The Artisan Cutlery Boa is one of the few production knives where the story matters as much as the spec sheet. It is a 3.12-inch frame lock designed by Johnathan Shaw — the youngest maker on the Artisan team — and it ships as four distinct builds, each with its own handle material and finish. This guide walks through the shared platform first, then each 1862G build, so you can see exactly what changes and what it costs.
Four material stories, one platform: PVD titanium, stippled titanium, Micarta, and Titanium Damascus.
What Is the Artisan Cutlery Boa?
The Boa is a compact, titanium-handled folding knife built on a frame lock with ceramic ball bearing pivot. At 3.12 inches of blade and 7.21 inches overall, it lands in the sweet spot for an everyday carry folder: large enough to work, small enough to disappear into a pocket at about 100 grams.
What sets the Boa apart is the way it is offered. Rather than a single configuration with color options, the knife is released as a set of builds — the Tacti, Stippled, Rustic, and Full-Dress — each a different answer to the same design brief.
Shared Specs: The Boa Platform
| Specification | Boa |
|---|---|
| Blade length | 3.12 in (79.32 mm) |
| Blade thickness | 0.13 in (3.2 mm) |
| Overall length | 7.21 in (183.13 mm) |
| Closed length | 4.09 in (103.81 mm) |
| Blade style | Drop point |
| Blade grind | Flat |
| Blade hardness | HRC 60-62 |
| Lock type | Frame lock |
| Pivot assembly | Ceramic ball bearing |
| Clip material | Titanium |
| Weight | 100 g / 3.53 oz (90 g / 3.18 oz on the Rustic) |
The Four Boa Builds at a Glance
| Build | SKU | Blade steel | Handle | Price at time of writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tacti-Boa | 1862G-CF | S35VN, black PVD | Black PVD titanium with carbon fiber inlay | $213.75 (compare-at $285.00) |
| Stippled Boa | 1862G-FGY | S35VN, sand polish | Titanium with hand-tooled stippling | $213.75 (compare-at $285.00) |
| Rustic Boa | 1862G-ODG | S35VN, sand polish | Gray titanium with Micarta inlay | $213.75 (compare-at $285.00) |
| Full-Dress Boa | 1862G-TDB / 1862G-STDB | S90V, mirror or sand polish | Titanium Damascus | $749.25 mirror / $609.00 sand (compare-at $815.00) |
The Tacti-Boa (1862G-CF)
The Tacti-Boa is the discreet one. Matte black PVD is applied to the scales, the blade, and the hardware, and a contoured carbon fiber inlay breaks up the silhouette. The result is a knife that stays low-profile in a pocket and reads as business-appropriate rather than tactical — Artisan describes it as the build that can move from tactical to classy without changing clothes.
Steel here is S35VN with a black PVD coating, flat ground, satin-dark under most light. It is the most understated of the four and the one most people will choose for daily work carry.
The Stippled Boa (1862G-FGY)
The Stippled Boa exists because the designer asked for it. Titanium scales carry a pattern of hand-tooled stippling, which gives the surface an organic, slightly reptilian texture — and, in a nice piece of design lineage, echoes the jigged bone scales of older traditional folders.
It is not purely decorative. Stippling adds real traction, so the Stippled Boa is the build to pick if you want the most secure grip in the lineup without any change to the knife's dimensions. The blade is S35VN in a sand polish finish.
See the Stippled Boa 1862G-FGY
The Rustic Boa (1862G-ODG)
The Rustic Boa swaps the machined inlay for Micarta — specifically a premium American-made green canvas Micarta, inlaid into gray titanium scales. Micarta is a layered composite, which is why it wears differently from metal: it develops a patina and character over time rather than staying identical to the day it shipped.
The Rustic is also the lightest of the four at 90 g / 3.18 oz, and the one that changes most with use. If you like your gear to show its history, this is the build.
