- Joined
- May 18, 2012
- Messages
- 4
Long story short, i decided it was time to prepare myself for any emergency situations given todays economic and political climate. I ordered a large ALICE pack online which is still in transit as the base to start a B.O.B. My first item to purchase was to be a good survival knife. Not knowing much about knives i decided to educate myself. After researching for weeks, i finally decided on the acclaimed BK&T BK9! It arrived in the mail yesterday and let me say....DAMN i was not disappointed. First thing i did was the paper test right out of the box, and it sliced through it like butter :thumbup:. I went to a friends house to show it off and he wanted to see my hack some stuff up so we went to his back yard to play. I live on the big island of Hawaii, so we have a lot of papaya trees that like to pop up...he pointed to one that had rotted and was still standing about 6 feet tall and about 7 inches think. I thought id have a hard time since they are quite wet and fibrous. Well what can i say...not more then 2 swings through this thing! In about 30 seconds it was in 6 inch chunks on the ground. I did manage to dull up the forward part of the blade by throwing it into the ground in his backyard....we have a lot of cinder in the soil here and it did a number on it. I was a little proud actually....a lesser knife would have been toast with what i put it through. Chopping everything from hickory logs, 4x4 doug fir posts, palm fronds, cinder rock gravel...and after all that the only part that was dull was a 1 inch section that didnt care for the cinder. A little honing and she will be good as new.
I do however have 1 small complaint. One of the things that made me lean toward the BK9 was the inclusion of the BK13 Remora....unfortunately mine did not ship with it, even though the sheath is set up for it. What is the deal with that? I figured ordering for normal retail price off of a reputable site like Amazon, that i would for sure get it.
Now for a couple of questions:
1- From the reading ive done, id like to strip the epoxy coat and do a nice patterned forced patina, ive done a lot of searching and seen some good ones and some rubbish examples as well. You guys here from what ive read are a very valuable resource, so opinions on this would be very appreciated.
2- Im a carpenter by trade and have some 5\8" thick Ipe (Brazillian Ironwood) stock leftover from some decking projects, and was thinking of making my own scales. All the vids ive seen of this seem like more work than its worth. This particular wood is about as durable as it gets and doesnt even require a finish. Opinions on trying it out for a first timer? Or just go with the optional Micartas for about ~$40? Only reason i ask is that while i like the ergonomics of the stock Grivory...it does feel a little slippery IMO. Having this thing slip on you while chopping could be disastrous.
Mahalos in advance for any responses, and much Aloha.
-Shawn
I do however have 1 small complaint. One of the things that made me lean toward the BK9 was the inclusion of the BK13 Remora....unfortunately mine did not ship with it, even though the sheath is set up for it. What is the deal with that? I figured ordering for normal retail price off of a reputable site like Amazon, that i would for sure get it.
Now for a couple of questions:
1- From the reading ive done, id like to strip the epoxy coat and do a nice patterned forced patina, ive done a lot of searching and seen some good ones and some rubbish examples as well. You guys here from what ive read are a very valuable resource, so opinions on this would be very appreciated.
2- Im a carpenter by trade and have some 5\8" thick Ipe (Brazillian Ironwood) stock leftover from some decking projects, and was thinking of making my own scales. All the vids ive seen of this seem like more work than its worth. This particular wood is about as durable as it gets and doesnt even require a finish. Opinions on trying it out for a first timer? Or just go with the optional Micartas for about ~$40? Only reason i ask is that while i like the ergonomics of the stock Grivory...it does feel a little slippery IMO. Having this thing slip on you while chopping could be disastrous.
Mahalos in advance for any responses, and much Aloha.
-Shawn
Oh, forgot! and a 16!
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