintenance, and overall no good around wet areas, because it will rust and pit like crazy.

If the money is the same, and I didn't have to baton huge super hard pieces of wood I'd get the Gigante. I'd only get the TM if I'd knew I'd use it in areas where it seldom rains and I'd have to go split throug tougher wood. Now considering the options shown on the video, I'd get an ESEE Junglas over both of them. And if money actually were an issue I'd get a Terava Skrama.

Hope somebody found this helpful.
Greetings from Argentina.

[poland_stronk]

Nice you showed how it looks without scales.

[oliverkeuken]

Very informative - very helpful - thanks a lot

[NGMonocrom]

Recently bought one to add to my Bowie knife collection. Would have preferred the Ebony wood handle variation, but went with the green Micarta since this knife is currently Sold Out _everywhere!_ Except for one seller on eBay who apparently has a bunch of them. All in green Micarta. Honestly, absolutely love it! It immediately became a personal favorite. (Keep in mind, I have an extensive collection of Bowie knives. Even examples that cost significantly more than the El Gigante.) That handle shape fits my hand like a glove!

Only thing I don't love is the sheath. Definitely high-quality. But the type of snap Boker decided to use, far from ideal. Been my experience that such snaps cause the leather keeper to loosen up over time to a degree where the keeper no longer stays shut when you want it to. I mean it happens in a rather short amount of time. Pretty soon, you have no choice but to replace the sheath, entirely. Not looking forward to that day. But again, the knife is excellent. So, it's worth the eventual headache. Do wish it had a lanyard hole, but not a deal-breaker for me.

[sifusasdo]

Cool Video 👍
Thank U for the Info and the Links 👍

[ronp]

Great video deeply involved in the blade👍

[alessandroriccardi]

I bought the stag handle version with copper like guard and better sheath, the edge was also a bit asymmetrical, but I’m fairly satisfied, it looks really nice. I use it as my grill blade more than an hiking blade, for wich I prefer a lighter more refined blade, although it chops fairly good, also against hard cherry and hickory wood and fits pretty nice for some food preparation.

[jamespeters]

I love Bowie blades...this one is on my list...I would add file work and add stag handles!!!

[MacSaffer]

Great review I've been very interested in getting this knife. I have a very durable esk knife but felt it was a bit small. I guess the answer is this is a good generalist knife but not a specialist at anything.

I think I'm still going to buy it.

[semperfidelis]

Great review, I ordered the El Gigante but also have the Esee Junglas so we will see if I keep the El Gigante or not…The Junglas is definitely a keeper.

[mca]

Are this the roasted chicken, after fire starting ?

[PrinzStörenfried]

Really nice Video.
Why is your Canadian Camp 2 so thick? When I look for it it is only 4.8 mm thick instead of 8 mm like yours.

[BananasFroggy]

Planning on getting an El Gigante. Prefer the brown sheath - so the wooden handle is then the only option

[johnanon]

That teflon pan is gonna give you cancer, bro. Or is that coated carbon steel?

[mikeboone]

Great honest review, that is disappointing on the sheath at that price but today it seems par for the course quality is slipping but only on the sheaths in most cases at that price level just unacceptable. Happy trails

[ramonvelasquez]

Good vid I love this knife! By the way, what brand is the Canadian chopping knife that you showed there?

[TheWtfnonamez]

Superb analysis, thank you. I really like mine, but I agree with your take on the handle design not really having enough "fatness" at the back end. I kinda worry that if I relax my grip whilst chopping the damn thing is going to fly out of my hand. Personally Im of the opinion that any knife that is designed for chopping, ergo swinging, should be fatter at the pommel so that it just wont slip through the hand. The grippy scales are fine and all, but that requires you to maintain a tight grip with your hand, which means its designed to require more hand muscle effort to use.
I cant help but suspect that this design slightly compromised style over functionality when it came to the handle. When it comes to design philosophy its literally the opposite of the Condor Golock. This has a huge, smooth, swell on the heal so its not going to slip out of your hand unless you literally let go of it.
Incredibly good video. Professional, fair, and interesting to watch.