My bk2 broke under the scales!! WTH!

knife chop said:
I've always lamented on Ka-bar's Heat Treat....weak, weak, and weak! and oh! they don't warranty batoning and paint stripping! WEAAAK!!!!
Click to expand...

seriously? they have one of the best 1095 protocols on the market. proven.

got proof otherwise? step up.

but i have the feeling you don't know what you're talking about.

short of a few master craftsman with secret sauce, nobody does better. imho.
 
JTmisterknifeguy said:
My bad, hopefully this still gets some traffic. I'm waiting to hear back from customer service.
Click to expand...

i moved the post, so...

still. post pictures. more pictures. take off the scales. be patient, at least 3-4 business days.
 
Sorry your backyard adventure had such a sad ending. I'd be VERY surprised if Kabar didn't take care of you. Given how many thousands of BKs have been made (and "field tested") this breakage is surely a fluke, and Kabar will realize this too.

I'm also of the opinion that a solid tang on a model like the BK2, which by its very design BEGS to be used harder than most, seems to make more sense than whatever balance or weight savings is sought at the expense of additional production steps and the weakening of the handle. And for those who would argue that the removal of steel from the handle doesn't weaken it in theory, then why does the whole knife need to be built from 1/4" stock if not because more=stronger=better?

Anyway, I'll be following this thread to see how a fellow Beckehead is treated by the good folks in Olean.
 
NCSlice said:
That one is an old roll stamped model. I'm guessing the OP was laser etched? Dunno if that'd make a difference but it may factor in for the investigation as for the time period it was manufactured.
Click to expand...
Yah it's a roll stamper, but it also has the dreaded cutouts!!!!!! KA-BAR switched to the laser stamp to mitigate any potential stresses due to the stamping process.

On another note, the break on OP's 2 is right along the temper line (or where it normally is) or where the harder blade meets the less hard tang. There was some discussion previously about the pros/cons of this method. It's supposed to make the tang more springy to avoid these breaks.

So the question might be, is the issue a mishap with the zone hardening, or the cut outs? Maybe both?

Furthermore, I really don't think there is some dreaded conspiracy with KA-BAR and their cutouts/heat treat, but probably a few outliers that get distilled and presented onto Bladeforums. If there was a major issue, KA-BAR would fix it.

People said the coating wore off too quickly, KA-BAR changed it.

Issues with sheaths dulling knives, KA-BAR fixed it, and then even changed the BK11/14/24 sheaths to increase their retention after changing the sheath formula.

Potential stress areas with roll stamping, KA-BAR switched to laser stamps.

People didn't like the sk5 Taiwanese blades, KA-BAR brought them to the US in 1095cv.

They are a knife company trying to make money that's true, but they do listen to their customers, and I have only seen them go above and beyond while simultaneously trying to provide a high quality product at a decent price.
 
now you have two threads going, I really think that you should have given the company a chance to respond before you posted anything publicly
 
iwouldhurtafly said:
They are a knife company trying to make money that's true, but they do listen to their customers, and I have only seen them go above and beyond while simultaneously trying to provide a high quality product at a decent price.
Click to expand...

Difficult to imagine that Kabar/Ethan is unaware of this.
 
JTmisterknifeguy said:
That brings up an interesting point: I've seen this knife (not yours) basically take apart radiators and fridges, baton wood from hell, and after a regrind and polish, look as slick/useful as ever, that thread (dang, I need to find it now!) was what basically decided me on getting a 2.
Click to expand...
Sure! And probably 999 times out of 10000 it'll handle it. However, stuff happens and it sucks when it does. We see a lot of successes, and we get some failures every once in awhile. Mostly because people feel strongly compelled to share their extremes. That's why we don't see many threads titled, "Made a sammich, everything's normal, kinda tired today." Instead we see extremes, "bashed my knoife through an I-beam with playing Iron man on my Les Paul with my Toes" or, "Broke my knife, what a hunka junka."

Sorry it happened to you, and I only wish you the best in getting things taken care of.
 
ichor said:
Difficult to imagine that Kabar/Ethan is unaware of this.
Click to expand...
Yes, and as always in good or bad weather Ethan probably will stop by. However, what I am not sure of is how many of these specific issues have occured in relation to how many 2s are going strong. We have seen a couple failures, but we have also seen a bunch of working 2s. Ethan (and I am not entirely sure of his exact wording) has stated before that KA-BAR has a low failure/return rate. Either way though without raw numbers no one can really say.
 
JTmisterknifeguy said:
Here she is seconds after hearing that sickening "ping" 😢


Here's another
Click to expand...

