Becker Tweeners and Biolite Stove

riz_aaroni

riz_aaroni

Gold Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2007
Messages
1,929
Howdy beckerheads,

It has been far too long since I've posted on here, though I hope all has been well. I've been meaning to make a couple posts on Bladeforums for a while now and I think I can nail both in one shot.

Some time ago, I entered the Ultimate Steel fundraiser by Knife Rights. I wound up getting an ESEE Izula for the donation itself, which was cool, but months passed by and I randomly got this amazing email from Sue Ritter, Presumably Doug Ritter's wife (Doug being the head of Knife Rights), saying my name had been drawn for the early bird raffle. After taking a look at the prizes available, it was clear the Becker BK15, BK16 and BK17 knives were the prize to pick. Definitely made my day/month getting that email and then the knives.

Here they are in all their glory:

7421777344_21fcf230cb_c.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rizaaroni/7421777344/in/photostream

Definitely pleased with them. While the BK9 is by far one of my favorite knives, having something smaller is much more useful (in addition to the BK9 anyway :D). Couldn't wait for Becker micarta scales, so I went with a Saint Cutlery set, which are pretty sweet, much thicker than I thought they'd be. Which is good.

Something else I've been waiting for, 1 year+, was the Biolite stove. It is a wood burning camp stove that generates electricity to spin a fan on Hi/Lo to really get the fire going. It burns very efficiently and smoke free. Plus the excess electricity can be used to charge electronics. I've only used it twice, but I know this will be incredibly handy on hikes/trips.

7421761038_a2963af8dd_c.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rizaaroni/7421761038/in/photostream

And a shot of the knife that made split the wood, that fueled the fire, which boiled the water that made the tea.

7421759750_bc25155f00_c.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rizaaroni/7421759750/in/photostream

One thing to mention is that I couldn't get the snaps to snap on the sheath with the micarta attached. Considered the Azwelke sheath, and still am, though opted for carving out a bit of plastic on the insert to allow the knife to sit lower. The lower snap now goes around the finger choil which is thinner than where it normally sites. So all is well on that front.

In short, definitely glad I entered the raffle and am very appreciative of the work Knife Rights puts in. Also glad Becker knives is around and helps fuel my own fire for cutlery. That and putting the set into the fundraiser to begin with. I think the BK17 will serve me very well.

Lastly, though having the whole set is pretty sweet, I don't need all 3. So if I can actually get around to it, I may raffle off 1-2 on here. Anyone running a contest and need a prize? Would be willing to put it towards a good cause. Let me know.
 
Congratulations man and welcome back! You realize you kinda won enough just by supporting knife rights, right? Pretty cool stove, does the fan come off?
 
Couldn't pick a better prize(s)! That stove looks freakin sweet too, it appears to use a standard USB cord?
 
Sorry for the delay. Thanks for the kind words and it is definitely a nice score. I've liked the tweeners for a while now, like most people on here I suppose, though never really knew which one to choose. Crazy how that worked out.

The orange unit slides off and has this copper pipe that pokes into the fire chamber. The heat is transferred to a TEG, thermoelectric generator, which produces the electricity to operate the fan. Would explain a TEG, but my understanding is pretty basic. Wikipedia is your friend on that one. The fan fits, for the most part, into the stove and comes with a bag. Not the lightest thing in the world, though probably comparable to the amount of fuel you'd need for longer trips. Can always opt for the small alcohol stove for day trips if need be.

RogueBowie, that is correct. It has a fullsize usb port that you can plug into. Also, good work on the contest you are running.

Cool to see how well it burns. It creates and retains a ton of heat. So much so that even after the flames are out, you can place a small twig on top and it will eventually just burst into flames after reaching it's combustion point. What winds up being left is pure ash with some charcoaled or just nearly 100% burnt wood. Will have to report back on how it works in a actual camping/hiking situation though.

Back to the BK17. I really like the feel of it. Came pretty sharp and after some stropping, was made really sharp. Will get some good use.
 
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That's a good looking collection, Riz. That first pic of yours prompted me to go ahead and order a FFG 16 and a 15 to complete my collection of Tweeners. The of yours 17 looks great with the micarta on it. I've been waiting for the factory micarta to come out, but I might go ahead and get the Saint scales for one of my Tweeners.

I've never heard of the biolite stove, but it looks great for camping. You could keep your iPad playing music the whole trip. That's amazing.
 
Very cool. Another Knife Rights winner! Congratulations!
Guys and gals, Knife Rights is going to give away a ton of custom steel at the end of July, and a donation is all it takes to get a chance (or two, or three, or four...)
Have a look here: http://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=179&Itemid=1
Couldn't be a better cause for our knife-using future.
I won this Sebenza in their Blade Show drawing.

P1040925.jpg
 
riz_aaroni said:
One thing to mention is that I couldn't get the snaps to snap on the sheath with the micarta attached. Considered the Azwelke sheath, and still am, though opted for carving out a bit of plastic on the insert to allow the knife to sit lower. The lower snap now goes around the finger choil which is thinner than where it normally sites. So all is well on that front.
Click to expand...

