How likely are Becker knives to break in a survival situation?

It depends on how smart or how stupid you are if you break your knife. Itā€™s not always the knifes fault.
 
I imagine the weird guy at work making videos like that in his spare time.
Probably dressed in his "Furry" persona.
While having a Mannequin tea party.
Wait, are those wigs human hair?!
Hey, that's not a Mannequin!
 
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NG VI said:
Honestly the best suggestions for military users is usually something idiot proof and replaceable, with all other considerations, including suitability as an emergency triple backup tactical deanimator implement or whatever, following far behind those first two criteria. Objectively terrible knives will make comforting personal kit to a person serving in a vehicle or vessel festooned with quarter-ton hatches and with similar sized equipment strewn about in an environment where those things can sometimes get knocked over or out of action. You actually might need to pry something aside to escape in that kind of use, but you really don't need to worry about cutting anything more complicated than the occasional zip tie or packing tape. So a dual-purpose edgy prybar isn't a bad option. I agree that carrying such a knife would be a lot of energy investment over time and would provide basically no material benefit over a more practical folder or a reasonable little fixed blade.
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I agree with you on the first 2 criteria being more important for issued gear. "Idiot proof" needs the thing to be rugged, oftentimes more expensive. then you have "replaceable", which demands for lower price, therefore usually lower quality. So standard issued knives have to balance between these things. Rugged enough but not overly, so that the thing doesn't need to be replaced often, is the most economical choice. After that, size, mass and utility are down to whatever people ask for it.

The torture tests on youtube don't ask for idiot proof, they ask for crazy proof.
 
tim777us said:
Hi everyone. I just saw a YouTube video where the guy took a big rock and hammered it into wood to break the Becker Bk-7. I guess his thing is to see how much abuse a knife will take before it breaks. Which is fine. He said at the end of the video something about the knife being likely to break on you.
His name is Joe X if you want to see it. No offense meant to Mr. X, but I can't imagine any kind of survival situation where I would need to hit my knife with a giant heavy rock. Batoning, sure, but the Beckers have been known to take that all day.
A few people throw them, and I know that throwing is very hard on a knife and most knives will eventually break if they are hardened steel. No surprise there if it eventually breaks.
What do you guys think of the Becker knives? Personally, I think they are pretty good, and I hear they have excellent customer service at Ka-bar. Do you think a knife snapping after hammering it with a rock and doing things like bashing the edge against a metal pole (like he does in some videos) would make you less likely to buy that knife? I actually think that these tests are not a bad thing to give you an idea of what the knife can survive, but it doesn't seem like I'm ever going to have to worry about that kind of stuff realistically.
Link:
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It's just knife abuse without much merit. If you do things like that to your knife in a survival situation you're well on your way to a Darwin award. Even on the Dutch Bushcraft Knives channel there's at least some semblance of what would constitute regular use and abuse (other than chopping through cheap frying pans and shooting knives to show how next level durable or not something is). Mostly Joe X is showing you why you never lend them your tools...

It's as bad as knife reviewers who take a skinning knife that's designed for skinning and then complain when it's not up to being used as a pry bar or batoning. A lot of the reason for the lack of nice slicey, lighter fixed blades is that they have to be built to withstand whatever a YouTube lunatic can do to it in the name of bushcraft or something.

 
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If anything, this, (rediculously dumb), video is just a complete testament to why you SHOULD get a becker.
A) anyone doing these things in a real world "survival" situation; purposely destroying their own tools, is gonna die, and deservedly so.
B) the amount of sheer and utter abuse it took to destroy the becker, just goes to show how well it can withstand normal non-abusive tasks.
 
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Arathol said:
LOL......Its not as difficult as you might think. Its pretty easy to bend something like a 5' pinch bar. I've done it many times repairing 11' road plows, repairing guide railing etc
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Dav1 said:
d762nato yeah at first I didn't like his videos but I watch them more for a laugh now, yes not "scientific" but they are fun if you take them for what they are (not seriously). I think the Sp10 and or SP53 ontario did well too, I own the the Sp10 and for what it is its great. The little Moras normally do well too but obviously you won't be chopping with them. The tramontina is also near indestructible (blade). I've "abused" both my Lionsteel M5 and M7 and can vouch for the M7 as a near indestructible "survival" have no problem with the videos being there or with him doing this. It's not a bad thing. But to declare that a certain blade will likely break on you in the field (under presumably normal conditions) based on a "test" he made up that is designed only to destroy the blade is pure ridiculousness. You want to destroy the blade to see what it can take - fine. But to say it's a crap blade based on doing things it was never designed to do is dumb. It's like driving a car off of a cliff into the ocean and saying that the car will quit on you based on that. šŸ™„
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Dav1 said:
d762nato yeah at first I didn't like his videos but I watch them more for a laugh now, yes not "scientific" but they are fun if you take them for what they are (not seriously). I think the Sp10 and or SP53 ontario did well too, I own the the Sp10 and for what it is its great. The little Moras normally do well too but obviously you won't be chopping with them. The tramontina is also near indestructible (blade). I've "abused" both my Lionsteel M5 and M7 and can vouch for the M7 as a near indestructible "survival" knife.
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I have no problem with the videos being there or with him doing this. It's not a bad thing. But to declare that a certain blade will likely break on you in the field (under presumably normal conditions) based on a "test" he made up that is designed only to destroy the blade is pure ridiculousness. You want to destroy the blade to see what it can take - fine. But to say it's a crap blade based on doing things to it that it was never designed to do is dumb. It's like driving a car off of a cliff into the ocean and saying that the car will quit on you based on that. šŸ™„
 
tim777us said:
I have no problem with the videos being there or with him doing this. It's not a bad thing. But to declare that a certain blade will likely break on you in the field (under presumably normal conditions) based on a "test" he made up that is designed only to destroy the blade is pure ridiculousness. You want to destroy the blade to see what it can take - fine. But to say it's a crap blade based on doing things to it that it was never designed to do is dumb. It's like driving a car off of a cliff into the ocean and saying that the car will quit on you based on that. šŸ™„
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Oh, btw, looking to get an Sp10 when I can. Sounds like you recommend it? I want one pretty bad ...
 
