Why did you buy that knife?

[Lawrence Helm]

It is common on the Becker Forum to be urged to buy a BK9 or BK5 or any of the other Beckers. Was I influenced by them and if so what effect would there be if I was to leave the forum? I'm not saying I'm doing that but the idea caused me to examine my reason for purchasing these knives. I like to think that I'm not easily influenced and the research I did was to read what I could, watch a bunch of YouTube reviews, and read a lot of notes on this forum: Research I tell myself and not influence.

I was reminded of Cromwell's soldiers polishing and sharpening their swords and then holding them for comfort while they looked out toward the enemy they'd be facing the next day. And later the soldiers of John Bell Hood facing difficult odds at Franklin and insurmountable ones at Nashville taking comfort in the rifles and bayonets they tenderly wiped clean. Surely these examples of metals valued and used by soldiers rose above the level of the ordinary. I truly feel that the knives I've purchased recently, the BK2, BK7, BK9 and BK10, are not just tools or weapons amongst others but transcend them -- maybe not all, but most of the others I've looked at recently.

We know in a general that 100,000 years or so ago, for example, one of our ancestor's lay next to his wife near a smoldering fire. His dog who was lying nearby lifted his head, sniffed the air and softly growled. The man stood up, slung his knife belt around his waist and picked up his spear. He looked in the same direction that his dog was looking. They heard wolves howl in the distance. He looked around him and other mean stood as well, spears ready, knives tied to their waist. They weren't worried. They could deal with the wolves if they had the audacity to attack; which they almost certainly wouldn't. This is still who we are -- many of us. Evolution pushed us into this competence that we have when we reach for our knives when we feel uncertain. If you feel uncertain and your knife calms you and gives you confidence, you have come to that naturally.

Why did you buy and why do you value your Becker knives? If you are going to be completely clinical and say its merely because they are the best knives for the money, I won't believe you.

Lawrence

 

[tobiism]

I was preparing Bug Out bags for the family and I wanted tough durable knives that wouldnt break the bank to be a part of said bags. Once I received the BK2 I was intrigued, and then I received the BK9 and was HOOKED. Then it was the 5 and the 16 and the 17 and the 10 and the 7 and the 14 and so on and so forth. I dont still have all of them because I chose my favorites and traded the rest out. Once I started using them and participating in this forum the knives started taking on a very personal feel. I love them. You cant beat them. They would still be a tremendous value at twice the price(but dont tell Kabar I said that).

 

[Jonny1280]

It is common on the Becker Forum to be urged to buy a BK9 or BK5 or any of the other Beckers. Was I influenced by them and if so what effect would there be if I was to leave the forum? I'm not saying I'm doing that but the idea caused me to examine my reason for purchasing these knives. I like to think that I'm not easily influenced and the research I did was to read what I could, watch a bunch of YouTube reviews, and read a lot of notes on this forum: Research I tell myself and not influence.

Lawrence

You should take a look at the Machax! Lol




I found a good deal on a BK11.
I didn't know much about BK&T at the time so I started doing some research.
Found the forums here.
I liked seeing how crazy everyone was about thier Becker knives. How they were used, how they were modded. Pictures of knives being used outdoors. Glamour shots of knives outdoors!! Lol
It intrigued me as it still does today.
I've enjoyed being a part of it.
Getting to know a lot of the Beckerheads and Ethan himself has been wonderful.
To me, it's more than just buying, owning, and using a great knife.
Sharing your experiences with Becker knives with other like minded individuals here on the forums makes you part of something much bigger than just being a knife owner.
You get to be a part of a large, diverse, fully functioning, interactive community.
And there's no other place I've found quite like it!

 

[TBL]

I wanted an all around 1 knife solution for survival in ANY situation. I found the BK2 while doing my research and landed on the famous destruction thread. That sealed the deal for me!

As mentioned above, after finding this little corner of BF it then became part of the community. There is a vast amount of knowledge in the experience of everybody that contributes. Learning these new things and hanging around these great people keep me here.

