Please help Mr. Becker new BK2

Bmurray

Bmurray

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Feb 9, 2012
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I got my first Becker last year. it's a bk2. I absolutely love this knife. So much so that I ordered one for my buddy and I want 3 more to put away for my boys. After receiving one last Friday from amazon, I have to say I'm VERY disappointed with the changes. First and foremost the laser engrave vs the stamped logo. It now looks like every other knife maker's marking. Looks cheap, looks Chinese! Second is that rough textured epoxy finish. Again looks cheap and Chinese. I'm concerned that this finish will hold up and how well it will slide as you are doing some everyday bushcraft chores with it. I have been in contact with a rep from k-bar and asked her to give me some logical reasons these changes make this knife "better" and not cheaper to manufacture. I also asked her to forward the emails to you and to the president of k-bar. Would love a follow up on this post. If you or anyone knows a dealer that 3 old style in stock please let me know. Thank you for your time. bob Murray
 
personally i liked the look of the stamp better too, to me it just looked more manly, more official and i prefer the old coating as well but wont deny the new coating looks nice, i just dont care for the rough texture.

Try calling tomars ka-bars and requesting the ones with the stamps...
 
I don't care either way about laser etching vs stamping. The difference between the two has no effect on the blade's performance.

I don't like the new gritty textured coating, but it's very easy to fix that with a sanding sponge and a little bit of work.

IMO the changes are only superficial. These knives aren't meant to be safe queens.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
I don't care either way about laser etching vs stamping. The difference between the two has no effect on the blade's performance.

I don't like the new gritty textured coating, but it's very easy to fix that with a sanding sponge and a little bit of work.

IMO the changes are only superficial. These knives aren't meant to be safe queens.
Click to expand...

Agreed completely, this is what I was trying to say in my earlier post but sounded rude how I said it!
 
Bmurray said:
I got my first Becker last year. it's a bk2. I absolutely love this knife. So much so that I ordered one for my buddy and I want 3 more to put away for my boys. After receiving one last Friday from amazon, I have to say I'm VERY disappointed with the changes. First and foremost the laser engrave vs the stamped logo. It now looks like every other knife maker's marking. Looks cheap, looks Chinese! Second is that rough textured epoxy finish. Again looks cheap and Chinese. I'm concerned that this finish will hold up and how well it will slide as you are doing some everyday bushcraft chores with it. I have been in contact with a rep from k-bar and asked her to give me some logical reasons these changes make this knife "better" and not cheaper to manufacture. I also asked her to forward the emails to you and to the president of k-bar. Would love a follow up on this post. If you or anyone knows a dealer that 3 old style in stock please let me know. Thank you for your time. bob Murray
Click to expand...

To answer your question, while I am not a representative of Ka-Bar, I can tell you the reasons and why the changes are "better".

1. The roll stamped logos caused stress risers as well as tremendous amounts of stress to be applied to a very small area on the knife. On other knives (notablly the BK14) this could cause a bend in the knife that was noticeable with the naked eye. By using a laser etching method they now do not apply tremendous amounts of force to the knife in a small area, resulting in a stronger blade less prone to breakage. (Not that that was ever an issue with the BK2, but once changes are made to one they are typically adopted by the rest of the lineup.)

2. The coating has been changed to a more textured type of epoxy paint, visually and physically similar to the coating used on ESEE knives, which has shown to hold up much better under stress and last longer. This results in the coating staying intact for longer. This in turn is better as the carbon steel is not exposed to the elements as quickly and as a result will not rust or develop oxidization as soon.

Sorry your personal preferences do not lend themselves to appreciation of the changes, but there are the reasons. The laser etching was particularly useful in that the BK16 was able to be given a full flat grind (a grind that extends clear to the spine of the knife) that it otherwise would not be able to have as you cannot roll stamp the logo on an angled surface.

Ethan, as well as the majority of the Ka-Bar higher ups are currently busy at SHOT Show and more than likely will not be available to make comment on this until most likely the beginning of next week. Moose or one of the other moderators may chime in though, but they can only tell you pretty much the same thing.

Anyways, hope this helps, and all the best to you and yours.

