Becker edges

bghorn said:
Nice test there Bobby.

I stumbled upon this thread yesterday http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1323297-Bark-River-a2-steel
and wanted to see if I got duds as well because I didn't use them yet on anything harder than pine.

I whacked on big knotty chunk of seasoned almond and for good measure depraved our dog of few ox bones, still partially frozen.

I also wanted to see how other steel does, so I have thrown in Becker 0170-6, Esee 1095 and Ontario 5160 for comparison.

Becker was re-profiled to exact 20 dps when new and freehand sharpened several times since then, so it may be 1 or 2 degrees off and shoulder is rounded too.
After the exercise, I have examined the edge under magnifying glass and all I could find was one and only very tiny micro chip. So tiny it took few swipes on strop bat and it was gone. It is also possible that chip was already there from before. Nothing else though, no rolls or anything like that.

So, yeah, I'm not surprised anymore on how well your BK9 did with that acute edge.

No pics from test unfortunately, but these are the ones tested
c1.jpg
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I just got home and looking them over, the 9 isn't as sharp as it was initially (before I could easily cut hanging phone book paper into thin slices, now it just will slice larger pieces) but I think it'll strop back...The 2 has a minor roll near the belly, and the BOB has a very small chip (Damn rock) .

Overall very pleased with edge retention and performance, especially since the 9 I really beat on and is roughly 30° inclusive, the 2 is 34° inclusive and the BOB has a 30° as well.


I feel the bk2 with a convex 17dps is a good compromise of durability and sharpness. It'll withstand the abuse, but will still easily make feathersticks and carve.
 
Bobby3326 said:
I just got home and looking them over, the 9 isn't as sharp as it was initially (before I could easily cut hanging phone book paper into thin slices, now it just will slice larger pieces) but I think it'll strop back...The 2 has a minor roll near the belly, and the BOB has a very small chip (Damn rock).

Overall very pleased with edge retention and performance, especially since the 9 I really beat on and is roughly 30° inclusive, the 2 is 34° inclusive and the BOB has a 30° as well.


I feel the bk2 with a convex 17dps is a good compromise of durability and sharpness. It'll withstand the abuse, but will still easily make feathersticks and carve.
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???

But the BK2 edge rolled. And the BOB chipped. Would they have at more obtuse angles?
 
TravisH said:
???

But the BK2 edge rolled. And the BOB chipped. Would they have at more obtuse angles?
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If your read what I wrote the edge as a whole didn't roll, there was a tiny lil spot in the belly of the blade where it reflected light, the size of a spec of dust that was gone within the first pass on the strop. Which I strop after use anyway, no big deal.

The BOB is actually more obtuse than factory as it comes with a 11dps edge. It chipped from a rock which likely would have still happened with a 60° inclusive edge.
 
Out of curiosity, did you "choke back" (use the rearward grip, with two or three fingers on the main handle, the other/s behind) on the BK2 at all? If so, that really helps with its chopping potential. I also do this with the BK9 actually. Its kind of like adding another inch or so of blade length, which helps with that forward weight bias and the tip speed.
 
ocnLogan said:
Out of curiosity, did you "choke back" (use the rearward grip, with two or three fingers on the main handle, the other/s behind) on the BK2 at all? If so, that really helps with its chopping potential. I also do this with the BK9 actually. Its kind of like adding another inch or so of blade length, which helps with that forward weight bias and the tip speed.
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Yea I typically always choke back when chopping especially with smaller blades, I use a pinky lanyard.
 
Bobby3326 said:
Yea I typically always choke back when chopping especially with smaller blades, I use a pinky lanyard.
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Just thought I'd check :). And the lanyard really does help with security when gripped back like that. And I will say, that the difference in chopping power is pretty substantial. And while not a chopper, the BK2 is probably one of the best at chopping in that size range.
 
Been lurking here off and on for a while, and occasionally posting. I find that edge angle is highly dependent on use and user skill. I have a Green River pattern knife made of essentially the same steel as the Becker knives and have batoned and cut using a 12 degree/side edge with a 15 d/s microbevel with no issues. It didn't even chip when I hit a hidden brick paver, but did dent a little. I think you all may find you can run chopper edges surprisingly thin. "The Complete Guide to Sharpening" author, as well as other books/guides for axe sharpening recommend bevel angles as low as 10 d/s for dedicated felling axes. This may seem extremely low, but the author also is very clear that felling axes are dedicated felling tools, not multipurpose camp axes, and should not be used for limbing or splitting. I've run 12" chopping knives at the same 12/15 d/s bevels as above without undue damage. I was chopping close to the ground, so some damage is inevitable.
 
me2 said:
Been lurking here off and on for a while, and occasionally posting. I find that edge angle is highly dependent on use and user skill. I have a Green River pattern knife made of essentially the same steel as the Becker knives and have batoned and cut using a 12 degree/side edge with a 15 d/s microbevel with no issues. It didn't even chip when I hit a hidden brick paver, but did dent a little. I think you all may find you can run chopper edges surprisingly thin. "The Complete Guide to Sharpening" author, as well as other books/guides for axe sharpening recommend bevel angles as low as 10 d/s for dedicated felling axes. This may seem extremely low, but the author also is very clear that felling axes are dedicated felling tools, not multipurpose camp axes, and should not be used for limbing or splitting. I've run 12" chopping knives at the same 12/15 d/s bevels as above without undue damage. I was chopping close to the ground, so some damage is inevitable.
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This is what led me to the question originally, reading about guys who recommend thinning out a chopper. I use to run a 30° inclusive on my edc and with any heavy use (cutting cardboard, and day to day items) would roll and chip, (but this was when I thought $50 was allot for a knife and carried an elk ridge, so likely was just garage steel) so as I got into other knives i always kept the ones that chop and baton at a sharp 50° inclusive to withstand the impact. Now thou I can really see the difference a thinner more acute edge makes, it cuts in deeper requiring less chops, which translates into less fatigue later on.

The 9 will cut straight thru trees and branches up to about 2" in one hard downward swing.
 
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