- Joined
- Dec 28, 2002
- Messages
- 233
A couple weeks ago, I picked up a BK9. Yesterday evening, I got the opportunity to give the knife a good workout after some strong winds knocked a bunch of limbs and branches out of an old maple tree in my rear yard.
I'm pleased to report, the BK9 is a very impressive performer.
FYI ... even though the factory edge had been cleanly buffed and would push cut paper and shave arm hair over most of its length, my Becker came with a somewhat obtuse and uneven grind. As a result, I went ahead and reprofiled the edge shortly after getting the knife, establishing a uniform 16 degree edge bevel per side with a medium India stone, then applying a very light 21 degree secondary bevel with fine ceramic. The steel in the BK9 is a pleasure to sharpen, and I found it extremely easy to produce an edge that would keep Jerry Fisk's mice awake at night.
Prior to tackling the maple limbs, I had done some preliminary testing of the reprofiled BK9 on some pieces of rough/split mahogany and oak, and was delighted with how the knife performed. The knife is a good size for controlled, two-handed work, and the quality of the edge was such that it was little trouble to true and shape these tough, split-prone hardwoods. The mahogany in particular proved to be pretty tough on the black epoxy finish, but the BK9 held its edge through this work, with no perceptible loss in cutting efficiency before I had a big mess of wood shavings on the workshop floor.
When the softer, green maple limbs and branches made themselves available for further testing of the big Becker, I decided to use the knife in ways I might ordinarily consider abusive, just to see how it would perform. With some of the limbs being in the 2-1/2" to 2-3/4" diameter range (stuff I'd ordinarily use a tree saw on) I saw an opportunity to test the toughness of the reprofiled edge with a lot of lateral stress and twisting force.
With little more than a short, brisk swing made mostly with the wrist, my first chop into one of the springy limbs at about a 45 degree angle sank a good inch into the wood -- very satisfying! As I continued, I was genuinely surprised what a good chopper the BK9 is. Blade bite was outstanding at a variety of angles, and while the "sweet spot" for this kind of work clearly seems to be just behind the belly, there was no real loss of control or discomfort even with somewhat errant blows. As is often the case with chopping like this, heavier strokes didn't result in proportionately greater penetration, but would often dislodge pieces of wood. There was no problem whatsoever with binding. Small branches up to 1/2" diameter were easily lopped off, and a number of very forceful chops were made into the larger fare, just to see how the edge would hold up.
When finished, I removed my gloves, and found the edge still very sharp to the touch. A quick spritz with WD-40 and a wipe down, and both the edge and black epoxy coat appeared practically perfect. Later, under magnification, no edge chipping, impaction or rolling was found, and a few quick passes on ceramic rods restored the original sharpness.
Only other comment ... while the Becker handles seem to be a bit controversial, I'm personally finding them to be extremely well designed, and they fit my rather sinewy, medium-large hands very well; in fact, when I first picked the BK9 up after putting my work gloves on, I almost thought the handle could stand to be just a tad longer. But once I began working, I never gave the handle a second thought, and the grip was very secure and comfortable throughout.
My compliments to the good folks at Camillus/BK&T on an excellent product.
I'm pleased to report, the BK9 is a very impressive performer.
FYI ... even though the factory edge had been cleanly buffed and would push cut paper and shave arm hair over most of its length, my Becker came with a somewhat obtuse and uneven grind. As a result, I went ahead and reprofiled the edge shortly after getting the knife, establishing a uniform 16 degree edge bevel per side with a medium India stone, then applying a very light 21 degree secondary bevel with fine ceramic. The steel in the BK9 is a pleasure to sharpen, and I found it extremely easy to produce an edge that would keep Jerry Fisk's mice awake at night.
Prior to tackling the maple limbs, I had done some preliminary testing of the reprofiled BK9 on some pieces of rough/split mahogany and oak, and was delighted with how the knife performed. The knife is a good size for controlled, two-handed work, and the quality of the edge was such that it was little trouble to true and shape these tough, split-prone hardwoods. The mahogany in particular proved to be pretty tough on the black epoxy finish, but the BK9 held its edge through this work, with no perceptible loss in cutting efficiency before I had a big mess of wood shavings on the workshop floor.
When the softer, green maple limbs and branches made themselves available for further testing of the big Becker, I decided to use the knife in ways I might ordinarily consider abusive, just to see how it would perform. With some of the limbs being in the 2-1/2" to 2-3/4" diameter range (stuff I'd ordinarily use a tree saw on) I saw an opportunity to test the toughness of the reprofiled edge with a lot of lateral stress and twisting force.
With little more than a short, brisk swing made mostly with the wrist, my first chop into one of the springy limbs at about a 45 degree angle sank a good inch into the wood -- very satisfying! As I continued, I was genuinely surprised what a good chopper the BK9 is. Blade bite was outstanding at a variety of angles, and while the "sweet spot" for this kind of work clearly seems to be just behind the belly, there was no real loss of control or discomfort even with somewhat errant blows. As is often the case with chopping like this, heavier strokes didn't result in proportionately greater penetration, but would often dislodge pieces of wood. There was no problem whatsoever with binding. Small branches up to 1/2" diameter were easily lopped off, and a number of very forceful chops were made into the larger fare, just to see how the edge would hold up.
When finished, I removed my gloves, and found the edge still very sharp to the touch. A quick spritz with WD-40 and a wipe down, and both the edge and black epoxy coat appeared practically perfect. Later, under magnification, no edge chipping, impaction or rolling was found, and a few quick passes on ceramic rods restored the original sharpness.
Only other comment ... while the Becker handles seem to be a bit controversial, I'm personally finding them to be extremely well designed, and they fit my rather sinewy, medium-large hands very well; in fact, when I first picked the BK9 up after putting my work gloves on, I almost thought the handle could stand to be just a tad longer. But once I began working, I never gave the handle a second thought, and the grip was very secure and comfortable throughout.
My compliments to the good folks at Camillus/BK&T on an excellent product.
I hope this follow-up post will be a bit more relevant to those of you who like to get all cammied up and sneak around the park late at night like I do, terrifying all the lovers, muggers and drug dealers; or, for anyone who might have reason to carry their BK&T from time-to-time.
