Design Merits and value of BK62

1066vik said:
check in on the JK subforum - John makes a couple versions of the HB knife that have some heft and a decent balance.
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Thank you, my friend. I've looked over there and checked out some pictures. Interest is piqued enough that I've chimed in, maybe I can get in on his books next year .
 
Will wait to see how the others like it and get some outdoor time with it, but I think it will be a winner. Was wondering if it should have a small sharpening choil/cutout where the blade meets the handle so that the whole blade can be sharpened easier all the way back. Excited about this one.
 
Tanker 1/66 said:
In my mind I bought the original knife that Horace used in his travels. Of all the people in the world that could have come into possession of this knife it was our very own Ethan Becker. Nobody else could or would have made this happen. I want Horace Kepharts knife I want the same materials he had. Carbon Steel, Wood, and Leather. Nothing more nothing less. I own Horace Kepharts knife.
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Couldn't have said better myself :thumbsup:
 
Hey Crag.....

Your first impressions are interesting in that I had a so-so initial reaction to the Kephart as well.....When I first saw it I was not impressed and when I first held it I was pretty indifferent to it.... When my friend Mark Zalesky ,who owned, it came down to my woods and we went out and about and he let me do a little cutting I realized what I had in my hand.... I started to drool slightly and began negotiations with unseemly rapidity.... Mark is a good guy and I did not have to take out a second mortgage.....

I am always uncomfortable trying to justify pricing over which I have no control whatsoever but let me suggest that individually machined scales out of a pretty pricey wood, the need to run the blade blank through the grinder six rather than two times and a whole crud load of finishing and a very decent made in USA leather sheath contributes mightily to the M.S.R.P......

I have great hopes that as you use this blade it will win you over as it did me....
 
I hope and actually believe you will come to love this knife ...

I was excited when Ethan annouced it's upcoming release ... partly from the history of the knife ... partly because I have some Kephart inspired blades and the shape/build works well ...

And when I first opened the box and picked up the knife ... I had a bit of worry about the handle size ... being thin and not filling my hand enough for extended use comfort ... and saw the scales a bit rough ...

but I can tell you after handling it that evening and then taking it out and making a couple feather sticks and just whittling awhile ... that it feels great in my hand ... and rubbing down the scales with mineral oil and a touch of linseed oil they seemed perfect ... the leather sheath secures it well and it carries comfortable ...

and found myself thinking back to my youth the knives many men carried around here hunting or fishing or just in the woods were very similar ... and I always loved when dad let me help and use his ...

and I have been a huge supporter of the BK5 and BK15 .. and bought a few up as I learned their were being discontinued ... well after a couple days using the 62 ... there is another on it's way as we speak ...
 
I do not want to derail this thread, but I have a quick question. Would immersion in hot beeswax for several hours (until bubbles stop escaping from within the wood grain) be a sufficient method of treating/fortifying the maple scales? I sanded down the few rough patches and want to treat and polish the scales but cannot decide which method to use.

Aside from that, my newly received BK62 has so far met my expectations and served well in the kitchen. I enjoy how it feels in hand and am eager to see how it handles in the brush. For what I paid, well under $140, I think this knife's quality/capabilities outweigh the price.
 
I think it is a great value and fully in line price wise with the rest of the Becker lineup. A BK-16 is 69.99, I picked mine up for 119 shipped. For $43ish more I get a historically accurate Kephart without the usual modernization's or tactical finishes, real walnut scales, a serviceable leather sheath, and a stonewashed finish. I think it is a heck of a good value personally and will probably rank very high among my favorite tools. A 4 inch version would likely make it my #1 knife.
 
I think it's a fair price for the knife. The design features were already covered early on in post 8. I honestly didn't know it wasn't coated, I was dead set thinking it had a clear coat on it based on how well it cleaned up yesterday when I used it on some sappy green cedar. The sheath being US is a nice touch. Seems like you often get a US knife with a Mexico, or other importer, leather sheath.

I bought it partly to support Ethan as I have growing respect for the person, especially being newer to BF and having not been able to enjoy his presence here until recently. I have increasingly become a fan of buying knives from people that I think are good folks, for both the knife community and just good people. Becker, LT Wright, and Busse are kind of the main one's I've landed on lately but there are plenty of others.

There's also the nostalgia of what the knife represents. I'm pleasantly surprised by the sheath. It's like an American take how a puukko sheath snugs up on the handle for good retention. The simple look is partly what makes the knife great. I know it makes it look basic but it's the subtleties that make it nice. I feel the same way about the other 2 brands above (busse is far from simple and they just load up on the subtleties until the knife is loud and proud).

For the record, I think the original price from Tomar's was around $105 or $110 which I think is a great price for it. I think $130 is fair and what I paid for my 3rd one (assuming I keep my pre-orders with Tomars) from BHQ but it certainly makes me think about the other options. I think this would be an amazing piece to sell as a blank for people to personalize, similar to what condor does with some of their bushcraft knives.
 
