BK 17 thoughts...

Yeah sure, but if you already have he 17..... its fun to grind on stuff. Plus you can leave it a high-er sabre grind and not go all the way to full flat, and retain some of that robust-ed-ness. I think a good compromise on the 17 would be to raise the grind 50% more.
 
I've looked at the 17, wanting to want it; but I've never really been into bowie style blades & and I'm pretty much over classic clip points (especially on fixed blades).
If I were to get a 17, it would be with the intent of making it a project...and - me being me - it would likely be figured out on the fly (rather than planned in advance).

If the look appeals to you, though, go for it. I usually don't say these things to dissuade anybody...I don't buy, or refrain from buying, any knife I want because of a stranger's comments on the internet...and I wouldn't expect anybody to base their decisions on mine. It's all just food for thought.
 
I'm not a fan, would much rather the 16 then the 15. It just doesnt appeal to me and for skinning I would suggest that it could easily pierce organs.
 
It's hard to get a bad Becker and this is especially true with the Tweeners. In that range, I am primarily a fan of the 15 as it is just so wonderful at he things i typically find myself doing with that knife that size. Ethan, the Great Enabler, got me interested in the 16 and now I have two - that happens with Beckers. I have nothing against the 17, and do see it as an attractive knife, but it just doesn't fill a functionality void in my quiver. It's a good looking knife and, let's face it, looks sell, but the 15 and the 16 dovetail with my uses more.

Gotta throw out a quick thought on how a knife looks, There is an saying on The Rolex Forums that asks how many look at their watch and forget to check the time. I propose here that many of us take out one of our knives, admire them and forget to use them for anything in that particular moment. Be honest now. :rolleyes:
 
The 17 works great for me and my uses, but that's just me. The size and balance of the 17 work great with my hands when I use it. Well worth the purchase.
 
I think the 17 is a great looking knife, feels good in the hand and I like the weight of it.

Someday I'll buy one, it has a similar look to my Buck 119 which I am quite fond of.
 
Lots of good reasons for and against listed here. One that I didn't see mentioned is,
It is a Becker.
 
Its #1 on my list at the moment. Whether I get one or not is up to the wife lol. If things work out with a kayak on fleabay local then things may change. Either way, I won't be dissuaded by peeps opinions I'm just interested whats out there since there's not much chatter around here on this particular mode . Also, I'm not gonna lie, I wanted some pics and mods and ideas because it will be a project blade. I'll keep ya posted! Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Don't stop now though, where's the pics and mods? I saw one pic with stag handles and rounded edges. Looked awesome!
 
NCSlice said:
Also, I'm not gonna lie, I wanted some pics and mods and ideas because it will be a project blade.
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That's what Dex warned me about when my first restoration+mod turned out way better than I expected - soon you'll be looking for blades to mod. ;)
 
The 17 had a lot of press here awhile back. Lots of mods and such done to it. It's a good one and definitely worth the purchase.
 
The 17 is at the end of my list as far as wants go, and probably only because that list says I need one of every kind. The 15 is awesome, and the 16 has the best shape. The clip point just doesn't do it for me on the 17, but love it on the 7. I don't know. I expect to have a Kabar FU at some point as well as a Kabar shorty. The 17 is just a shorty 17 after all.
 
TravisH said:
That's what Dex warned me about when my first restoration+mod turned out way better than I expected - soon you'll be looking for blades to mod. ;)
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Hah, that started several months ago. Already have done several.

Vinjints said:
The 17 is at the end of my list as far as wants go, and probably only because that list says I need one of every kind. The 15 is awesome, and the 16 has the best shape. The clip point just doesn't do it for me on the 17, but love it on the 7. I don't know. I expect to have a Kabar FU at some point as well as a Kabar shorty. The 17 is just a shorty 17 after all.
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Understand that. The 17 and the 7 were both at the bottom of my list. I snagged a short FU leather on a deal and I can admit it spurred my interest in the 17. Now I have 3-15's, 1-16 and 2 saber 16s so its the last of the tweeners for me. Yeah, it is just a shorty, but its a BECKER! Nuff said on that note! For now the 7 stays at the bottom but it may hop ahead as the holidays roll around since its the only big boy remaining on the list. Not including the RBK since that will be an impulse buy the minute it becomes available.

My idea is to wash away the tactical look an give it a bush makeover.
 
I like the 17 a lot. Every knife I use at work HAS to have a pointy tip. I have to poke, then slice stuff all day long. So, if a blade isn't great at poking then slicing, it doesn't get carried.

 
Personally I like the modded clipless tip. My only "complaint" with the 16 is it could be a bit more pointy. The 17, well I just never got into the bowie style clip. Now, you straighted one of the clips and now we are talking.

One question though, what does the sabre grind on the 17 offer over the 16? I like slicey over stout yet almost exclusively carry ZT folders daily. Somehow I got my priorities a bit backwards with folders compared to fixed. Buying a 17 would be a great way to convert to a somewhat stouter fixed but is there an advantage?
 
hhmoore said:
You mean like this one?
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Nice. I am falling into the Beckerhead trap. As much as I want to do this mod, I really like the overall shape. I did a few photo-shop like mock-ups of what I was going to do before I received it. Now I'm waiting for a nicely used one to mod and going to keep my first as is...relatively as is, new scales and sheath aside.
 
This is a modified BK17 I did last year. It resides in a small leather Kabar sheath. DerekH is on target with his assessment of the 17. The 17 may not always get the credit it deserves, but it is a solid performer stock or modded.
 
hhmoore said:
You mean like this one?
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Purrrrrrfect.
IMO, the 17 is a bit too concave, and the 16 is a bit too convex. Bring each a smidge toward the other and they are beautiful. My pick would be the 16 nodded like that. I might even mod MY 16 like that. :-)
 
daizee said:
IMO, the 17 is a bit too concave, and the 16 is a bit too convex. Bring each a smidge toward the other and they are beautiful.
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You've lost me on this one. I didn't think either knife were close to those grinds at all.
 
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