Got my first becker! Not very impressed.

A

ahmukilu

Joined
Sep 7, 2011
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After a bit of complications in the beginning, I finally have my BK14 Eskabar. I have to say I am not impressed with the quality of this system. First off, when I got this knife, it was bent to the right as part of a manufacturing defect and it took some time and money to send it back for repairs. I just received the replacement yesterday which was actually straight and insanely sharp. After putting it in the sheath and retracting it twice, even with the spine pressed against the sheath, the knife was completely dull. Extremely disappointing with the lack of quality control. The knife itself is a solid piece though. Fits nicely in the hand, is easy to carve with and compact. I just wish that they would pay attention to what kind of bullshit they are sending out because with such a good name as this, it is easy to mess up first impressions.

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Hate to hear that brother.

Wish things didn't work out like they did.

The sheath dulling fix is in the works, and taking place now, and the bent blade issue is one Kabar is still trying to reel in. A few units made it out the door, and are slowly coming home.

Hope this hasn't soured you on the whole thing, if you can, give'em another try, I bet it will turn out better.

Moose
 
I kind of agree with you on this one. I picked up a BK2 not too long ago and was less than impressed with the quality. Dull, slightly bent, grinds weren't perfect. I know QC can't catch them all but like OP, first impressions are priceless
 
sad story, but with almost EVERY production knife (with the except of a handful) the production sheaths are terrible and thats what keeps those custom kydex and leather benders in business. However , a sheath that dulls is doubly bad. I upgrade almost every sheath for every knife i own at some point in their life (if they earn their keep). Sorry for your frustrations, get a bk2 did take the sting out of it.
 
It would still be nice if they didn't give me a complete POS sheath that didn't ruin the edge. It pretty much requires a slight re profiling now and I don't have the right sharpening system for that. At least it made me realize that I should get a new sharpener to deal with 1095 because I have never worked with it before. Most of my knives have been AUS8 or 440 stainless. I am also slim on the money so I can't spend too much. This just really bums me out.
 
or you can just run the knife in and out over andover until the part contacting with the edge is worn down, then resharpen and your good to go
 
I know that money don't grow on trees, but there are some fine kydex benders on this forum that could hook you up for less than $30. I have had the pleasure of dealing with Azwelke. Top shelf sheaths for a reasonable price.
 
Frankey, could you link me to some of his work? I would really appreciate a good sheath with good carry options.
 
I have a 14, two 11's and a BK2 - all were 100% straight from the box. The sheaths do dull the blades slightly when very new - this is no longer an issue after some use. I sharpen all of mine with regular stones with no issues.
 
Just picked up my first Azwelke sheath today as a matter of fact...love it! As far as KABAR quality...these are not custom knives. They are great knives for a great price and you can't expect perfection for what they offer compared to other knife companies made of the same material. Bottom line is they will take care of you if there are issues. As Moose said they take issues seriously and are addressing them. Don't let this sour your experience...I can not say enough about this product and anyone here will back me on this.
 
Sorry to hear that. I had a few issues with my bk2 when I first bought it and ka-bar replaced it. They even refunded s&h.
 
(this is an attempt to be helpful and hopefully insightful)
Dude, I have a BK-14 too, now granted that I'm not the most analytical person here, but I found the "fit & finish" on mine fine. I have had the pleasure of taking mine into the woods a time or two, and I will say this: it's far from the prettiest girl at the dance, but the BK-14 will be there when you need it. IMO, it's good steel and I think you can rely on it. I do :)

As for the dulling sheath, I can definitely see where that would cost you some enthusiasm toward your new knife-friend. When I first got mine, it was too tight in the sheath and has since, loosened up to be more agreeable. I say try clich's method (perhaps the loosening by use will help your problem, or possibly a leather sheath for a fix.

I would (please) urge you to take it out for a spin, and then update us on your opinions of this knife. I really believe that after the two of you have spent some time together, and you put it to work, that you'll come to trust your '14 as I do.

hopefully helpful,
Pointy
 
eh, stuff happens. even on $50,000 cars. they fix it. you go on, yes?

in your case, you have a straight solid knife capable of holding a great edge.

factory sheaths typically suck. they tried the glass route, for a VERY strong sheath, but it causes dulling. so they've gone to a none glass system that is shipping with some knives as they can roll them out.

there are sheath systems that cost vastly more than any Becker. they're very nice. however, for what you get for "free" from the factory, a few dozen ins and outs, and you're probably okay. i think the sheaths from KaBar are very nice, and getting nicer. they're working on it for this line, and others.

$25-30 for a kydex system that might do.

knives get dull. it's their natural state.

i've never heard of metal specific systems. 1095 is easy to sharpen though. very easy.

the $3 nail buffer trick seems to work well for a lot of people. sandpaper and a mouse pad as well.

having a hard time seeing how a sheath could affect the profile, but even if that's the case, there shouldn't be major damage, so touching things up should be simple and fast.

all that said, if you hate the knife, sell it. i'm sure you can be rid of it VERY quickly for a reasonable price. many other people do like these.

i would expect you'll have to spend a lot more to get a better knife, so i'd try living with it for a while and get to know each other.
 
I agree with what others have said. Run the knife in and out of the sheath a bunch of times (like, around 100 ish) and let it wear in. After you do that, then sharpen it up and see if the sheath still dulls it. If it still does, try the whole proceedure one more time. It usually wears in.

My BK2 came with a glass filled sheath, and it dulled the back half of the blade. I told KaBar about it, and they sent me a new sheath without glass. The new sheath appears to dull the blade either way less, or not at all (don't check it that closely). However, now that I have had the original sheath for a while and used it quite a bit as well (different carry styles), I don't find it loosing its edge quite as fast either.

Moral of the story. KaBar will take care of you, and give the sheath a bit of time to wear in.

Good luck man.
 
I had the same problems with the sheath, so I'm ordering a kydex sheath. For the money I do not think ( at least for me) you can get a better little knife.
 
Is there an obvious difference in appearance between the old sheath and the new one? I don't have my BK2 handy, but am now curious as to which sheath I've got.
 
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