Do you have a Becker System (of knives)?

L

Lawrence Helm

Joined
Jul 24, 2014
Messages
328
I woke up thinking about this and don't have it very clearly in mind, but building upon what Ethan Becker said about the BK2 and Armageddon, we know that is a limited statement because he didn't build just the BK2; so why did he build the others, and why do I for example want some (if not all) of the others? Using the Armageddon scenario we might say that Ethan Becker knows as many theorists suggest that in a National catastrophe, people aren't going to take their one knife and a back pack and rush off to the mountains. They are going to stay home, take care of their families, help their neighbors, and use a system of tools, supplies, and knives to take care of their needs. So (assuming my conjecture) Ethan Becker is being consistent in expanding his Armageddon scenario to cover not just going off by himself to the mountains, but staying where he is, but in the latter case dealing (as a "rugged individual") with all his needs.

I watched a YouTube video last night where a reviewer held up a BK-9 and yelled, "everybody needs this knife!" Hmmm. I don't have a BK-9 and have no immediate plans to get one, but I do have that size-range covered in case of an Armageddon. I have a Western W49 and a Ka-Bar 1277. Do I really need a BK-9? The former knives aren't getting much use. Shall I add a BK-9 that won't get much use either?

I read an older thread yesterday where someone asked which was the best Becker knife and more recently others have asked which Becker knife (singular) they should get. As often as not they are answered by people who have a bunch of Becker knives. Why do they have them? That is, why do these others have so many?

I have claimed in all my recent threads that I am buying Becker knives for hiking, but is that the whole story, and is it even true? In a sense it is true, sort of. The knives I had been using for hiking (most notably the Buck 639V and Schrade 150T) had become worn and disreputable. If you can be judged by your knives, I would have been assumed to be a bum or a vagrant. However, and here is where my Becker story has some holes in it. I started out looking on Amazon in "Ka-Bar knives." I already had the Ka-Bar USMC fighting knife which I thought a bit long and inconvenient, but I noticed the Ka-Bar 3/4 USMC fighting knife (Ka-Bar should get a better name for this knife). I bought one and liked it so much I bought another, but then I began having doubts. It is such a delicate looking thing and I could find no serious reviews of it on the internet. If I ran into a hiking Armageddon-scenario and my little 3/4 USMC Ka-Bar broke, my dogs and I could be in trouble. So I went back to Amazon.com and kept looking and that is when I discovered Becker knives.

I bought the BK7 first but in sending for a good quality sheath I wasn't going to have access to it for awhile; so I sent for something I thought, sort of, to be in the same size (at least length) range as the little Ka-Bar 3/4 USMC knives, the BK2. I was a bit shocked when I got that little tank, but it grew on me. It certainly satisfied my imaginary Armageddon-hiking scenario. But there would still be times when I would want to "go light" on a hike and I still couldn't find any in depth reviews of the 3/4 Ka-Bar USMC knife. No doubt this was on my mind when I bought the SCHF10. It was a lighter than the BK2 and I did after all have a soft spot for Schrade (thanks to their 150T), but I was disappointed, or was I? Well in terms of build and comparison with the BK2 it fell far short, but it was a hunk of steel not likely to break in the Armageddon-hiking scenario, even if I couldn't be sure of keeping scales on it; so I decided to keep it. So did I then have a complete "system" for my (imagined) needs?

Well, I still wasn't comfortable with the lighter-knife situation, but heck I recall Central Rural Texas saying (if I remember correctly) he carried two BK2s sometimes when he was working on his ranch. Why did he do that, btw? I forgot to ask, but I could carry two little Ka-Bar USMC 3/4 fighting knives and still be under the weight of one BK2. If I broke one I'd have a spare. I could get the BK16, but there was the thread started by the guy who broke the tip off of his. He was nice enough to tell me how that happened, twisting it in a branch trying to pry some wood loose. Would the little 3/4 USMC Ka-Bars break as well? Maybe they are both too small for my Armageddon-hiking scenario.

So yesterday I ordered a BK10. Someone started a thread recently admitted that he was addicted to buying Becker knives. He didn't get may responses, perhaps because (on the Becker knife forum) that hit a little too close to home. Why do we buy multiple Becker knives? I've tried to answer this for myself and am not satisfied with my answer. You who have multiple Becker knives, what is your reason for having so many and do you think of them as a system? And do you ever feel guilty for buying so many? :dispirited:

Angst-ridden in the morning,

Lawrence
 
Well Lawrence, Becker's are not your regular knives. They are like a drug and once you get one, you just can't stop till you have them all. It was like that for me I know.

Ethan designed one of the most addictive designs I think. haha. And that handle shape is perfect. I want as many blade shapes with it as I can get. Something very familiar about it and even though you get a brand new Becker, it feels like an old friend in the hand.

I started out with just the BK-2 and had no intention of ever buying another BK knife. Then I got the BK-11 and then just had to have all the rest.
It's strange, you get one for a specific purpose then you eventually talk yourself into needing the next one in the lineup.

And this forum doesn't help either. lol

BTW, Get a 9. You really need a 9. You must have a 9.
 
