BK7, Skystorm & Tommy the Who

L

Lawrence Helm

Joined
Jul 24, 2014
Messages
328
I've included my USMC knives for reference. I darkened Skystorm's sheath to make it more MarineCorpish. The Tommy the Who scales are made of Zebra Wood.







Lawrence
 
Very nicely dressed!

Especially like the post with fewer words and more pictures!
 
That looks real nice. I like zebrawood....I used it on my little mini-chef 11 mod. MMMM-MMM. The coating is still a little....pristine, though ;). Of course, I shouldn't talk...my 7 has been stripped and awaiting rhinoplasty for about a year now.....
 
Lawrence Helm said:
I've included my USMC knives for reference. I darkened Skystorm's sheath to make it more MarineCorpish. The Tommy the Who scales are made of Zebra Wood.







Lawrence
Click to expand...

Thanks to GSO for reminding me I needed more narrative to go with my photos. :rolleyes: I had a tentative working hypothesis some time ago as I purchased my first Becker, the BK7. I was prepared to hike with a KaBar 1217-sized knifes and its smaller cousins, but watched Youtube videos claiming the BK7 was the best knife in the size range of the 1217 so I bought it. However, I couldn't simply go out hiking with it as soon as I got it because the sheath was totally unsuitable for hiking (IMO). So I sent for a sheath from Skystorm, bought a BK2 and then another which came with at least one sheath I could use for hiking.

It is no new thing for me to get caught up with purchasing a "system" of knives. I did that with Buck:



I have more buck knives than that, two 639V's for example and several pocket knives. For a long time Buck was the brand I favored. This started back in the late 70s and early 80s.

Later I took an interest in Damascus blades:



I haven't counted my Damascus blades but the ones in the above photo might represent 1/3 of the ones I have.

And now I'm looking at Becker knives. How do we know how much better a knife is than the ones we have until we get and handle them? I am very impressed with the Becker knives. I didn't fully realize, or maybe simply didn't articulate my dislike for the Buck slick handles until I got my first Becker. Well, that can't be completely true because the 639V has very different handle material which I found more comfortable for hiking.

Someone might challenge me at this point because I put a Tommy the Who handle on my BK7. Why would I do that if I think the Grivory handles superior to whatever that black stuff is on the Buck handles? My reason has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the Grivory handles. They may very well be sturdier and more resilient than the handles I am putting on all my larger Becker knives, but I've always liked wood & leather. I've done some very minor work with both. I learned how to take care of leather in the Marine Corps and how to work wood on my own. I made some scales for a S&W 40 Special that turned out well & considered doing it on the knives but really like what Tommy the Who is doing and especially with the hard woods he has acquired; so I bought his handles.

And now that I'm getting the Becker knives looking like I want them, I am becoming more and more reluctant to take them hiking. Oh, I will but I suspect that in the long run I'll revert to my Ka-Bars. I may rotate them with the BK17 & maybe I'll get a BK16 but I doubt I'll use the BK7 & 9 regularly.

Someone commented above that my BK7 looked too pristine. I took him to be implying that I should be getting out in the woods hacking and hewing, but IYAM A HIKER not a hacker and hewer. Further more I hike in areas where fires can't be built. Furthermore I'm an Old hiker who can't hike all day any longer and never stays out on a hike over night; so if I can keep my BK7 pristine indefinitely it will please me enormously. My knives as well as my guns are in the "better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them" category. I stuck one of my BK2s in some dead wood & took some photos but I don't plan on doing that with my BK7. I like the way it looks just fine. If I were a camper (which Ethan Becker intended the BK7 to accommodate) I might feel differently, but I'm not.

So why again am I buying good-quality leather sheaths and good quality scales for my BK 2, 7, 9 & 10? I do struggle with that. I don't have a good rational explanation. I have seen threads asking if you could have only one knife which one would you have? If that question was rephrased to specify "knife system" I would select Becker knives without hesitation. And I have set about acquiring the BKs that especially appeal to me. Is that rational? Maybe not. I speculated about it being in our genetic make up. I'm serious about that. Homo sapiens was handling knives for at least the last 200,000 years. Does he now need a "reason" for doing it? I don't think so -- at least this specimen doesn't need one . . . or maybe I should just say "doesn't have one."

Lawrence
 
GSO1962 said:
Very nicely dressed!

Especially like the post with fewer words and more pictures!
Click to expand...

Haha...so much for that....
Beautiful setup man,i love tommy's wood scales on these Becker,i,myself went for walnut on all of them but this zebra wood is stunning.
 
Lawrence Helm said:
And now that I'm getting the Becker knives looking like I want them, I am becoming more and more reluctant to take them hiking. Oh, I will but I suspect that in the long run I'll revert to my Ka-Bars. I may rotate them with the BK17 & maybe I'll get a BK16 but I doubt I'll use the BK7 & 9 regularly.
Click to expand...

