Extrema Ratio BFK PIXEL Full Review

Extrema Ratio BFK PIXEL Full Review

Extrema Ratio's BFK Pixel  is a small fixed blade knife (but the largest in the PIXEL range) offered in several variations. Here are the basic specifications of the model seen above:

Steel: Listed as "Nitrogen"

Handle scales: (Milled) Green Carbon Fibre

Fixing bolts and fittings: stainless steel- type not listed

Kydex scabbard (standard riveted construction)

Associated nylon type "Paracord" and small plastic cord lock.

2 Malice clip/straps. Material unlisted but looks like some sort of polyurethane?)

Other versions are with Magnacut and or Aluminium scales and or G10 and or micarta.

How does the BFK PIXEL compare to other "neck type" Knives from Extrema Ratio?

From bottom to top: SATRE, VERSA (Expeditions) and BFK PIXEL

Let's discuss the Steel "Nitrogen"

On the practical front, the undesignated "Nitrogen" steel performs really well. I have cut, bashed, sideways dragged, sliced and carved my way through countless natural materials whilst out in the bush. The blade has been hardened to HRC 58 according to the manufacturer and I have never witnessed any sort of indication of corrosion on the satin surface. It is true (as the manufacturer states regarding their "Nitrogen steel"*), a simple strop and the blade remains razor sharp after working on hardwoods, and potentially corrosive food and plant saps/resins. 

How often am I stropping such a blade? Not often at all. In fact the frequency would equate to a weekend camping trip (where cutting food and preparing a fire along with gathering mushrooms and herbs, gutting and cutting up fish (no skinning or butchering ie hunting game) easily up to 2 times per month. So for most, this equates to two weekends away every month. Well that's a lot if you are working a regular weekly job. I'm not going to talk about using this knife in a professional way, ie every day like a chef for example or someone in the fishing industry or hunting game for a living. This is my third knife featuring this undesignated "Nitrogen" steel. So it is certainly not necessary to enjoy the wilds if I do not know what exactly is this nitrogen steel alloy only to know that it performs with good corrosion resistance and does not need to be sharpened the moment I use it.

Blade Finish

Highly polished Satin finish, with the edge hand ground and polished. Just incase you don't know, a polished edge will always hold up against corrosion better than a roughly milled edge regardless of the steel.

If you are one who is concerned about food safe blades, then you can't really go past the satin finish. 

Now for a (brief) Technical discussion

The purposeful addition of nitrogen into modern steel alloys has been shown to increase many favourable properties of the steel especially in terms of fine grain structure. To date, there are several acknowledged nitrogen enhanced alloys used in cutlery manufacture. For example but not limited to: Nitro B; Nitro V; Nitro X7; Vanax (although more widely known for it being a high vanadium content alloy); Sandvik's 14C28N; BD1N; X50CrMoVN15; LC 200N (Cronidur 30); Nitrobe 77; Vancron 40 etc.

This steel, simply labelled "Nitrogen" could be any of the above plus something else. In fact, for 420HC it has been shown that small amounts of Nitrogen introduced into this steel has beneficial results in terms of performance (I am not referring to ion implantation, which merely implants Nitrogen into a nano layer on the exterior of the steel and in the case of 420HC has shown definitely improvements in hardness and wear resistance). As far as nitrogen enhancement is concerned it has long been know that even very small amounts of Nitrogen have had beneficial effects upon tool steel performance (for example see https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26872202_Effect_of_increased_nitrogen_content_on_the_structure_and_properties_of_tool_steels

Whatever the Nitrogen steel alloy they are using is really irrelevant because one can not be biassed as to it's performance based upon the knowledge of what is already known for currently employed nitrogen enhanced tool steels. So from the point of view of such "testers" such as myself, my findings are simply based upon real world performance and not upon a name.

If any of the above worries you and you can simply not own or use a knife where you must know the actual alloy (or at least see some numbers or name engraved upon the blade) then such a knife is not for you. 

Back in the day, many a knife company existed (and still do) just fine with no name brand carbon steels, fact! Nowadays we have convinced ourselves that unless it has the label of "Magna Star" (this is a fictitious name I invented for the next series after MagnaCut) then we simply can not function on the trail let alone in the wilderness LOL! 

Actually, I believe there are many other, than the now infamous "Bark River", who are in fact using steels other than what is laser engraved upon them and simply are yet to be caught out! In most cases many manufacturers add a premium value to their products by way of the steel designation.

Most people (again another fact) would not be able to tell the difference outside of a laboratory environment using at the very least a XRF to analyse the steel constituents of what steel is in their knives.

The Carry System

Like all Extrema Ratio carry systems (I like to say "carry systems" rather than simply call it a scabbard) the BFK Pixel is one of modular in design. It comes with a kydex sheath, which via friction alone securely locks the knife in place. The knife can be thus carried upside down around one's neck via the included paracord loop,

or on a belt via the 2 included Malice straps. There are other optional carry methods such a belt clip (not shown here but you can check it out on their site here.

Shown below is the BFK Pixel set up for lefthand carry in the horizontal postion.

Seen below is the Extrema Ratio BFK Pixel setup for right hand belt carry in the horizontal manner.

At 3.5" or 89mm blade length, the Extrema Ratio BFK PIXEL is totally at home on day hikes where one might chance upon or deliberately look for mushrooms, or lighting a fire for lunch; 

Yes, you are seeing correctly, I have lit a small fire upon a fallen tree which is basically very damp but not as wet at the forest floor.

have the need to cut up one's food for the day, do a spot of fishing or even on a well trodden hiking and camping trail, collecting materials for a fire (Or to enable one to sit upon any damp objects as birch bark is waterproof) as seen below.

                    

The BFK Pixel pictured above sitting atop of the Yanagai Matsutake mushroom otherwise known as the Poplar Mushroom, a delicious mushroom which a certain times of the yer can be found growing upon the dead parts of certain poplar varieties. I cut mushrooms for most of the day and came home with a bag an extra 5Kgs heavier after cutting mushrooms against the dirty bark of trees and their roots for most of the day. The knife held an excellent edge after such work.

Geometry of the Blade

The main blade features a gradual curvature, that while subtle, does not go unnoticed, ending in a tanto-esque tip. The grind is that of a high sabre. The spine has a gradual thinning from 3.85mm at the butt end towards the tip at 3.4mm approx 20mm from the tip, so it's clearly not a super thin tip but also thin enough to make this blade function well at any penetrative tasks.


The handle scales are minimal yet provide a totally non slip grip in ungloved hands (this version in milled green carbon fibre).

There is a generous lanyard hole for either a cord or better still some flat "climber's accessory tape".

As with all "neck-type and or EDC fixed blades", some will find if their hands are bigger than size 8.5/9, this type of blade will be simply too small for their paws.

 

On this day hike I only took the BFK PIXEL with me and it wasn't a problem to prepare feather sticks and cut birch bark  for a fire, cut into some birch wood to make a divot to start a small fire, cut up some food and chop a few small branches which were getting in the way of me picking some rather delicious mushrooms. On top of all of this the knife on the day was carried covertly around my neck under my jacket.

From the manufacturer's literature regarding their "Nitrogen" steel.
*Nitrogen is the technical specification of Extrema Ratio: dedicated steel selection, machining and heat treatment cycle.

I don't know about any of this above but from what I do know, it is paramount for Nitrogen enhanced steels, (for example Nitro X7) not to allow the edge to heat up unnecessarily during sharpening processes, maybe that's why they mention "machining" in order to emphasise their attention to details for those in the know. My point is this knife cuts well and stays sharp. 



BCT

@BushCampingTools