The Full-Dress Boa (1862G-TDB / 1862G-STDB)
The Full-Dress Boa is the showpiece. It is the only build that upgrades the steel to S90V — a high-vanadium stainless from the same powder-metallurgy family as the S35VN used by the other three builds — and the only one with scales in Titanium Damascus, the wavy, interlocking pattern you see on high-end custom knives, with a matching Titanium Damascus clip.
Two finishes are offered. The mirror polish is the loudest knife in the Boa family; the sand polish tones the same materials down while keeping the Damascus figure. Both keep the flat-ground drop point and the same ceramic-bearing pivot as the rest of the lineup.
See the Full-Dress Boa 1862G-TDB / 1862G-STDB
About the Designer: Johnathan Shaw
The Boa comes from Johnathan Shaw, a Canadian knifemaker who joined the Artisan design team at seventeen — the youngest designer on the roster. He started making knives at fourteen and has been refining the craft since. The Boa is his interpretation of a modern frame lock folder carrying traditional materials cues.
How the Boa Carries
At 4.09 in (103.81 mm) closed and roughly 100 g, the Boa is a mid-size folder that sits flat in a pocket without dragging a waistband down. Three details make the carry practical rather than just elegant:
- A titanium clip. Metal rather than a molded polymer clip, which holds tension over years of use and does not crack at the screw hole.
- Frame lock. The lock bar is part of the handle scale itself, which keeps the profile thin and removes a separate liner from the stack.
- Ceramic ball bearing pivot. Free, consistent action from the first open, without the break-in period a washer knife needs.
The one build to note is the Rustic, which comes in 10 g lighter than its siblings at 90 g / 3.18 oz — enough to notice in a shirt pocket.
Caring for the Boa's Materials
Each build asks for slightly different handling, and matching the care to the material is most of what keeps a premium folder looking premium.
- Black PVD (Tacti). The coating is hard and bonded, not painted, so normal wipe-downs are safe. Avoid abrasive pads, which will polish the matte finish smooth before they remove any coating.
- Stippled titanium. The texture traps dust in the low spots. A soft brush and a little warm water lift it out; skipping that step is what makes stippling look dirty rather than tactile.
- Micarta (Rustic). Micarta is a layered composite and will darken and patina as it absorbs the oils from your hands. That is the point — but if you want it to stay even, wipe it down occasionally rather than letting oil pool in one spot.
- Titanium Damascus (Full-Dress). Two different titanium alloys are welded and forged together, so the pattern is structural, not printed. Keep it away from abrasive cleaners to preserve the contrast between the layers.
Which Boa Should You Choose?
- Want the most discreet daily carry? Tacti-Boa — matte black PVD and a carbon fiber inlay.
- Want maximum grip? Stippled Boa — hand-tooled stippling that adds traction without changing the profile.
- Want a knife that ages with you? Rustic Boa — the lightest build, with Micarta that develops a patina.
- Want the showpiece or a collector piece? Full-Dress Boa — S90V blade and Titanium Damascus scales.
Where the Boa Sits in the Artisan Lineup
At roughly 100 grams with a 3.12-inch blade, the Boa is a mid-size folder rather than a large one. If you are still narrowing down a size, compare it against the rest of the folding knife range, or browse the Limited Edition collection and best sellers to see how the Boa's materials compare with the rest of the catalog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Boa a limited edition?
Artisan tags the Boa builds as limited, and the Full-Dress versions are produced in the smallest numbers of the four. Availability on the individual build pages is the reliable measure.
What steel does the Boa use?
The Tacti, Stippled, and Rustic Boa use S35VN. The Full-Dress Boa upgrades to S90V.
How big is the Boa?
3.12 in (79.32 mm) of blade, 7.21 in (183.13 mm) overall, and 4.09 in (103.81 mm) closed.
Is the Boa a frame lock?
Yes — all four builds use a frame lock with a ceramic ball bearing pivot.
What is the Boa blade shape?
A flat-ground drop point with a 0.13 in (3.2 mm) stock thickness, hardened to HRC 60-62.
Four builds, one platform: the Boa is a good example of how much a handle material and finish can change the character of a knife without touching its dimensions.
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.