 

[hhmoore]

Why did you buy that knife?

1) Because it was there.
2) Because I wanted it.
3) Because I couldn't stop myself.

A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 3 only
D) 1 and 2
E) 1,2, and 3


OR

a) My wife/gf said it was okay
b) I figured my wife/gf wouldn't notice...at least until I'd used it enough to get away with the "I've had this for a long time, just look at it" argument
c) My wife/gf left me, so I buy whatever the hell I want


OR


Because I'm a Beckerhead, and that's what we do!!

 

[Lawrence Helm]

Why did you buy that knife?

1) Because it was there.
2) Because I wanted it.
3) Because I couldn't stop myself.

A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 3 only
D) 1 and 2
E) 1,2, and 3


OR

a) My wife/gf said it was okay
b) I figured my wife/gf wouldn't notice...at least until I'd used it enough to get away with the "I've had this for a long time, just look at it" argument
c) My wife/gf left me, so I buy whatever the hell I want


OR


Because I'm a Beckerhead, and that's what we do!!

Hmm. No doubt I was influenced by the Marine Corps. In boot camp and also in combat training at Camp Pendleton we often had to sleep with our weapons. We built relationships with our M1s. Years later when I took up handgun target shooting I did the same thing -- felt a little uncomfortable I'll admit when it was a revolver and I could imagine accidentally grabbing the trigger in my sleep; so when I was about to go to sleep I would set it on my night stand. Now with these Becker knives I'm doing the same thing.

I don't know why they had us do that in the Marines or whether modern Marines still do it. We didn't have to do it every night, but they had us do it enough so we were comfortable having our weapons with us as we slept. As to why I still do it, its probably just because it was part of my education: after high school the Marine Corps and after that college. It all merged and I haven't gone back and reexamined everything. I've rejected some things but not everything and not this. It isn't a matter of protection. I have two dogs, and Duffy especially will bark at any strange noise or anything he sees out front which would give me plenty of time to get any sort of weapon I owned wherever it was. Besides in case of a real threat I'd select one of my guns and not a knife.

The sun's coming up. Time for a hike.

Lawrence

 

[tfields]

the bk2 was my first becker. i watched a lot of vids on youtube and was impressed with the blade! the thing that tipped me too it was the interviews with ethan i was like wow what a great guy i gotta have one of his knives!!

 

[JWL]

My first 3 Beckers were ordered at basically the same time: a 2, a 9, and an 11. Small, Medium, Large. I figured these would tide me over.

The 11 didn't fit my hand well at all, so I tried the 14. A little better, but still way too small of a handle.

Then the 4 came out and I had to have one. It remains my favorite Becker and is my go-to woods/outdoors knife.

Not much later the tweeners came out. I got the 15 first since I didn't have a trailing point blade. I liked it a lot, but realized soon it wasn't great for outdoors use. So I started using it a lot in the kitchen, and now it lives there.

Finally I got a 16, which I absolutely love. Perfect "small" knife for me in the woods. Now the 16 and the 4 are my go-to knives. The 15 gets heavy use in the kitchen. I still have the 2, which I use mostly for batoning and cutting up chaga. I still have the 9, which gets some use as well, mostly in the kitchen for cutting up big squash, but occasionally for outdoor stuff too if I want a big knife.

The 11 and the 14 have moved on, since I couldn't really use them.

I'm really happy with my current Becker lineup, though I could see picking up a 5 before they are gone (for a big knife for the wife) and I'm sure I'll be interested in the RBK when they come out.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

I was intrigued by the Becker forum and what was going on, kinda stumbled around the threads trying to decide which, if any, Becker I was going to get to "try out". Then one fine fall day last October, right around my birthday, I walked into a small gunshop. In a display case was a stack of 5 Beckers::

1 NIB Camillus BK11
1 N No B Kabar BK2 with sheath
1 NIB Camillus BK2
1 NIB Camillus BK7
1 NIB Blackjack BK2

The guy wanted $275 (plus tax) for the whole pile. Tried to dicker, but that was as low as he would go because that was what he had in them (he had taken them as partial payment for a gun he sold). So I did what every self respecting knife enthusiast would have done-- I bought them and scurried away quickly before he could change his mind.

