Anthony
UK

Feb 25, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

I like this blade the more I use it, Not to long for bushcrafting yet thick enough that you can happily baton with confidence, a very nice little all rounder, But the sheath is Coyote tan, Totally messing up my Ninja!, Please keep it Henry Ford KA-BAR BK

Marcus I
USA

Aug 27, 2015

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material, Finish

Nice

This far exceeds the first production run in this series, flat grind much better then saber grind on blade of this size and intent purpose of camp/hike/survival knife.as far as coatings go, who cares, if your a user, the coating no matter how good is gonna go bye bye, and so what if it does, it adds character to that blade and says I'm a working blade not no shelf queen. Now I do sand coating down with fine grit sandpaper to smooth out. (agree coating to rough). Is this knife perfect...no, but a great USA made blade that is durable, high quality, ergonomic for various size hands, sharpens nicely, good warranty (you probably will never use) kabar and esee are my favorite makers of 1095 blades, others are good but way over priced for 1095 steel, Ontario does a good job with 1095 as well. The sheath is a bit bulky but good quality and serviceable and looks like it will last.

Walter
Philippines

Apr 30, 2012

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Great Product

Medium size full tang knife. Razor sharp out of the box. Sheath is MOLLE compatible and comes with 2 retention straps. I have medium size hands and the handles fit great. Light weight and right size for almost all tasks. Highly recommended! Great service from Knife Center!

Marc I
USA

Nov 29, 2014

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Perfect edc,camp,hike,work knife

Great blade geometry, great handle to fit varied hand size, maybe small for xl hands, sheath is not my personal pick but is good quality and very functional, came sharp with good edge bevel on each side, (consistent). Wish the finish was smoother, I'll take care of that. I also have bk15, same report on it as bk16, the bk17 is next. Anyone who dishes this knife and sheath (unless obvious manufacturer flaw) is just being critical and giving personal likes and dislikes as gospel, read between the lines on some reviews, let the majority of the reviews be your guide, and pay attention to the less then stellar reviews and watch for haters, knife and sheath are great, not perfect,but no knife is, why we have so many choices :-)

Chris
Virgina

Feb 03, 2016

Pros: Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material

Go to camp Knife

Becker Design with Kabar quality. you can't go wrong. Perfect for around the camp chores.

Cd
Burke, Va

Jun 06, 2019

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard, Finish

Basic Bushcraft Perfection!

This knife is the quintessential camp kitchen knife. The handle melts into your hand.

Kell
Oregon

Oct 23, 2025

Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Finish, Materials, Overall Quality, Weight

Cons: Handle Material, Sheath/Scabbard

Bk16..

Great knife...love it

Joseph
Polk City, FL

Apr 11, 2012

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Great Bushcraft knife I've found.

Let me start this by saying I have a limited First Production Run knife with Ethan Becker's (designer, creator and avid outdoorsman) signature and "First Production Run" Laser etched into the side with a roll stamp on the flats of the Saber grind. The knife you are looking at purchasing is a regular production model, which means no signature, no FPR text, no saber grind. But! You do get a Full Flat Grind from spine to edge, and the model number and BK&T/Ka-Bar stamp laser etched into their normal places. As far as the steel goes, you can't beat the 1095 CroVan (added chromium for rust resistance and added vanadium for higher strength) with Tooj's (he's worked in every factory that made BK&T knives, from the first BlackJack Machax to the brand new Ka-Bar BK 16) heat treat, it makes for a truly unbreakable knife, and if your registered on bladeforums.com, stop by the BK&T sub-forum for any warranty questions you have and you'll probably get input from the Ethan, Tooj, and the mods. Now, the handle ergonomics are great, and the zytel is very grippy! What's that you say? You have XXL hands? Well never fear! After Market Handles are here! There aren't any Ka-Bar micarta scales out yet, but you can make them yourself, buy them, get wood scales, or one of many other options. And if you really like the zytel but your hand is to big, you can either make your own liners from a DVD case, or order professionally made liners. The sheath is top shelf, it has no rattle unless you shake it to make it rattle. It has two straps, a lower first strap and an upper redundant strap. Speaking of straps, the sheath is MOLLE compatible, with a strap on the back to go through MOLLE or PALS webbing and snaps into place. And a front pouch big enough for a Leatherman Wave or similar multitool, or a ferrocerium rod, or a couple Altoids Smalls. There are also several options for a leg strap if your gonna jump out of a plane. Or, if you don't like the stock sheath, you have several options for a Kydex or Leather sheath, both in styles and in makers. Now, mine has the old epoxy powder coat on it, I don't know what the new one is like, but it's supposed to be quite a bit more durable and it appears to have more texture to it. All in all, this is my favorite knife, and trust me, it's worth the price, even the MSRP which is more than $100, if you somehow break it, I'm sure Ka-bar will say two things, the first: "How did you manage to break it?!" and the second: "Your replacement will ship in a couple business days."