I was never a fan of the Kabar-ish marine corps knife design. But many like them. I buy the larger fixed blades and just seldom use them. My BK-7 looks like yours (with factory handles however). My BK-2 looks mostly newish. I like the BK-15, BK-16, Bk-17 size a lot as they are immensely practical for 98% of anything I might do in the woods. Guess the other 2% is what brings out the BK-2, BK-7, or BK-9 for purchase or use. Frankly, I mostly use folders anyway, but like the feel of a medium sized fixed blade on my belt in the woods or a machete on my belt if I am chopping at brush. That doesn't really happen often for me in the woods. I mostly use my machetes for work related chopping, essentially rough trimming on some of the sites I do work at.

We all sort of get set in our ways as to what works for us and even though I may go off on a tangent and buy either substantially larger or smaller blades, I move back to the middle range rather quickly. I just really don't like a big honking knife on my belt very much unless I have a specific use for it.

The Becker line is a very practical assortment of moderately priced fixed blades made with reasonably good steel especially for woods use or working around the house. I used to buy holsters for every handgun I own pretty much immediately. I have found that I have a few that I like to carry and the rest become range toys or just collect dust. Hence the holsters are just a waste of money for the most part. Same goes with knife sheaths even though I really like a good leather belt sheath and I'm warming up to kydex as it is a very practical and durable material. Don't care much for the glass impregnated plastics.

Lawrence, I guess the next ones to look at are the Bark River and Fallkniven lines. They are good and the sheaths are good enough for me and functional. I'm glad your having fun with your functional hobby.
 
22-rimfire said:
I was never a fan of the Kabar-ish marine corps knife design. But many like them. I buy the larger fixed blades and just seldom use them. My BK-7 looks like yours (with factory handles however). My BK-2 looks mostly newish. I like the BK-15, BK-16, Bk-17 size a lot as they are immensely practical for 98% of anything I might do in the woods. Guess the other 2% is what brings out the BK-2, BK-7, or BK-9 for purchase or use. Frankly, I mostly use folders anyway, but like the feel of a medium sized fixed blade on my belt in the woods or a machete on my belt if I am chopping at brush. That doesn't really happen often for me in the woods. I mostly use my machetes for work related chopping, essentially rough trimming on some of the sites I do work at.

We all sort of get set in our ways as to what works for us and even though I may go off on a tangent and buy either substantially larger or smaller blades, I move back to the middle range rather quickly. I just really don't like a big honking knife on my belt very much unless I have a specific use for it.

The Becker line is a very practical assortment of moderately priced fixed blades made with reasonably good steel especially for woods use or working around the house. I used to buy holsters for every handgun I own pretty much immediately. I have found that I have a few that I like to carry and the rest become range toys or just collect dust. Hence the holsters are just a waste of money for the most part. Same goes with knife sheaths even though I really like a good leather belt sheath and I'm warming up to kydex as it is a very practical and durable material. Don't care much for the glass impregnated plastics.

Lawrence, I guess the next ones to look at are the Bark River and Fallkniven lines. They are good and the sheaths are good enough for me and functional. I'm glad your having fun with your functional hobby.
Click to expand...

22Rimfire,

I appreciated your note. However when I got to your last paragraph I wasn't sure that quite fit. I have a lot of other things going on, study and writing projects. And then there are the cameras and lenses -- and directions I could take next time I became obsessive about photography. However, no point denying too much when I have a history of acquiring knives for various not-clearly defined reasons. I looked up Bark River knives and came across the following:
Be very careful when purchasing Bark River Knives because they are quite addictive; Once you have one in your hand, you will be searching for another. Your camping, hiking, hunting, buscrafting, etc will never be the same! Our experience is most people have never had a knife that performs as well as these knives. [end quote].

Your "reasonably good steel" also intrigued me. Buck is supposed to use reasonably good steel and yet who does it better and how can anyone tell. Bark River uses "tool steel." Is "tool steel" better than the steel Becker and Buck use? At this point I assumed from what I had read and experienced that Becker (and Ka-Bar) used "very good steel," but I see that I haven't really studied this enough.

I just checked Fallkniven knives. They seemed comparable in size and functionality to the small Ka-Bars I have and I like those Ka-Bars really well. Maybe the Swedish steel is better than 1095 Cro Van -- or, whatever Buck uses -- I'd be curious about any comparative tests anyone knows about.

Lawrence
Click to expand...
 
Mr. Helm,

Kabar and Buck both use very good steel. They Both also have their heat treat down pretty pat after many many years of knife making and development.
I think what 22 Rimfire was saying about Bark River and Falkniven is that they are a higher cost tier.

