Got my Becker BK7!!!

[savageman]

I just got a Becker BK-7 for $56.00 Canadian!! Heck of a price for this great tool if you ask me!! I need it for doing camp chores and fighting off bears in the woods Seriously though this knife looks to have it all, razor sharp right out of the box and I kind of like the handle on it.

To be totally honest I was right into the Swamp Rat Camp Tramp and the Ratweiller. But at half the price the BK-7 seems to be quite compareable. I know the heat treating is probibly not as good on the BK-7, but this is gonna be a beater and im not too concerned about it!! If you look carefully it almost looks exactly like a Ratweiller and im sure is very compareable!!! What are your experiences with the BK-7?? Also the blade doesn't fit all the way into the protective material on the sheath, any body else know of this??

I do have some questions about it though. I am not a steel Guru by any means. The BK-7 has 0170-6C carbon steel. And the Swamp Rats use SR-101. All heat treatments asside, are these compareable steels?? And can someone post a big picture of the aftermarket miacarta handles you can put on the BK-7. Thanks!!

 

[acwire_2125]

Nice piece of blade you have there! Try to go out into the wild with it and you know how good it fares!

 

[Hamulicz2]

Never heard of those types of steel, but if you want custom Micarta handles contact Chase at Chaxknives.com you wont find anybody else to do it for you cheaper I promise, and plus he does a good job.

 

[StuToffee]

Great choice of blade! Mine is one of my most carried "bigger blades" & its a superb piece of kit. An Altoids tin fits (very!) snuggly in the sheath pouch, too.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

... are these compareable steels??

Yes, the Becker is 50100-B and the Swamp Rat use a modified version of 52100, they are very similar steels, however Swamp Rat uses a significantly thicker stock and a differential temper so the blade is much stronger and far tougher. The primary grinds and edge geometries are the same. The Becker CU/7 is a nice blade though and very solid at its price point.

-Cliff

 

[acwire_2125]

How's the shealth like?

 

[Foilist]

My best fixed blade is a Becker BK 10, which is a shorter version of the BK 7, I believe (5" blade). That knife was surprisingly sharp out of the box for such a big, thick blade, and it's easy to keep that way. It is also rugged enough and cheap enough to really use hard. I also have a Grohmann #1, which I cannot seem to put a decent edge on (should've gotten the flat ground version), and an old USAF pilot's knife that stays in the spare tire compartment of the car. It is the Becker that gets used though.

The sheath I would describe as "good enough" without being anything to rave about. The pocket on the front is expandable and can be stuffed with small items. Mine contains a ceramic sharpener, a Bic, a hex key (for the grips), and a Gerber Multi Lite (a SAK-style knife with a detachable LED light). Some guys even store small items in the hollow recesses of the grips, which is a neat idea, but I haven't done this yet. The sheath also has slots to accept ALICE clips, which I added for more carrying versatility.

My Becker gets used a lot around home out in the yard and when car camping. I put a Hi-Viz yellow paracord lanyard on it to make it easier to spot in the dark and to tone down its scary, paramilitary look a bit.

 

[Dog of War]

Camillus' heat treat of its 0170-6C in the Becker line gives excellent edge holding in my experience and the blades are still tough enough that you can reprofile down to 10-12 degrees per side on the primary edge bevel. At this geometry push cutting and slicing performance is excellent and the larger models can still be used for heavy chopping.

 

[acwire_2125]

So far I have not heard any bad news about the Becker line of knife, any bad things or experience to share here?

 

[Mentor]

@ Savageman: Glad to hear that you like the Becker. I use a BK-9 regularly, and I EDC a Becker Necker; both excellent blades. Regarding your problem with the blade not fitting all the way into the sheath, it may be because the sheath liner is in some way warped. The liner on my BK-9 came a bit warped, and while the blade did fit in, it caused some wear on part of the coating. The solution was simply to heat the plastic liner up with some boiling water, at which point it became pliable. I shaped it into a better position, clamped it, and let it cool. This solved the problem. This may be a possible solution for your sheath as well.

- Mike

 

[Cliff Stamp]

So far I have not heard any bad news about the Becker line of knife, any bad things or experience to share here?

I have had a couple with problems with the steel, and similar issues with the same steel as it is what Cold Steel calls Carbon V, essentially fracture. the problems with Camillus were covered under warrenty with no hassles, similar issues were reported with others with the Patrol Machetes breaking on light wood work. I saw solid performance on other blades though like the CU/7.

-Cliff

 

[acwire_2125]

Thanks dudes! Any one has any idea about the reviews of the Becker BK1? never heard any bad thing about it! BTW, why are there so few people getting the above knife and they all go for BK7 or BK9?

 

[hwyhobo]

Thanks dudes! Any one has any idea about the reviews of the Becker BK1? never heard any bad thing about it! BTW, why are there so few people getting the above knife and they all go for BK7 or BK9?

Well, I imagine that many people want to use the knife for other than just have duty tasks, and while it might be possible to employ the Brute (BK1) in the field kitchen or for other cutting, it would likely not be an optimal tool. BK7 would probably be much more easily employed in such endeavors due to its more conventional design and thinner blade.

 

[Guyon]

Three words. Bicycle. Inner. Tube.

 

[hwyhobo]

Three words. Bicycle. Inner. Tube.

 

[Rupestris]

A piece of inner tube over the handle can improve the grip on the Becker line. The grips are nice and comfortable but when wet they can be a bit slick. The tube will give it more of a rubberized feel/grip.

 

[hwyhobo]

A piece of inner tube over the handle can improve the grip on the Becker line. The grips are nice and comfortable but when wet they can be a bit slick. The tube will give it more of a rubberized feel/grip.

That's interesting. I just read the thread over and over again, and I didn't see where someone asked a question about a slippery grip, that's why I puzzled over the one-liner. Certainly the last few posts before it had nothing to do with the grip.

I guess I need to catch up on my mind reading.

 

[acwire_2125]

So how do you do it? How do you attach the grip of the inner tube to the knife handle?

 

[hwyhobo]

I guess you need to pull it over the grip.

 

[bigbcustom]

you can get the factory micarta grips through camillus for 27.00 and some change including shipping just call them and order. They are really nice looking and very "grippy"