Review Dave Beck Forager

Joined
Aug 1, 2012
Messages
5,170
Hello all,

You may have heard of Dave Beck, probably because of the Tracker/ WSK of The Hunted fame. I don't have one of his WSKs (yet), but I'm totally sold on his knife-making skills. In this write-up, I'll be focusing on the Forager...

Here it is new:
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Specs:
5" Forager, O1 Steel
5/32 x 5" blade. 10-1/8" OAL.
Flat saber-ground bevels & tapered tang.
Carry wt. = 16oz with sheath

Since getting it, I've used it a bit, first in the kitchen, then a bit outdoors on my in-laws property. Pics of a little wood carving to come.

First, let me say that Dave is an awesome guy. Great correspondence, warm and friendly, and totally professional. I first bought his 6" Trail Dog SERE, and have had it and used it for about a year. Excellent outdoors knife--it can do it all and is an alternative to a WSK.

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And that led me to seek out more... my current collection of Dave's knives:

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The Forager is somewhere between the 6" Trail Dog and the couple Green Rivers, and is just about perfect as an all-arounder. I'll let the pics do the talking:

The sheath is wet-formed, tough, and very comfortable vertical or horizontal (small of back):

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The ergos are truly perfect...

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Love the balance and tapered tang...

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Green linen micarta and outdoor glamour shot...

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Aaaaannnd, a little fun... it performs perfectly, throws sparks, stays sharp...

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So, I truly love it. It will be the knife I grab the most often--Dave's Forager hits a coveted sweet spot... medium size, not too thick, not too heavy, tough, holds an edge, versatile sheath.

Dave told me that he'll be having a Forager and a few other blades available on his website sometime in Feb (besides the regular ordering procedures), and his WSK books should be opening soon. I'm definitely gunning for a WSK... maybe more of the others too.



Thanks for looking!
 
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That's a good looking knife I wouldn't mind having. I really like that Trail dog though as I'm a sucker for the bowie type blades.
 
That's a good looking knife I wouldn't mind having. I really like that Trail dog though as I'm a sucker for the bowie type blades.
Thanks—yeah, the Trail Dog is a big knife that carries pretty effortlessly too... 3/16ths, tapered tang, differentially hardened
 
I've been a BECK admirer for a while now! Very nice assortment of his work you have there! Green linen is pretty stuff!! Enjoy and may they serve you well!!!
 
I've been a BECK admirer for a while now! Very nice assortment of his work you have there! Green linen is pretty stuff!! Enjoy and may they serve you well!!!
Thanks--yeah, I've really come to love Dave's knives. The only other maker's knives that I have several of is Lon Humphrey--equally great guy and tremendous craftsman.

Here's a pic of a quickly made figure four I showed my son how to whittle. The Forager served very well!

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