We had some reservations going into our review of the Boker Mini Kwaiken, as our experience with the original Boker Kwaiken was mixed. The OG Kwaiken looked beautiful but was difficult to open, and worse yet, the tip of the blade stuck out from the edge of the handle enough to catch on your pocket and even on your fingers.
Since then, Boker has revamped the Kwaiken and claims to have resolved the issues with the original. In this Boker Mini Kwaiken review, we dig into the upgraded knife to see if its practical features match its genuinely gorgeous look.
Boker Mini KwaikenQuick Overview
The Boker Mini Kwaiken is a masterpiece of minimalist design. It’s sleek, stylish, and lethally effective as an EDC pocket knife for elegant and discerning users.
Functionality
8.5/10
Style
10.0/10
Dependability
9.4/10
Value
8.0/10
What We Like
Supremely sleek and elegant design
Neo-Japanese modified drop point blade is excellent for light utility tasks
Reasonably good ergonomics
Fits in well with any outfit
What We Don’t Like
Blade isn’t suited for heavy use
Pricier than other EDC knives
Made in China
What is the Boker Mini Kwaiken?
The Boker Mini Kwaiken is a modern pocket knife and an evolution of the company’s innovative Kwaiken family of knives. It’s a slim and lightweight pocket folder built to offer a slender and elegant solution for your EDC.
The Mini Kwaiken was developed in collaboration with celebrated bladesmith Lucas Burnley as an homage to traditional Japanese blade design. It’s a beautiful yet highly functional EDC pocket knife that offers a lot of value for the right person.
Key features
- Flipper paired with IKBS bearings allows for quick opening with a flip of your wrist
- Slim, lightweight design for maximum pocketability
- Liner lock holds deployed blade in place with rock-solid security
Knife specifications
- Length (Overall/Closed): 7.24 in/4.125 in | 183.9mm/104.8mm
- Handle Thickness: 0.5 in | 12.7mm
- Weight: 2.86 oz | 73.7g
- Blade length (size of blade): 3.125 in | 79.37mm
- Blade Thickness: 0.12 in | 3.05mm
- Blade Steel: D2/VG-10 blade steel
Boker Mini Kwaiken Design and Style
The Kwaiken is absolutely gorgeous. Everything about it, from its minimalist handle to its clean lines to the neo-Japanese blade geometry, is carefully designed to create a concealed blade that looks elegantly lethal without sacrificing practicality.
The handle is precisely angular with no room for softness. The blade shape has a subtle curve towards the middle of the grip for improved ergonomics, but Boker made sure it does nothing to detract from the inherent sharpness of the knife’s style. The blade of the Kwaiken is equally gorgeous, a modified drop point with a sleek angle leading up to a needle-sharp point.
The Mini Kwaiken is available in several different configurations, with the Kwaiken Air Mini and the Kwaiken Mini Flipper the most popular. The Mini Flipper is the workhorse of the line, while the Kwaiken Air Mini does its best to be the slimmest, lightest, and most elegantly usable EDC knife available.
Boker Mini Kwaiken Usability
Throughout this Boker Mini Kwaiken review, we measured this knife’s usability on a few key factors, including handle ergonomics, pocketability and carry options, blade access, and blade and handle options.
Handle ergonomics
No matter how sleek and stylish a knife is, it’s not worth much if holding and using it is a chore. At first glance, we were concerned that the Kwaiken Mini wouldn’t hold up to actually being held.
Thankfully, we were utterly wrong here. The angular handle sits surprisingly well in the palm of our hand without creating any unwanted pressure points or slipping around. We found it provided plenty of grip through the micro texture on the handle.
The handle is minimal like the rest of the knife, but there’s still plenty of handle to hold. The distinctive style offers sleek lines, a slim design, and secure lock engagement. The locking mechanism is snappy and solid.
The minimalist design of the Kwaiken handle also means that it will work well across a significant range of hand sizes. It’s not quite as good as something with contoured handles like the Benchmade Bugout, but it’s plenty good enough and it beats out all those other knives in style.
Pocketability and carry options
This is definitely not a chunky knife like many of the tactical knives or folding knives that the EDC community loves. Throughout our Boker Mini Kwaiken review, we couldn’t help but notice how elegnt and slim this knife feels.
