Bought a BK 9 ! With ?

G

Great Steel

Joined
Jan 14, 2016
Messages
29
Hi Fellas

I have all sorts of knives but not a "Knife" in Crocodile Dundee terms, so I went looking and bought a BK 9.

WOW ! This is an awesome tool ! When that puppy is in your hand you know you have something there, and I haven't even used it yet . LOL ! It will find use for me in backpacking, camping and hunting.

Now I have a few questions for you guy's.

#1 I see you can buy a set of colored handles but can you buy them individually ? What are the other options are there to buy that you guy's have and like ?

#2 Can you buy a Kydex sheath for the BK9 ?

#3 What is the companion BK knife that is intended for the original nylon pouch ?

Thanks !
 
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Great Steel said:
Hi Fellas

I have all sorts of knives but not a "Knife" in Crocodile Dundee terms, so I went looking and bought a BK 9.

WOW ! This is an awesome tool ! When that puppy is in your hand you know you have something there, and I haven't even used it yet . LOL ! It will find use for me in backpacking, camping and hunting.

Now I have a few questions for you guy's.

#1 I see you can buy a set of colored handles but can you buy them individually ? What are the other options are there to buy that you guy's have and like ?

#2 Can you buy a Kydex sheath for the BK9 ?

#3 What is the companion BK knife that is intended for the original nylon pouch ?

Thanks !
Click to expand...

Hello and welcome to the BK9 club! I have a BK9 myself so I can say you're in for a treat when you get to use it.

The colored handle options are a group only, so you have to get all 4 colors. Sometimes they pop up individually on the exchange here on the forums. The other handle option include:

G10 from third parties like TheKnifeConnection (they are thinner than the stock grips, just FYI), which are rather pricey but very good quality.

Kabar offers factory Micarta that is modifiable and is nearly identical in shape to the original grivory handles, also a bit pricey but very nice too.

Wood grips are also offered by third parties on Ebay and elsewhere. I myself purchased some wood scales from Tommythewho on Ebay, they are pretty awesome with nice added grip and a great look as well.

As for kydex, there are lots of options for custom sheathes made by third parties out there, if you traverse the Sheaths subforum here on the forums you get to see a lot of different companies. I personally purchased a sweet kydex from the 710 and would recommend him for sure, but there are many others that forumites have bought from and you should certainly check them out too.

The companion knife is the BK13 Remora, a little stainless pocket-sized knife that's a very good companion. I hear they offer it in 1095 as well...

As an example of how what you could do with yours, here's a taste of my personal BK9 dressed in my 710 sheath and with my brazilian ironwood Tommythewho scales
 
Congrats on the 9. Great knife. My favorite Becker.

If you wanna save some money, I'd just make your own scales. They'll mean more to you too, maybe. Can find supplies everywhere or make out of something you have handy.

Azwelke makes great sheaths. Have a couple of his and one for my 9. Fits perfectly.

I'm thinking though soon here I am going to start making my own kydex sheaths cause I just ain't got the dough to keep up buying sheaths from makers. If you don't have TONS of knives though would be best just to go with a maker. Plenty of good ones out there that can do amazing things.
 
JTmisterknifeguy said:
The 9 was the gateway Becker for me...
Click to expand...

Ya I can see that, as I'm already thinking of the companion knife that goes with the BK9 and it's sheath ! Then I really like the look of the BK5 and then there's.................... Yep I may be getting the BK virus !

Great Steel
 
9 will serve you well and a necessary tool, as all, ok most of my steel


 
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Great Steel said:
Ya I can see that, as I'm already thinking of the companion knife that goes with the BK9 and it's sheath ! Then I really like the look of the BK5 and then there's.................... Yep I may be getting the BK virus !

Great Steel
Click to expand...

My 9 was first, and in the span of 1 week I already had a 5, 11, and 15 en route. It's a dangerous virus with little known cures, stay strong my friend.

Or don't, I'm not a cop. ;)
 
KingMC said:
My 9 was first, and in the span of 1 week I already had a 5, 11, and 15 en route. It's a dangerous virus with little known cures, stay strong my friend.

Or don't, I'm not a cop. ;)
Click to expand...

LOL ! Yep I know all about these things that us guy's like that are addictive, tools, gadgets you name it !
 
Hello fellow BK9 owners, I just received mine yesterday and would appreciate some feedback on getting the best use from this wonderful knife without wasting a lot of money and time running down blind allies. I had done a good bit of reading on the BK9, its sheath, stripping the protective coating, inducing a patina finish (how long does this last, does it need to be redone periodically), new scales etc. Upon receiving the knife and sheath I am extremely impressed with the product, it speaks of quality.

First, does the knife need to have the protective coating removed? I like the appearance as it is but I have seen in various videos that the knife really starts to look beat up after awhile with the factory coating. Is there a way of maintaining the original appearance or restoring periodically. I know there are coatings (ie Duracoat etc) which I am sure can be made to look attractive after the factory coating is stripped, but I imagine that it needs maintenance to retain their appearance. If the coating situation is a never ending touch-up situation I would vote for stripping and adding a patina. Is this what most people who have the BK9 do?

The sheath seems to get a lot of criticism. In looking at it it looks like it could be easily modified by adding some additional grommets along the sides or some Ranger bands to make it more functional, or better clip closures. My sheath holds the knife firmly and there is no rattling noise. Has anyone modified the sheath along the lines that I suggested and how has the sheath held up? Some of the sheath solutions are twice as expensive as the knife which doesn't seem to make sense, although they do look quite attractive; however, this is not a beauty contest.

