What are the best scales made of for a Becker

james terrio said:
The thing to remember about "grippy" handles is... you don't need 'em. Becker handles are specifically designed to nestle comfortably and securely into your hand; it really doesn't matter much if they're wet or bloody or heavily-textured or smooth as glass. That's the whole point :)

With any knife, if you're relying on texture to hold onto it, there's something badly wrong with the handle design in the first place! Good handle design (like Beckers) will almost "lock" the knife into your hand without twisting or slipping, and you won't have to hold on for dear life... poor handle design will make it want to slip out of your control no matter how rough the material is.

The most amusing part of the whole gription thing is, almost all "grippy" handles have the texture on the sides, where your hand is putting very little pressure on it... not along the spine and underside of the tang, where your fingers and the meat of your thumb is actually squeezing on it.

If you really want to get serious about grip and retention, jimp or checker the tang, and replace the hard scales with ones made of neoprene or horse-stall-mat material.

Having said all that, if you just plain like a "grippier" handle, canvas micarta with a fairly coarse finish is hugely popular, for good reason. It's very durable, provides a "warm" feel, and it's not expensive. Yes, it can absorb a little moisture and goop and at least in theory, bacteria on the very surface, but honestly that's not a very big problem. The biggest issue you're going to have with a rough micarta handle is, it will darken and look a little dingy with a lot of use, from sweat and dirt and whatnot. Some will say, that just adds character. :)

My go-to is G10 for almost all the knives I make or modify, from camp to kitchen. It has all the benefits of micarta, with none of the minor downsides. Plus it's available in more colors. You can leave it rough (220 grit finish) for that warm, "grippy" feel, or polish it very smooth.

The quickest way to add gription and warmth to a stock Becker handle is to slip a "ranger band" (most people use a piece of bike inner tube) over it. Many folks have used skateboard tape and other wraps.

Another option is to stipple it. This looks cool as the other side of the pillow when done carefully, and certainly increases surface area and texxture. There are a bunch of threads here showing how people have done that.

Of course, other materials can also be used, simply for their aesthetic appeal. Many's the person who's built, or had custom scales made for a Becker out of lovely figured wood and other exotic stuff.

Personally, the only mod I made to my BK-16 was to sand the coating off the spine for scraping sparks off a ferro-rod, and put the supplied tan scales on it just because I like the color. I have zero concerns about keeping my grip on it during use, because it was designed properly in the first place :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Excellent observation I like your way of thinking
 
james terrio said:
The thing to remember about "grippy" handles is... you don't need 'em. Becker handles are specifically designed to nestle comfortably and securely into your hand; it really doesn't matter much if they're wet or bloody or heavily-textured or smooth as glass. That's the whole point :)

With any knife, if you're relying on texture to hold onto it, there's something badly wrong with the handle design in the first place! Good handle design (like Beckers) will almost "lock" the knife into your hand without twisting or slipping, and you won't have to hold on for dear life... poor handle design will make it want to slip out of your control no matter how rough the material is.

The most amusing part of the whole gription thing is, almost all "grippy" handles have the texture on the sides, where your hand is putting very little pressure on it... not along the spine and underside of the tang, where your fingers and the meat of your thumb is actually squeezing on it.

If you really want to get serious about grip and retention, jimp or checker the tang, and replace the hard scales with ones made of neoprene or horse-stall-mat material.

Having said all that, if you just plain like a "grippier" handle, canvas micarta with a fairly coarse finish is hugely popular, for good reason. It's very durable, provides a "warm" feel, and it's not expensive. Yes, it can absorb a little moisture and goop and at least in theory, bacteria on the very surface, but honestly that's not a very big problem. The biggest issue you're going to have with a rough micarta handle is, it will darken and look a little dingy with a lot of use, from sweat and dirt and whatnot. Some will say, that just adds character. :)

My go-to is G10 for almost all the knives I make or modify, from camp to kitchen. It has all the benefits of micarta, with none of the minor downsides. Plus it's available in more colors. You can leave it rough (220 grit finish) for that warm, "grippy" feel, or polish it very smooth.

