Official BK18 Harpoon Thread

GeofS said:
I think two different sized posts come with tkc g10 grips, maybe you had them reversed.
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I checked that, I've been filing on it a little at a time, don't wanna over do it.
 
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GeofS said:
When it comes out in s35vn with the bone linen micarta to match the Tuko I’ll pick up four more. :D
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Wouldnt that be something else? Too bad we shouldnt hold our breaths, though the bk77 did happen so maybe we can get lucky.
 
FAL'ER said:
That would be sweet, how much do you think it would cost, $200?
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Yeah somewhere around $200, tuko sold quick at that price so they might be able to get away with the same price. Hold up is that they werent offering a less expensive version.


For them, the s35vn costs them significantly more to produce than their 1095 cro van(they go through a lot of this material). So the price needs to be high enough to ensure their profit. But they arent going to make them if they are going to sit around in a warehouse waiting to sell. So the price needs to be low enough to sell fast yet enough quantity in order to make their profit worth it. Assuming it was a limited edition, that would help speed up sales.


Really as long as the bk18 is making good sales, i dont see them changing anything, and if sales arent that good, they arent going double down on it.


The only way i see it happening is if they recognize the benefits it would have on kitchen duties and want to capitalize on it.
(or they just really really like their patrons!)


Holiday special editions would be nice to see in the future. Example: Release 419 bk18’s made of s35vn for patriots day on april 19th.
Similar to the tuko for their 120 yr anniversary.
 
If you're willing to pay $200, you could probably get almost exactly what you want right now from a smaller independent maker.
It's harder for Ka-Bar as a brand to compete in that price category, I think. (street price, not MSRP)
 
daizee said:
If you're willing to pay $200, you could probably get almost exactly what you want right now from a smaller independent maker.
It's harder for Ka-Bar as a brand to compete in that price category, I think. (street price, not MSRP)
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Id agree, though with enough googling, one could probably find something already made thats close enough. You wouldnt want to have a blade made that is too close to the harpoon, at least not without ethans blessing
 
True, there's lots out there. I'd argue that the handle is more of a trademark than the blade. There's NO shortage of prior art on harpoon blade profiles.
 
I sliced up a cantaloupe last night. I halved and cut it into eighth's first with the BK5 (which appears to be almost perfect for that task), then cut the pieces out with both the BK15 and BK18.

I found that the wider blade necessitated a different technique than with a paring or similar knife to get chunks out of the curved slices. After I made the vertical cuts to the depth, rather than attempt to twist the knife in the cantaloupe to conform to the curvature of the rind I was able to use the flat just below the spine to keep the rind pressed flat against the cutting board.

I noted my index finger naturally goes to the back of the harpoon for precision cuts. Hmmm....I wonder if that's why they call it the "index" finger? This blade is in ergonomic "win".
 
Some knives...
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I have to agree that the becker handles are what gives beckers their identity. Even if youve only seen a standard and tweener becker, you recognize a knife as a becker based on the handle it has.

That kabar state and union knife makes a fine example of a knife similar to the bk18 but s35vn. Reminds me to keep an eye out for one at a good deal. Thanks for post!
 
That S&U knife is pretty nice, but I think it needs a longer handle for a blade that size.
 
daizee said:
That S&U knife is pretty nice, but I think it needs a longer handle for a blade that size.
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When it came out, i thought something looked off about it. Looking at it next to the harpoon, looks like blade to handle ratio could very much be the issue.
 
Getting back to the bk18.

Tonight i decided to forgo the tuko in favor of the harpoon. Initially it made me realize how much i like the tuko but after finding a groove with rock-chopping it felt much more natural. Im not too good at food prep so i dont have the muscle memory others may have. A chef could do some real damage with this knife; though not paying attention can cause another type of damage.

Heres a couple pictures since this thread needs more.

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It wasnt until midway through the cooked chicken that i really found my groove. This blade is more than sufficient for any task that is asked of it. I think this will be my camp kitchen knife while my tuko stays home.

As far as camp food prep goes, this knife will be able to handle everything without issue.
 
Y'all got time to learn about kitchen knives these days. :D

This one is pretty straightforward. I prefer to cut closer to the heel of the knife where I have more leverage and control:

This guy is pretty funny:
 
daizee said:
Y'all got time to learn about kitchen knives these days. :D

This one is pretty straightforward. I prefer to cut closer to the heel of the knife where I have more leverage and control:

This guy is pretty funny:
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Nice videos. Ive actually been trying to work on gripping the food with the claw grip. I am not really left handed or right handed, nor left eye or right eye dominant. I generally cut using my left hand but im on he right side of the food so i cant really see what im doing.

In that first video, that knife looks so big in her hands. And not all recipes call for the onion to be diced with the only distinction being the size. In the second vid, when the guy was holding it at the butt of the knife, reminded me of a guy i took fishing. Never again.

From what i understand, i knife with a belly and curve is designed for rock(rolling) chopping while the santoku is for straight up and down. Ethans toku is a santoku yet still has a curve to it which makes it versatile for me at least. However i start chopping, it seems to always turn into the slide and chop in that second video.
 
A good versatile western-ground knife will do either style of cut. I have a 7" Henckles santoku which works great with most techniques, and when I make a kitchen knife, I make sure there's enough of a curve that the tip won't dig in for sliding rock-cuts, but also has a good straightish section for straight chopping. The performance parameters for kitchen knives are pretty tight, which is part of the challenge/fun in making them.

My first main correct technique was a basic rock-chop with the tip firmly on the board. That will take you pretty far, and also show the limitations of a short blade (less than 6") in the kitchen. I mostly use 6-7.5" blades. Not a ton of space, and I don't have enormous cutting boards (or room for them). the 9-10" range is for the pros (IMO), or someone with a pro kitchen and the skills to use them. Or if you're routinely processing something like whole large cabbage heads, then the length is a real advantage.

The parameters for a "camp kitchen" knife are rather more lax, and probably would be hard to get people to actually agree on what that means. I don't camp enough or cook outside a kitchen enough to be invested in that idea or have a STRONG opinion. I'd probably call my BK-5 a camp kitchen knife, just so I'd have an excuse to use it. :) Tho my recently finished forged kitchen knife is a bit thicker than your common kitchen blade and probably would qualify too, if it had a sheath. But again, I probably wouldn't want a really long knife in a camp kitchen anyway, unless I was "camping" in a lumber yard (???). Long blades require lots of board area to be efficient and safe.
 
I did notice the limitations due to the length of the bk18. If i recall correctly the bk18 is more geared towards field dressing while the bk5 is much more for camp kitchen.

Most kitchen knives are of that same western style which is pretty telling that it is a worthwhile(understatement) design for a kitchen knife. I can only imagine fun of the challenge from crafting such a blade. From what ive seen, you do extremely good work.
 
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