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Bk-16 FPR First impressions & thoughts

Nsvens89

Nsvens89

Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Messages
1,574
Yeah yeah I know yet another thread on the new 16. Needless to say I was a little excited when I open that box. It really is one good looking knife.

First thoughts
-The sabre grind looks great on this knife
-The signature etch looks nice in person
-The handle was smaller than expected
-The scales were a little off on the fit
-The blade was not as sharp as I like
-Sheath seems nice, pocket is larger than I was expecting

I really like the handle size. It feels more delicate but I think it will lend itself to finer work more readily than the larger BK's. I also really like the length of the blade. More than once I have been using my 14 wished that the blade was jut a little longer and this gives me that! Regarding the the scales being a little off eh it doesn't bother me that much it was just more off than my larger BK's but then again this is a FPR so I would assume they get better over time. Sharpness that is really a non issue, how people keep their edge is a highly individual thing. It won't take much effort to get it where I want it.

Ok enough babble, NOW PICTURES!

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Jesus, how many of these knives did they sell? :D

Lookin' good brother, so, does it live up to the hype we've been spreadin' or are we trying to sell pork to princesses?

Moose
 
Moosez45 said:
Jesus, how many of these knives did they sell? :D

Lookin' good brother, so, does it live up to the hype we've been spreadin' or are we trying to sell pork to princesses?

Moose
Click to expand...

I think it lives up to everything I was expecting and all of the hype.

However was I was expecting is a quality hard use knife with the Becker attitude I have some to know and love. Not really a collectors edition knife. So is it a collector knife......yeah in the sense its rare and people will want it but the F&F is that of a production knife.

Due to how these even came to be on the market i am not surprised that the quality is that of standard production. I would assume that the knives were made for just that. Standard production but then the game plan changed.


All and all I am incredibly happy with my knife. I will use it and love it! Very thankful Ethan and Ka-bar made this deal.
 
I think some liners might remedy it perfectly, If not some ideas for custom scales are already bouncing around in my head :)
 
How does the jimping feel? Would be nice if the future 14's came with a lil jimping love too. Thanks for the pics and the post!
 
The jimping feels good in my opinion. Its definitely not aggressive, definitely more subdued. It feels a bit like the paint toned them down a bit. I would guess that a stripped one would feel a little "gripper". I have toyed with adding jimping/file work to my 14 but haven't worked up the nerve yet haha.
 
On mine the scales needed a little adjusting, but there was a point at which they were even all the way around the handle, it just took a little fiddling is all. As far as the grip, when I hold it like you have shown here:

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it doesn't fill the hand super well. Now if I take that thumb and put it on the spine, right on that jimping, that is how I usually hold the knife, and it feels perfect in my hand. I was lucky enough to play with the tweeners a couple of times now at the Gatherings, and at that point it was the most comfortable knife I had ever held. The FPR versions live up to that for me.Provided the weather doesn't take a turn for the worst, we got a Scout campout this weekend, and the 16 will be the only knife I plan on using. (The weather part isn't an issue for us camping, just that a few of the adult leaders would have to leave if we have anymore flooding.)
 
Ethan Becker said:
Hey Nsvens.....

Glad you are happy and I hope the blade serves you well.....

Ethan
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Thanks for taking the time to check out my thread Ethan, I am more than happy with it. I can't wait to get out in the woods and put it to use :)

DerekH said:
On mine the scales needed a little adjusting, but there was a point at which they were even all the way around the handle, it just took a little fiddling is all. As far as the grip, when I hold it like you have shown here:

it doesn't fill the hand super well. Now if I take that thumb and put it on the spine, right on that jimping, that is how I usually hold the knife, and it feels perfect in my hand. I was lucky enough to play with the tweeners a couple of times now at the Gatherings, and at that point it was the most comfortable knife I had ever held. The FPR versions live up to that for me.Provided the weather doesn't take a turn for the worst, we got a Scout campout this weekend, and the 16 will be the only knife I plan on using. (The weather part isn't an issue for us camping, just that a few of the adult leaders would have to leave if we have anymore flooding.)
Click to expand...

After I took the pictures did end up moving the scales and adjusting them like you described. They really aren't that bad for a first run so I cant complain. I am sure like Ethan and other have said that the quality will only go up from here.

I have been playing with the 16 non stop since I got it and found what you said to be exactly right. Some grips feel amazing while others feel good. Giving it some thought and how I would be using the knife it seems that all the grips that I would actually call upon when using it are those that feel amazing. You can tell Ethan put a lot of time into the design. I am getting out tomorrow with my 16 as well. Heading out to our cabin with my old man and an uncle among others. I am going to use the 16 for the challenge this month so it should be interesting seeing as i don't have much practice working a knife out of its size range. Practice is a good thing though. Hope you guys have fun at the campout!



BRL said:
Really excellent quality pictures, man.
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Thanks man! It really is harder than I was expecting to get good pictures inside.
 
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