Disappointment with a becker

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outdoorskid92

Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
76
hay, guys i just got back from the wood and i am disappointed with my becker bk-2 i don't know if this is normal or not but i was batoning some oak,hickory, etc. mostly oak and i noticed after i got threw a knot, my blade chipped i don't know if this i normal or not but??? i was able to grind most of it out but i still love it yes but dissapointed
 
I use an ax for splitting wood cause I've seen enough threads showing decent blades chipping after batoning through knots. There is some pretty chaotic grain around the knots in some hardwoods and they can take bites out of ax bits as well.
 
Brennanscott said:
I use an ax for splitting wood cause I've seen enough threads showing decent blades chipping after batoning through knots. There is some pretty chaotic grain around the knots in some hardwoods and they can take bites out of ax bits as well.
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+1 on what Brennanscott said. The blade tries to follow the grain, but when two or more parts of the blade edge are pulled in different directions by gnarled, knotty grain, bad things can happen. This scenario is especially true with denser hardwoods (like hickory and oak) and can be even more pronounced when it's cold out.

Post up a pic and let us see how much chipping the Campanion suffered.
 
Yes, pleas post pics. Where on the edge did it chip? In the upsweep, the flat, or near the tip?

Toooj will see this, and if he feels there was something wrong, I am pretty sure you will be getting a new one.

I've beat mine through knots before actually on purpose, to see what it would do. White, Red Oak, Hemlock, just about any hardwood you would put in a wood burning stove. I am not saying that you did anything wrong or nothing like that, I am just curious.

I am sorry you're disappointed with you BK2's performance, I hope it hasn't soured you on it, its a good knife.

Thanks.

Moose
 
moosez45 said:
Yes, pleas post pics. Where on the edge did it chip? In the upsweep, the flat, or near the tip?

Toooj will see this, and if he feels there was something wrong, I am pretty sure you will be getting a new one.

I've beat mine through knots before actually on purpose, to see what it would do. White, Red Oak, Hemlock, just about any hardwood you would put in a wood burning stove. I am not saying that you did anything wrong or nothing like that, I am just curious.

I am sorry you're disappointed with you BK2's performance, I hope it hasn't soured you on it, its a good knife.

Thanks.




Moose
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trust me it hasn't soured me from it.... i love it and i grinded the chips out i mean no big deal no need for a new bk2 it's fine i was just curious of why and if it meant i was doing something wrong b/c i've been a knife collecer for along time. and never had a problem i mean yea i chipped 1 or two cheap blades but never a nicely made blade like this.



Thanks
John
 
outdoorskid92 said:
hay, guys i just got back from the wood and i am disappointed with my becker bk-2 i don't know if this is normal or not but i was batoning some oak,hickory, etc. mostly oak and i noticed after i got threw a knot, my blade chipped i don't know if this i normal or not but??? i was able to grind most of it out but i still love it yes but dissapointed
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Knots are hard. Depending on the wood and how long it has seasoned some are hard as glass especially in colder temps. I have chipped $200.00 shaper bits with carbide cutters on knots before in cabinet shops. I suggest you not try splitting a Hemlock knot.
 
I've blasted through a nice knot before with no chipping. I have to say this is the first time I heard of a wrecker chipping
 
SilentJohn said:
I've blasted through a nice knot before with no chipping. I have to say this is the first time I heard of a wrecker chipping
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I've split through a lot of knots over the years with no damage at all and then hit a few that did a lot of damage. Knots are hard and have "chaotic" grain that can concentrated lateral force on a small area of an edge at the same time you are focusing downward force on it. Depending on the type of wood and how long seasoned, and especially if it is really cold, there is always the chance of chipping any edge with an RC high enough to have decent edge retention. That's why axes and machetes typically have lower RCs than knives. Axes and machetes are not reasonably expected to retain a razor sharp edge long enough to process game, but are reasonably expected to be striking wood with a lot of force. All good knives are designed to have at least decent edge retention and therefor they are more brittle by their very nature especially in the winter. To expect a knife with decent edge retention to never chip while being beaten through knots is, in my humble opinion, an unreasonable expectation.
 
mistwalker said:
I've split through a lot of knots over the years with no damage at all and then hit a few that did a lot of damage. Knots are hard and have "chaotic" grain that can concentrated lateral force on a small area of an edge at the same time you are focusing downward force on it. Depending on the type of wood and how long seasoned, and especially if it is really cold, there is always the chance of chipping any edge with an RC high enough to have decent edge retention. That's why axes and machetes typically have lower RCs than knives. Axes and machetes are not reasonably expected to retain a razor sharp edge long enough to process game, but are reasonably expected to be striking wood with a lot of force. All good knives are designed to have at least decent edge retention and therefor they are more brittle by their very nature especially in the winter. To expect a knife with decent edge retention to never chip while being beaten through knots is, in my humble opinion, an unreasonable expectation.
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What he said. :thumbup: Would still like to see some pics though. Borrow a camera phone if you have to, outdoorskid92.
 
outdoorskid92 said:
trust me it hasn't soured me from it.... i love it and i grinded the chips out i mean no big deal no need for a new bk2 it's fine i was just curious of why and if it meant i was doing something wrong b/c i've been a knife collecer for along time. and never had a problem i mean yea i chipped 1 or two cheap blades but never a nicely made blade like this.