Cory
NV

Apr 20, 2014

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Finish

Becker Bushcrafter

This is by far my favorite knife out of all the Beckers I've used. I love the BK-2, but the BK-16 is much more practical in my opinion. It's a bit shorter, and significantly thinner. The full flat grind lends to much better slicing capabilities, and makes it much better for general survival/bushcraft tasks. Don't get me wrong, I love .250" thick blades. The "sharpened pry bar" style of the BK-2 and others like it are indestructible and just plain badass, but over the years I've grown to like thinner blades. They're just more practical, and still sturdy enough to beat on a little bit (thanks to Ka-Bar's awesome heat treatment.) If you do end up purchasing any of the Becker knives, I'd recommend buying some paint stripper to remove the coating. They look (and perform) a hell of a lot better when stripped down to the bare metal. The coating on the newer models just created too much drag when slicing. Also, the micarta handles available for the Beckers are worth it in my opinion. The Grivory/zytel ones that come stock on them are nice, but they're a bit slick. Not a huge deal, but I love micarta handle scales and they'll definitely give you more traction on your paws. Overall, I love the BK-16, and it's my new favorite knife in my collection. I plan on getting a few more of the Beckers in the near future. They're all superb hard use knives, and they can take whatever you throw at them. Ethan Becker is the man!

Brian
Missouri

Jul 02, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard

Cons: None

Becker BK 16

We use the knife for farm chores, hunting and wood crafting and camping chores. I like the balance and feel of the knife. the handle is comfortable and roomy.

Sled
Lafayette, LA

Dec 18, 2016

Pros: Weight, Blade Material

Cons: None

Nice

Love this knife. Real good for around the camp chores. Strong enough to baton wood but small enough to do finer task. It is my favorite companion knife for the money. I did upgrade to the micarta handles and strip the black coating and forced a petina. The sheath is ok so far, I do like the mole attachments, but it is a little long for the blade.

Ralph
New Jersey

May 16, 2012

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard, Finish

BK-16 Short Drop Point Review

The Knife is excellent and feels great in your hand, and is an over all good carry. The sheath as some good points but also has some bad points.

Frank G
Yorktown Hgts. NY

Sep 26, 2012

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material

Love it EXCELLENT !!!!

I use it for hunting, camping and wilderness survival skills. I like the blade and sheath. I'm not to imprest with the amount of steel in the handle looks like it might break.

Russ
Centennial CO

Apr 15, 2013

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Finish

Cons: None

KA-BAR BK16 Short Becker Drop Point Fixed 4-3/8" Carbon Steel Blade, Z

This knife will be used as part of my collection

Michael
Coppell, Tx

Sep 06, 2016

Pros: Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Finish

Great knife - Sheath OK

Bought as a do all camping knife. Have used for splitting small wood and other camping duties. So far this knife has been great. The black is coming off where it has seen tough use. I am ok with that, at some point I will strip it all off. Might be a problem if this was being used for cleaning/skinning duties. Sheath is ok, not great but not bad. Sheath fits a knife and a small fire starter in it. Second Becker BK knife, like the line, great value. As always, the folks at KC made it easy to order and do business. Called in and asked some last minute detailed questions, staff was friendly, knowledgeable and completed order over the phone. Good USA made product, better customer service, does not get better!

