Sell me on the BK9, please

A BK9 is one of the 3 fixed blades I carry everywhere while working around the farm. It's versatile, hangs nicely from the belt and, for me, almost unnoticed when being carried. It's both small enough and big enough to do most tasks I need a knife for. Anything it is just too big for gets handled by the 11. It makes a great guillotine for dispatching any rattlesnakes I happen to step on, and while not designed for it, throws rather well. I have 4 throwing knife designs I make that are generally based on the 9 in size and shape, so if I had the occasion to need to, I could hit squirrels and rabbits reliably out to 15 feet and could do it occasionally out to 25 feet.

Prior to learning about Beckers, my go-to big blades were Western W49 bowies. And I have a throwing knife design based on those as well. :D

I carry a BK11 for any small tasks and then a third FB to cover "specific" tasks. That 3rd knife may be a Kabar 1217 (1219C2 repro), Kabar 125x shortie, a BK15/16/17, or some machete - Ontario/Kabar/Collins/Japanese/Condor/Tramontina/etc. I have machetes in every building and machetes, 1217s, BK2s and BK11s in every vehicle because you never know which knife you're gonna need. Overkill, I know, but I also have jumper cables, spring punches, hack saws, bolt cutters and crowbars in every vehicle as well - an occupational hazard of being an EMT for 25 years now.
 
I got a bk-9 a while ago, and I love it. In my opinion you can't beat the ergos, they are better then pretty much any production knife out there. The thing about it is that it does everything fairly well, nothing exceptionally well, except feel good and balanced in the hand. Blades like an Rtak II, Junglass, khukri, or one of the Busse family (Busse combat, scrapyard, swamp rat) will definitely out chop the 9 but the 9 is a good deal lighter than any of the aforementioned blades, and cheaper to boot. All I know is that when I sold practically every large blade I owned (mostly cold steel and Ontario), I hung on to my BK9...
 
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For what it's worth, I don't have a BK9 yet... but I emphasize YET.

I will have one, one day...
 
I originally thought the 9 looked kinda plain. But I read all the reviews and found a used one for cheap. I won't carry anything else in the woods now. Far and away my favorite knife. I'm not a little guy so I can chop through just about any sapling with a decent chopper. But the 9 makes everything effortless. I actually love some of my other choppers/camp knives. But can't remember the last time I took any of them out?
 
RevDevil said:
You might not be able to add 1/4lb of zip ties to it.:D

I have a BK7 and it's one of my favorite big knives. I've handled the 9 and I like it a lot, so much so that I will be getting one before the end of the year.
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:thumbup:

The BK7, was the first BK&T I bought. Still like it over the 9. Spoiled by chainsaws, I guess. :D
 
Hello again, and thanks for all your answers. I am about to make my mind and have a final set of questions. The one I am planning on getting has the "smooth" coating, which is the older version on stamped blades, not the newer, rougher coating in the laser-etched blades.
Does this affect the knife at all? What's different about the smooth finish? Is it preferable?
Should I expect less toughness and resistance to breaking from an stamped blade?
Any opinions, comments or experiences on the older vs newer BK9 and the two coatings?

Thanks!
 
Get it and make sure it comes with the Remora (BK13) then you will have your knife for small tasks as well
 
The older Camillus BK9s were run a bit hard, and while not common, the ones that break, usually break around the stamp/thumb ramp area. Kabar made roll stamped models for some time, then eventually changed over to laser engraving. I can't recall any Kabar roll stamped 9's breaking, but have heard that they exist. So far I've not heard of any laser engraved BK9's breaking. So I'd say that the laser engraved models are "better", just in the fact that it appears that statistically they are less likely to have problems.

That said, I have a roll stamped Kabar manufactured BK9. I've had it for 4 years now, and its been put through a lot of use. Its holding up just fine.

The coating is smoother, and easier to come off. If you've ever held a kabar 1217 (USMC), its the same coating. Do I prefer one coating over the other? Not really. The rough coating gives the blade a lot of friction as it moves through wood, but it lasts a bit longer. The smooth coating doesn't bind in the wood as much, but wears off easier. Either way, after a lot of use, the coating will come off, so its really not a big deal. In fact, I prefer them with no coating.

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Oh, and the big beckers haven't come with the Bk13 in years (at least 4-5), but the sheath for it is still in the other sheath.

Good luck making a choice :).
 
ThePeacent said:
Hello again, and thanks for all your answers. I am about to make my mind and have a final set of questions. The one I am planning on getting has the "smooth" coating, which is the older version on stamped blades, not the newer, rougher coating in the laser-etched blades.
Does this affect the knife at all? What's different about the smooth finish? Is it preferable?
Should I expect less toughness and resistance to breaking from an stamped blade?
Any opinions, comments or experiences on the older vs newer BK9 and the two coatings?

Thanks!
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I'd prefer a stamped smooth coating over the textured laser engraved any day....one reason is the unless you plan on stripping the coating off the smooth will preform better and not create drag like the textured one will. My other is if you are stripping it and plan on doing any sanding the laser engraved will be gone with minimal sanding while the stamped will be there regardless of sanding.(unless you're really sanding off a ton of metal)
 
Bobby3326 said:
I'd prefer a stamped smooth coating over the textured laser engraved any day....one reason is the unless you plan on stripping the coating off the smooth will preform better and not create drag like the textured one will. My other is if you are stripping it and plan on doing any sanding the laser engraved will be gone with minimal sanding while the stamped will be there regardless of sanding.(unless you're really sanding off a ton of metal)
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Prior to striping one, a nine volt battery, 2 short pieces of wire, 2 alligator clips, a cup of water with 3-4 tbls of salt and a few Q-tips will allow one to etch the laser engraving deep enough to withstand any sanding or use of paint remover for coating removal.

There are several threads about electro-etching in the Becker sub-forum.
 
zzyzzogeton said:
Prior to striping one, a nine volt battery, 2 short pieces of wire, 2 alligator clips, a cup of water with 3-4 tbls of salt and a few Q-tips will allow one to etch the laser engraving deep enough to withstand any sanding or use of paint remover for coating removal.

There are several threads about electro-etching in the Becker sub-forum.
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Yup fully aware of this, but would rather have a stamped nine to begin with.
 
I hate the BK9!

I've had two of them. I found the handle to be way too slick and for me, the ergonomics sucked! I like the ESEE Junglas much better. The handle fits me better and feels way more secure. The sheath is great and I feel it is a better overall knife.

With that said, I have gone to customs for my big choppers. I have a Gossman Bolo and Gossman BBT 2.0. Love them!
 
Mr. Tettnanger said:
I hate the BK9!

I've had two of them. I found the handle to be way too slick and for me, the ergonomics sucked! I like the ESEE Junglas much better. The handle fits me better and feels way more secure. The sheath is great and I feel it is a better overall knife.

With that said, I have gone to customs for my big choppers. I have a Gossman Bolo and Gossman BBT 2.0. Love them!
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Blasphemy!!!! Lol
 
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