New BK16 grind issue?

[Chameleonbear]

yeah I would ship it back too. otherwise its a bk17 almost lol!

Wrong side of the blade!

Shame on ka-bar. I hope in the near future, rowen or tops acquires the becker designs.

I don't! Rowen acquires it and the price goes up, Tops gets it and (no offence to Tops) but the quality goes down.

 

[The Warrior]

I've had this on my mind for a bit, may as well go ahead and say it. I feel the quality at KA-BAR has suffered since Tooj left. I see more off grinds, etc, or, so it seems at least.

 

[knife chop]

maybe you haven't handled any tops and yeah most of their designs are fugly but if you get the ones that has clean designs, you'll be impressed with the fit and finish. also their differential HT on the blade is amazing. you have a 55rc spine and 59rc edge.

 

[Tdhurl1103]

....The question now is to send it back for a replacement, or use it?

You may want to just use it/mod it. It looks to be within tolerances but I'm not the resident 16 expert. That would be Dex.

 

[Chameleonbear]

maybe you haven't handled any tops and yeah most of their designs are fugly but if you get the ones that has clean designs, you'll be impressed with the fit and finish. also their differential HT on the blade is amazing. you have a 55rc spine and 59rc edge.

I've handled LOTS of Tops actually. I even have had some. I love the Tops Tibo and will be picking up another one sometime soon. However I don't feel like their quality is on par with Ka-Bar. That said I don't have anything AGAINST Tops, just I don't feel like their quality is the same. Mind you Ka-Bar isn't on Rowen's level either.

 

[Dexwithers]

Yea man, it is not ground the way it should be. It really sucks that you received one like that.
I know from experience that It is with in Ka-Bars quality control standards, and they will ship the knife back to you just like that.
I know because I had three BK-16's that were ground wrong, one just like that and one even worse and I got all three back from Ka-bar.

The quality control at Ka-bar has suffered In my opinion. But they are trying to keep the cost of their knives down. I really wish they would step it up but I don't think it's gonna happen.

It's really the person who is putting the final edge on the blades. I think Ka-bar needs to have a meeting and show this guy what a real bk-16 edge should look like.
I really don't get it cause I have had 7 or 8 other BK-16's look just perfect right out of the Box. Really Baffles my mind.

I don't really want to get into it and all that, but I believe They still make a great knife for the money. I was really upset with the way they handled my 16's but have since gotten over it. I still love Ethan's knives and If Ka-bar is gonna be producing them, then I will still buy them. Still a great American made company and still priced pretty low for such great blades.

That being said, I will probably not except knives like that ever again. I would just return it to where you got it, and order another one, possibly from a different vender?
Or ask nicely if they can check the knives for you and send you the best looking one?

Or do what I did with my Lemons.............. Mod the hell out it and make something even better.

Here were my disappointments:

I turned them into this:

Good luck man with what ever you decide. The knife is still fully functional the way you received it, but if your like me, the little details are super important and that knife probably would not make me too happy.

 

[Tdhurl1103]

I turned them into this:

Damn Dex, those are so sweet. Every time I see them, I want you to make me one like them. LOL

 

[Chalet]

I returned an 11 that was ground wrong. The edge sloped way in back towards the choil, looked like a tiny machete. Was all wrong.

I also feel like it's been this way since Tooj left them. I got my others when he was still there. The last one was after he left.

 

[james terrio]

I would contact Ka-Bar before using or sharpening it. It is true that if you didn't get what you ordered/paid for, it should be addressed.

I've had this on my mind for a bit, may as well go ahead and say it. I feel the quality at KA-BAR has suffered since Tooj left. I see more off grinds, etc, or, so it seems at least.

Tying one of those factors to the other may well be spurious. I wonder if we're even seeing blades that have been built since he left (after all it wasn't that long ago), or if ones from before that are still working through the pipeline. Who knows how long a particular knife bought through a particular dealer sat on a shelf before it got bought/shipped... months? Years? I have no info on that, it's just a question.

I only bring it up because it's the sort of thing that can get thrown out there as a "theory", become accepted and repeated without anyone really looking into it, and cloud the issue for a long time without any actual data behind it... *shrug*

It's really the person who is putting the final edge on the blades.

Indeed. How many blades/day does that guy or gal finish grind and sharpen? How much time does he or she have to spend on each one? Sorry guys, but you got give some kind of leeway on a factory knife that costs less than a serious meal. I have nothing against Ka-Bar at all, but these are not multi-hundred dollar handmade customs, or a $5- or 6-figure vehicle...

 

[Wood Splitter]

I seem to have worked it out with the vendor I purchased it from. My BK16 is on it's way back to them, and a new one is on it's way to me.

The replacement BK16 should be here Friday. If that's the case, I will post an update then with pictures of the new one. Hopefully it's a good one.

I must admit though, it's a sad day when one has to hope you'll get a "good one"...