Derek
 
Same steel same knife same quality, just a different (tougher but less usable in my opinion) coating and marking process. They switched to the laser engraving (from my understanding) because it had a lower chance of deforming the blade (as compared to the old stamping process) as so that they could make sure more knives pass QC (which, IMOP, is excellent for the price point). Sure I don't love the new finishing process but I end up stripping most coating off knives anyway, I love the look of bare steel (just takes a little more maintenance) and they're the same quality they ever were.
 
From what I've read the new coating holds up BETTER than the old one.
It looks pretty similar to the ESEE coating, which is pretty good.

EDIT: Damn you guys are fast ;)
 
Most of my Beckers are the older Camillus ones with stamped markings. I haven't noticed any blade deformations or experienced any blade failures. Well, except for the sloppy grind lines on my BK-7 which was made in the final days of Camillus Cutlery when their QC started slipping.

However if the new laser etching acts as a bit of insurance against that issue, I can dig it.
 
Hey guys thanks for the quick replies. I do appreciate the answers and now feel a little better. I will order three more bk2's later this week. I love this blade design and just don't like changes to a great product without some reasoning. Thx again.
 
I have the previous gen of BK2, and a newer BK15. I prefer the laser etching. Not too crazy about the coatings in general, though I haven't bothered to strip/patina any of my blades yet. They are users, not lookers.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
I haven't noticed any blade deformations or experienced any blade failures.
However if the new laser etching acts as a bit of insurance against that issue, I can dig it.
Click to expand...

usually the deformed ones would get thrown out during QC, so the MFR would be eating the cost and/or passing it on to the customer via increased cost or decreased availability. Same is true for warranty claims caused by stamping stresses.
Laser etching isn't cheap or Chinese, it's working smarter.

Bmurray, good luck with your new-style BK2's, I suspect in a little while you won't mind the differences at all.
 
DerekH said:
To answer your question, while I am not a representative of Ka-Bar, I can tell you the reasons and why the changes are "better".

1. The roll stamped logos caused stress risers as well as tremendous amounts of stress to be applied to a very small area on the knife. On other knives (notablly the BK14) this could cause a bend in the knife that was noticeable with the naked eye. By using a laser etching method they now do not apply tremendous amounts of force to the knife in a small area, resulting in a stronger blade less prone to breakage. (Not that that was ever an issue with the BK2, but once changes are made to one they are typically adopted by the rest of the lineup.)

2. The coating has been changed to a more textured type of epoxy paint, visually and physically similar to the coating used on ESEE knives, which has shown to hold up much better under stress and last longer. This results in the coating staying intact for longer. This in turn is better as the carbon steel is not exposed to the elements as quickly and as a result will not rust or develop oxidization as soon.

Sorry your personal preferences do not lend themselves to appreciation of the changes, but there are the reasons. The laser etching was particularly useful in that the BK16 was able to be given a full flat grind (a grind that extends clear to the spine of the knife) that it otherwise would not be able to have as you cannot roll stamp the logo on an angled surface.

Ethan, as well as the majority of the Ka-Bar higher ups are currently busy at SHOT Show and more than likely will not be available to make comment on this until most likely the beginning of next week. Moose or one of the other moderators may chime in though, but they can only tell you pretty much the same thing.

Anyways, hope this helps, and all the best to you and yours.

Derek
Click to expand...

This. Props to Derek.

I'm perfectly happy with the changes. I like the laser engraving because now I can etch the logo myself and choose how deep I want it to be. The coating IS tougher than the old coating, and personally, i think the old coating felt more like a cheap spray paint where the new coating has a more aggressive, solid feel. It may not slice as well at first, but it will smooth out with a little time.
 
OP is complaining about his personal preferences,i like the rough look of the new coating,i stripped my bk2 though...same quality steel,made in the USA,nothing else has changed,i like the stamped logo better than the laser etching ...but thats my preference,i wouldnt call and complaing and demand answers from the company president,it doesnt affect the quality and durability of the knife,besides,with batoning,and the hard use the knife was meant for any coating would come off eventually...
 
"I bought a great knife for a great price, but the physical appearance has been changed while the important parts were improved, so it's crap."

People these days.
 
LOL maethor.

I too was taken aback a bit when I saw the laser etching. I had seen tons of photos prior to ordering, all with the rolled stamp, so I expected the stamp not the etching.

Eh, its of no matter to me now. I stripped the coating anyway, and kind of dig the etch.

Besides, its a worker, not a looker...and I love it
 
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