Few things are more "tactical" than a firearm created by German manufacturer Heckler and Koch, whose MP5 submachineguns are famous both in Hollywood action films and in real life.  German knife manufacturer Boker has collaborated with H&K to produce tactical knives evocative of the company's weaponry.  One of these is the HK14, an aggressive tanto-style folder whose handle features design elements from the H&K P2000 pistol.

The Boker HK14 is an aggressive tactical folder, good for self-defense.

The HK14 is a rocker-bar locking folder with a 3.125-inch partially serrated blade of X-15 T.N., described in Boker literature as "the most corrosion resistant stainless steel available, [boasting] the same cutting power of high-grade stainless steels like 440C and ATS-34."  The black blade cloating is listed as PVD, which I believe stands for "Physical Vapor Deposition" (an industrial process used for protecting all kinds of surfaces).

The black blade has a "PVD" coating.  Handle is Polyamid, a polymer.

Made in Solingen, Germany, the HK14 weighs well under four ounces and is about five inches closed.  The textured Polyamid handle is very comfortable and provides a secure grip, swelling to a substantial integral guard.  The blade has a grooved thumb ramp (though I wish the grooves were sharper and deeper) and there are grooves on the blade release and the butt of the handle.  There is a lanyard hole in the butt, which is tapered and would make a good striking tool.

There are grooves on the thumb ramp, blade release, and butt.

The textured handle is comfortable and provides good traction.

Point of balance is right at the blade pivot.  Because it is nice and light, the HK14 handles well, moving quickly and with good control.  The blade opens reasonably smoothly using the ambidextrous, knurled and tapered thumb studs – which have luminous dots on them evocative of the night sights on a firearm.

The thumb studs have luminous dots evocative of night sights.

The HK14 has an extremely "tactical" black-on-black appearance.

The HK14 has a wire pocket clip that, while fairly loose, works well thanks to the knife's light weight.  It slips easily into and out of my jeans but does not fall out in normal use.  The wire clip also enhances the politically incorrect black tactical look of the knife, as it has a "high tech" look one associates with such things.

The wire pocket clip enhances the knife's high-tech look and feel.

The sharply angled and elongated Americanized tanto blade is great for scoring with the secondary tip.  The needle-sharp primary point penetrates well in stacked cardboard and plastic, while the serrations were particular good for ripping up softer material like fabric and hanging paracord.  There is a very subtle curve to the edge of the blade forward of the serrations.  Many tantos are chisel ground, but the HK14 is ground on both sides (with the exception of the serrations).

The Americanized tanto blade is ground on both sides.

The HK14 locks open without blade play and releases easily using the rocker-bar lock release.  There is no retention device to keep the blade closed.  Friction from the handle is sufficient, but you must keep this in mind if you live in a municipality in which such a retention device is necessary to prevent your knife from qualifying as a "gravity blade."  A wrist snap will easily get the blade open and locked with one hand only.  The knife is configured for tip-down, right-hand use only.  If the pocket clip is removable at all, one would have to disassemble the blade pivot, which I could not bring myself to do just to find out.

The HK14 would make a good self-defense folder for any martialist.

The HK14 is immediately appealing to those who like their tactical folders black-on-black and visually lethal.  A decent utility blade that would make a good self-defense tool, this is a knife that is equal parts image and function.  When you buy the HK14, you're getting not one, but two well-known German names for the price of one.

Boker and HK definitely complement one another nicely.