After that, it was simply a slippery slope to Beckerhead-dom and a much, much bigger pile of Beckers of all flavors.

 

[lnhiv]

I only have one...and I just finally placed my order about an hour ago.

I have wanted something larger that I can use, and occasionally abuse, without fear of being without a blade because my dumb ass just broke mine. Primarily while out and about, toss under the truck seat, etc. I always have a folder with me, but that doesn't hold up to everything I get myself into. Basically the same reason my 870 goes with me camping, along with my xd40. My BK7 will go with me outdoors, along with my CRKT M16. Sometimes there is no replacement for size and durability. This was the best option out of all of them I found as far as bang-for-the-buck. They look great, and have an amazing reputation.


Plus let's just admit it, I wanted another knife. And a project to boot (new handle material is already at my house).


Also, Lawrence, you noted the comfort/dependence that can be had just knowing that there is a tool at our disposal to help us out in a time of need. I've had a knife in my pocket or on my person since I was 7 years old. They have always been tools (and admittedly toys at times), but have become an extension of my hand in my comfort and familiarity with them. I have switched back to old EDC folders because I misplaced my current one or knew that I stood a good chance of destroying it, and I am always amazed that no matter which knife I have clipped, I always am able to draw and open it without any thought even though I have at least five different methods of carry and opening between my favorites. My edged friends are a part of me and always will be. When I have finished with them, I usually find someone who is in need of a blade, and I show them my collection, point out what they can't have, and then teach them on the knife they choose. How it works, what I've noticed about it, what it's good for, what it's not good for, etc. And then I'll give them as much hands-on time as they want with it, sharpen it, and let them have it. I have given away at least half dozen knives this way. That's the end of my tangent.


Larry

 

[Zuluninja]

Jonny1280 summed it up pretty good. This place adds to just being an owner of a Becker knife. It's a fun place, dynamic, full of loonies and overall good peeps, and the flow of ideas never stops.

For me, I have been using knives for a long time, and then when I got to college it became an indispensable tool while studying animal science and being at farms all the time. Of course, back then I was quite broke and I would go for the cheapest/coolest looking functioning blade. Then I was hired by USDA at the San Juan airport in Puerto Rico as an agriculture technician and the knife really became an EDC as everyday I had to open boxes and plastic wrapped bundles.

When they called me to work as a PPQ officer at Miami, on the first day they handed me my work inspection tools, a Gerber Gator and a flashlight. From that day on I began to search for quality and started getting knives to use at work and EDC. One year later I got rewarded with one of the first CRKT M16 flippers for catching a rare bug during an inspection. I flipped the crap out of that knife until I wore the lock out. By that time I realized that for my type of job, I would do better with a fixed blade.

It wasn't long until I realized that when it comes to knives, you get what you pay for. I always liked to personalize my knives, so searching for etching methods landed me on this site, and from then on I stumbled upon these really good quality knives that didn't cost an arm and a leg, and people doing all kinds of stuff with/to them. I admit that I may have bought many knives on impulse, regardless of brand, but when it comes to Beckers I know I am getting my money's worth.

 

[samclaymore]

You too huh.

Good reliable cheap knife in case shtf. And they are fun to work on too

 

[dynamicmoves]

Jonny1280 summed it up pretty good. This place adds to just being an owner of a Becker knife. It's a fun place, dynamic, full of loonies and overall good peeps, and the flow of ideas never stops.

How do I know which group I fall into?

As for the question, I didn't have a lot of money to spend on a knife and I wanted a good fixed blade for the outdoors. I was guided towards Becker and ESEE. Since I thought I needed that 1/4th inch spine, the Condors and Moras were out. I didn't have a lot of money, and so the BK2 won out.
I took that Becker out the day I got it and more or less hammered it through everything in my path. I felt unstoppable.

