Newbe here, with a Ka-Bar/Becker question...

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Dave V.

Joined
Jun 17, 2015
Messages
30
First off, thanks for having me! My question is about Ka-Bar quality control. I own quite a few knives, Beckers, a Ka-Bar 1213, 5 ESEE's, 5 Mora's, and a TOPS Wolf Pup. I recently ordered my 3rd Becker, (a BK-10), and upon sharpening it, I felt a difference between the angles on the sides of the blade. I looked at it, and noticed a big difference. I measured it, and there was a 1/16" difference between the sides where the saber grind begins. I got curious, (as I had never noticed this before in my saber/scandi ground knives), and checked out my other blades. None of them had this problem. I contacted Ka-Bar customer service, and they told me this was normal, due to the blades being "Hand ground" and whether the machinist was "Left or Right handed", and the milling machine used. After a nasty letter back, they agreed to replace the blade with a squarely ground one. My question is have any of you had this happen before? I understand this would have no effect on the knives performance, ( in practice, an asymmetrically ground blade may be stronger)? It just bothers me that a knife company would allow tolerances through like this, and call the blade "Unique", "One of a kind", to justify this. I LOVE my Becker knives, and want to purchase more of them, but it concerns me when a problem arises, Ka-Bar tries to dismiss it. Any one else had issues with Ka-Bar?:confused:
 
One sixteenth of an inch? I wouldn't even notice if one of my thumbs was 1/16" longer than the other. :rolleyes:

The fact that KaBar agreed to exchange speaks volumes of their commitment to customer service, exactly the sort of company I prefer to do business with. :thumbup:
 
My ZT 566 came with a pretty lopsided bevel. I considered asking for an exchange but then I realized I didn't really care that much. I've had a few others that were a tiny bit off but I think that was the only really noticeable one. I can understand wanting a new knife to be perfect on arrival though. It's cool to hear Becker/Ka-Bar fixed the situation!
 
Bob W said:
One sixteenth of an inch? I wouldn't even notice if one of my thumbs was 1/16" longer than the other. :rolleyes:

The fact that KaBar agreed to exchange speaks volumes of their commitment to customer service, exactly the sort of company I prefer to do business with. :thumbup:
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Especially since the blade was sharpened and Ka-bar has no definitive way of knowing if either they did the beveling or you did.

Not to say that you personally can't be trusted, but there are a few people who cannot. Since the company is willing to stand behind their product to swap out something due only to a mismatched bevel speaks highly of them, in my book. I actually have ground some of my kitchen/meat processing knives off center (much to how you are describing) intentionally.

The fact that they are hand ground and finished is common knowledge among the Becker circle, this point of contention that you have is known to be a non-issue.
Keep buying Kabar/Becker, you are fine and they are upstanding.
 
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Thumbs up to Ka-Bar for fixing this ! I had the exactly same issue with a knife from Böker Arbolito. They make really nice patterns, work with interesting and creative designers, and the fit & finish is usually quite good. When I received my "Jagd knicker / Gaucho" styled knife (a really appealing design), I was quite upset at checking the grind (not the bevel ! this would have been an easy fix...) was way offset, to the point where they had no place left for the swedge on the clip on one side. The retailer told me "this is considered within specs by the manufacture" and refunded my purchase. I can only thank the retailer for being so upfront but the brand is blemished for me, to say the least.
 
WELCOME!


Such variations are not uncommon. Remember, Beckers are meant to be affordable hard-use 'tools'.


I LOVE my Becker knives, and want to purchase more of them
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Well then, you need to consider becoming a BECKERHEAD! ;)

Come join the rest of us in the BECKER KNIFE & TOOL subform - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/827-Becker-Knife-amp-Tool
Ethan Becker himself is a moderator there and posts regularly. Any questions or concerns about your BK, just come to us first. ;)
 
I'll be honest, this wouldn't bother me and I can't imagine on a knife as thick as a Becker that a 1/16" difference in the height of the primary grind would make any discernible difference in performance. Good on them for responding as they did, though.
 
Beckers aren't high end knives. This will happen again if you buy from them. It wouldn't bother me but if it bothers you, you may want to buy a different brand.
 
Meh, they are hand ground, so variations occur sometimes. I don't see it as a big deal at all, but I'm happy they swapped it out for you.
I have a custom knife that's waaaay farther off than 1/16". Doesn't bother me one bit. It cuts great, stays sharp a long time (A2 tool steel), and it's one of my favorite knives.
If both sides of the knife have to be absolutely symmetrical, you might want to avoid chisel ground blades. ;)
 
Oh did I blow that! I meant 3/16's on an inch. I couldn't see, or care about a 16th. My mistake. Maybe I was a little anal about the whole thing, I have never seen a blade this lopsided before though.
 
That was the surprise for me...I have a BK-9 that came great. I love Beckers, and understand that they come "Rough", which does not bother me one bit, but a grind off this much bothers me. Just me though. :)
 
3/16" sounds a bit excessive. I still think I'd just use it, but I have to admit that if it was that wonky it would piss me off every time I noticed it.
 
It's not the edge that bothers me, I convex all of my knives, (Not the Mora's), and I have yet to find a "Perfect" edge on any thicker blade I have purchased. (ESEE, Becker, TOPS). The edge is my responsibility, and I have no problem with an offset edge...I can correct it, if need be. It's the basic grind not being "square", (or close).
 
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