Marc
NE Ga

Sep 12, 2017

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material, Finish

Great hard use easy to carry blade

I have a few bk16 I like it so much. I have some very nice fixed blades, yet gravitate to the bk series often when I strap a fixed blade to my side. I replaced the handles with Tommy the who wooden handles and use a tops bushcrafter sheath (perfect fit). 1095crovan (tops uses a similar steel) is by far my favorite HC non stainless steel. S30v is one of my favorite hard use stainless steel. The coating is rough, some remove coating, I sand coating down smooth and let it wear naturally, the stock handles are perfectly usable, I just like wood handles. Stock sheath is well made and very serviceable, but I prefer leather or kydex depending on knife and use. The balance of knife is very good. The steel takes a wicked edge and holds it longer then any mass production 1095 I have used (thou tops gives it a run for it's money) comparing it to the tops baja 4.5 is a tough choice I will admit for me. I will not honoring with this knife in my opinion.

Dana
Tucson, Az

Apr 19, 2022

Pros: Weight

Cons: None

Solid knife with a few mods

When I first got this knife, I was less than impressed - I felt like I had wasted $100. The stock handles/ergos basically suck, the factory edge was typical KA-BAR (nothing to write home about and had to touch it up), and overall it just had this "cheap" feel to it. The knife rattles around in the sheath as well, so over time, not sure if that'll dull it. I was reluctant to put any money into this knife, but I ordered a set of G10 handles from TKC, and ohhhhhhh man what a difference that made. This is how the knife should have come from the factory. I'll now be ordering a kydex sheath for it, and at some point strip off the coating and put a patina on it. It went from being a knife I had no interest in, to being put into the rotation. If you get this knife, skip the Becker handles entirely (even the micarta).

Ng
NePa

Dec 04, 2015

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material, Sheath/Scabbard

Niiiiice.

Imo best blade shape of the midsized beckers. Good grind. Very sharp from the factory. However, i wet sanded the finish on the blade with 2000 grit wet/dry auto sandpaper and it smoothed it out really nice. Its stil coated just very smooth. Cuts very nicely oh and definately opt for the upgraded micarta handle scales from becker. Theyre a serious upgrade as the stock handle slabs are just plastic and kinda smooth.

Knifeman
IL

Apr 26, 2016

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Finish

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard, Blade Sharpness

BK16 is very good.

The knife itself is really well designed. Light and nimble due to the thickness, hollowed out tang and full flat grind. The scales are strongly held by 3 allen screws. The handles are zytel- a very hard and tough plastic. The knife is worth the money and the sheath is Ok but could be and should be better. Taking the knife in/out of the sheath is a slow process. The snap-on straps that secure the handle are difficult to use and if you're not careful, you will cut one. Compared to other sheaths and especially the Fallkniven zytel sheaths this sheath is too long and clumsy. It's not the worst that I've seen. this knife comes with additional set of brown handles which are unnecessary. Instead of brown, hunting bright orange color would be a better option. If ka-bar ever improve the sheath, this will be a 5-star product.

Michael
Majove Desert, CA

Aug 05, 2014

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish

Not to impressed...

Primary purpose camping and hiking. The only thing about it I like is the size, but the pictures of the knife are very misleading. Do not like the finish that was on it, would have preferred a smoother finish. The sheath just does not go with the knife, looks like they just gave it a sheath that the knife could fit into. Overall not happy with it, wish they would have kept the original production run.

Varsity
New England

Jul 27, 2025

Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Weight

Cons: Finish, Handle Material, Materials, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard

A great idea ruined

I love the size. The handle shape is one of the best around. The drop point great. Overall this should have been one of the best belt knives in history. Unfortunately as done it sucks. The coating is heinous. It should have been a full flat grind. It could have been a touch thinner but that's splitting hairs. The sheath is absolute garbage. The handles while the best shape around are made from cheap hollowed out material. And held on by nuts and bolts. Overall I spent countless hours modifying this knife to make it passable and was still disappointed in the end. Come on KA-Bar. FFG. No coating. Solid handles permanently affixed. A leather or even a pancake "plastic" sheath all would improve and elevate this knife where it belongs.