Saturday, January 28, 2012

Kabar's 2012 Catalog Released & Pricing Info


Kabar released the PDF to their 2012 Catalog a few days ago. In it are the new Beckers I'm so excited about and also some more exact stats on them.

The BK15, the largest of these new tweeners, is an Asian tanto style with a 5-1/2" blade and 10 3/8" over all.

The BK16 is a drop point and Ethan Becker's own pick of the litter. It is smaller than the tanto with a 4-3/8" blade and 9-1/4" overall.

The handsome BK17 is a clip point with the same blade and overall length as the BK16.

All three are made in the USA from 1095 cro-van high carbon steel blades, come with both black & brown zytel polymer grips, and a cordura sheath. The MSRP is $107.49.

Traditionally, the dealer cost for Kabar knives is one half of the MSRP. Doing up a few averages based on KnifeCenter's asking price for various Kabar made Beckers, I'm estimating the mark up to be around 22% so we should see these going for about $65.95 at Knife Center. I expect for most sites $60-80 will be the normal range.

That's not a horrible cost for what should be one of the best medium fixed blade knives coming out this year. Especially considering that ESEE-4's are going for around $125. Those should be the medium sized carbon steel blades that these knives will be compared to the most.

I doubt the Becker sheaths are going to be much count. However, for the price savings a decent custom sheath shouldn't be too onerous a purchase. Especially if the performance and quality is up to expectations. Kabar might want to invest in making some good sheaths for customers to buy later or go ahead and offer a more expensive package.

I like all these designs and sizes are right for so many uses. If I like the BK17, I will most likely get the other two as well. They're just that cool.

4 comments:

Dan said...

Around $65-75 is just a wicked price point. I agree, ESEE would need to watch out! Although we will have to see what the sheath is like. Really excited about these new Becker offerings!

hoolege06 said...

Wow those Kabar knives are nice!!! I haven't ever heard of them before and need to do some research. How do they compare to the Asek knives? You can check out a pretty sweet survival version they have on here http://www.pxsupply.com. If you had to choose one which would it be? THANKS!! :)

Roadkill said...

They're made from the same steel. So if the ASEK is to be much stronger it will have to be thicker. The Tweeners will be better bushcrafting blades. The ASEK has a serrated back edge, whereas the normal spine on the BK16,17 will allow for batoning of wood. The curves on the BK15, the tanto, will be great for doing a lot of serious cutting and cooking tasks. Any of them would be suitable as a defensive combat knife.

The entire ASEK system looks spendy at $150 or so. The BK15,16,17s will all be around $65. This much I know, I'll be getting one of those tweeners.

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