Becker BK-3 : What's this thing good for?

Dexwithers

Dexwithers

Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
1,719
So I finally caved and got a BK3. It's the only one of the Beckers I didn't have.
I found one for a good price and decide to go for it. It's not one that I was very excited about but ever since I ordered it, I just can't wait for it to arrive!

Should have been here an hour or so ago, the post office is running late today......... as usual. I'm gonna drive the couple miles down the road to the mail box in a few mins and check again. Ugh.... hurry up already!!!

But in the mean time how many of you actually own one of these things? I have only seen a few threads about them over the last couple years. Guess they don't get much love in the woods/outdoor scene, more of a rescue tool. I think I'm gonna leave mine in my Jeep. I told myself that I wasn't gonna do any mods to it, but I think I'm gonna wanna do a little something. I just don't know if I can carry a stock blade. Haha. I like to know that my stuff is unique. :D

But do any of you actually prefer it over the BK9? I really don't know what to think about it. I always have these ideas of what a new Becker blade will feel like, but I am surprised every time! Like the BK4 for example: I ordered one when they first came out thru Kabar and when it arrived, all I could think is how small this blade is compared to what I imagined. Love it tho but an extralarge machax would be cool.

So I'm thinking this thing will be heavy and that's about it. Don't really know what to expect. Guess we will find out in a little while!

Also I think I never ordered one before cause even tho the video of Ethan and the fire men destroying a car was super cool, I never really saw myself needing to do that. lol
Guess I couldn't come up with a use practical enough to spend the cash on one. But now that I've got all the other Becker's, What else was I to do? :D



Is it like the BK5? No one likes it till they get one, then it's one of their favorite blades? I know the BK5 was one of the last for me to get of the collection and I love it, Wish I would have gotten it in the beginning instead of the BK7.

Alright, gonna go check the box.

Feel free to comment and share your pics and mods of the BK3, I think it needs some love around here.
 
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Well she finally arrived!

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I can't figure out why they put a choil like that? Why not bring the serrations back a little more? Weird..
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Not a great pic but man this thing digs in deep.
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So first impressions: Seems cool. lol Don't really know what to do with it? It's not like all my other Becker's that I can use all the time. This guy is gonna grow on me and I will find a cool use for it. Maybe a beater blade for when I don't want to damage my other prized Beckers. Use it around the house and the yard. OH, BTW....... it's not that sharp....... Gonna fix that tho.

Alright...... let me now your thought on the BK3 and if you have one..... what do you use it for?
 
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It's always looked interesting, but I think I would be like you and only get one when it was the last one I needed for the collection...
 
I got one off the forums and it came with micarta at an awesome price... It now has a home in the back of my suv... I think it would be a great blade to take with any motorised vehicle as it is not just a blade but a multi purpose tool.. I have seen a few reviews of people using them as a woods blade and they preform very well (good at most, master of none). I am thinking of taking it on an outing to see how it will do... I did do some chopping with mine and must warn that you need to be carefull as the blade design will do one of two things depending on how the blade contacts the material... It will cut deep or bounce off so line of fire must always ALWAYS be kept front and center
 
If funds were available I would have one of these in each one of my vehicles. It looks like a great design for rescue / truck tool.
 
The 3 was the first Becker I ever found online. I've wanted one for years. Now it is tied with (but on the lower side of the tie) the 5 as my next knife. I really want the 3 but I think the 5 will be more usable.
 
I received one of these as a gift from by brother-in-law. It wasn't what I planned to get for my next Becker, but it was definitely on the "eventually" list.

I envision using this as a replacement for a hatchet and a heavy duty camping blade. The serrations will help with the utility of the blade. Mine wasn't as sharp out of the box as my BK2 was so I'll need to do some work on it.

I can also see it having a regular place in the car when I'm going long distance traveling for emergencies.
 
It's the last one that I haven't owned as well. Sort of an oddball blade. Wonder what the story behind this one was.
 
I could have sworn I posted into here. C'est la vie. I do have a BK-3, I keep it in my car it's a great "rescue tool." I haven't had to use it to rescue myself however I put it into the hands of a professional (fireman) and he was able to get a guy out of a wrecked car on the highway. The story got talked about in the newspaper.

STL Post Dipatch said:
He recently used his knife to help in an emergency.

He was driving with his mother in north St. Louis County and came upon a car that had crashed into an Interstate 270 barrier.

When an off-duty firefighter asked for something with which to pry open a car window, Karlin was ready. He handed over his Becker 3, a sturdy, 7-inch fixed blade used for prying doors and breaking glass. The firefighter broke open a window, cut the victim’s seat belt and pulled him from the car. The crash victim survived.
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Chameleonbear said:
I could have sworn I posted into here. C'est la vie. I do have a BK-3, I keep it in my car it's a great "rescue tool." I haven't had to use it to rescue myself however I put it into the hands of a professional (fireman) and he was able to get a guy out of a wrecked car on the highway. The story got talked about in the newspaper.
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Great story! Glad you were in a position and prepared to help.
 
i keep mine in the glove box. it's reassuring to know it's there, but i'll probably (hopefully) never need to use it.
 
