Field sharpener for Ka-Bar Becker knives.

[el gigantor]

Hey guys! So I currently own a Becker BK2 and have a BK16 in the mail. The plan is to spend about a month camping on crown land a few hours north of me, and I’m bringing both of these blades on the trip.

They’re 1095 steel with a Rockwell hardness (I believe) of 56-58. I imagine one if not both knives will see some good use, and I was wondering if you all could recommend a good, lightweight, easy to use field sharpener to take along. I’m not looking to reprofile anything, but just to touch up the edges and regain a nice sharpness. Much obliged for whatever input I receive!

 

[GIRLYmann]

there are many choices;
but you might wanna consider somerthing diamond based like ....

 

[shane45-1911]

Second the Diafold.

Really, just about any "pocket" stone is fine, especially for (easy to sharpen) 1095.

 

[luethge]

If you aren’t comfortable free hand sharpening - the work sharp field sharpener is excellent. Coarse / fine, ceramic and a strop in one. Excellent tool. Built in guides at 20 degrees per side.

 

[el gigantor]

Hell yeah! Two fantastic solutions right off the bat. Cheers guys! I’m off to watch a few videos and see which option is better for my skill set. Have a great evening everyone!

 

[TC]

Another vote for the Diafold - get the "HC" (hard coat) version in fine/extra fine, unless you have to deal with edge damage that requires serious steel removal (which you state not to expect).

 

[gazz98]

I'll third fourth the diafold double sided. Yes, you don't need diamond for 1095 but if you carry 3V or something else in the future, the diamond sharpener will handle it as well.

PS. I'd get the coarse/fine myself. You never know when you might hit a knot in the wood or something and make a ding/roll. I think the coarse/fine makes sense to handle any problem you might come across.

PSS. You can even super glue some strips of leather on the outside of the folding handles to make a thin, mini strop too.

 

[jnaught]

You could swap the weight of the BK2 for a whole pile of sharpening stones! But my favorite pocket sharpener by a significant margin (and I have and like the Diafold) is the Fallkniven DC4.

Edit to add: it is important with pocket stones that you don't let the knife get very dull. They are great for touch-ups, but I find the size limiting for bringing back blunt or badly damaged edges, especially on large knives such as the ones you mention.

 

[afishhunter]

Dan's Soft/"Medium" grit pocket stone.
Bottom of your ceramic coffee cup.
Worst case a smooth river/stream/crick rock

Try dry stropping without any compound (leather belt, or boot works fine) before using a stone to restore the working edge. 8 or 9 times of 10 stropping will restore your working edge.

 

[EngrSorenson]

The Diafolds are nice- I like them for knives with large bevels. I prefer continuous surface stones, as I'm convinced sometimes I get the edge caught just inside one of the divots and it beats the edge a bit, particularly on small radius bellies and points.

I recommend the Baryonyx arctic fox pocket stone- perhaps the best 7 bucks I've ever spent.
I've used it effectively to bring a fairly blunted 6" fillet knife back to life.

 

[Lee D]

Spyderco double stuff (I think that’s what it’s called). Medium/Fine will handle almost anything on a camping trip. I’ve sharpened everything from a Junglas to a filet knife with mine.

 

[kreisler]

i wouldve said RRS but for such Beckers the stone should be flat. i never tried the diafolds, so i'd recommend the doublestuff. which i haven't tried either. but i know the quality of spyderco ceramics.