Becker Bk16 or Bk17??

[Douglas Thor]

Hi,

In a couple weeks ill be buying my first Becker knife. This will actually be one of my very few quality knives.
I usually buy cheap stuff and use them gently.
But, now im looking for a good quality all purpose 'go to' knife.

I've narrowed my choices down to the Becker 16 and 17, im just stuck deciding which one to buy.
If possible, could someone post side-by side pictures of the spines of both knives? (bk16 FFG and bk17)

I love the drop point on the 16 and love the look of the knife, but im wondering how the flat grind holds up in lateral durability, compared to the thicker blade of the saber grind bk17.

My uses for this knife will include:

1 Cutting chores for camping, bushcraft, hiking.

2 Very LIGHT batoning of kindling sized wood.

3 Knife combat against intruders(human), and self defense against grumpy critters. (attachment to pole for spear).

4 Survival. NO. This will not be a survival knife. In a real survival situation i would probably be stuck with whatever EDC blade im carrying at the time. Most likely a multitool.

Any help, advice, opinions or pictures you can provide would be very helpful.

Thank you!
Douglas Thor

 

[mountainmist]

Dude, Get the BK16!!! It will be perfect for what you want. Battoning, ha! Go ahead and baton that sucker! just don't beat on the handle....LOL

Can't help you with the spine shot.

Good Luck!

The Kid

 

[Dexwithers]

Hey Douglas! Welcome to BeckerLand!

I'm gonna say go with the 16. Here are some of the 16's in my collection:

Here are some older pics of all three Tweeners:

The 16 is a great everything knife. I do prefer the saber grind but the full flat grind on the current 16's work very well. My main user is a FFG and I love it.

I really have no use for the clip point on the 17 but it is a cool little knife, but the 16 will suit your needs much better.

Good luck in your decision and be sure to pick the 16! haha

 

[captainclemmys]

Both are good knives, but the BK16 is generally regarded as an excellent all a round yet compact knife. I don't think you can go wrong with the 16 for you intended tasks.

 

[Douglas Thor]

Hey Douglas! Welcome to BeckerLand!

I'm gonna say go with the 16. Here are some of the 16's in my collection:

The 16 is a great everything knife. I do prefer the saber grind but the full flat grind on the current 16's work very well. My main user is a FFG and I love it.

I really have no use for the clip point on the 17 but it is a cool little knife, but the 16 will suit your needs much better.

Good luck in your decision and be sure to pick the 16! haha

OMG wow those are some amazing looking knives!

Thanks for the pics.

 

[Dexwithers]

OMG wow those are some amazing looking knives!

Thanks for the pics.

Thanks man. They are some modded BK-16's I did.

I have a thing for the 16. haha. Really is an amazing knife.

If you need more caparison pics of the 16 and 17, let me know and I'll snap a few for you.

 

[Darksidedenny]

I was waiting for dex to jump on that one...

 

[xxratchetxx]

I'm fairly confident that this thread just talked me into ordering a 16 to complement my 14. It was a contest between getting a 16 or a 9....

 

[Darksidedenny]

Uhhhh....get a 9...?!!!!

 

[Douglas Thor]

Thanks man. They are some modded BK-16's I did.

I have a thing for the 16. haha. Really is an amazing knife.

If you need more caparison pics of the 16 and 17, let me know and I'll snap a few for you.

If you could possibly snap a pic of the spines of the 16 and 17 next too each other i'd very much appreciate it.
I havent found one picture of the 16(FFG) spine anywhere on the internet yet.

 

[Dexwithers]

Here ya go. Tried to capture it the best I could. The 16's spine is thinner where the blade starts but still has plenty of strength.

The blade and edge shape however are identical.

 

[TBL]

Your work is just as sexy as ever Dex.

What I believe the OP needs is not just 1 but many of the Becker line up. I would propose that you start with your first choice a 16 or 17, but then you pair that with a bk9 and a bk11/14/24. Then you will need a BK2. After that the world is your oyster!

 

[tueller]

+1 for the 16. I own both and the 16 gets all the fun as the 17 sits in the drawer.

 

[1066vik]

16 and 17 start from the same blank -- buy the 16, if you don't like it, mod it to a straight clip?

 

[Douglas Thor]

Here ya go. Tried to capture it the best I could. The 16's spine is thinner where the blade starts but still has plenty of strength.

The blade and edge shape however are identical.

Thank you Dex! That's perfect and exactly what i needed to see.
That 16 sure is a sexy beast. I think my mind is made up.

Im buying myself a 16 for my birthday this month, and adding a maxpedition M-2 pouch to go with it.
Im also going to install the coyote tan scales on the knife right away.

:thumbup:

 

[Douglas Thor]

Your work is just as sexy as ever Dex.

What I believe the OP needs is not just 1 but many of the Becker line up. I would propose that you start with your first choice a 16 or 17, but then you pair that with a bk9 and a bk11/14/24. Then you will need a BK2. After that the world is your oyster!

LOL if i could afford it i'd buy a 9 right now. But i'm starting with a bk16 to replace my mora classic. Later on i'll swap out my much beaten cold steel bushman with a larger becker 9.

 

[Douglas Thor]

I'm already planning on filling the sheath pouch with bandaids until i get used to the knife.

 

[1066vik]

you'll probably want liners for it - better go buy a cheap flexible cutting board now so it'll be there when the knife arrives.

 

[Douglas Thor]

you'll probably want liners for it - better go buy a cheap flexible cutting board now so it'll be there when the knife arrives.

I already have a cheap flexible cutting board that i use for cutting bait up on fishing trips.
But, where do i get Bk 16 liners? I might not need them because i like smaller handled knives, but the option is always good.

EDIT: Ok nevermind, i actually just read that they don't make liners for the beckers, but they're easily made by tracing and cutting. I can do that later if the handle seems too skinny for me.

Man wow i am just WAY too excited to get this knife in. I can't wait

 

[Tdhurl1103]

LOL if i could afford it i'd buy a 9 right now. But i'm starting with a bk16 to replace my mora classic. Later on i'll swap out my much beaten cold steel bushman with a larger becker 9.

I like this guy!