Getting the Ritter/Becker out on the trail

tknife

tknife

Joined
Mar 18, 1999
Messages
9,966
I knew right out of the package that I would like this knife. It's not heavy, balanced right and feels great in hand. Fit and finish is nice. Like other Beckers I have owned, the scales don't align perfectly with the tang, but it doesn't cause any issue in hand. That's about the only gripe, and it's no big deal. Knife came razor sharp, with a perfectly even edge grind.

The sheath (probably the bane of Doug's existence by now!) is nice. I like the fact that it has the PALS strap on it, fits great on my little Gerber day pack.
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I had some really nice weather to work with
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Even had a little trickle of water since it actually has rained in the past few weeks
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Took a few glamor shots before I started using it. It really is a great looking knife, I love the blade shape.
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I did some chopping, nothing too crazy, a few branches about thumb thickness
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I moved up to some thicker, denser wood and it chopped right through. Then I carved on it for a while
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I went to play with the handle weights, and they were larger hex size than the handle bolts. But I only brought the one wrench (It pays to read the direction sheet, the size is stated right on there! :o )
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I did some drilling with it. I like that it has a nice sharp point for such a broad blade
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But the point is also strong. I beat the tip in and pried out pieces of wood no problem.
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Just an afternoons worth of use, but I really like this knife so far. It is larger than what I normally carry, but it definitely will see some use. I will post more as I use it more. Here's a parting shot, posing with his little friend
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Thats one hell of a nice knife. The photos are good too, it really reminds me how poor my photography skills are.
 
I am loving this blade shape -- looking forward to the weekend so i can maybe take it out and scuff up the coating a bit!
 
Nice pictures. The gray is not as gray as I thought it would be. I was going to get one and then read the blades would be gray. I was thinking it would look like a TOPS knife. I see I am wrong. Maybe I am now going to have to order one. Dang.
 
I thought about not using the knife and saving as a collectible for about 2 seconds before heading out the door with it :D It's just too perfect of a knife not to use. The coating is a really dark charcoal, almost black and a little more textured than the Kabars. I really like it so far and plan on playing with the balance weights, and maybe swapping micarta scales onto it.
 
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tknife said:
I knew right out of the package that I would like this knife. It's not heavy, balanced right and feels great in hand.
Click to expand...

When my box arrived, it didn't say "KnifeWorks" anywhere on the packaging so I had no idea what was inside. I knew it couldn't have been the Ritter because the box was too light. When I opened it I literally said out loud, "Holy S* this thing is light." It was the best surprise I've had in a while.
 
I was messing with the brass weights last night. I think I could feel just a slight blade forward balance with all of them out. I chopped on some firewood I had at home, and I wasn't sure if I really noticed the weight or not. I put the micarta scales on it, and the slight weight addition is noticeable but it still balances nicely. I love the look, the grip and the shaping on the micarta. I'll be bringing it out for more testing, but I think i'll be leaving like this for a while
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tknife said:
I was messing with the brass weights last night. I think I could feel just a slight blade forward balance with all of them out. I chopped on some firewood I had at home, and I wasn't sure if I really noticed the weight or not. I put the micarta scales on it, and the slight weight addition is noticeable but it still balances nicely. I love the look, the grip and the shaping on the micarta. I'll be bringing it out for more testing, but I think i'll be leaving like this for a while
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Click to expand...

It's like barbie, but for men. You know playing knife "dress up". Looks great by the way. That's the big brother of the number I'm looking for.
 
Lol, you're right, it was like playing dress up. I had a towel laid out so I wouldn't lose the screws and had this knife and my BK10 with the handles off. My wife was like, why are you taking these knives apart? She understands my goofy love of knives though, so it's okay :D
 
nice review, thanks, looks like a great useful blade, though i don't really see any point in those brass weights
any thought on that little rsk mk5 ?
 
The weights are an interesting idea, and have some merit in balancing the knife to your liking. But I have to admit that the feel is very subtle to me, maybe it can be felt more by others.

The MK5 is a nice little blade. I have had no love for most of the "psk" sized knives that I have tried. This one has a taller handle than most and fits in hand a little better. Light whittling can be done as is, but for longer use some cord wrapping does wonders. I also battoned through a wrist thick branch with it, just to see if it could be done (I have a pic of that around somewhere, I'm looking to post it). It took quite a few whacks, but it worked. Definitely a nice little backup blade.
 
Im curious about the sheath, how does it compare to a Becker? Does is click in nice and secure or rattle around like a pea in a tin can the way my bk9 does? Can you put up a pic of the molle strap please ?
 
It seems practically identical to the Becker sheaths except for the color and the PALS strap. It does rattle a bit, but it feels secure. I will eventually try and form the liner with a heat gun, but it's not bad for now. Here's a pic
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