After much anticipation, the BK-17 arrived, and it did not disappoint.
I first checked the handle that I had heard so much about. It really is amazing. Well done, Ethan, well done. The palm swell fills the hand while the narrow sections are surprisingly thin to one accustomed to the larger Beckers. Though scaled down, the handle fits my hand in that familiar BK way.
Normal grip feels good. Reverse grip feels good. Gripping with the edge back for pull cuts feels good. (I am a medium to large glove size.)
Like the other BKs, the handles are smooth to prevent hot spots, but the new Ka-Bar zytel has a little more texture than the grivory on the large Beckers.
Jimping is provided on the spine, and it is effective without being overly aggressive.
Of course, I had to modify mine to make it unique. I stripped the black coating, squared the spine for striking a firesteel, gave it a convex edge, and blued the steel.
The drop point seems to be the most popular around here, but theres just something about a clip point so I had to choose the BK-17 over the other two BK Shorts. I must commend Tooj for the classic Ka-Bar styled blade shape.
I experienced no hand fatigue when using the knife for an extended period of time. The sharpened portion of the blade starts very close to the handle. This provides control for fine cuts,
and leverage for powerful cuts.
If gripped further back on the handle, the BK-17 can handle light chopping surprisingly well.
Its full tang design and fairly thick stock means that I am confident it can handle batoning within reason.
The sheath is above par for the Becker line. The stitching, materials, and overall quality seem to be much better than the nylon sheaths for the large BKs. It is MOLLE compatible and attaches solidly to MOLLE webbing. The sheath wears comfortably on the belt and did not seem to get in the way. The belt loop can be opened via Velcro and a snap so the sheath can be put on without removing your belt. However, when I tried this, it was not very easy. The belt would at least need to be loosened. The liner is tight enough to prevent the knife from rattling. The sheath has two retaining loops, but I dont plan on jumping out of a plane in the immediate future, so I removed the top one.
Also, it is nice to see BK&T/Ka-Bar offer more colors choices than black, black, or black.
Ethan and the folks at Ka-Bar have done an excellent job with the BK Shorts.
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Morrow??!?