Thanks
John
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Glad to hear it. They are one helluva knife. I don't think you did anything wrong, just luck of the draw I suppose. Like I said, I purposefully went after hemlock knots with my BK2. As well as many others. I'm not trying to destroy the knife, but I am curious what the boundaries are.

Did it chip to the right side or the left side of the blade(spine up, tip out)? Did it chip away from the knot or towards it? I'm full of questions, but I am curious by nature and scientific by experience, trying to find a common thread to all knife damage is........ an oddity of mine. It seems that we (all of us users that break knives) are doing some of the same things, with different results.

I have chipped edges due to crappy backstops, or bent or broken blades on knots or abnormal wood grain, stuff like that. Broken Kabar 1217's, I can draw you a picture of how everyone has broken at the tang, and so on. Broken Beckers always draw me in, as they are OVERBUILT for use, and those that have broken them, always makes me real curious about what was going on when it happened. As much info as you can provide, is most appreciated.

Moose
 
mistwalker said:
To expect a knife with decent edge retention to never chip while being beaten through knots is, in my humble opinion, an unreasonable expectation.
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that. this. well said.

a knife is a tool. tools get used. sometimes used up. eventually... blasting through knots is a sure way to do this... i don't think it's reasonable to keep doing that without expecting something...

a few knots happen from time to time, but can often be avoided, but to keep going? well. something is going to give, and depending on the age of the wood, it's got a will to stay instact ;)

some wood too is going to a little stone in there, dirt, grit, a nail, or something including knots that might as well be quartz. sometimes the tool of choice wins, sometimes ... knot.

a small chip that you can stone out? utter no big deal. expected even. unless, you know, you were carving through clear pretty wood and the edge folds or breaks off fingernail sized pieces. then you got something to wonder about.
 
Bladite said:
that. this. well said.

a knife is a tool. tools get used. sometimes used up. eventually... blasting through knots is a sure way to do this... i don't think it's reasonable to keep doing that without expecting something...
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Exactly, as a carpenter I haven't always had the choice of avoiding knots in trim work or framing with my wood chisels, I have chipped all of them over time and replaced several.

In making a fire I do usually have a choice. In the initial tests of a knife yes I will hit a knot or two just to see how it handles it, but out in the field and it's the real thing I avoid the ones I can clearly see, especially the larger ones and even more especially in the winter. If I find I am in one I didn't see that has stopped the blade I'll back out of it and move over or to another piece of wood. The only time I intentionally "power through" knots is during initial tests.
 
OK, this my position and only my position, this should not be interpreted in any other way except that it is my position.

Ta hell with that. I head straight at most knots I encounter with a knife. If I break a knife, and I have, the so be it. I have never sent a knife back to the manufacturer for a replacement, and I doubt I ever will. I modify my knives to suit my needs and my whims, and I do not consider any manufacturer to replace a knife I modified.

I LOVE the look of a hardwood knot that has been cut in half. I don't back down, move to the side, or try to pussyfoot around it, I usually try to get on in my way, just so I can tackle it.

This is not considered an acceptable practice for those reading this, with any knife, but a knife should be able to take care of your needs and I need to cut knots in half. If I broke my BK9 tomorrow beating it through a Hickory knot, you will see a post with me laffn' about it, and a pic of a broken knife and some halfway split wood. I will not be calling Toooj to replace it, I will not be talking about how the knife did not live up to my expectations. I will be ordering a new one and I will be planning the new modifications to said knife.

I am a knife user, and sometimes a knife abuser. I do not baby my knives ('cept my Fiddleback, its purdy), I use them for whatever I want to, and with some of what I do, I expect them to break. When they don't, I'm a happy, proud knife papa.

The reason why I am so enamoured with Becker knives, is the OVERBUILT knife you get for the money, NO other knife manufacturer will give you the value that Becker/Kabar does. That's why I own them, use them, and abuse them.

This has been an ad for MoosezStupidity and Becker knives, Becker, when you have to field dress a Buick.

Moose
 
Imagine if Ethan Becker started building cars

You'd have a $20,000 car/truck that rivals a 30-40 thousand dollar car

And honestly I think a nice black bk&t designed truck would look awesome
 
mistwalker said:
To expect a knife with decent edge retention to never chip while being beaten through knots is, in my humble opinion, an unreasonable expectation.
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Say what ????:D:D J/K

I agree, I've at one time or another chipped every knife I've ever owned, mostly just micro chips but none the less chipped.. matter of fact my bk2 has a micro chip on it right now, it has a mean convex edge adn yet still managed one.. of course I've been beaten that thing senseless though..

there will be times you can go forever without chipping then all of a sudden, 'whats this'.. ????

you have a great knife there, will last you a life time.. otoh, if it continues this naughty behavior let Becker know they'll hook you up..
 
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