BK16 Becker Short Drop Pt

Excellent choice, handle feels great and right size. Only thing is the rough orange peel coating, much like a Parkerize gun barrel, would prefer a smoother finish on the blade.

I like the design of this knife. I know the BK2 is the end-all, be-all survival knife for some, but it’s just way overbuilt for its blade length for me. The BK16 fits my needs far better! It’s still plenty sturdy (too thick maybe for some?) but does everything I ask of it. It is super comfortable in my medium to large hands in all grip positions (more for some than others but always without hotspots). I should qualify that I’m not a huge fan of slick plastic handles, so I have the separately purchased micarta scales. Some say these are overpriced, because they significantly increase the cost of the knife into a completely different price category, but I find them comparable to the competition, such as TKC’s g-10 scales, all things considered. The sheath is the typical polyester type with the plastic sleeve and outside pocket. It is Chinese and a little flimsy, with a little rattle, but mine is fairly well executed. The rattle can be fixed with a heat gun. The grinds in mine are even, with a serviceable toothy edge typical of Beckersive bought before. Sharp enough for general work but easily improved. This isn’t a super steel by any stretch of the imagination but it is fairly easy to sharpen yet holds a tough edge, rolling rather than chipping. I would rank it as a little harder than my Ontario SP’s in 5160 but also a little more brittle, which is what’s to be expected. It’s not stainless, so you have to hit it with a little oil on occasion. The steel is easily sharpened in the field imho. It was first made as a saber grind but now is constructed as a full flat. This has upset some, but is largely due to personal preference. There are pros and cons for both. Just be aware that the older marketing pictures show a different grind than what’s available. This Brings me to part of the reason why I only gave it 4 stars. First, I wanted a saber grind. In and of itself this would not have been enough to lower my rating by itself. The next is the coating. I already don’t like coatings in general, and this one is a “traction” coating. I want traction in my handles, not the blade! It reduces cutting efficiency ands serves no purpose beyond protecting the blade from rust. A good DLC is preferable. These points added to the total cost after adding the micarta scales made me drop it a star. The competition in the $100 and up category is becoming more fierce If you are happy with the way it ships, the included handles , the traction coating, the sheath, then the price of around $70 is great. Far better an option than even a $20-35 piece of imported junk. But if you are going to purchase aftermarket scales, a nice sheath and spend the time removing the coating (and possibly smoothing the machine marks out of the blade), then your options open up from US and European makers. I believe that the “tweeners” were a great development by Mr. Becker and Kabar, but should have a street price that’s $10-20 lower. Just my humble opinion, given the market.My final opinion? Buy the knife, try it out, see if it’s for you. You can progressively mod it and it doesn’t break the bank. It’s a great knife.

Well made and very easy to handle