After much excited hand wringing and spent nervous energy, I finally received my BK-16. And man....it is effing awesome!! I contacted Dex about getting a 16 worked up and after some great communication, we settled on a 16 that was to be rebuilt, Waffle House style: stripped, parkerized, convexed, squared, re-sheathed, and re-handled. Step up, get yourself a plate of that and you get this:
Now, despite much consternation on Dex's part about the parkerizing not taking like he wanted to (something along the lines of his 5 retry's in my book counts as above and beyond the call of duty), I like the looks of the knife. Yeah, it didn't turn out perfect, but who in the hell cares? Unlike the 7 that I was gifted, this is going to be user. Users get beat the hell up. IMO, after it was stripped, I think it looks nice and used before I've even used it.
It's my knife...shut the hell up! 
More spectacular BK-16 shots...
One of my initially favorite things about the knife is the way it fits in my hand. While a bit small, it reminds me of my best BRK&T handles that felt great - and for me, feeling great in the hand means lots of use...
I cannot wait to use this knife. Above, among the other things I listed, I used the word "squared." Dex squared the spine so that I could effectively strike a ferro rod - and though I don't have a photo of it in action, know that whatever he did works perfectly!
Finally, the last shot, while grilling some burgers...
Thank you Dex! For my first user Becker, he did a hell of a job - as is obvious that you guys already know! And now after handling this knife for a few hours, I think I get it. Ethan's vision for a great user knife has been realized. These tweeners...wow. Where's my 15?!?!
Now, despite much consternation on Dex's part about the parkerizing not taking like he wanted to (something along the lines of his 5 retry's in my book counts as above and beyond the call of duty), I like the looks of the knife. Yeah, it didn't turn out perfect, but who in the hell cares? Unlike the 7 that I was gifted, this is going to be user. Users get beat the hell up. IMO, after it was stripped, I think it looks nice and used before I've even used it.
It's my knife...shut the hell up! More spectacular BK-16 shots...
One of my initially favorite things about the knife is the way it fits in my hand. While a bit small, it reminds me of my best BRK&T handles that felt great - and for me, feeling great in the hand means lots of use...
I cannot wait to use this knife. Above, among the other things I listed, I used the word "squared." Dex squared the spine so that I could effectively strike a ferro rod - and though I don't have a photo of it in action, know that whatever he did works perfectly!
Finally, the last shot, while grilling some burgers...
Thank you Dex! For my first user Becker, he did a hell of a job - as is obvious that you guys already know! And now after handling this knife for a few hours, I think I get it. Ethan's vision for a great user knife has been realized. These tweeners...wow. Where's my 15?!?!
I called him to basically tell him that I really liked how this 16 turned out and to not do that, and he has insisted that it was his work that was out there and that he wanted it to be right. 