The Kwaiken Mini is exceptionally pocketable, which we expected from a lighter blade. The handle is barely half an inch thick while it weighs in at between 2 and 3.4 oz depending on your choice of handle material.
The entire blade fits into a pocket. We found it unobtrusive in our pocket, lacking anything that would stick out and catch a real benefit of its sleek design.
The Kwaiken offers only one carry option, tip-up, and the pocket clip cannot be relocated for true ambidextrous carry. If you wear it in your left pocket you’ll have to flip it before you can access the flipper tab to open it.
Blade access and retention
Blade access was a major sticking point on the original Kwaiken, so we were keen to see just how Boker improved it on the Kwaiken Mini and Kwaiken Air. We found the flipper tab a little on the small side, in keeping with the overall style and tone of the Kwaiken, but otherwise excellent.
Boker went with an IKBS bearing pivot system to provide the smoothest possible opening. Straight out of the box we had no issues flipping the Kwaiken open with a gently flip of our wrist.
Despite that, the blade was quite secure in the handle while pocketed. We had no fears that the blade would slip out or open on its own while carrying it.
The Kwaiken uses a stainless steel liner lock for retention. It fits in well with the overall design of the Kwaiken and does an excellent job. There was zero blade play while the lock is engaged.
Blade and handle options
Boker has outdone itself when it comes to its compact handle choice and customization options. You can get the Kwaiken in multiple colors of G10, burnished titanium, carbon fiber, and even in a truly stunning natural Cocobolo wood.
Blade wise, you can choose between D2 tool steel or VG-10, both with a hollow grind, with the additional option of a black coated blade for added corrosion resistance (though we all know it’s for that black-on-black look). You can’t choose a different blade style other than the slightly more slender modified drop point on the Kwaiken Air Mini.
Given how integral the neo-Japanese style is to the Kwaiken’s overall aesthetic we can understand why Boker made that call.
Lightweight version of popular Boker Flipper. Straightforward, practical shape. Clean lines, slim design and mini profile. Open length of just 7 inches. Blade length of 3 inches. Discreet flipper tab for easy deployment and snappy action. Multiple attractive handle options. VG-10 Steel blade with integrated flipper tab secured with reliable lock.
One of the most influential designs of the 21st century. Clean lines, slim design, and true utilitarian form. Intuitive flipper operation and secure lock, underlined by titanium scales for a unique appearance. A true crossover between the gentlemen folder knife and a tactical blade. Includes removable clip.
Boker Mini Kwaiken Durability and Reliability
The Boker Mini Kwaiken is a sexy and highly functional EDC pocket knife, but many wonder how well its streamlined body and whisper-thin blade will hold up to regular use. Many enthusiasts were also put off by the made-in-China status of Boker’s Plus line, including the Kwaiken. We gathered as much information as possible from the manufacturer and combined that with our testing while putting the Kwaiken through its paces.
The Kwaiken looks less than robust at first glance, but looks can very much be deceiving. The Kwaiken’s handle is absolutely rock solid. It’s slender, sure, but made from high-quality materials such as titanium, carbon fiber, or G10 and can handle regular use without issue.
All versions maintained their finish beautifully, but the titanium handles got better and better looking the more they were used. They ship with a stonewashed finish that only improves with additional micro scratches and marks.
The opening mechanism and liner lock are both equally rock solid. We flipped the Kwaiken hundreds of times while testing it and saw no hint of a change in the smoothness of its operation. The same goes for the liner lock. It was perfectly sturdy right out of the box and saw no change.
The blade, while very slender and exceptionally thin at the point, is well able to handle the tasks the Kwaiken is intended for. Let us be clear here, the Kwaiken blade will not stand up to abuse well.
This isn’t a knife you baton or carve with. So long as you stick to the roles the Kwaiken was built for you’ll see years of stellar use out of it.
Who is the Boker Mini Kwaiken For?
The Boker Mini Kwaiken is tailor-made for those looking to add a touch of class to their EDC. It’s a minimalist pocket folder that combines sleek styling with undeniable performance.
The blade profile with its highly focused point and quick access flipper switch make it a reasonable option as a covert self-defense knife. It’s an excellent design for slashing and taking advantage of the needle-like point.
