I bought my first Becker knife. After selling a rather expensive knife from a different company, I was looking for a serious chopper for my bug out kit. I did some research and Becker knives kept coming up as the best knife for the buck, if you could find one and at a descent price! I started looking for a BK1 Brute and was coming up empty. I had been searching the web for three nights trying to see if anyone knew of one for sale. I found one on ebay but after seeing what they were going for I decided to try another venue.
I called Kabar and talked to a marketing rep that told me that when they resume making the new Becker line (this fall) they were not planning on making the Brute at that time. I tried some other contacts that I had made. An executive from another knife company asked me if I knew Ethan Becker. I said that I had never had the pleasure of meeting him. He said he knew Mr. Becker very well and asked if I would like to speak to him. Of course, said I, only if it would not be impinging on Mr. Becker's personal time. He connected me to his personal phone! I spoke to Mr. Becker for about 15 minutes or so. He is a very kind, thoughtful and very knowledgeable man who knows a whole lot about heat treating knife steel and loves to talk knives! He advised me to try a BK9 (if I could find one) as he thought it would fill my needs better than the Brute. He even offered to allow me to contact one of his personal acquaintances that he thought might have access to one. When we finished our conversation, I tried his contact. Unfortunately, his contact said his Becker BK9 supply (as well as BK1) was long ago exhausted.
I called a few more knife companies and made more inquiries. My calling led me to nothing but frustration. One knife company owner on the east coast recommended a knife that he thought was similar to the Becker. Exasperated, I began researching his suggestion. I happened to call Bill Horn at Cumberland Knife Works and asked him about that brand of knives. He sensed my frustration and asked me what I was really looking for. I told him about my dilemma trying to find a Becker. He asked me to wait a minute while he searched for something. He came back to the phone and said he just happened to have a new, in the box, BK9 that he had taken in on trade three years ago from a local customer. He had forgotten about it and it had just been lying around his place all that time. I asked him if he was interested in selling it. He was. At what price, I asked.... Well, I will just say Bill is a very kind and generous sort of guy who let me buy the knife at close to the retail price... three years ago! Needless to say he has a new life long customer and advocate and I am now a happy owner of a Becker BK9. I now have to rethink using this knife after realizing how difficult is is to find one! I am thinking about starting to slowly collect a few Camillus made Beckers. Well I was able to have an enjoyable conversation with Ethan Becker and will remember his words of wisdom. I thought that some of you would enjoy this story that for me had a really happy ending.
I called Kabar and talked to a marketing rep that told me that when they resume making the new Becker line (this fall) they were not planning on making the Brute at that time. I tried some other contacts that I had made. An executive from another knife company asked me if I knew Ethan Becker. I said that I had never had the pleasure of meeting him. He said he knew Mr. Becker very well and asked if I would like to speak to him. Of course, said I, only if it would not be impinging on Mr. Becker's personal time. He connected me to his personal phone! I spoke to Mr. Becker for about 15 minutes or so. He is a very kind, thoughtful and very knowledgeable man who knows a whole lot about heat treating knife steel and loves to talk knives! He advised me to try a BK9 (if I could find one) as he thought it would fill my needs better than the Brute. He even offered to allow me to contact one of his personal acquaintances that he thought might have access to one. When we finished our conversation, I tried his contact. Unfortunately, his contact said his Becker BK9 supply (as well as BK1) was long ago exhausted.
I called a few more knife companies and made more inquiries. My calling led me to nothing but frustration. One knife company owner on the east coast recommended a knife that he thought was similar to the Becker. Exasperated, I began researching his suggestion. I happened to call Bill Horn at Cumberland Knife Works and asked him about that brand of knives. He sensed my frustration and asked me what I was really looking for. I told him about my dilemma trying to find a Becker. He asked me to wait a minute while he searched for something. He came back to the phone and said he just happened to have a new, in the box, BK9 that he had taken in on trade three years ago from a local customer. He had forgotten about it and it had just been lying around his place all that time. I asked him if he was interested in selling it. He was. At what price, I asked.... Well, I will just say Bill is a very kind and generous sort of guy who let me buy the knife at close to the retail price... three years ago! Needless to say he has a new life long customer and advocate and I am now a happy owner of a Becker BK9. I now have to rethink using this knife after realizing how difficult is is to find one! I am thinking about starting to slowly collect a few Camillus made Beckers. Well I was able to have an enjoyable conversation with Ethan Becker and will remember his words of wisdom. I thought that some of you would enjoy this story that for me had a really happy ending.
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