Agreed with above---I have a fascination with this blade style (in so much as it's an interesting blip in the history of knife design) and own the Beck, Linger, Koster, Horan, and Martin versions, as well as having owned both the TOPS and RS6 versions before selling them off (the last two are indeed not on par with the others, though of course they cost far less), and it really achieves nothing special, cool and unique though it is. A far, FAR better configuration for a similar concept would be to skip the transition in blade height from one grind to the other (which means that the sweet spot for chopping would no longer be focused on a narrow little point) and just have the thickness of the knife increase dramatically toward the point, like Farid does with his choppers:
https://www.google.com/search?q=far...ms%2Fshowthread.php%2F958640-chopper;1024;768
This achieves the aim of forward balance far better, in that it does not interrupt the continuous cutting edge with a shelf, allowing the whole length of the knife to be used for scraping/planing, etc.; though it requires a truly massive amount of steel removal.
I managed to buy a Beck before the huge craze for them began (I didn't pay thousands of dollars) and as much as I do like it for what it is, it is a compromise. It sorta chops okay, can sorta skin (yes, I've tried it), can sorta make fuzz sticks, the hook works pretty well for rounding and the notching saw notches just fine. However, compared to something like a Siegle Hoodlum paired with a SAK, the WSK just gets left in the dust. Even without the SAK, I think I'd rather have the less complicated blade shape if I were actually "surviving" versus just screwing around in the woods.
The one thing I will say for--especially-- the Beck version is that the ergonomics for a chopping blade are absolutely phenomenal; incredibly comfortable in just about any position. If I could put that grip on a wide, leaf-shaped blade with a full flat grind, I'd have my perfect outdoor knife.