Ka-Bar/Becker BK-11 Thoughts

This is the BK11 Becker Necker which is part of a collaboration between Becker Knife & Tool and Ka-bar. I don't believe I've tried any fixed blades from either company, so I was excited to get the chance to borrow this from someone that watches my videos. This can be used as a neck knife or be mounted on a belt. I'm impressed with it; however, my favorite fixed blade of all time, the Esee Izula, still has the top place in my heart. This knife has a few minor quirks that I'm not the biggest fan of. For the price, it's an extremely solid knife. On a quality standpoint alone, it's definitely worth picking up.

First off, I'd like to mention that the scales and the sheath shown in the photos are custom. They do not originally come with the knife. I'm not exactly sure who does them, but I know there's a huge variety of makers out there that could do something similar. The photo below from Cutlery Shoppe is a better representation of the knife if you were to buy it new. It reminds me of the Izula since it doesn't come with any scales. I can't speak to whether it is comfortable in the hand without these scales or whether the original sheath is any good.

Anyways, the design looks very nice. It functions well for EDC since it has such a simple blade shape. I personally wouldn't have used it as a neck knife even without the scales. It's a little too big for that in my opinion. The coating on the blade holds up well and has a neat texture to it. The quality is perfect. I've had no issues with it at all. You can tell you're buying from a high quality company. It's a solidly made knife overall. It's made in the USA too, so that's awesome!

The blade length on the BK11 is 3.25". That's a nice mid-sized length that can handle some bigger tasks. It's a beefier knife, so I bet it can take a beating. I've only used it for EDC stuff though, and it has performed quite well. The steel is 1095 Cro-Van. I don't know much about this steel, but I've liked it. I've been impressed with its performance. It's been sharp and has held its edge well. I've got no complaints when it comes to the blade.

As far as the handle goes, it's a bit too short for my hands. My pinky has to rest where the end starts to curve, which I'm not biggest fan of. Speaking of the end of the knife, the weird notch is apparently for breaking barb wire off fences. I haven't tested this, so I can't vouch for how well it would work. I don't even know how you'd do it, but it is neat it's there I guess. But yeah, because of the shorter length of the handle, the ergos feel a little cramped to me. I wish the handle was just a smidge longer. I get that it's shorter to help this be a neck knife, but I wouldn't have wanted to carry it as a neck knife anyways. The custom scales are awesome. They're contoured (I think that's what you'd call it), so they're thicker in the middle and get thinner at the ends. I love that, since the middle of the handle is where you mostly grip anyways. I can't say I've seen that type of scale on any other knives I've tried. I really do like it though. I believe they're made of Micarta, which feels good in the hand. I like that they've got a bit of texture to them. I also think it's neat that the scales can be removed with hex screws. It does make sense considering the design of the knife. 

I also wanted to briefly touch on how chunky this knife is. You know you're getting a solid knife in this BK11. It's much thicker than my Izula is. Due to the thickness, it isn't as easy or light to carry as the Izula is. That's fine for a fixed blade though. I'd feel extremely confident beating up on this knife due to the thickness. When I've been carrying it, I surprisingly haven't noticed it that much. Ultimately, I'm happy with how it carries.

These last two photos don't really matter, since this sheath doesn't come with the knife. Still, I figured I'd include them for my own memory. I love the Kydex sheath. I don't think I've tried many quality Kydex sheaths in the past. I see the value in having a quality sheath now. The guy that lent me this knife was telling me about how people have been stabbed by their knives due to crappily done sheaths. If a lot of force is put on a knife in the sheath, like if you're falling down heavily, the knife could end up stabbing through the sheath. That blew my mind when I heard it, but it does make sense. Anyways, it's still easy to get this knife out of the sheath one-handed. It locks in well with no rattle at all. This sheath is perfect in my eyes.

Sorry for the kind of crappy photo, but I wanted to show the belt loop on this sheath. It's my favorite part of the sheath and kind of makes me want to get a quality sheath made for my Izula. I love that the belt loop is not fully closed off if you can kind of tell at the bottom. This allows me to clip it onto my pants like a clip. I don't wear a belt at all, so this small detail allows me to still carry this knife on my person. I'm not sure if that's how all belt loops on Kydex sheaths are done, but I love it.

I'm editing this in 2019 with another crappy photo showing the BK-11 next to the Esee Izula. They're right about the same size surprisingly. 

You can pick this knife up for about $45, which is a great deal for what you're getting. It's an extremely solid and durable knife that you know will last forever. I still prefer my Izula as my mid-sized option, but this is not a bad option either. If you've been wanting one, I think it's a decent knife overall. My biggest issues with it are the thickness and the slightly too short handles. It was fun to try, but I probably wouldn't buy one for myself. I would be interested in trying more Ka-bar/BK&T knives in the future. Thanks for looking!