USN Prototype Becker Dive Knife

So here is a bit more detail about the mystery Blackjack Becker USN dive knife that I have posted in the Blackjack page (Click HERE to view).


I just copied most of this over from my thread on Bladeforums so there might be some format errors.

Now before I begin, there was some doubts about this blade. Some questioned the legitimacy of this blade altogether, or thought it was doctored up years later with the etching/coating to make it something more than it was.

The main points the naysayers have said are 1) The black coated is not from Blackjack. 2) The laser etching is not from Blackjack 3) The edge is not patina'd/tarnished enough for its age.

So going through all this I have proven all these points to the blades legitimacy.


So the mysterious dive knife...

Its a long story and its going to take three nice and minty blackjack beckers to fully explain.

Here are some better photos of the blade.

Lets start off with where I got it. I got it from a guy who happens to live in the same state as Mike. Although there are several hours between them, make any speculations you want from that...

I don't actually know the seller and we didn't talk much. I first ran across him when he tried to sell me a black coated divtul a long time ago (I even made a thread about it here). I wasn't sure it was legit then, but I am sure now (more on that later). All that he knew about this blade was that is was meant to be a dive knife.

*EDIT here is the link to that thread* All the way back in 2015!

http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/blackjack-bk3-with-black-coating.1271653/

A dive knife from blackjack fits all the stories I've heard. I have found things online from both Ethan and Mike saying they have been selling tons of divtuls to divers because they make an amazing dive knife even though they were really made to be a sharpened pry bar. So it makes sense that blackjack would be considering making another knife just for the divers.

Here is the quote.

"ResqDivTul: We sold a lot to divers, because they worked well as dive knives. Most people don't realize that what a diver needs most is a pry bar. This is one of the best dive knives you could get-when you ask divers, they'll tell you they need a pry bar more often than they need a cutting edge. And this one works well as a pry bar; also, it's good for cutting yourself out if you get tangled in line. The ResqDivTul is made of hardened steel; most dive knives are made of 304 stainless, which won't take or hold an edge. This one will"

I also have found quotes saying they submitted the divtul to the SEALs and FBI and all sorts of government agencies. The only ones they said actually used them were the SEALs and FBI hostage rescue teams (this is important for later). So if they were submitting designs to the Navy, the U.S.N. makes perfect senses.

So far I do believe this "becker dive knife" (as I've come to call it) was a prototype dive knife and there seems to be a legit reason why the U.S.N. is on the blade.

Ok so why am I going on and on about the divtul and not this prototype. Well time to spill the beans... I believe this blade was made from a divtul blank. The cord grabber hook gives it away. When you lay it on top of a divtul they just about match up on the standard divtul with powder coat. On the black coated divtul, they match almost perfectly.

If you look at the choil in the photo below, it has a dip in the left corner the grinder didn't take out. That dip matches the start of the chisel grind on the regular divtul.

Despite the fact that it looks to be in great condition for its age, I do still believe it was made by blackjack. I really do not think this was altered or changed by anyone years later for better value.

If it is made from a divtul blank then it's 440a stainless, so no patina on the edge from age. It also would make sense of the stainless hardware only found on the divtul.

The only thing that's off is that the dive knife prototype is just a bit longer. However, these blades come from a time when "handmade in the USA" meant more than it does now. So like most blackjack beckers, they might not all be within the same levels of tolerances. Lots of the grind lines on my blackjacks are different even though they are the same blade. If Mike was around that day it probably meant the "one of a kind" stamp was pulled out haha.

So how do I know the black coating is legit? Because it's the same black coating that's on one of my divtuls and I CAN prove that that one is legit.

The department of defense ordered a bunch of divtuls from blackjack. They apparently had two alterations they requested.

1. Black blades to match the uniforms
2. Deeper cut serrations

Here is the quote about that.

Here is the actual order form! Its hard to read but you can make out that it's from the department of defense and they requested deeper serrations.

This black divtul does indeed have deeper cut serrations than the standard model as seen below.

The black coating on the divtul does indeed match the black coating on the dive knife. So I'm calling it legit.

So if all that wasn't enough to prove this blade legit, after I posted the all the stuff above I later asked Mike Stewart (President of Blackjack back then) about it and he confirmed it. 

So long long long after all the above was posted I finally found the missing link. The last piece of uncertainty was the laser etching. Well I found an old blackjack necker proto at Ethan's with laser etching: even in the same font.

So thats it, another prototype for the history books.