"Noblesse oblige" was once the unwritten law in the upper circles of the aristocracy. The circumstance described by this not only granted the nobility privileged rights, but also demanded moral duties due to their special social position. Even the powerful Habsburg dynasty had to grudgingly curtsy to protocol and etiquette.

The first pocket knives in history were used as early as Roman antiquity, but these did not yet have locking mechanisms and were held open solely by friction on the inside of the handle halves. Today, these simple knives are known by the English term friction folder. To make pocket knives safer to use, numerous mechanisms were developed over the centuries to lock the unfolded blades in place. We would like to briefly explain the function of the most common constructions used today.

If you ask the typical Teuton about the Netherlands, he will often dismiss his likeable neighboring country with the well-worn clichés of cheese, windmills or coffee shops - and there was also something about soccer. To make matters worse, the common German is not even familiar with the correct country name, because Holland and the Netherlands are two different pairs of clogs. But basically the Germans are quite fond of their neighbors - as long as they speak German with them.

Thanks to the overwhelming response to our promise to plant a new Boker tree in the Bergisches Land region with every order, numerous local forest areas will soon be able to be sustainably reforested. Together with the Forestry Association, we are looking forward to 12,000 young trees breathing new life into the cleared spruce forests on the edge of the Wupper River.

Where Bollenhut (Black Forest ball hat) and cuckoo clock meet cherry cake and hearty ham, the Black Forest is not far away. With its varied landscapes and many days of sunshine, the low mountain range in Baden-Württemberg is one of the most popular destinations in Germany and also forms one of the strongest economic and cultural centers in the "Ländle" (Swabian word for Baden-Württemberg). The region thus offers versatility in nature, economy and culture true to the Swabian motto: "We can do everything except speaking high german!"

Freely after Goethe: Steel is a very special juice! And it is precisely this juice that is the core of every knife. Come along to the juice bar and discover what makes a good knife steel.

The knife is the oldest and, according to many experts, also the most important tool of mankind. It may seem simple, because what do you do with it except cut? But if you look closely, you realize what a versatile and complex tool it is. Its functionality and the best possible use are based on numerous properties.

Todd Rexford's fascination with knives began in his childhood, when he visited gun shows and fairs with his father. His passion for sharp blades eventually led to a desire to build his own knives. Like most knifemakers, he started with the simplest tools and machines and perfected his own style over the years. The American from Colorado designs both pocket knives and trip knives.

Ingo Eispert is washed with all woods at Böker. The married family man has been working at Böker since 2014 and is head of the scales department. The production of the sometimes difficult handle shells requires a lot of material knowledge and a high degree of craftsmanship. In addition, the master carpenter gives us some more interesting insights into his everyday work.

"Every boy needs a knife and a string as a toy!" With these words, Andreas Kaufmann revels in childhood memories and moves in his mind's eye over hill and dale amid lush green meadows and magnificent forests at the foot of the Bavarian Alps. Always with him: A g'scheites Feitl (bavarian for: a good folding knife). This Bavarian wisdom has already guided generations of children in the responsible use of knives, so that they can discover and explore the magnificent Alpine nature even better.

"Talk is silver, silence is golden." is what some people might think in connection with the costly construction of Hamburg's Elbe Philharmonic Hall. Master galvanizer and entrepreneur Maxi Hänsch from Hamburg's Altona district proves that things can be done differently. By restoring and selling high-quality silverware, the "Altonaer Silberwerkstatt" (Altona Silver Workshop) has developed into a veritable gold mine.

Even Hans Albers sang about the pleasurable atmosphere of Hamburg in his well-known folk song and recommends a visit "Auf der Reeperbahn nachts um halb eins“ (On the Reeperbahn at half past midnight). But also during the day the Hanseatic city on the Elbe offers many impressive facets such as the Hamburg harbor or the world-famous Speicherstadt ... fish rolls and bad weather included.

Over the years, knife manufacturers have constantly come up with new mechanisms to make pocket knives easier to use. In particular, the challenge of opening the blade with one hand aroused the inventive spirit of many engineers and tinkerers. In addition to simple solutions such as the thumb opening, very sophisticated systems were developed, especially in the area of spring mechanisms.