The scales on the standard BK9 look good although they are quite smooth and would impact gripping, which can be address with a Ranger band. What is the benefit of the micarta scales, or is this more a dress up of the knife.

If one does strip the factory coating and puts a patina on the blade, how long does this last and what up keep is necessary?

Last but not least, what other suggestions do you have that would add to the enjoyment and usefulness of the BK9?
 
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MRCDH said:
Hello fellow BK9 owners, I just received mine yesterday and would appreciate some feedback on getting the best use from this wonderful knife without wasting a lot of money and time running down blind allies. I had done a good bit of reading on the BK9, its sheath, stripping the protective coating, inducing a patina finish (how long does this last, does it need to be redone periodically), new scales etc. Upon receiving the knife and sheath I am extremely impressed with the product, it speaks of quality.

First, does the knife need to have the protective coating removed? I like the appearance as it is but I have seen in various videos that the knife really starts to look beat up after awhile with the factory coating. Is there a way of maintaining the original appearance or restoring periodically. I know there are coatings (ie Duracoat etc) which I am sure can be made to look attractive after the factory coating is stripped, but I imagine that it needs maintenance to retain their appearance. If the coating situation is a never ending touch-up situation I would vote for stripping and adding a patina. Is this what most people who have the BK9 do?

The sheath seem to get a lot of criticism. In looking at it it looks like it could be easily modified by adding some additional grommets along the sides or some Ranger bands to make it more functional, or better clip closures. My sheath holds the knife firmly and there is no rattling noise. Has anyone modified the sheath along the lines that I suggested and how has the sheath held up? Some of the sheath solutions are twice as expensive as the knife which doesn't seem to make sense, although they do look quite attractive; however, this is not a beauty contest.

The scales on the standard BK9 look good although they are quite smooth and would impact gripping, which can be address with a Ranger band. What is the benefit of the micarta scales, or is this more a dress up of the knife.

If one does strip the factory coating and puts a patina on the blade, how long does this last and what up keep is necessary?

Last but not least, what other suggestions do you have that would add to the enjoyment and usefulness of the BK9?
Click to expand...

Great post MRCDH ! Looks like another owner of a BK9 !

I was also wondering of the very same questions you have asked . Yesterday I went and bought some 550 paracord to use with the BK 9 as a lanyard.

As far as a sheath I have asked about a Kydex sheath and it seems that there are sellers of them here on Blade Forums.

Having not made a sheath before I'm wondering how hard it would be to make my own Kydex sheath ? I have a good quality heat gun and loads of hand tools. Maybe someone could provide a good link to making a Kydex sheath ,maybe written or YouTube or both .

Thanks
Great Steel
 
Great Steel said:
Great post MRCDH ! Looks like another owner of a BK9 !

I was also wondering of the very same questions you have asked . Yesterday I went and bought some 550 paracord to use with the BK 9 as a lanyard.

As far as a sheath I have asked about a Kydex sheath and it seems that there are sellers of them here on Blade Forums.

Having not made a sheath before I'm wondering how hard it would be to make my own Kydex sheath ? I have a good quality heat gun and loads of hand tools. Maybe someone could provide a good link to making a Kydex sheath ,maybe written or YouTube or both .

Thanks
Great Steel
Click to expand...

Great Steel here is a website on Youtube that gives a rather good "how to" make a Kydex sheath. The knife is not a BK9 but the basics should apply. Good luck!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K1YwKXqTDA
 
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I left the coating in because I like the rugged look of a worn coating, but if you don't like that look you'll probably have to strip it, unless you get a custom DLC coating or similar, you'll be seeing worn coating if you use the knife.

The Micarta scales add quite a bit of grip, but since the handle is so well designed it's not as noticeable than you might think. They are easily customization, though, so if you want to dye them or shave them down they are easily worked with.

Since the BK9 is my main camp knife, I invested in a fantastic custom kydex, but if you'd rather save money I think the sheath that comes with it is good enough to use. Making your own sheath shouldn't be too difficult especially if you don't really care about aesthetics.

I added custom scales and a custom sheath and I'm getting max enjoyment out of it. I have a paracord loop for when I'm chopping with it, but really that's the only other add-on I've done. It's a pretty good knife all around so modifying it isn't even necessary to enjoy it.
 
KingMC said:
I left the coating in because I like the rugged look of a worn coating, but if you don't like that look you'll probably have to strip it, unless you get a custom DLC coating or similar, you'll be seeing worn coating if you use the knife.

The Micarta scales add quite a bit of grip, but since the handle is so well designed it's not as noticeable than you might think. They are easily customization, though, so if you want to dye them or shave them down they are easily worked with.

Since the BK9 is my main camp knife, I invested in a fantastic custom kydex, but if you'd rather save money I think the sheath that comes with it is good enough to use. Making your own sheath shouldn't be too difficult especially if you don't really care about aesthetics.

I added custom scales and a custom sheath and I'm getting max enjoyment out of it. I have a paracord loop for when I'm chopping with it, but really that's the only other add-on I've done. It's a pretty good knife all around so modifying it isn't even necessary to enjoy it.
Click to expand...

KingMC, thank you for your response, so far I am leaning in the direction of a patina finish and seeing what I can do with the supplied sheath from KaBar. If my plans are not workable I will opt for the custom kydex sheath with selected modifications.
 
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