French knifemaker Stéphane Espi has a new collaboration model out under the Boker Plus banner this month. The Fructis is a pared down everyday carry flipper with minimal visual fuss.
If you’re plugged into the custom knife scene, Espi’s name is probably one you recognize. Evidently completely self-taught, he’s been in the biz since 2009 and has multiple awards under his belt (or, maybe, on his shelf)- including a Paris SICAC win in 2020 for best flipper knife. In other words, he exactly the kind of maker you would want to be collaborating with Boker on a clean new EDC flipper design for this year – which, wouldn’t you know it, is exactly what he did.
The Fructis’s 3.15-inch blade is a sheepsfoot – perhaps, depending on how you look at it, an ever-so-slightly modified sheepsfoot, as the edge has been given just a kiss of curvature to raise the tip up a tad. The hyper refinement of the Fructis’s profile makes it easy to imagine this blade moving smoothly through an apple amidst pastoral scenery, or gently parting a slice of cheese from the trunk. Nitro-V, the steel here, is equally genteel, with balanced characteristics and reliable performance.
We’ve described many, many handles as “simple,” but if we held a competition for simplest handle, the Fructis would certainly be in contention, as it is as stripped down as can be. That means an uncomplex and accommodating grip for the user, not to mention something that will not take up an untoward amount of space in the pocket. The pocket clip is non-reversible, and the liner lock Fructis weighs 2.65 oz.
It is available now.
Knife in Featured Image: Boker Plus Fructis
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