Yea I think this is most peoples last Becker Blade to get unless they were in the market for a rescue type tool. The thing has potential, I just want to find a use for it other than just an emergency. Once I sharpen it up and get to really test it, I will know for sure what it's strengths and weaknesses are.


wildnewfie said:
I got one off the forums and it came with micarta at an awesome price... It now has a home in the back of my suv... I think it would be a great blade to take with any motorised vehicle as it is not just a blade but a multi purpose tool.. I have seen a few reviews of people using them as a woods blade and they preform very well (good at most, master of none). I am thinking of taking it on an outing to see how it will do... I did do some chopping with mine and must warn that you need to be carefull as the blade design will do one of two things depending on how the blade contacts the material... It will cut deep or bounce off so line of fire must always ALWAYS be kept front and center
Click to expand...

I will probably put micarta for sure and mostly keep in in my Jeep, Probably the best place to keep it anyway in case of an emergency it's always with me. And I know what you mean about the bounce, it dug in most of the times I tried it today but a couple whacks it came right back up at me. lol
I think that chisel grind is going to take some getting used to.

rokclmb said:
The 3 was the first Becker I ever found online. I've wanted one for years. Now it is tied with (but on the lower side of the tie) the 5 as my next knife. I really want the 3 but I think the 5 will be more usable.
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Get one for sure man...... but go for the BK5 first! I can't stress enough how awesome the 5 is. I keep one in my kitchen at all times.


Chameleonbear said:
I could have sworn I posted into here. C'est la vie. I do have a BK-3, I keep it in my car it's a great "rescue tool." I haven't had to use it to rescue myself however I put it into the hands of a professional (fireman) and he was able to get a guy out of a wrecked car on the highway. The story got talked about in the newspaper.
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I remember reading about that a while back. Such an awesome story indeed. I hope my BK3 can save a life someday. Too bad you didn't get a vid of it in action saving that guy.




And I can't tell if this thing is made for left handed or right handed people. Seems left handed for some tasks. I'm a Lefty, and when I hold it to look at it, the pretty side is facing me, so I guess that's a good thing. :D

And I wanted to leave the coating on but this thing has such a huge slab of steel to play with, that I might be tempted to etch the hell out of it. Think it would look really sick.
I am also thinking of getting some orange or toxic green micarta or G10 to put on it so it's visible.
So many decisions.
 
I thought somebody around here mentioned that they used it to forage in the woods and dig up roots or mushrooms or something.
 
KP said:
I thought somebody around here mentioned that they used it to forage in the woods and dig up roots or mushrooms or something.
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Ah... I do remember that. That is a great idea.

I'm digging up a garden to plant some different vegetation and there are tons of roots left that I couldn't get with the shovel, I'm gonna test her out on those for sure.
 
I think the BK-3 doesn't get enough credit as a woods knife. Does it chop as well as a BK-9? No. Does it carve wood as well as a BK-16? No. Does it skin critters as well as most of the other BK knives? Goodness, no! And what about food prep? LOL! So what does it do?

Well, first off, while it is choppy enough to chop, it's also short enough to fit in most shoulder bags. Fits in mine, where a BK-9 won't. Even one of my BK-4s are a stretch.

It works well as a digging tool. I've dug things with the 3, I certainly wouldn't want to use any of my other BK blades for, and the serrations can make short work of any tree roots that might hinder your progress. It was even highlighted in one of Karen Hood's videos for this purpose. Brian Jones, one of the moderators of W&SS (although MIA for quite awhile, now) said that in one of Ron Hood's videotaped excursions, which included Brian. the 3 was one of their most used woods tools.

Want to rip apart a stump for fatwood? You don't have to worry about overstressing the 3 using it for this kind of work. I wouldn't be as eager to use a 3/16" blade (think BK-4 or 9) for this purpose.

I hear a lot of criticism of it only being a right hand chopper because of the chisel grind. Well, I guess that's true, but I could never see the purpose of chopping a piece of wood with 'V' cuts on a piece of horizontal wood, anyway, although I see quite a few threads where people are doing just that. Any wood I would be chopping would be held vertical with cuts made around the wood in one direction only. Any horizontal piece of wood would be cut with a saw. See here.

And don't forget the 'hook' on the 3 which makes a perfect tool for grabbing the bail of a cooking pot and removing it from the fire. So that's a few of my observations. Want to see it action? Check out the thread I mentioned above.

Doc
 
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