Wet 'em and stretch 'em. They'll eventually stretch out to fit. I have St. Cutlery scales on my 16, and the sheath straps snap just fine.
 
I've been following developments on that stove. It is very interesting. I have often seen pictures of it charging cell phones. A much larger version of the stove is being provided or sold to third world nations. The larger version has been tested to greatly reduce wood burning needs and to burn far cleaner reducing health issues for much of the world's population that relies upon wood for fuel and cooking on a daily basis. Overall, it holds great potential to help reduce air pollution and wood use worldwide.

http://biolitestove.com/homestove/overview/
 
Guyon said:
Wet 'em and stretch 'em. They'll eventually stretch out to fit. I have St. Cutlery scales on my 16, and the sheath straps snap just fine.
Click to expand...

May try that to get a little bit more play, though it's good the way it is I think. Thanks for the tip.

Guyon said:
Very cool. Another Knife Rights winner! Congratulations!
Guys and gals, Knife Rights is going to give away a ton of custom steel at the end of July, and a donation is all it takes to get a chance (or two, or three, or four...)
Have a look here: http://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=179&Itemid=1
Couldn't be a better cause for our knife-using future.
I won this Sebenza in their Blade Show drawing.
Click to expand...

Congrats on the Sebenza, definitely a nice score. Worth donating a few bucks to Kniferights. Could win something, though just supporting what they do was enough for me. The knives a definite plus though. :D I think you also get a year membership with some donations too.

wasatchdan said:
That's a good looking collection, Riz. That first pic of yours prompted me to go ahead and order a FFG 16 and a 15 to complete my collection of Tweeners. The of yours 17 looks great with the micarta on it. I've been waiting for the factory micarta to come out, but I might go ahead and get the Saint scales for one of my Tweeners.

I've never heard of the biolite stove, but it looks great for camping. You could keep your iPad playing music the whole trip. That's amazing.
Click to expand...

Congrats on the orders. The 15 would be a badass knife to carry around...though will likely reside in my kitchen eventually. The stove is pretty sweet, would some in handy for music. Though I don't think I'd having it running 24/7 just for that. The fact I could cook my meals and charge things up throughout a trip is a definite plus.

CascadeSam said:
I've been following developments on that stove. It is very interesting. I have often seen pictures of it charging cell phones. A much larger version of the stove is being provided or sold to third world nations. The larger version has been tested to greatly reduce wood burning needs and to burn far cleaner reducing health issues for much of the world's population that relies upon wood for fuel and cooking on a daily basis. Overall, it holds great potential to help reduce air pollution and wood use worldwide.

http://biolitestove.com/homestove/overview/
Click to expand...

Yeah. I forget where I saw it first, Kickstarter maybe? Definitely has taken a while, but it is a cool company/product. The larger version would be sweet to have for a small cabin somewhere. Though not sure how big the market is in the US for it. Their products tote some impressive stats for reducing emissions and what not.
 
I, too, have been looking forward to that camp stove. I'd also like the larger one as well if/when they are available to us in the states. The need the company is attempting to fulfill by making the home stove is an awesome cause and they're using profits from the camp stove sales to help offset the cost of the home stove for use in third world countries. Let us know how you like it! :)
 
The larger one as shown on their site is something I'd like to have as a backup emergency backyard stove and electricity source for minor lights and cell phone charging. Over the next several years, I wouldn't be surprised to see other companies manufacturing their own designs.
 
CascadeSam said:
The larger one as shown on their site is something I'd like to have as a backup emergency backyard stove and electricity source for minor lights and cell phone charging. Over the next several years, I wouldn't be surprised to see other companies manufacturing their own designs.
Click to expand...

That'd be a good use for it. I could see it being great for car camping too. I wonder what the power output could be or is for the larger unit. The one above has a single TEG, the one you see when you do a quick search for TEG's. Though the larger unit seems like it could accommodate a whole bunch. Enough to charge larger batteries maybe? That or electronics? Hopefully this one is well received and spawns other offerings.

I think I'll try it out again tomorrow. More pics too.
 
riz_aaroni said:
I could see it being great for car camping too. I wonder what the power output could be or is for the larger unit. Though the larger unit seems like it could accommodate a whole bunch. Enough to charge larger batteries maybe? That or electronics? Hopefully this one is well received and spawns other offerings.
Click to expand...

The larger one can probably provide more output though I don't yet believe it can power a laptop or similar device. I could be wrong. This is generation #1. It will be interesting to see improvements over the years and new innovations on the concept.
 
Those stoves are very cool. I am glad it was finally released. Never thought I would need to store a stove in a Faraday cage. hehe
 
CascadeSam said:
The larger one can probably provide more output though I don't yet believe it can power a laptop or similar device. I could be wrong. This is generation #1. It will be interesting to see improvements over the years and new innovations on the concept.
Click to expand...

True. I figure you could always just slowly charge some batteries and then power a laptop. Will be interesting to see later versions.

Catmouth said:
Those stoves are very cool. I am glad it was finally released. Never thought I would need to store a stove in a Faraday cage. hehe
Click to expand...

Lol, will keep my electronics IN the stove now.
 
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