Not impressed with my first Becker

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Your buddy's Heavy Bowie was in better shape, because you did all the work with the BK-7... His blade coating was scratched only by his sheath... :D
 
Hmmmmm, I've torqued my Becker grips down and they seem to rust lock tighter than a nuns c..t on a saturday night.
 
I think you guys may have been a little rough on him. It's not too much to ask that the screws are tightened sufficiently from the factory on a knife that costs more than $50. He should be able to take it out of the box and use it in the woods without it falling apart. Let's not allow the many great things about Beckers take away from the fact that he had legitimate issues with his. While they are easy fixes, I don't think it's fair to discount that he was dissatisfied with some of the things that happened.
 
Guyon said:
I think you're an exception, and I hope you'll sharpen that 7, tighten the scales, and give it another shot.

Batoning will wear any coating off. I've batoned with Beckers, Busses, Rangers, etc. They all lose their coating with batoning. Lots of friction involved.
The handles don't always come locked down as tightly as they could be. A quick check and a few turns of an Allen wrench will fix things. Also, the Loctite suggestion above is good. Just make sure it's the right Loctite. Clear fingernail polish will work too.
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+1 on the fingernail polish.....Loctite is great... Just not sure I want it on my knife....and as Guyon pointed out....better use the temporary and not the permanent one.....

Doc
 
NYOutdoors said:
I think you guys may have been a little rough on him. It's not too much to ask that the screws are tightened sufficiently from the factory on a knife that costs more than $50. He should be able to take it out of the box and use it in the woods without it falling apart. Let's not allow the many great things about Beckers take away from the fact that he had legitimate issues with his. While they are easy fixes, I don't think it's fair to discount that he was dissatisfied with some of the things that happened.
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There's a possibility they were too tight... Perhaps already cracked/stressed... He said he only chopped one little branch... For it to back out from being loose, seems like he would have noticed. If by being prestressed, or too tight, the strike vibration could have snapped the head and when he stopped, plunged it into the tree, etc, the two pieces fell out of the handle....a nut backing off a bolt would have been loose a while.... Just saying'


Doc
 
NYOutdoors said:
I think you guys may have been a little rough on him. It's not too much to ask that the screws are tightened sufficiently from the factory on a knife that costs more than $50. He should be able to take it out of the box and use it in the woods without it falling apart. Let's not allow the many great things about Beckers take away from the fact that he had legitimate issues with his. While they are easy fixes, I don't think it's fair to discount that he was dissatisfied with some of the things that happened.
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Dude, its not like it "Fell Apart" there was a screw loose...simple fix. Was it a crappy thing to happen? Sure I guess, but its not like he bought a brand new Case Knife only to open it and have it fall to pieces in his hand...yeah its over a $50 knife, but compare it to similar knives and you will pay tons more...I don't think a simple thing like a loose screw would throw me off of a blade forever...Coating is coating, strip that crap off and have fun with it...sounds like he is already on his way towards that...Getting pissed off about a screw being loose in a handle is like getting pissed off that the girl you picked up in Bangkok has a package.
 
Greybush said:
Dude, its not like it "Fell Apart" there was a screw loose...simple fix. Was it a crappy thing to happen? Sure I guess, but its not like he bought a brand new Case Knife only to open it and have it fall to pieces in his hand...yeah its over a $50 knife, but compare it to similar knives and you will pay tons more...I don't think a simple thing like a loose screw would throw me off of a blade forever...Coating is coating, strip that crap off and have fun with it...sounds like he is already on his way towards that...Getting pissed off about a screw being loose in a handle is like getting pissed off that the girl you picked up in Bangkok has a package.
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You mean a fricative.
 
Greybush said:
Dude, its not like it "Fell Apart" there was a screw loose...simple fix. Was it a crappy thing to happen? Sure I guess, but its not like he bought a brand new Case Knife only to open it and have it fall to pieces in his hand...yeah its over a $50 knife, but compare it to similar knives and you will pay tons more...I don't think a simple thing like a loose screw would throw me off of a blade forever...Coating is coating, strip that crap off and have fun with it...sounds like he is already on his way towards that...Getting pissed off about a screw being loose in a handle is like getting pissed off that the girl you picked up in Bangkok has a package.
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I hear you...like I said, I know they are easy fixes and not a big deal, I'm just saying that for someone who just bought his first Becker, I can understand being disappointed when a screw it loose on a brand new knife. I'm not attacking BK&T or Ka-Bar so don't jump down my throat, I just think some people were a little abrasive considering it's his first Becker. That's all.
 
Cobra281 said:
Too bad you feel you had a bad experience.

Just a couple observations (and with all due respect) this is your FIRST fixed blade and you're going on a 16 day camping trip ? I guess.

Handle hardware has been known to come loose. (give you that one) But that prob. would have happened when you were using and prepping your NEW gear BEFORE going out for 16 trip ... yes ?

Battoning is Battoning. Beats up a blade. It is what it is.

Stabbing a Redwood ... Hmmmmmm Why ?

Anyway - 7 is a great knife. JMHO
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Couldn't have said it any better myself.
The bolts come loose without loctite, the old coating wears quickly, and the steel isn't magical. I agree that going at some bark a few times shouldn't have dulled it, but then again the 7 is (IMO) for cutting things, not stabbing wood.
The coating would have lasted a wee bit longer if WD40 was liberally applied while you were beating the blade through the wood- just sayin' :)
Welcome to the forum, hope you end up enjoying your new knife!
 