d762nato said:
Check out the vids on the Gerber strongarm, Esee 5 and the Tops silent hero. They took more than most any knives he's tested did. He's funny too, push them until they break. Like Clint said a man's gotta know his knifes limitations. šŸ˜
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Yeah, I don't think torture tests are bad things, but for him to suggest that it will fail in the field under presumably normal conditions based on stuff he did to the knife that no maker would likely warranty against is pretty far out there.
Some of those things, like the hood stab and some of the things Cold Steel does to their knives can give you an idea of how rugged a knife is. Bashing it with a giant rock, though...I mean I can see dropping your knife maybe on a rock, but bashing it with, what did that weigh, upwards of 10 lbs? Literally hard stone? No kind of hardened steel going to survive that without stress cracks. And then prying with it after and when it breaks, using that as justification to condemn it as a bad knife based on doing stuff that is literally designed to destroy it. If he had just done the tests and let people draw their own conclusions, fine. What Joe did is the equivalent of driving a car off of a cliff into a lake, and declaring the car will quit on you based on that.
 
tim777us said:
Oh, btw, looking to get an Sp10 when I can. Sounds like you recommend it? I want one pretty bad ...
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I have an SP10. It's a good knife, but.......

It has a stick tang. All other things being equal, I would choose a knife with a full-width tang for a true survival/hard-use situation.

vA7iV0D.jpg
 
shane45-1911 said:
I have an SP10. It's a good knife, but.......

It has a stick tang. All other things being equal, I would choose a knife with a full-width tang for a true survival/hard-use situation.

vA7iV0D.jpg
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I agree. Not really looking for a survival knife, though. I just wanted another Bowie knife. I have the Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie. It's pretty big. I figured maybe this knife would be good for practicing Bowie knife skills. Yeah, I know I'm not going to get into a duel or anything like that. It's about the history and the martial aspect. For me, it's not any different than those who practice HEMA or Japanese sword.
Thanks!
 
I was amazed to see him unable to destroy the 4 Max Scout, AUS 10. That blade shape, and steel treat is amazing. Ontario's 1075 did really well too, as expected.

Note that with few exceptions he does not test little pocket knives, he doesn't take a Para 3 to a car and call it a bad knife. Of course my knives will all be cutting, but sometimes you cannot predict what forces could be exerted.

I would take anything he says vocally with a grain of the sodium of your choice, but his tests do give some info. They have taught me a few things about tips.
 
Yes Tim as Shane has already said its a great cheap Bowie (Sp10) it's heavy but surprisingly well balanced. It does have a stick tang but is pretty tough so as long as your practicing doesn't involve throwing I think you'll be fine.
 
For knife throwing practice, I prefer a knife properly designed and made for the job. In a survival situation, I like to think that the only time I would ever throw a knife is as a distraction while I draw the .45 Commander that also goes everywhere with me.
Otherwise, it's likely to be more useful in my hand.
 
justjed said:
For knife throwing practice, I prefer a knife properly designed and made for the job. In a survival situation, I like to think that the only time I would ever throw a knife is as a distraction while I draw the .45 Commander that also goes everywhere with me.
Otherwise, it's likely to be more useful in my hand.
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.45 ACP? It's about time we canned that round, am I right? There's newer stuff out there, you know.

*joking, referring to the recent 440c thread, before I get descended upon by hoard of rabid boomers lol*
 
That's what they said when .357Mag came out. And when the .40S&W came out. And the .357SIG. And a bunch of others. And ya know what? 230 grains of hardball at about 800-850fps is still a half inch sledgehammer. I'm comfortable with it.
But, if ya wanna dump yours, I'll take it.
;)
 
Dav1 said:
Yes Tim as Shane has already said its a great cheap Bowie (Sp10) it's heavy but surprisingly well balanced. It does have a stick tang but is pretty tough so as long as your practicing doesn't involve throwing I think you'll be fine.
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Yeah, just some cutting practice. Might take it camping, but I have a 1917 Frontier Bowie, so probably not. Nothing too heavy. Just love some Bowie knives and daggers.
 
justjed said:
That's what they said when .357Mag came out. And when the .40S&W came out. And the .357SIG. And a bunch of others. And ya know what? 230 grains of hardball at about 800-850fps is still a half inch sledgehammer. I'm comfortable with it.
But, if ya wanna dump yours, I'll take it.
;)
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.357 or .45 is my go to, although I carry a small 9mm.
 
coolbreezy37 said:
.357 or .45 is my go to, although I carry a small 9mm.
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I still carry a .40 s&w. Just never went back to 9mm. Not an issue with 9mm, the .40 just seems to work fine, and I didn't want to shell out to get a new handgun when the one I have works fine. I have a recoil reduction guide rod. It may help.
No problem with the .45 acp either. One of the interesting things about .45 is that the FMJ is capable of killing. I guess the 9mm and .40 are also, but they are not quite as big, and that might matter when the bullet doesn't expand.
If I can hit center mass of the target with what I've got, I'm happy.
 
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