Help Me Choose My First Becker

C

Coonskinner

Joined
Mar 28, 2001
Messages
2,491
I'm fixing to jump in and buy my first Becker. I am narrowed down to either the BK15 or BK16. And a BK5 isn't totally off the radar.

I know that the stock answer is, "Get them all." :)

But humor me.

I want to get one, and then get a leather sheath for it and strip the coating off, since I don't like black knives.

I want a knife for general woods use.

Talk to me, gentlemen.
 
I really like the trailing point, so I'd recommend either the 5 or 15. My preference is the 5, but for some uses, a shorter blade might be preferred. Either way, you'll be happy!
 
of the 3 listed, my honest opinion is the 16 will be the most " generally " useful knife which will make you happiest, not to take anything away from the 5 and 15, but they take a bit of getting used to...the 16 is pretty traditional and instantly comfortable in the hand to most everyone....

I'd suggest the 16 first, followed by the 5 and 15 shortly after as they have been discontinued and you'll want them eventually anyway....then the 4, 2, 9
 
For a general purpose field knife get the 16. While I have not skinned a coon in a few years I sure would choose a 16 over a 15 for that job.
 
I prefer the 15 of the three you have listed. It just suits me better, though I understand why folks recommend the 16. The 5 and 15 are being discontinued so they can be had at a steal of a price right now and will soon be hard to get. That is the only reason I actually got the 15 and was shocked by how much I liked it.
 
Hawgsnawt said:
... not to take anything away from the 5 and 15, but they take a bit of getting used to...
Click to expand...
say What?! Surely you've missed the 15's 30-day field test post. The 15 takes no more getting used to than the 16.

The 15, with its extra 1.1" of slicing goodness, can be had for under $50 which arguably makes it the hands-down performance value of any of the tweeners.
 
The 15 is really hard to beat for a good woods knife. Especially at the price they are going for atm. It would be a great first Becker, imho which I would probably follow with a Bk-9
 
Thanks for the replies men.

I'm not looking for a blade to skin coons with. I have any number of slip joints and a Bark River Mini Canadian that I prefer for that job.

I'm thinking I may go with the 15 first.
 
I would say the 15 is probably one of the best production fixed blades made in the past couple years and quite possibly ever. It's just such a fantastic belt knife. All of the tweeners are great, but the 15 is my absolute favorite. I carried mine everyday for a good long while, never found one thing it could not do well as a knife. It's a shame its going away, but at this price its getting into a lot of people's hands. That's one of the silver linings about it being discontinued, I'm glad there's a bunch of 15s out there working for a living.
 
I have both and have fallen in love with the tweeners. I just prefer the 16 for those hard use tasks that put pressure on the tip. Trying to carve out stuff is difficult win a thin tip. The 16 is more bushcrafty in my own opinion. But the 15 does make better feather sticks because of that trailing point..... For strength and general bushcraft. The 16 wins. Don't codgrt the micarta scales! :)
 
If it's a single Becker - general woods blade, get the bk16

It's a little more robust than the 15 so it'll handle some moderate batonning a little better. And it will still do well with the finer tasks that the bk15 would be better for.
 
Well, I pulled the trigger on the BK16 this morning. I'm more than likely going to have the get a 15 too before long.

Does this mean I get to be in the club now? :)
 
Congrats, that's a good choice! Although, I'd go with the 15, personally, so go ahead and just order that now. :)
 
Best knife? You would have less spats over which is the better candidate. Personally I like the 16 over the 15. Full flat grind of the 16 is very slicey. The lower grind of the 15 isnt a slouch either, I prefer the 16. The 15 might be longer but that is wasted on a choil. Right now, the 15 is at a great price, grab one while you can.
 
The 16 is a great blade, you'll be quite happy with it.

And for what its worth, the 16 has the same full flat grind as the 15. The difference is that the bk15 has a swedge, and possibly a different distal taper. So the 16 should be just about as slicey, especially up close to the handle where most carving is done.

Anyway, great choice, and welcome to the club :).

Oh, and the 15 seems to be getting harder to find foe the low discounted price when I checked last week. The upside is the 4 and 5 are both still cheap :).
 
Another vote for the 16. I own all three. If you were using it for food prep or other, more detailed tasks I'd definitely recommend the 15 or 5. However, for general use, the 16 is hard to beat. I'd put it up against knives that are 4 times the price and I wouldn't lose!
 
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