Meyerco Besh Wedge® Bottle Rocket; a Brent Beshara/Dirk Pinkerton design

The Bottle Rocket and its perfectly fitted snap-in sheath:

I mentioned this knife back in mid August, as I was interested in checking it out. Bottle openers are among those tools that are simple and ubiquitous, though often when you need one, you can't find one quickly. I've always carried some type of tool on my keychain to pop a bottle top, though I'm not a huge drinker, and the Western world in general doesn't seem to drink a whole lot of soft drinks or sodas with crimped caps that need an opener anymore. I do love a brew now and again though, and most of my buddies tend to drink smaller batch beers & micro-brews, which usually require an opener. In spite of not necessarily needing a bottle cap lifter on a daily basis, I acknowledge that it's handy to have one for those occasions where it'd be nice to have quick access. Right now my bottle opener tool is the ever useful Leatherman Micra, which is fine & dandy, but it weighs down my keys a bit and I honestly don't usually need the other tools contained within it. That being said, I'm obviously one of those people who carry redundant gear upon redundant gear! Better safe than sorry, right? I have a big place in my heart (and knife & tool collection) for Leatherman products in general, and I usually have a larger multi-tool in the car, in my bag, or less frequently on my belt, making the Micra a moot point. I've often wished for a simple, lightweight tool with a bottle opener that could be slung around my neck while fishing or hanging out with my dad on his boat out here in the Puget Sound.

Well... it looks like I've found an ideal beer-drinking companion. The Bottle Rocket is manufactured by Meyerco, the result of design input from custom knifemakers Brent Beshara (of BESH Wedge® fame) and Dirk Pinkerton. Meyerco, as I've said before, has a long and solid history of producing top quality factory-made collaborations with other well known makers like Darrel Ralph & Blackie Collins.

Brent Beshara is a Canadian knifemaker with an amazing lifetime of military special operations experience contributing to his combat-minded knife designs. Dirk Pinkerton is a knifemaker out of Wilson, North Carolina, who has come to be recognized in a relatively short amount of time as a master of lightweight utility and self defense fixed blade knives.

I learned that in slight contrast to the way that a couple of web knife shops market the Bottle Rocket, that it was really designed as a single idea. It's more of a bottle opener with knife-like qualities, than a knife with bottle opener-like qualities.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to connect with Brent Beshara via email, and he filled me in on the elegant simplicity of this design:
"The concept is that the Bottle Rocket is just a bottle opener, nothing more. It does have the BESH Wedge® on it, yet it’s not sharpened. The ball bearing is to be used as a balance point to “spin the bottle” and see who will buy the next round. An old sailor’s game I picked up along the way."

So, the primary function is the top popper, but the unique blade design features Brent's BESH Wedge® grind which uses diagonally opposed bevels which converge, forming a third cutting edge. The wedge is an ideal grind for a dagger, making the tip stronger than usual and providing deep penetrating power. Like Besh says, placed on a flat surface, Meyerco logo side down, the tiny ball bearing allows the BR to be spun like an arrow on a boardgame, and when it's done moving, the guy it's pointing nearest is the one to buy the next round of beers. Pretty sweet!

Despite being a simple bottle opener, the Bottle Rocket feels like a very capable defensive tool when grasped much like a push dagger.
The BR with an Alpha Innovations flat-end kubotan and a Nite-Ize plastic #4 S-Biner:

It's very comfortable in the hand, and I feel it'd likely give me a quiet boost of confidence if I were walking home late through certain parts of Seattle or Tacoma, after a night out with friends. First and foremost though, the Bottle Rocket does its primary job of opening bottles just beautifully! As Brent mentioned to me, the BR "blade" itself is not meant to be razor sharp, but the edge is beveled very cleanly, so I recommend keeping the BR sheathed when its butt-end is tending to cap lifting duties. It works like a charm, the geometry is correct, leverage is nice, and the opening process is clean, quick and simple. Again, it's amazing that a manufactured design, made with the input of two very different men, is such a simple and elegant tool meant for a very basic task.
Mr. Beshara says; "Cheers! -Besh" on the non-ball bearing side of the handle:


-Quick specs at a glance:
*Blade Length: 2-1/2"
*Overall Length: 5"
*7CR17 Stainless Steel Knife
*Glass Filled Nylon Sheath Can Be Carried in Pocket or as Neck Knife (No clip though)
*Made in China

Firstly, there's a blackened ball/bead chain included, which makes it comfortable & secure around the neck. If you're gathering on a beach with friends, having a beer, you want quick access to it, the molded snap-fit sheath retains the knife perfectly, and an audible click is heard when the knife is properly inserted. Hooking an index finger inside the middle of the blade and giving a push with a thumb removes the knife quickly and safely from the sheath. I've found also, that the featherlight package is rather forgettable in cargo shorts or a light jacket pocket, you hardly know it's there.

Meyerco makes its products in a variety of place, including the US and China. Its place of manufacture is unimportant (to me) when a knife like this is so cleanly executed. It does what it's supposed to, exactly as it's supposed to. It's mega-light and carries nicely, the sheath fits precisely and holds the Bottle Rocket snugly. This is a really fun design that brings something new to the table as far as knife concepts go. As I said, it's a bottle opener with knife-like qualities, and don't forget you can give your pals a hard time by giving the knife a quick rotation, forcing the guy whom the "arrow" points closest, to buy the next round.
Meyerco backs up their stuff with their forever warranty. Basically you're covered as long as you own your Meyerco product, excluding blatant abuse, misuse, or lack of maintenance. I don't know why, but Meyerco products don't seem too terribly widely distributed up here in the Pacific NW, it's rare to see them in brick & mortar retail shops, though they're widely available online at places like Knifecenter. They have the full range of Meyerco items, including designs by Dirk Pinkerton and Darrel Ralph. You can also see the Meyerco website for more info, limited as it may be. Their website doesn't seem to be updated all that often, so you may be better off hitting up Knifecenter to see Meyerco's full line.

It's worth mentioning, just on a curiosity note, that for quite awhile in advance of the Bottle Rocket becoming officially available to the public, a couple of web retailers had this picture shown under their listings for the Bottle Rocket. It must be an early prototype design from Meyerco that ended up getting scrapped and redesigned. I found another post on a site reporting from the famous SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) show early this year (2010) that also displayed this knife under the name "Bottle Rocket", so it makes sense that it was likely an early incarnation to demonstrate the idea to their industry peers @ the SHOT show:


For more info on Brent Beshara and his BESH Wedge® knives, visit BESHKnives.com

To see Dirk Pinkerton's excellent self defense and utility knives, check out DirkPinkerton.com