James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Becker Knife & Tool Combat Bowie, Black BK-9 | Ka-Bar Survival Full Tang High Carbon Steel Blade
1 min read
Becker Knife & Tool once produced a wide variety of survival knives built to the specifications of founder Ethan Becker, who had a longstanding interest in big knives. Now produced under the guidance of Ka-Bar, the Becker BK-9 Combat Bowie is one of the best Beckers for the person who thinks the average knife isn’t quite enough.
The Combat Bowie goes back to the original days of the Bowie knife, when it had more of the characteristics of a short sword and was built for close combat as a primary weapon instead of a last resort back-up. The Becker knife is more advanced than the first fighting bowies, combining some of the best aspects of the old fighting Bowie knife with the chopping power of a machete. The Becker also uses some of the best modern knife materials.
Much better quality than most machetes, the Combat Bowie uses full tang construction and a 0.21-inch-thick blade of chrome vanadium high carbon tool steel. With a flat grind similar to the edge style of a combat saber, the Bowie is built to swing and has the weight to back it up. Full weight of this 14-3/4-inch knife is 1.15 pounds, almost in the weight class of a small sword. Grivory slabs form the BK-9’s grip. This new compound is a composite material hard enough to substitute for steel. Built into the grip’s shape, dropped bolsters front and back make sure the knife stays in the hand even in slippery conditions. If you feel the need to bash something, there’s enough exposed tang at the rear of the handle to deliver an impact without damage to the knife. A jimped section of blade spine up front offers finer control.
Made in the U.S.A., the BK-9 comes with a glass-filled nylon sheath manufactured in Taiwan.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
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Becker Knife & Tool once produced a wide variety of survival knives built to the specifications of founder Ethan Becker, who had a longstanding interest in big knives. Now produced under the guidance of Ka-Bar, the Becker BK-9 Combat Bowie is one of the best Beckers for the person who thinks the average knife isn’t quite enough.