Lawrence Helm said:
I woke up thinking about this and don't have it very clearly in mind, but building upon what Ethan Becker said about the BK2 and Armageddon, we know that is a limited statement because he didn't build just the BK2; so why did he build the others, and why do I for example want some (if not all) of the others? Using the Armageddon scenario we might say that Ethan Becker knows as many theorists suggest that in a National catastrophe, people aren't going to take their one knife and a back pack and rush off to the mountains. They are going to stay home, take care of their families, help their neighbors, and use a system of tools, supplies, and knives to take care of their needs. So (assuming my conjecture) Ethan Becker is being consistent in expanding his Armageddon scenario to cover not just going off by himself to the mountains, but staying where he is, but in the latter case dealing (as a "rugged individual") with all his needs.

I watched a YouTube video last night where a reviewer held up a BK-9 and yelled, "everybody needs this knife!" Hmmm. I don't have a BK-9 and have no immediate plans to get one, but I do have that size-range covered in case of an Armageddon. I have a Western W49 and a Ka-Bar 1277. Do I really need a BK-9? The former knives aren't getting much use. Shall I add a BK-9 that won't get much use either?

I read an older thread yesterday where someone asked which was the best Becker knife and more recently others have asked which Becker knife (singular) they should get. As often as not they are answered by people who have a bunch of Becker knives. Why do they have them? That is, why do these others have so many?

I have claimed in all my recent threads that I am buying Becker knives for hiking, but is that the whole story, and is it even true? In a sense it is true, sort of. The knives I had been using for hiking (most notably the Buck 639V and Schrade 150T) had become worn and disreputable. If you can be judged by your knives, I would have been assumed to be a bum or a vagrant. However, and here is where my Becker story has some holes in it. I started out looking on Amazon in "Ka-Bar knives." I already had the Ka-Bar USMC fighting knife which I thought a bit long and inconvenient, but I noticed the Ka-Bar 3/4 USMC fighting knife (Ka-Bar should get a better name for this knife). I bought one and liked it so much I bought another, but then I began having doubts. It is such a delicate looking thing and I could find no serious reviews of it on the internet. If I ran into a hiking Armageddon-scenario and my little 3/4 USMC Ka-Bar broke, my dogs and I could be in trouble. So I went back to Amazon.com and kept looking and that is when I discovered Becker knives.

I bought the BK7 first but in sending for a good quality sheath I wasn't going to have access to it for awhile; so I sent for something I thought, sort of, to be in the same size (at least length) range as the little Ka-Bar 3/4 USMC knives, the BK2. I was a bit shocked when I got that little tank, but it grew on me. It certainly satisfied my imaginary Armageddon-hiking scenario. But there would still be times when I would want to "go light" on a hike and I still couldn't find any in depth reviews of the 3/4 Ka-Bar USMC knife. No doubt this was on my mind when I bought the SCHF10. It was a lighter than the BK2 and I did after all have a soft spot for Schrade (thanks to their 150T), but I was disappointed, or was I? Well in terms of build and comparison with the BK2 it fell far short, but it was a hunk of steel not likely to break in the Armageddon-hiking scenario, even if I couldn't be sure of keeping scales on it; so I decided to keep it. So did I then have a complete "system" for my (imagined) needs?

Well, I still wasn't comfortable with the lighter-knife situation, but heck I recall Central Rural Texas saying (if I remember correctly) he carried two BK2s sometimes when he was working on his ranch. Why did he do that, btw? I forgot to ask, but I could carry two little Ka-Bar USMC 3/4 fighting knives and still be under the weight of one BK2. If I broke one I'd have a spare. I could get the BK16, but there was the thread started by the guy who broke the tip off of his. He was nice enough to tell me how that happened, twisting it in a branch trying to pry some wood loose. Would the little 3/4 USMC Ka-Bars break as well? Maybe they are both too small for my Armageddon-hiking scenario.

So yesterday I ordered a BK10. Someone started a thread recently admitted that he was addicted to buying Becker knives. He didn't get may responses, perhaps because (on the Becker knife forum) that hit a little too close to home. Why do we buy multiple Becker knives? I've tried to answer this for myself and am not satisfied with my answer. You who have multiple Becker knives, what is your reason for having so many and do you think of them as a system? And do you ever feel guilty for buying so many? :dispirited:

Angst-ridden in the morning,

Lawrence
Click to expand...



Get the nine.
 
I think once you have the 9 in hand and start using it, you'll understand why you need one. It's surprisingly light, especially to someone who started with a 2.

The 5 was the same way for me if you do any cooking. The 9, RBK, and 16 are my favorites in the lineup.
 
Angst eater.

6195957311_a3ffcf5628_b.jpg
 
Bought a 2 and love it, but after handled the 9 I bought 2 the next week, a Camillus and a Kabar.
I have many Becker knives and I will continue buying them. I know I can do that because it's a lot cheaper than cars, bikes (pedal and motor), boats and guns.

I'm relatively new to the nuance of knife metals, craftsmanship and styles. It really is fun to pick up the various model Beckers and experiencing the differences, especially since many of them share a handle with another model.
 
The only Becker I own is the nine!

