Becker Competition Chopper

I'm with the idea that the forward lanyard be run through the forward handle bolt hole, or at least through the handle proper.
I hafta say I'd like to see the old, informal cutting competition style where there was at least one event that required a working point. Bums me out when competition tools (blades, guns, motorcycles, whatever) stray away from te tools they represent. Just my $.02.
Now a BK9 cutting competition, where all you can do is adjust edge geometry and polish/handle scales...that would show some technique.
 
we did a BK5 competition atone of the early gatherings.
it was a blast.
 
Hmmm. I would get rid of the hole in the blade, but put me down for a pair when they come out:D
 
you could always just snip the tip off a BK20 to get it down below the 10" blade length....... :eek:



I KEED! I KEED! :D
 
I'm with JWB.
A bit more tip. Maybe even Seax style as mentioned.
I'd also add just a little bit more curve / belly.

Edit:
I guess something like this was what I had in mind. The "Farm Knife" from HI http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1387637
just with a more even curve and maybe even more pointed. Which leaves us with a "Mah Chete" lol.
It's hard to come up with something truly new.
 
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maybe i can carve a machax shape out of a 20?

though, shortly, i'm tempted to make a machax of my own, 3/8 thick. just for lols. to experiment :D

might have a buddy who can cut the template, and then a convex grind.

soon. soon.
 
Bladite said:
maybe i can carve a machax shape out of a 20?

though, shortly, i'm tempted to make a machax of my own, 3/8 thick. just for lols. to experiment :D

might have a buddy who can cut the template, and then a convex grind.

soon. soon.
Click to expand...

You want a 3/8" to nothin' distal tapered machax-y thinger, you know who to chat with
 
If you want to actually compete in BladeSports, 10xx just ain't gonna cut it. (pun intended) You're simply not gonna win, even with world-class technique. Wear-resistance and very thin, very-finely polished edge stability is a HUGE factor in race knives. No 10xx knife has won a major comp in a very long time, and there's a reason for that.

You can get yourself qualified in BladeSports with a 10xx knife, certainly. And you can dang sure have a lot of fun with it at a campsite or out in the back 40! You can still find a "Browning" Crowell/Barker "competition" knife in 1080 for around 150-200 bucks, and it's a damn good camp knife.

True competition knives have ZERO appeal for factories. I think Benchmade was the last company that did a production run (outstanding knives, CPM-M4 with an incredibly acute grind and scary thin edge). IIRC they sold 'em for around $450 street price and lost their ass on the whole idea. There's just no profit in it.


Comp knives are the niche-iest of niche markets. Hardly anyone really even knows what the heck they are, much less knows what it takes/costs to make a really good one. It's no coincidence that the BladeSports champs that have kept winning over the last ten years are A) highly-skilled professional knifemakers, and B) sponsored by big-time steel and/or HT firms. ;)

It's sort of like the decision between pounding $200,000 into a semi-pro racecar that takes up ALL your time and NEVER stops bleeding cash, or sneaking $40K past your wife and buying a basic American musclecar that won't win any trophies, but will still push you back in your seat when you stomp on it... and you can actually afford to drive it from gas station to gas station without a corporate sponsor.



You cannot qualify or compete in BladeSports with a knife that has a lanyard hole forward of the handle; they just won't allow it. That's a bad idea for structural integrity, and it's an even worse idea technique-wise. At best, it's going to do you no good at all. At worst, if your lanyard is fairly snug like it should be, it's gonna want to torque your entire wrist/elbow/arm all wrong. Don't do that.
 
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I don't have any plan to compete in blade sports
I love the design tbhride came up with and would certainly buy a bunch without the forward hole
 
I have been competing this year in BladeSport this year and will be competing at Blade Show this year. I have learned A LOT about chopper design from it. The blade I built for the nationals in Dallas was of O-1 that was 1/4" thick. It had a full flat grind down to .025" edge then sharpened. It tested great and I felt it would compete well. I have used a couple of Donavan's knives in my first three cuts and they were awesome. At Nationals for the second round Dan let me use his backup knife and I was blown away with how it ran.

Well at nationals with my own blade designed and made by my own hand things were very different. To be a great chopper and camp knife 1/4" stock is just not going to do it. Now mind you the O-1 blade when HTed right will do very well and keep costs down. A funny thing the guys told me about O-1 in a comp knife is that the steel with run once. Meaning you have to resharpen it after you are done with the round. However for a knife that someone will carry and use to a lesser cause then we do O-1 will work great. The blade I made RC 58-59.

One of the big concerns I have with building a chopper that someone will carry with them is the weight of the blade for packing and the strength of their arm. But hey make what they will buy right, lol.
 
definitely a cool concept, though i would much prefer the old smooth coating for this, so much more slicey than the new coating
 
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