Despite that, the Kwaiken doesn’t look at all tactical. Its mix of premium materials, elegant lines, and overall gorgeous styling obscure just how lethally practical the Kwaiken is.
It doesn’t look at all out of place alongside a bespoke suit or in a board room. It’s perfect for those looking to build out a stealth EDC that keeps you ready for everything without broadcasting it to the world.
The Boker Mini Kwaiken, and particularly the Kwaiken Air Mini, are perfect EDC knives for those working in a corporate or other white-collar setting. It fits right in with elegant outfits and tailored suits yet still offers excellent performance in practical and emergency situations.
Is the Boker Mini Kwaiken Worth It?
The Mini Kwaiken certainly isn’t a low-cost knife. It comes in north of $100 for even the entry-level versions and the top-tier models with premium materials like titanium or carbon fiber get considerably pricier.
The Mini Kwaiken isn’t designed to be a value knife. The allure of the Kwaiken comes from its sleek design, elegant styling, and pocket friendly carry. It’s not a work knife or a hiking knife or a hunting knife. It’s a statement knife with unique design choices to round out your everyday carry loadout.
Carrying a Kwaiken says something unique about your priorities and commitment to putting the best version of yourself on display at all times.
If you’re just looking for a practical knife to complete tasks and stand up to heavy-duty use, the Kwaiken is not the knife for you. For those who value style as much as substance in their EDC, the Kwaiken is one of the best options for a pocket folder.
If the Kwaiken isn’t right for you, be sure to check out our list of the best EDC knives.
Boker Mini Kwaiken Models and Alternatives
The Mini Kwaiken is a great everyday carry knife, but there are other options with similar styles. We like to offer some options, and this Boker Mini Kwaiken review is no exception. Here are two similar distinctive knives you might like if the Kwaiken isn’t for you.
CRKT CEO
The CRKT CEO is so close to the Kwaiken in looks and style that we almost had to double-check pictures of it to ensure we weren’t still looking at the Kwaiken. It’s a similarly minimalist knife with sleek lines and a thin, lethal looking drop point blade.
The CEO is described as a gentleman’s knife and offers pretty much the same value proposition of the Kwaiken. Namely, the ability to carry a solid EDC knife in a white-collar setting without affecting your style.
The CEO does that reasonably well, with a smooth flipper opener, solid liner lock, and various available styles, handle materials, and colors.
The CEO is also exceptionally affordable, coming in at under half the price of even entry-level Kwaikens. That said, the two have noticeable differences in quality and overall experience.
The Kwaiken feels nicer. It opens smoother, locks tighter, and is generally just a better knife. The highest-end versions of the CEO approach the entry-level versions of the Kwaiken in quality, but they also start to match it in price.
Overall, the CEO is an affordable alternative to the Kwaiken that offers a very similar style as long as you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of performance.
Boker Kwaiken Air Mini
We briefly mentioned the Kwaiken Air Mini above, but we thought it best to dig a little deeper into what sets it apart from the Mini Kwaiken Flipper. The Air Mini is slimmer, sharper, and lighter than the Mini Kwaiken Flipper.
It maintains virtually everything about the style and functional design of its larger cousin, just in a slightly more streamlined and compact version. It offers the same signature Boker Kwaiken grip.
Boker Mini Kwaiken Review Final Thoughts
After our Boker Mini Kwaiken review, we can confidently say that this is medium sized knife offers intuitive operation, beautiful lines, no unnecessary weight, and an elegant, simple design. The Air and Flipper models are both sleek, stylish, and lethally effective as an EDC pocket knife for elegant and discerning users. The mini clip is minimal, but effective. The blade action is strong and secure.
If you’re looking for a pocket knife you can EDC everywhere from the board room to the beach, the Boker Mini Kwaiken is the way to go.
Lightweight version of popular Boker Flipper. Straightforward, practical shape. Clean lines, slim design and mini profile. Open length of just 7 inches. Blade length of 3 inches. Discreet flipper tab for easy deployment and snappy action. Multiple attractive handle options. VG-10 Steel blade with integrated flipper tab secured with reliable lock.
One of the most influential designs of the 21st century. Clean lines, slim design, and true utilitarian form. Intuitive flipper operation and secure lock, underlined by titanium scales for a unique appearance. A true crossover between the gentlemen folder knife and a tactical blade. Includes removable clip.