I love it! I have many more knives of all sorts I use for all types of situations. I bought my first Becker 9 as a gift for one of my son's buddies (and employee) 8 years ago. The other young man had helped my son through an arduous business change change-over and a tough divorce. I knew he did a good bit of AT section hiking and thought he might like it for use on the trail. I too do section hiking and a good bit of surveying. I fell in love with his knife and six years later purchased my own.

For me it makes most anything else unnecessary. It does all the work I would have done with a smaller knife except very tiny tasks I perform with my 40 year old SAK. But it also performs tasks like cutting and sharpening tent stakes, cutting survey lines, eating my way through Cat Briar and rhododendron forests. It splits small wood for fire starting easily and quickly harvests grasses and pine boughs.

I own a few expensive knives I bought in the 70's and this one does everything they do but was reasonable enough that I don't mind using it.
 
I don't think of them as a system. They are more like a legal addiction that does let you dream about every possible scenario and what might just "the perfect knife" (or ten) for that scenario and every variation of it. Plus being on this forum doesn't help. I've got more knives than I could possibly ever need, and yet, when the discussion and pictures comes up about the wonders of the 4 comes up, I just want to get one even though I hardly have any trees in my yard. Or a 12 - mostly because I don't have one and those weights look cool. Or a 3 to stash in my truck. Oh and the new Reinhardt that's getting ready to come out... If this site wasn't designed by knife manufacturers it surely should have been.
 
Galeocerdoshark said:
So, correct me if I'm wrong here, but you're saying you don't have a 9?

You really should get one.

Click to expand...

A lot of funny guys here. The thing is I do actually think about getting one. I should have a rule though -- get more discipline in my life -- maybe resolve not to get the BK9 until at least after I get the bK10 (which I ordered last night) in the mail.

Lawrence
 
Lawrence Helm said:
...
So yesterday I ordered a BK10. ... Why do we buy multiple Becker knives? I've tried to answer this for myself and am not satisfied with my answer. You who have multiple Becker knives, what is your reason for having so many and do you think of them as a system? And do you ever feel guilty for buying so many? :dispirited:

Angst-ridden in the morning,

Lawrence
Click to expand...
Congrats on the 10, it's another great blade! I have one of the 10LE and I lurves it!

That said, I didn't answer cause I don't view it as an addiction, I can stop buying Beckers any time I want to! However I am addicted to knives. I have LOTS of them and I won't really ever stop buying, selling, trading, loving, fondling, ogling, leering at, or caressing them. I have multiples of the 11, 16, and 17. The reasons go like this. I have 4 of the 11s. 1 Camillus saber ground, 1 Ka-Bar FFG, 1 San mai, and 1 serrated. They have all different roles, different strengths, different weaknesses, and stay in different places. If the 11 if the only knife I have on me I still feel perfectly equipped. The 16s I have a saber ground and a FFG. Again different strengths and weaknesses. With the 17 it's the same, I have a FFG that has been polished, and a stock saber ground. They have different roles, and different uses.

The other reason is this. Ethan has done so much for me personally, and each knife I buy goes to directly supporting him. He doesn't let me do a lot for him, when we go to lunch he doesn't let me pay (as a for instance). So my buying one of his knives goes directly back to me being able to do something for him.
 
Lawrence, when you spring for the nine be sure to get a set of micartas for it. It really gives the knife a solid feel and the balance is perfect. :thumbup:
 
My system is to try them all - eventually. First was a 9 and complimentary 13. Then ordered a 24 and just ordered a 16. The 9, when used properly, will accept you as its puppet. And you will feel honored. Next will probably be a 2 or 3.
 
Lawrence Helm said:
...use a system of tools, supplies, and knives to take care of their needs...

...So yesterday I ordered a BK10...

...You who have multiple Becker knives, what is your reason for having so many and do you think of them as a system? And do you ever feel guilty for buying so many? :dispirited:

Angst-ridden in the morning,

Lawrence
Click to expand...

My 2¢...for what it's worth.

Everything is part of a system. I know this sounds trite or perhaps snarky, but this point was driven home at a conference on test and evaluation in DoD that I attended. "System of systems" is all the rage right now in the DoD, but one presenter stated that anyone who uses the term does not understand what a system is. A system "is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole." Unless you are looking at the sub-atomic level (I was happy with proton, electron, neutron, but we've got all those bosons and quarks now), everything is a system as well as being part of a system of systems. So, yes, I have a system...actually lots of them!

You're gonna love the BK10.

I have multiples because Beckers are more addicting than beer... And don't feel guilty... You can't have too many tools! Although the German movers that had to haul my stuff up 3 flights of stairs when I was stationed in Stuttgart had a different opinion...

Not sure if this relieves or inflames the angst...
 
I love my 2 like a fat kid loves cake, but if I had to pare it down I'd go with the 10 and 9. They do whatever you need them to do and don't break a sweat.

I'd only pare them down after I punched the crap out of the bastard that made me get rid of the rest of my Beckers.
 
The comedian Ron White once said that once you see one set of boobs, you kind of want to see the rest. Becker Knives are the same way.
Congratulation on the 10, its my favorite carry knife, followed by the BK4.
 
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