Why the cut-outs in the handle?

M

melt

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Nov 20, 2006
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467
The other day I finally got a BK9, and so far I'm really liking this knife. Out of curiosity, I took the handle scales off and saw that there are cut-outs through the tang there, just as there are on my Camilus made Crewman. I was wondering why this is. Wouldn't the knife be stronger if there were no large holes under the handle scales? Anyone have any insight into why the knives are made this way?
 
Weight reduction and improved balance are all I can come up with but when you think about it, what else could it be? Maybe a Becker expert will step in and shine some light on your question. What surprises me is that the BK2 Campanion does NOT have any cut outs under the handle scales and it has a 1/4" blade.
How are you liking your BK9 Melt? I just got my BK2 a few days ago and I'm very pleased with it. I've been considering a BK9 as a future purchase, for some reason it appeals to me more than the 7.
 
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One thing I have seen is that people use the cavities under the handles for like a fishing kit or things like that. Doug
 
NorCalMtn2 said:
Weight reduction and improved balance are all I can come up with but when you think about it, what else could it be? Maybe a Becker expert will step in and shine some light on your question. What surprises me is that the BK2 Campanion does NOT have any cut outs under the handle scales and it has a 1/4" blade.
How are you liking your BK9 Melt? I just got my BK2 a few days ago and I'm very pleased with it. I've been considering a BK9 as a future purchase, for some reason it appeals to me more than the 7.
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Yeah, I was thinking weight reduction and/or balance, but I'd rather the knife just have a solid handle. It would give me more peace of mind about the knife's strength, though I feel it would take a heck of a lot of abuse to crack the handle off. Don't get me wrong; I'm not slamming this knife. I really like my new BK9. It might be impossible to beat for the 60 bucks I paid for it. It feels good in my hand, with good balance and not too much weight. Maybe those cut-outs help with that, but I'd be willing to have a bit more weight and a bit less balance for a more solid handle. When I got it, I took it out to the scap wood pile and choped some kindling out of a few oak and pine boards that my dad gets me as wooden pallets from a tractor dealership. Mind the nails! I hacked and batoned some, and the blade finish got really scuffed up and looks ugly now. That's my only complaint so far. But the finish still covers the blade to protect it from rust, which is it's real purpose. This ain't no safe queen, anyway. The edge would take a few hairs off my arm straight out of the box, so I chopped enough with it until it would no longer shave. I'd read that these things were hard to get shaving sharp once they were a little dull, but with about 15 minutes on a green DMT slab and a cardboard strop with Metal Glo polish rubbed on it, the Becker now shaves hair very well, even better that it did straight out of the box. The handle scales feel just awesome. They don't look fancy, but hold one of these knives and tell me it isn't one of the most comfortable handles you've ever felt. There's also a plenty of knob (for lack of a better word) at the blade end and back end of the handle so it won't easily come out of your hand. I also like the sheath, which is similar to the old sheaths the Camilus made Beckers had, except it is black instead of green like the one that came with my Camilus made Crewman. There is a pouch on the front of the sheath that will hold a multi-tool, folding knife, some para cord, a sharpening stone, or maybe a small survival kit. As a bonus that was not mentioned on Ka-Bar's web site or in their 2009 catalog, there is a small Becker BK13 knife that rides in a small sheath on the front of the main sheath. This knife (the BK13) is marked "China", appears to be some type of stainless steel, has about a 2 inch blade length, and also got hair-shaving sharp on the DMT and cardboard strop. I used it (the BK13) to eat a steak with the other night. I'm hoping to replace it with a little Buck Hartsook neck knife when I get around to getting one. Sadly, my Becker Necker won't fit in the same little sheath the BK13 goes in. So, I'm very pleased with the 9 so far. Other than machetes, it is the first large (over 7 inches) fixed blade I have owned, and I'm looking forward to taking it camping this summer. I'm also considering getting a kydex sheath for it, but that can wait. Now if only Ka-Bar and Becker would put out a BK9 in D2 (a steel Ka-Bar already uses in some knives) with micarta handles and kydex sheaths! That would be a beast of a knife! I'd need one of those!
 
Maybe those cut-outs help with that, but I'd be willing to have a bit more weight and a bit less balance for a more solid handle.
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I would too.

I hacked and batoned some, and the blade finish got really scuffed up and looks ugly now. That's my only complaint so far. But the finish still covers the blade to protect it from rust, which is it's real purpose.
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My BK2 got really chewed up after hard use as well so I removed the black coating, except for under the handle.
3373870332_ef821e646c_o.jpg

I've got several 1095 sheath knifes I've had for years that have held up fine with minimal care.
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So, I'm very pleased with the 9 so far. Other than machetes, it is the first large (over 7 inches) fixed blade I have owned, and I'm looking forward to taking it camping this summer.
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Sounds good. The only non machete large blade I've got is a Ontario RTAK II which I'm very pleased with.

I'm hoping that Becker releases the Crewman again, and the Brute.
 
It shouldn't have cut-outs in the handle, better send it to me so I can see what's up. Same for everybody else: if your Becker has cut-outs underneath, you need to send them to me so that I can dispose of them properly :D

All kidding aside, the BK9 is a really nice knife. I use the hollowed-out handles of my Beckers to store a mini survival kit. I suppose you could remove the handle scales and just cord wrap the handle to your liking, but I prefer them with the handle slabs.

I really hope they bring back the Machax and Brute. I had a Brute but it got left behind at my job as a landscaper for the city, and I have never even seen a Machax in real life. I still have a Combat Crewman, and hopefully we'll see a Kabar run.
 
if you fill the cavities with very tiny lead birdshot, you get a nice dampening effect when chopping.
 
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