Now, I compare every new knife to the Becker handles, if I don't like the handles, I don't buy the knife.

 

[Zuluninja]

I don't have my original M16, but got another one years ago just because it's a fun, practical knife. That's quite a shiny 7!

dynamic, I guess you fall in the dynamic group? lol

 

[dynamicmoves]

Long as I'm not in the loonies I'm happy.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

I don't have my original M16, but got another one years ago just because it's a fun, practical knife. That's quite a shiny 7!

dynamic, I guess you fall in the dynamic group? lol

And ZN I really really hate that you posted that Spanish knives thread last year. I'm not sure I want to go count how many I have now.

 

[tanglediver]

Because the propaganda told me to.

Like any propaganda, someone is behind the sales pitch. Someone authored the agenda. Someone has a claim on the profit. It serves a purpose for the one who pushes it forward, as it were. The outcome is the prize when the line is bitten, and the bait taken. The trap springs into action, not thinking, not feeling, just acting on a machined program. Created for a singular cause, the propaganda recreates itself in new hosts.

Not a very good reason I think. They are good knives, that's why.

 

[Guyon]

Bladite made me.

 

[Zuluninja]

And ZN I really really hate that you posted that Spanish knives thread last year. I'm not sure I want to go count how many I have now.

lol. I saw you did bid on a Muela I put on the bay recently. Did this thread make you reconsider?

I have been curbing my knife buying addiction. I only have 3 more knives to add pics of to that thread, but my list of future Spanish blades to buy is down to just 2 and I might wait til I go to Spain next year to get them. Then again, when I get there I bet it will be very difficult to limit purchases to just those 2

 

[granitestateofmind]

Knives are indispensable tools. The average adult uses knives every day. I first started coveting them because of my dad's SAK....the first "multi-tool"...I just thought that you could do pretty much everything with that thing. There was no such thing as "survival" in the 60's and 70's when I was growing up. I carried an SAK Tinkerer to school (in Upstate NY, no less) almost every day. It was a tool, after all, and nobody thought twice about it. The thing that got me into Beckers, oddly enough, were Gerbers. The first was (still is, actually) a Blackie Collins Gerber Clip that was the first fixed blade I ever owned (aside from kitchen knives). It went backpacking and hiking with me, then took up more or less permanent residence on my kayaking vest 20 years ago. Fast forward to a couple of years ago, and I saw this Bear Grylls "Ultimate Survival Knife" at Small Fart and it was only $40 and I bought it. Believe it or not, it's a reasonably well made knife and has some really nice features, tho many may scoff and for sure I coulda lived without all the "BG" and orange branding. It got me to thinking about what else might be out there, and I started doing what a lot of people do, researching and reading, which led me to BF on more than one occasion. I dunno why, but I thought I was only gonna buy one knife (what was I on?) so I was looking for the biggest, sturdiest, beefiest one I could afford with some gift money I'd gotten for my birthday. The BK-9 was in the running, and affordable, which means every time I googled it in comparison to something else, I would end up in the BK&T sub of BF reading some comment by bigghoss about unicorn blood and the space-time continuum and how the King would vastly improve my otherwise pitiful existence. So I ordered one, and it came and I had a smile on my face for a week. Quickly went down the rabbit hole, and by October last year I was coming to terms with my love of sharpened tools and attending the Northeast Gathering...

The BK&T subforum has become a second home for me, and I think a lot of us feel that way. Trailbum made me and my two girls feel welcome at the gathering (tho I was not yet a Beckerhead), and I came to realize this community is not just "virtual". There are real people involved here, and that's the best part. It gives you a connection with the knives that I certainly didn't have with my BG. And they are great, comfortable knives that I would trust my life to, should it ever come to that. I believe that it's the people here and especially our benevolent überlord, Uncle E, who make the knives what they are, because there are a lot of good quality blades out there - but it's rare that their designer/maker would be so personally involved with the users of his product (much less invite them to his house a couple times a year!)

+1 to what everyone else said. And it's true....Bladite made me do it.