Skystorm said:
I highly doubt one swing loosened a nut completely enough to lose it somewhere. Did you even check your gear before leaving for a 2 week trip? Batonning will strip the coating off any knife I have ever seen. Stabbing things dulls a blade. Weird.
They are meant to be beat on.
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I call BS on this. A person spends his hard-earned money on a fixed blade which are touted as being some of the toughest on the market, and HE is at fault when the hardware comes loose because he didn't check it? Can a person reasonable be expected to check every single aspect of his equipment before he sets off? Do you check the each individual stitch on your backpack before you leave? Do you check the torque on every single lug nut on your brand new car? Do you measure the tensile strength of your shoelaces? My guess is no. You spend a good amount of money on what is supposed to be a quality piece of kit, and expect it to work.

This fanboyism "our chosen brand can do no wrong, so when it fails it must be your fault" crap is getting old.
 
oguruma said:
I call BS on this. A person spends his hard-earned money on a fixed blade which are touted as being some of the toughest on the market, and HE is at fault when the hardware comes loose because he didn't check it? Can a person reasonable be expected to check every single aspect of his equipment before he sets off? Do you check the each individual stitch on your backpack before you leave? Do you check the torque on every single lug nut on your brand new car? Do you measure the tensile strength of your shoelaces? My guess is no. You spend a good amount of money on what is supposed to be a quality piece of kit, and expect it to work.

This fanboyism "our chosen brand can do no wrong, so when it fails it must be your fault" crap is getting old.
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Need a tampon? Seriously you might have spent too much time in the political section on the forum. I don't know about others but i'm no fan-boy, I like a particular brand of knives and I have a couple different models. Who's to say the scales DID break and he just didn't realize it? I do check all of my gear though whether its knives, atv's, and yes, backpacks. Its a good habit to have...And im sure other people will agree with me on that one.
 
oguruma said:
I call BS on this. A person spends his hard-earned money on a fixed blade which are touted as being some of the toughest on the market,
Keep in mind the value aspect of these knives- and the modification possibilities. Many will switch the handles and loctite anyway within a few months of ownership- thus making loctite really not all that neccesary IMO- plus, it's not really needed, one just needs to tighten the bolts down. and HE is at fault when the hardware comes loose because he didn't check it? Can a person reasonable be expected to check every single aspect of his equipment before he sets off?
One of my many mottos is to know your gear in every way. I personally do inspect every aspect, and I do not think that making sure that your gear is in tip top shape and checking things like screws is unreasonable in the slightest.
Do you check the each individual stitch on your backpack before you leave?I do Do you check the torque on every single lug nut on your brand new car?I have no car at the moment- but I do check. Do you measure the tensile strength of your shoelaces?As long as they feel right- I know they're tied correctly. I know the breaking point of my laces, and I know what they can take and what they can't. My guess is no.Incorrect assumption You spend a good amount of money on what is supposed to be a quality piece of kit, and expect it to work.And work it does- it did function, he just had a screw come loose, a small coating problem and the blade was a bit dulled. None were problems that hampered the function of the knife.

This fanboyism "our chosen brand can do no wrong, so when it fails it must be your fault" crap is getting old.
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All IMHO, and I mean no disrespect. Just pointing put my view on your post. I'm not being a fanboy or troll- just posting my opinions. I sincerely hope that no disrespect is implied in my post.
 
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oguruma said:
Can a person reasonable be expected to check every single aspect of his equipment before he sets off?Would you rather "trust it to work" or KNOW it will. If you check it, then you KNOW it will.
Do you check the each individual stitch on your backpack before you leave? Yes, actually if I'm going on a long trip, I do check EVERY aspect of my gear
Do you check the torque on every single lug nut on your brand new car? Yes, I do. I also check that the fluids are correct, the tire pressure is correct, and the belts are correct. It is just GOOD sense.
Do you measure the tensile strength of your shoelaces? I do a pull test to make sure they won't come apart.
My guess is no. You'd be wrong
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Making sure your equipment and gear is going to work is YOUR responsibility. That is why guys who jump pack their own chutes, guys who go scuba diving check their tanks. It is YOUR responsibility to check.
 
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Tensile strength of my shoelaces? I have never thought of that...when I graduate from these velcro skips, i will totally be doing this.
 
When I bought my first BK 2 (a Camillus) roughly 25 years ago, the screws were loose. I took an allen wrench and tightened them. The coating came off as I used it and eventually I stripped the rest of it off. Still have it. Still use it and still love it. I suppose all of us who are acquainted with these great knives are accustomed to these things and check the screws when we get a new one. Just takes a minute and honestly, I don't think it's a big deal. Maybe Kabar should put a note in the package to check the screws on new knives. Some coatings last a bit longer than others but they will (if you use the knife) all come off sooner or later.

As far as stabbing the knife into a tree rather than laying it on the ground goes, if a knife isn't being used it should be in the sheath. Period. Stabbing it into a tree is a sign of laziness or disregard for basic knife safety. I can see how tree stabbing could dull the point of a knife. Tree stabbing doesn't come up that often for me in day to day camp use, but I can see it dulling the point on just about any knife. No disrespect, but I really think all of these things are common sense.
 
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