That never would have happened with this, which is also much lighter:

P1010007.jpg


The length also means you would never have had to beat on the handle... And the tip is super-strong, though my SlyII is kind of roughly made on the right side flat compared to a BK... I'll post pics of mine going through many times this and you can bet nothing will happen...

Gaston
 
We know you're a BK2 hater so your straying a bit off topic by trying to show us what you think is better for batoning...
 
I've had my BK2 for roughly 5 years. I've beat the LIVING HELL out of it, including batoning on the handle. Not an issue.

Your blade shouldn't have broke. Period.

I've been a Beckerhead for a long time, but the last three Beckers I've had, something has been wrong QC wise (namely terrible grinds). And now I see BK2s breaking from a little batoning? And people are justifying the failure? Really!? :mad:

If Ka-Bar doesn't replace your blade, I'll be very surprised... and hugely disappointed.

I'll be honest. I have to rely on my blades (SAR), and I've moved over to ESEE. Ka-Bar Beckers have only let me down the past couple years. It's truly unfortunate.
 
To the folks critiquing the batonning technique ... I personally don't see the point of making a blade of this length so thick if not for reckless abusability. If you have to worry about how you go about doing hard-uses with the knife, then probably just best to avoid them ... in which a less cro-bar-ish blade would better suit the knife's range of uses.

I had a knife of similar dimensions made to take on remote backpacking trips where I might find myself out there alone with only that one steel tool. It's a bit longer and a bit thinner, with 5160 rather than 1095. I sure hope this doesn't happen if I find myself having to baton through some knotty wood sticking out of the rocks to get a fire going.

If Becker doesn't make good, I'd definitely look elsewhere. Maybe ESEE is a good choice; I'm guessing their warranty would easily cover this. Or better, find a good custom maker who stands behind their product. The guy who made mine (Dale Shaw) said that if I find a way to break it, just send it back and he'll make me a new one. That's the kind of warranty I want for a hard use knife.
 
KingMC said:
Oh my, I didn't realize the odds were so bad for the BK2, 1 in 10 for surviving abuse is bad.
Click to expand...

I caught that too. Wow.

I think they should just stop with the cutouts under the handle. I mean, this knife's claim to fame is that it's indestructible. They don't call it the "Trainwrecker" for nothing.

It's sort of the brutal ugly duckling of the line. Too thick to slice well, too short to chop well, just kinda sucks at everything equally. If the indestructible rep goes away, it doesn't have much.

I owned two of them. I beat the absolute hell out of one of them. Held up to the abuse just fine. Held a great edge for a long, long time. It just didn't really cut the things I needed to cut very well. Some people just love them. I just decided they're not for me. To each their own.
 
Last edited:
My damn tablet ate my response...I'll try again when I get to my desktop (unless somebody else posts my thoughts before then)
 
I own two Bk2's and I've abused it more than my cheap $10 axe. My first is a hand me down from my bro in law who even put a small depression in the spine using a metal sledge hammer to batton. I suppose it's like anything that is manufactured and used under varying circumstances, there will be the odd failure rate. In saying that I've seen this blade cut up a lawnmower, and as for those dismissing it's fine slicing abilities, remember the olive slicing thread with the BK2? I'm sure Ethan and Kabar stand by their products, and I'm sure it will get sorted. Good luck.
 
Ok. This friggin batoning thing is out of control. Now before I mount my cube that transported small rectangular cleaning blocks, I want to state this has been spoken about on many occasions. Right. Without trying to sound sanctimonious, how many of you have been in a genuine survival situation (I haven't BTW)? If you answer yes, did you baton wood for a fire? If yes again, why? Why would you risk breaking ANY knife that you have in a genuine survival situation by batoning wood? Just put the whole log on the fire FFS! Yes, your knife is two foot thick made of a tungsten carbide. Big deal. It's not invincible ESPECIALLY when you're just in your back yard making wood for a fire to roast marshmallows. Wanna chop wood? Use a bloody axe or block splitter. Wanna burn wood in a GENUINE survival situation? Drag the bloody log over a burn the guts out of it. Making kindling? Cut smaller pieces. Seriously, the only reason I can see that you would use a knife to baton through solid blocks/logs is purely to see what your knife is capable or not capable of doing. Want ruin a perfectly good chunk of steel just because you want to see how thick a piece of wood you can smash it through? Go nuts. Just don't sook if it breaks.

Listen, I love you guys, I really do. But please, batoning wood for no effing reason is just silly. Except for GSOM Mike. He's the best. I love that guy.

Rant. Over.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top