The quickest way to add gription and warmth to a stock Becker handle is to slip a "ranger band" (most people use a piece of bike inner tube) over it. Many folks have used skateboard tape and other wraps.

Another option is to stipple it. This looks cool as the other side of the pillow when done carefully, and certainly increases surface area and texxture. There are a bunch of threads here showing how people have done that.

Of course, other materials can also be used, simply for their aesthetic appeal. Many's the person who's built, or had custom scales made for a Becker out of lovely figured wood and other exotic stuff.

Personally, the only mod I made to my BK-16 was to sand the coating off the spine for scraping sparks off a ferro-rod, and put the supplied tan scales on it just because I like the color. I have zero concerns about keeping my grip on it during use, because it was designed properly in the first place :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Wow, this is awesome and informative. Thanks for taking the time to write all of this out!
 
james terrio said:
The thing to remember about "grippy" handles is... you don't need 'em. Becker handles are specifically designed to nestle comfortably and securely into your hand; it really doesn't matter much if they're wet or bloody or heavily-textured or smooth as glass. That's the whole point :)

With any knife, if you're relying on texture to hold onto it, there's something badly wrong with the handle design in the first place! Good handle design (like Beckers) will almost "lock" the knife into your hand without twisting or slipping, and you won't have to hold on for dear life... poor handle design will make it want to slip out of your control no matter how rough the material is.

The most amusing part of the whole gription thing is, almost all "grippy" handles have the texture on the sides, where your hand is putting very little pressure on it... not along the spine and underside of the tang, where your fingers and the meat of your thumb is actually squeezing on it.

If you really want to get serious about grip and retention, jimp or checker the tang, and replace the hard scales with ones made of neoprene or horse-stall-mat material.

Having said all that, if you just plain like a "grippier" handle, canvas micarta with a fairly coarse finish is hugely popular, for good reason. It's very durable, provides a "warm" feel, and it's not expensive. Yes, it can absorb a little moisture and goop and at least in theory, bacteria on the very surface, but honestly that's not a very big problem. The biggest issue you're going to have with a rough micarta handle is, it will darken and look a little dingy with a lot of use, from sweat and dirt and whatnot. Some will say, that just adds character. :)

My go-to is G10 for almost all the knives I make or modify, from camp to kitchen. It has all the benefits of micarta, with none of the minor downsides. Plus it's available in more colors. You can leave it rough (220 grit finish) for that warm, "grippy" feel, or polish it very smooth.

The quickest way to add gription and warmth to a stock Becker handle is to slip a "ranger band" (most people use a piece of bike inner tube) over it. Many folks have used skateboard tape and other wraps.

Another option is to stipple it. This looks cool as the other side of the pillow when done carefully, and certainly increases surface area and texxture. There are a bunch of threads here showing how people have done that.

Of course, other materials can also be used, simply for their aesthetic appeal. Many's the person who's built, or had custom scales made for a Becker out of lovely figured wood and other exotic stuff.

Personally, the only mod I made to my BK-16 was to sand the coating off the spine for scraping sparks off a ferro-rod, and put the supplied tan scales on it just because I like the color. I have zero concerns about keeping my grip on it during use, because it was designed properly in the first place :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Great work James, just like normal :). I too prefer the stock grivory on my Beckers. Their shape + the right amount of slip/grip that the grivory has is very comfortable to me.

And I poked around a bit for the "destruction test" of the Becker grivory that I mentioned before (the one with the photos and the pipe wrench, not the one with the video that is broken that I found), but wasn't able to find it. I did find the homemade micarta test though, which should be somewhat entertaining for those curious about the durability of Micarta.

http://www.fendleyknives.com/LM105_tough.htm

Cheers :).
 
