Well this happened... the Machax

Pàdruig

Pàdruig

Reap What You Sow
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Well, I haven't exactly made it a secret that I've never been overly fond of the renowned BK-4 (not that my opinion counts for much of anything). Though I have never doubted its capabilities, I have long thought it to be one of the ugliest blades out there, and by far one of the ugliest in the Becker lineup. (Please don't shoot me, yet). And because a lot of what I like in a knife has to do with its aesthetics and grace, I've never paid the Machax much mind.

Fast forward to about a year ago when my brother-in-law brought his new knife on one of our outings. One of our endeavors was to build a log platform suspended and supported by a few trees. All of our tools were brought to bear: the BK-9, the axes, the homemade bow saw, the Laplander, and yes, this unsightly turd known as the BK-4. (Please don't shoot me). What started as general disgust at this aberration of a blade soon turned into mild interest and shortly thereafter, a grudging respect. This knife was a beast, making short work of a variety of tasks. I was rather impressed with how incredibly versatile it demonstrated itself to be and as a result I put it on my list of blades that I would be happy to own should I be given the opportunity.

Then I discovered that it was discontinued and therefore was going to be harder to acquire. Again, it was ugly, I wasn't heartbroken... (Don't shoot me)

Fast forward to yesterday. My brother-in-law decided that he wasn't overly attached to it and that he liked one of my other knives that I wasn't quite married to. A horse trade occurred and I welcomed the Machaxe into my ever growing family of Beckers. She is pretty rough and the edge is in atrocious shape, but I am looking forward to getting her cleaned up and into the regular rotation of mistresses.

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She doesn't look too bad, cleanup the edge and you will be good to go...
 
Heres the thing about the machax: it's got a learning curve. For the longest time my favorite big blade was the bk9. Even after I had the machax for awhile I still preferred the bk9. But then I actually used the bk9 for small tasks and the bk4 did so much better. And if you can nail the snap cut and hit the sweet spot on the machax, the bend above the handle really adds a lot to the chop. But that's just one man's opinion. Bk9 is still an amazing blade, after all the saying isn't "you can't not have a 4" haha.
 
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A great blade I've been told nvr owned nor used one tho.... I've been told it takes some getting use to in terms of its use but idk........... looks great tho
 
The first time I got a 4, I thought it way too small, and sold it without even using it. Later, it seemed there was renewed interest in it, so I decided to get another, and actually use it. Awesome blade, love it. I bought my wife one, and won yet another in a contest, I gifted to 91bravo. Awesome, and very capable blade.

On a side note, I never thought of the 4 as ugly, but very unique looking.
 
The Warrior said:
The first time I got a 4, I thought it way too small, and sold it without even using it. Later, it seemed there was renewed interest in it, so I decided to get another, and actually use it. Awesome blade, love it. I bought my wife one, and won yet another in a contest, I gifted to 91bravo. Awesome, and very capable blade.

On a side note, I never thought of the 4 as ugly, but very unique looking.
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I seem to recall thinking the same thing when I first handled it, thought it should have been much larger. I've never been one for curved or oddly shaped blades, always preferred straight, clean lines... The more I look at her though, she is kind of growing on me.

91bravo said:
I beat the ugly out of my 4...
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HA! That's one way of taking care of the problem. :D
 
Love the machax. Paired with my 16, it fills the niche of large blade/hatchet perfectly during my backpacking trips. I agree it does have a bit of a learning curve, but it's a satisfying feeling delimbing branches when you get the snap cut down.

Besides, I think it looks smexy...
 
I love the Machax!
Such a great all around woods and camp tool!
Congrats on the new aquisition Paddy!
 
The Warrior said:
This is the first time I used the 4: http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/fun-weekend-with-the-bk4-photo-heavy.1223343/
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Thanks for sharing that. I can definitely see why the 4 is the go to blade for a lot of folks. It is so versatile, a great design. The look is even starting to grow on me more...

Jonny1280 said:
I love the Machax!
Such a great all around woods and camp tool!
Congrats on the new aquisition Paddy!
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Thanks Jonny! I'm looking forward to putting her to work soon. My next outing in about a week and a half is going to be rather tool heavy, so many knives I want to bring... good thing its a short hike ;)
 
If you think you like the Kabar 4, you've gotta try the Cinci 4. Ask Bladite, if you don't believe me.
 
Love the 4 , if you can't do it with a BK4 your doing it wrong.
The Cincinnati 4 is 1/4" thick and made with 4140 chrome moly steel.
 
The Warrior said:
Why?
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Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Estaloc, chemically speaking, is a nicer and stronger material than any other material that has been used on becker handles. I believe every time we change handle material (estaloc, grivory, hylon, zytel, ultramid) they go down in strength every time. Now I've never had a problem with any of the becker handles, so what they are made of has never really bothered me. I really hate when I hear someone say becker handles are slick, but I'm having problems finding a better analogy. If you were to compare the new becker handles from kabar to the old estaloc. I would say the estaloc feels less slick and less refined.
 
$500.00!!!! Thats all I've seen for a Cinnci Bk4 Thats Crazy money. Ahh what the hell the kids are smart enough they don't need college lol
 
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