Bark River uses some exotic and high toughness stainless steels and tool steels, come with a HUGE variety of handle material options, and come with leather sheaths standard. As a result they tend to cost somewhere around double or more, for a comparable sized Kabar or Buck.

Falkniven uses Laminate steel mostly, which some people like because it allows a very hard and sharp edge while keeping a much softer spine and tang for toughness. They also come with pretty high level fit and finish, which makes them pretty pricey depending on what your looking for.

To me ALL quality knives are addictive ..lol, but to say that Most people have never had a knife as good as a Bark River is probably misleading. I think Most people havent had a knife as good as a Buck or Becker Honestly. Now if you say Most people who own and use knives, and other outdoor tools and gear, have never owned a knife as good as Bark River, I would call Shenanagins. They do make a very nice knife, but so do many other companies, and custom makers.
At the end of the day, other peoples opinions, and tastes dont matter for much. Their actual experience with a maker or knife can be usefull to get an idea, IF they are using the tool for the same thing as you, and you take it with a grain of salt. Its really about what you want from your knife, and your personal tastes. There are many knives out there that you would be well served with for many years, but are they what you want?

Theres also diminishing returns to some extent on climbing the pricing tiers. At some level you stop getting much in the way of improvement in function, and durability, and even fit and finish, for your dollars invested. Past that point, in my experience it turns into more artistry and or name that your paying for.

Just my 2 cents though. That and another 5.50$ will buy you a cup of coffee
 
Lawrence Helm said:
22Rimfire,

I appreciated your note. However when I got to your last paragraph I wasn't sure that quite fit. I have a lot of other things going on, study and writing projects. And then there are the cameras and lenses -- and directions I could take next time I became obsessive about photography. However, no point denying too much when I have a history of acquiring knives for various not-clearly defined reasons. I looked up Bark River knives and came across the following:
Be very careful when purchasing Bark River Knives because they are quite addictive; Once you have one in your hand, you will be searching for another. Your camping, hiking, hunting, buscrafting, etc will never be the same! Our experience is most people have never had a knife that performs as well as these knives. [end quote].

Your "reasonably good steel" also intrigued me. Buck is supposed to use reasonably good steel and yet who does it better and how can anyone tell. Bark River uses "tool steel." Is "tool steel" better than the steel Becker and Buck use? At this point I assumed from what I had read and experienced that Becker (and Ka-Bar) used "very good steel," but I see that I haven't really studied this enough.

I just checked Fallkniven knives. They seemed comparable in size and functionality to the small Ka-Bars I have and I like those Ka-Bars really well. Maybe the Swedish steel is better than 1095 Cro Van -- or, whatever Buck uses -- I'd be curious about any comparative tests anyone knows about.

Lawrence
Click to expand...

I walked about, did a few things, thought about the idea of becoming obsessed (if that's the right word) about Bark River knives and couldn't imagine it. I have a nephew that is doing extremely well financially and owns a Range Rover (as well as several other vehicles) and we have compared it to my 2002 Jeep Liberty. His Range Rover will do a lot of things my Jeep won't, but it won't handle tough terrain any better. When I bought it I had every off-road feature installed. But I have only "reasonably good tires." I compromised on tires so that I could take Susan to her medical appointments without making the ride to rough for her. As to hiking, I only need to get to the trail head. I wasn't interested in taking my dogs for an off-road adventure. When asked by off-roaders why I don't put a lift-kit on my Jeep or get some serious off-road tires I tell them I am a hiker and not an off-roader.

My Jeep was made in 2002 but it almost as pristine as my BK7 -- except for the seat covers. It has only 39,000 miles on it. When my wife got to a point where she could no longer drive I considered selling her 2012 Elantra, my Jeep and getting a newer version of my Liberty, but I eventually decided against that. My Jeep will still do what I want and I can take Susan to her medical appointments in the comfort of her Elantra.

I think of the knives "better than the Beckers" as being like my nephew's Range Rover. Yeah, maybe they are better in some respects, but Beckers will do absolutely everything I can think of wanting to do. That wasn't quite true of Buck knives. Yeah they used good steel, but I didn't like their handles -- way too slick and I hated their sheaths in which their knives rattled. Becker knives start with handles I like better, but have the additional virtue of attracting artisans who make alternate features for people like me who want a more suitable sheath and like the idea of fine wood better than grivory.

Jeep is like that, but maybe only with the Wrangler. I wanted to replace my seat covers and the ones I got didn't fit as well as the ones I bought when my Jeep was new. Maybe that will happen with Becker as well -- no harm in getting what you want now just in case the artisans decide they've made all the sheaths and scales most Becker owners want and move onto other things.

Lawrence
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top