Read a few more of the comments, I really like that the handles are rough instead of polished. I love the look of wood but hate it on outdoors knives as it's like glass on my dry hands in the cooler months when It's not so cold I need gloves but not humid enough to where I can grip things well. It's why I like micarta best for anything outside of easier use knives like EDC and traditionals. The woods almost has a texture like a lightly buffed canvas micarta in my hands. I also like that the wood on mine was darker than many others I'm seeing. I love a dark wood, right up to before it begins to look like ebony.

Edit to add a photo that adds a bit to my preferences. The LT Wright bushcrafter Mark II and bushbaby are two newer ones that kinda helped prompt my desire for the BK62.
UAAWX70l.jpg
 
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Skystorm said:
I think it is a great value and fully in line price wise with the rest of the Becker lineup. A BK-16 is 69.99, I picked mine up for 119 shipped. For $43ish more I get a historically accurate Kephart without the usual modernization's or tactical finishes, real walnut scales, a serviceable leather sheath, and a stonewashed finish. I think it is a heck of a good value personally and will probably rank very high among my favorite tools. A 4 inch version would likely make it my #1 knife.
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Skystorm! Wow!
(will we see a Gnomic 62 sheath??)
 
oldmanwilly said:
I do not want to derail this thread, but I have a quick question. Would immersion in hot beeswax for several hours (until bubbles stop escaping from within the wood grain) be a sufficient method of treating/fortifying the maple scales? I sanded down the few rough patches and want to treat and polish the scales but cannot decide which method to use.

Aside from that, my newly received BK62 has so far met my expectations and served well in the kitchen. I enjoy how it feels in hand and am eager to see how it handles in the brush. For what I paid, well under $140, I think this knife's quality/capabilities outweigh the price.
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You could use boiled linseed oil as well. Several people have done that already, commenting on the "thirsty" wood. There was a recipe and some instructions in the BK62 first run thread, maybe someone can link to that or I can dig it up. Some mixture of oil and spirits with more spirits at the start for higher penetration and decreasing in subsequent coats.

I used a light amount of mineral oil on mine while coating the blade after use which is less permanent but helps a little. I'll just keep splashing a little on as I coat the blade.
 
if you want to do a wax soak, melt the wax, then stir in an equal amount of mineral oil to thin it down a little more -- 10-15 minutes of soak should be plenty, let it cool briefly and buff with a dead sock. Do NOT let the wax get warm enough to start smoking and turn the heat off after adding the mineral spirits.

"Danish Oil" is a product easy to find that is basically BLO mixed with teak oil, mineral spirits (thinner), and some other ingredients that help it soak in deeper and cure faster.
soak the wood in danish oil for 15 minutes, then wipe it off and hang it out to dry overnight, and it's ready to use. (full cure takes about 7-10 days)
repeat if necessary.
 
Heh, thanks to the abysmal exchange rate, and my general impatience, this piece cost me close to $200 CAD. Might even be a duty/customs fee on top of that. Paid it without a second thought. As soon as I saw the ad that quite randomly came up on my browser, I had to have it.

Why?

Massive history buff and I've an affinity for historical knife patterns. Some of my favorite users are the simple trade and "mountain man" (read: butcher knives) (I've an amazing frontier pattern knife made by a local master smith. It's made using no power tools at all) of the 18th and 19th centuries. The 62 is the closest copy I've ever seen of a knife designed and carried by Kep. My copy of C.A.W. is quite well worn, filled with sticky notes and dog-earred pages. So to me, it's like holding and using a piece of history, and a design that just simply works. I've already started putting together a kit based on his "summer outfit" and planning for a 10 or so say ramble in the woods using his tools. That should be fun!

Speaking of rambling, I seem to be doing just that. At the end of the day, it was worth it to me because I simply think it's cool, and I know Beckers to be of quality. I can't wait to build a fire with it and cook up some bear steak.
 
JoshSkaarup said:
Heh, thanks to the abysmal exchange rate, and my general impatience, this piece cost me close to $200 CAD. Might even be a duty/customs fee on top of that. Paid it without a second thought. As soon as I saw the ad that quite randomly came up on my browser, I had to have it.

Why?

Massive history buff and I've an affinity for historical knife patterns. Some of my favorite users are the simple trade and "mountain man" (read: butcher knives) (I've an amazing frontier pattern knife made by a local master smith. It's made using no power tools at all) of the 18th and 19th centuries. The 62 is the closest copy I've ever seen of a knife designed and carried by Kep. My copy of C.A.W. is quite well worn, filled with sticky notes and dog-earred pages. So to me, it's like holding and using a piece of history, and a design that just simply works. I've already started putting together a kit based on his "summer outfit" and planning for a 10 or so say ramble in the woods using his tools. That should be fun!

Speaking of rambling, I seem to be doing just that. At the end of the day, it was worth it to me because I simply think it's cool, and I know Beckers to be of quality. I can't wait to build a fire with it and cook up some bear steak.
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C’mon Josh, you’re talkin’ like you’re actually gonna receive this knife soon. What, you think this postal strike gonna end this year or somethin’?? :D
 
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