 

[Zaper]

I just received a BK16 and if you look it directly at the front, the grind is slightly off to the right at the tip.

 

[Wood Splitter]

I just received a BK16 and if you look it directly at the front, the grind is slightly off to the right at the tip.

From my experience, that's completely normal on any production blade. I convex all my Beckers, so it's not a problem. If you wish to keep the secondary bevel, just sharpen the steeper side more. That should even things out fairly quickly.


For comparisons sake, here are a few pictures of my original BK16 which I bought a year back. I foolishly sold it (the only Becker I've ever sold). Lesson learned. Never sell a Becker!

It was a perfect blade...

 

[trailbum]

I have three bk16's and they were all good.

 

[james terrio]

I seem to have worked it out with the vendor I purchased it from. My BK16 is on it's way back to them, and a new one is on it's way to me.

That's cool. Always good to find vendors (as well as companies) who stand behind what they sell :thumbup:

 

[mountainmist]

I have three bk16's and they were all good.

Me too. Well, maybe, I sent the first one back before I got a gander at the blade, handle issue(On my part BTW, screwed them down to tight). My last two were perfect.

 

[The Warrior]

I only bring it up because it's the sort of thing that can get thrown out there as a "theory", become accepted and repeated without anyone really looking into it, and cloud the issue for a long time without any actual data behind it... *shrug*

Yeah, who knows when they were made, agreed.

As for the rest of it, I did say I feel, and ended with, or so it seems. Anyone accepts my "theory" as fact, didn't really read what I said.

Whatever the case is, they need to up their QC. They say they're within tolerances. I'd like to see what the tolerances are. I mean, I understand if a little, more or less unnoticeable amount gets taken off, but that was flat on the end. I want to purchase the knife that Ethan designed, not a variation of it.

 

[james terrio]

As for the rest of it, I did say I feel, and ended with, or so it seems. Anyone accepts my "theory" as fact, didn't really read what I said.

Indeed! You raised a legitimate and very reasonable question. I certainly have no problem with that; rather I take issue with other less-thoughtful folks who might "run with it" and leap to who-knows-what conclusions without paying attention to those qualifiers like "perhaps", "I feel", "it seems", etc. As you say, that wouldn't be your fault... but it does happen. And sometimes it leads to nightmares of bad PR that really have no basis.

Whatever the case is, they need to up their QC. They say they're within tolerances. I'd like to see what the tolerances are. I mean, I understand if a little, more or less unnoticeable amount gets taken off, but that was flat on the end. I want to purchase the knife that Ethan designed, not a variation of it.

Another fair question, and one I find very intriguing. I suspect it would be a lot more helpful to ask in the KA-BAR forum (especially the Tech Talk thread) about exactly what their tolerances/QA procedures are, rather than here.

 

[granitestateofmind]

I have a 16 and it's perfect. But mind you, I have only the one so it could be really off, and I just wouldn't know it without another to compare it to.....but I still think it's "perfect".

I guess in some ways, I see it as part of a product that is really "hand made" and accept that as part of the "high-value" side of the equation. Did all my Beckers come sharp? No. Perfect? No again. Hasn't stopped me from buying them, tho; I'm one that thinks their utility comes before their "QC" (and I'm curious still what those metrics would be). I have a very nice knife costing - used - more than twice that of my 16 (new). The grinds are uneven. You can see it (if you look); the shoulders aren't symmetrical. Still the sharpest knife I own.

I'm glad you were able to work it out, WC. But I'd probably have made lemonade.

 

[Wood Splitter]

I have a 16 and it's perfect. But mind you, I have only the one so it could be really off, and I just wouldn't know it without another to compare it to.....but I still think it's "perfect".

I guess in some ways, I see it as part of a product that is really "hand made" and accept that as part of the "high-value" side of the equation. Did all my Beckers come sharp? No. Perfect? No again. Hasn't stopped me from buying them, tho; I'm one that thinks their utility comes before their "QC" (and I'm curious still what those metrics would be). I have a very nice knife costing - used - more than twice that of my 16 (new). The grinds are uneven. You can see it (if you look); the shoulders aren't symmetrical. Still the sharpest knife I own.

I'm glad you were able to work it out, WC. But I'd probably have made lemonade.

I didn't have any water or sugar to go with my lemon... It would've been really bad lemonade The lack of belly simply wouldn't have worked for me.

I work hard for my money, and I expect to receive what I pay for. Not a variant of it.

I currently own 7 Beckers (not including the replacement 16 in the mail), and have owned many more in the past (given to my family, sold only one). None of which had any problems like this.

An uneven grind is much different than a misshaped blade. I can easily fix grinds, it's not so easy to fix the shape of a blade.

 

[worldwood]

Damn Dex, those are so sweet. Every time I see them, I want you to make me one like them. LOL

Me to That chef model one at top is one of the best mods i seen on a kabar yet.