Glad I could help :)

My google-fu is weak at the moment, but there's also a video on youtube of someone shooting a stock Becker handle with a gun... yup, they broke it. Basically, if you want to break the grivory, you're gonna have to try pretty hard. The same goes for micarta, G10, carbon fiber, and most hardwoods ;)
 
(LONG EXASPERATED SIGH)

Everyone seems in such a rush to throw money at a problem. First let us consider Jeff Cooper's words on the subject:

"Knife handles should be checkered and bolt knobs should be smooth. But the manufacturers constantly seem to get it backwards."

I don't much like the handles that come with the Becker line. Shape is ok but too smooth. But rather than throw the price of a knife at the problem, I take a 4.5" piece of used bicycle inner tube (which you can get for free at most any bicycle shop) and stretch over the handle. Instant non-slip grip. Replace as needed.

. . . and at this point most of you are jumping back, holding up a cross and screaming "BACK! BACK! YE CURSED HELLSPAWN!"

BUT, my solution is low-tech, simple, cheap and effective. I know, I know. It isn't ELEGANT! But then some of us spend more time using our knives then worshiping them.

If you simply must rationalize, the inner tube protects the original factory grips from damage. Thbbbbbb.
 
Mr Natural said:
(LONG EXASPERATED SIGH)

Everyone seems in such a rush to throw money at a problem. First let us consider Jeff Cooper's words on the subject:

"Knife handles should be checkered and bolt knobs should be smooth. But the manufacturers constantly seem to get it backwards."

I don't much like the handles that come with the Becker line. Shape is ok but too smooth. But rather than throw the price of a knife at the problem, I take a 4.5" piece of used bicycle inner tube (which you can get for free at most any bicycle shop) and stretch over the handle. Instant non-slip grip. Replace as needed.

. . . and at this point most of you are jumping back, holding up a cross and screaming "BACK! BACK! YE CURSED HELLSPAWN!"

BUT, my solution is low-tech, simple, cheap and effective. I know, I know. It isn't ELEGANT! But then some of us spend more time using our knives then worshiping them.

If you simply must rationalize, the inner tube protects the original factory grips from damage. Thbbbbbb.
Click to expand...

Welcome!

What you describe most of us around here call "ranger bands"
many seem to like them used just how you describe. However like most things, people aren't all agreed :P.

I prefer the stock scales, as I find heavily textured scales give me blisters under prolonged use (I don't use gloves when using my knives). Do you by chance use gloves when you use a knife? My hypothesis is that many that prefer heavier texturing/friction may use gloves.

Anyway, I feel that the ergos alone of the handles are great. And with the large beckers, I would think it would be quite hard to have the knife escape my grasp, no matter the handle material.

Hope you stick around, this is a great place :).
 
The G10 handles are the perfect bland of grip and contour. The Micarta are a more grippy than the g10 but not as weather resistant. I have both sets on various Beckers and i like the G10 much more. james is right though good handle design is king and Beckers have that in spades. The other thing I like about the G10 scales from Knife connection is they are a hair narrower than stock.I wish I could get a set of G10 for my parangatang.
 
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omenwolf said:
The G10 handles are the perfect bland of grip and contour. The Micarta are a more grippy than the g10 but not as weather resistant. I have both sets on various Beckers and i like the G10 much more. james is right though good handle design is king and Beckers have that in spades. The other thing I like about the G10 scales from Knife connection is they are a hair narrower than stock.I wish I could get a set of G10 for my parangatang.
Click to expand...

Who made that sheath! Thats exactly what I'm looking for ( except bk4 not bk9).

Not to be a repetitive feline but I just bought black and blue g10 for my 4 and 24 and a matching fire steel. I have been shopping around for someone to make a kydex rig for it.

Was looking at yellow hawk customs.
 
knifejunkie1928 said:
Who made that sheath! Thats exactly what I'm looking for ( except bk4 not bk9).

Not to be a repetitive feline but I just bought black and blue g10 for my 4 and 24 and a matching fire steel. I have been shopping around for someone to make a kydex rig for it.

Was looking at yellow hawk customs.
Click to expand...
A member here his name is Dexwithers and his work is second to none. He also has a website http://www.coyleoutdoors.com/
Sorry for the hijacked thread.
 
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