Is S30V that great? (BK&T)

[Rupestris]

I have a Becker BK71 (same as the BK7 but in Desert Camo). I absolutely love it. I’ve beaten it to death and it simply works. Its my camp knife and general utility beater. I got it while knifecenter was blowing them out for $50 or so.
Browsing the Camillus website for new offerings I found this:

Becker Extremeâ„¢ (# BK77)
The Becker Extreme has been designed specifically for soldiers and adventurers requiring a sturdy but lightweight combat knife that can stand up to hard use. The inspiration for the Becker Extreme is the timeless MK-2 FIGHTING KNIFE that CAMILLUS CUTLERY helped develop during the second world war.
The Becker Extreme has a 7" S30V blade that is tough enough for any field task and is flat ground to the BECKER shaving sharp edge.
The brawny .188" thick clip point blade is the perfect complement for a knife that may be used for piercing as well as prying. An integral inline hammering pommel has been engineered into the blade tang and is useful for a variety of military and survival uses.
The sheath is Black Nylon and has a Kydex insert to shield the blade. The sheath has a gusseted front accessory pouch that can house survival gear, sharpeners, multitool, etc. The belt loop is large enough to accommodate a GI pistol belt, and also features ALICE clip slots for attachment to LBE gear. The sheath has a "pull the dot" snap loop, and set of eyelets for lashing the knife into the sheath, thus providing dual retention to be "Jump Safe" for airborne operations.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
7" S30V
.188" thick stock
High, flat saber grind
Full tang, with Becker Extreme trademark
Ergonomic scales of Micarta®
Weight: 12.9 oz
All Feature: devastating cutting power – proven in the world’s most challenging environments. Each flat ground blade features an incredibly sharp blade and the most comfortable hard-use knife handle in the world.
• Ergonomic handles
• Proudly made in the U.S.A.
Becker Extreme # BK77
MSRP $390.99

I like the idea of a non coated BK7 as the powdercoat on mine has given up the ghost but $390!!??

That’s a production knife hanging around in Busse Combat territory when it comes to price. I just can’t see dropping $400 on a Becker. Just wondering if I’m the only one that feels that Becker has gone round the bend on this one?

 

[Boats]

It will likely discount into the low to mid-200 dollar range, so nowhere near a Busse.

My take on S30V is that it is much like D2 with 2% more chromium for corrosion resistance. One of the criticisms of D2 is that it isn't stainless enough to prevent rust and it isn't carbon enough to be tough. I don't believe that as personally I find D2 to be easy to care for and tough enough for most anything.

S30V is supposed to be more wear resistant than D2, but of course that is a trade off. It also means that S30V takes longer to sharpen and D2 was already a chore before I got Lansky diamond hones.

What it boils down to is this: Would you believe you are really getting anything better by getting an S30V blade? If not wanting to take the minimal care that is required to keep a carbon steel blade from rusting is the draw, then I think that is the only justification. No stainless blade brings so much to the table, especially as the length of the blade grows, that I'd take it over a more inexpensive 1095, 5160, 52100, A2 or D2 carbon steel counterpart.

The Crucible Metal that makes my heart go pitter patter is the carbon steel CPM 3V. That is a wonder steel.

If I already had a BK-7 with a worn off powder coat, this is what I would do. Go to Brownells and get aerosol gun kote in the color of your choice, take the grips off, and follow the directions. There is no way that baking in the oven for 1 hour at 300 degrees is going to harm the knife. You will have to recoat many, many, times, to make up the $200 difference in buying an S30V knife of the same basic style. Actually the Extreme is worse because you lose the hammering surface of the exposed tang.

Alas, I don't own a Becker, because I think they heat treat them to be too brittle.

 

[Rupestris]

Thank you boats.

Apparently I haven't beaten my Becker anywhere near death.

My next purchase is probably going to be a Swamp Rat Howling Rat. Depending on how I like it, I might replace the Becker with a CampTramp.

What do you want for the black handles off that becker?

 

[mete]

I think that S30V is the best stainless knife steel avaiable. However it's expensive and expensive to grind and heat treat so that's how you get $390.For a heavy duty knife ,though not stainless, CPM 3V I agree is a good choice. Comparing the BK-7 with a BK-77 is like comparing a VW Bug with a Ferrari. For value the BK-7 at $50 is tops.BTW Chris Reeve makes their Green Barret with S30V.

 

[Boats]

I think comparing carbon steel blades to stainless is not VW to Ferrari, it is more like apples and oranges.

IMO, if the blade isn't designed for constant use around water, stainless is a waste of money.

 

[JShirley]

Comparing the BK-7 with a BK-77 is like comparing a VW Bug with a Ferrari

Only if they were both made by VW!

Otherwise, what Boats said. I'd just as soon have a well-treated large knife in 5160 or D2, Becker's big draw (as I see it) is value.

John

 

[Don Gwinn]

So, comparing Volkswagen to a Porsche.

 

[hso]

Let me interject.

The BKT line the everyone is familiar with is a great inexpensive line of tough field knives. They are a Camillus line made by Camillus. Camillus makes lots of knives for lots of companies and they even make their own. When they make the BK1-whatever they take Ethan Becker's design and they make it to be bought by guys on a budget. When they make the BK77 they put everything they got into it and you get a much higher end knife (the appropriate analogy would be Chevy Malibu compared to the Chevy Corvette).

Mentioning Busse is very appropriate here. Camillus has introduced the BK77 to head to head in the same field as Busse, but at what will be a lower price.