Dear Kabar,

I am a huge fan of the Becker line of knives that you produce. They have proven to be some of the best designed fixed blades on the planet. They are tough, capable, and very budget friendly for what you get. I recommend them to people regularly. I am a knife enthusiast and few knives bring me more utility or pleasure than the BK-16. As it is currently made, it is one of my favorite knives. But as an enthusiast I’d like a bit more. Of course, I don’t need more. The current model works fine as it is. However, the same reason that motivates people to buy cars that travel at 6 times the speed limit, motivates this open letter.

I have owned the BK-16 for two years. For the first year of ownership I left it 100% stock. It was an excellent fixed blade. The second year gave rise to a number of modifications—I striped the coating, made a sheath myself, and upgraded the handle. These things made a good knife even better. But there is still more that can be done—upgrades that would transform a very good knife into an eternally great blade. I think there is market space to support an upgraded BK-16. After all there is a thriving mod and upgrade community that supports the knife and it is not uncommon to see BK-16s with $200 worth of upgrades. This tells me that an upgraded BK-16 would sell well enough to justify its existence.

First, while l like the Cro-Van 1095 and its ease of sharpening, I would prefer an even tougher steel. Both M4 and 3V would made stellar choices. If you really wanted to snag the attention of the IKC, a Magnacut model would be promising. In addition to being a great steel designed by a beloved member of the knife community, Magnacut would be a US produced steel AND it would go along with the BK16’s design philosophy of being tough and resistant to the elements.

Second, I would love to see stock polished micarta handles, preferrably green micarta with red liners because, well, Bob Loveless. It would be an upgrade that anyone could appreciate, but the color and material combo would also be a little wink to the knife community, letting us know that you know we know that you know what motivates knife enthusiasts. You could still use the excellent hex bolt attachment points in case someone wants to make their own scales because modding the BK16 and making it your own is part of the ethos of both the knife community and owning a BK16.

Third, the knife needs a new sheath. This is the only mod I would make to ALL BK16s because the nylon sock that it currently comes with is well below par. It is generic and unrefined in a way that is the complete opposite of what the BK16 is all about. ESEE has proven they can do large scale kydex sheathes and Cold Steel and Spyderco show that other materials can be made to work as well. If you were feeling really fancy (and the run was small enough), I’d love to see a tooled leather sheath with impregnated beeswax for shaping and water resistance purposes.

I think those changes would make a compelling package. I think if you sold it for $200, it would sell well enough to justify the costs of the project. But the fanboy in me would push it even farther. I would love to see a premium BK16 kit. Here is what I would include in the kit:

Genuine Elk Skin Gloves from Geier: When I use my BK16 it is to do tough, mucky work outside either at a camp site, around the yard, or when making trails with my eldest son for mountain biking. When I do that, invariably, I take gloves with me for hacking and the Geier gloves, the progenitors of the entire elk skin yellow glove market, are great. They run about $60 but are worth every penny. They are snug and tailored well and they take an absolute beating. Plus, like the BK16, lots of people mod their Geiers adding wax or leather treatment changing their color from yellow to a burnished tan and adding waterproofness to an otherwise well-rounded package. Like the BK16, Geiers are made in the USA.

HDS Rotary: If any light is the equal of the BK16, it is the HDS Rotary. Tough, robust, well-designed, and focused on what matters, the HDS Rotary has ridden in my pocket during terrible winter storms and night hikes and it has worked well after the giga lumen torches have conked out due to terrible power management. Plus, it is one of the few lights that remains fully functional in a gloved hand. This is about $300 (with the clip) and it too is made here in the USA.

While bougey, hipster fly paper package would cost serious coin—$500 or $600, but it would grab eyeballs at shill sites and I think a few of us crazier BK16 fans would pony up. After all what do crypto oligarchs and speculators have to spend their millions (of real dollars) on but silly expensive stuff. They could get one of these kits and 60 MPH off road stand up scooter.

An Eternal Fan,

Everyday Commentary

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