16" 35oz balance knife vs becker BK2 in capabilities.

U

uluapark

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Aug 10, 2013
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i have been wondering, I am able to build a complete woods shelter with my BK2, which only has a 5.5 inch blade made of 1095 crovan HC steel, and is 1/4" thick, and weighs 16oz and has a total length of 10 3/4". it will baton, feather stick, skin game, fillet larger fish like bass,pike,catfish. ect. i can baton out 5" logs all day without worry of blade failure.

so my question is this,

Is there any reason my 16" 35oz balance knife with 5/16" thick blade shouldnt be able to replicate all the abilities of my BK2? shouldnt it exceed the capabilities of it in the chopping, feather sticking, batoning dept? shouldnt i be able to process 6"-9" diameter wood without issue?

what is the difference in 5160 diff heat treated steel and 1095 crovan HC steel from becker/kabar in their ability to take punishment from chopping/batoning?

i would think/hope the balance knife is MUCH sturdier given the weight/ build difference. any opinions/ experiences welcomed. just trying to figure out what constitutes abuse for my balance knife so i can stay away from it, using my bk2 as a guide...my thinking is this..the balance knife I have is 35 oz and 5/16" thick, surely it is field use capable, the ang kholas are and for my given size 16". mine is heavier than the ang khola according to website and they are field use rated, so, wouldnt mine also be?
 
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Got a bk9 and lotsa Kuks.
Bk is good for knifey things like feather sticks. Mine was so sharp that I didn't just shave my hair but my skin too. No other knife of mine has ever been so sharp from factory! For chopping however it's sufficient. It's straight edge bites into wood and gets stuck.

Kuks with their curved edges are better for chopping. They don't stick in wood as much. Their balance is more forward and the blade is curved forward and hits the wood before your elbow is fully extended. That makes it more ergonomic especially for repeated swings. However feather sticks would be a challenge.
Then kuks are a bit heavier than your bk2.
When camping for a day I would chose the bk as a kuk feels like overkill. Still would usually bring one of the kuks, not out of necessity but for the fun.
For longer trips with shelter building etc a kuk has to be there. :-) Saves the weight of an axe and bk, while still being able to do knife and axe tasks.
I also always have a very small knife with me to dig out splinters etc. (you can tell Ive got kids) Too hard to do with a bk or kuk, though not as cool.
 
Chopping and batoning, the Balance wins easily. Skinning and feathersticks, BK2. Processing bigger game goes to Balance, small game goes to BK2.
 
assuming the differential heat treatment the kami's use is really good, it will allow your khuk to take more abuse because of the ability to flex at certain points. 5160 is also a higher carbon steel, which allows it to take more abuse and be sharpened readily (if my memory serves me right). because of the thickness of your khuk, I wouldn't be afraid to pry the engine block out of a tractor-trailer, or baton through a tree with a sledgehammer ;) but seriously, the thickness is a major advantage of khukuris over most other blades
 
I think consider the same question before, BK2 is a good looking commercial product in the exist U.S. market. A lot of people trying to modify into different version. In terms of 5.5 inch blade made of 1095 crovan HC steel, and is 1/4" thick, and weighs 16oz and has a total length of 10 3/4" VS the similar 16" 35oz balance knife with 5/16" thick blade. I don't think it is fair enough as the design is for different purpose tools. uluapark you can try to making a youtube video field test the two items do the same job will see the differences between.
 
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I have quite a few khuks, and a BK2. For anything small I can use the BK2 and/or my smaller EDC. I have actually found feathering sticks was easier with the khuk. I use the area right in front of the cho, and use a two handed grip (handle and end of the khul), I can feather twice as many sticks, as the BK2 in the same amount of time.

I find that sharpening the khuk in the field is easier, due to the 5160 steel.

The khuk is also going to take far more punishment than the BK2. Not to say that the BK2 is a weak knife, it's just that most any of my HI khuks are going to be tougher than my BK2.

I use my BK2 for cook prep, game prep, rope cutting, etc... I actually use it a lot when camping, but the heavier jobs (especially chopping/batoning), I go with my khuk, everytime.

Bring both, bottom line, use the right tool, for the right job. If I could only bring one, and my survival depends on it, I will go with my HI khuk everytime.

This isn't the forum for it, but honestly, I don't use my BK2 that often. I prefer my CS Trailmaster Carbon V, CS SRK Carbon V, or Kabar USMC, my camping EDC is my CS Recon 1, and my trusty HI BAS. If I expect heavy chopping/batoning, I will also bring along my AK, or Bonecutter as well.
 
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uluapark said:
mine is heavier than the ang khola according to website and they are field use rated, so, wouldnt mine also be?
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Your khukuri is yours to do with as you wish, but the short answer is...
Only the khukuri on the warranty list are warrantable for field use. Should you use a knife not on the list for field usage and damage it..... It likely will not be replaced under warranty.
 
uluapark:

What people should understand is that HI can't write a different warranty for every buyer and every individual blade. The warranty is a broad-brush statement that is both a guide to users and protection for the company against someone who might abuse a blade and expect HI to make it good.

That's why the field-use warranty covers only certain models. Given the variation in these hand-made blades, you might have a particular Balance Knife that is as strong as (or stronger than) the average AK, but the warranty can't take account of those individual differences.

There are many models that come out relatively infrequently and therefore are less standardized as to spine thickness and strength than HI's bread-and-butter models like the AK, M43, WWII, etc. Therefore you wouldn't expect them to be on the "field use" warranty list.

Since you are dealing with a particular knife rather than a generic model, you can use your own judgment about how far to push it. Just be aware of the restrictions in the HI warranty. Even if a model is on the "field use" list, that doesn't mean it can't be abused.

On the question of BK2 versus Balance Knife: I have both and would rate the Balance Knife superior in almost all the tasks that you mention, including feathering. The trick is to use the Balance Knife (or any Khukuru) as a draw-knife. One hand holding the handle, the other hand on the spine, and pull the knife toward you, cutting with the sharp part of the blade near the cho. I've found that a Khukuri is better than a standard draw-knife because you have a better grip and more control, even with a fairly large, heavy khukuri. (I discovered this by accident one day when I needed to put points on some wooden stakes, and the tool nearest to hand was a khukuri. You have to brace the piece of wood in some way so you can use the khukuri with both hands.)

You can't whittle with a Khukuri, but for that you have the karda. I don't know about filleting fish, but I wouldn't use a BK2 or a Khukuri for that task, although it can be done if the blade is sharp enough.
 
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David - there is a youtube video of a cook prepping food in the kichen with a HI Khukuri he even filleted an entire salmon. Really impressive.
 
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davidf99 said:
I don't know about filleting fish, but I wouldn't use a BK2 or a Khukuri for that task, although it can be done if the blade is sharp enough.
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17" WWII model fillets fish quite nicely if you have the skills like "the cook" does.....


[video=youtube_share;0DHGlhFJH0g]http://youtu.be/0DHGlhFJH0g[/video]
 
I use it cutting the pineapple, watermelon, coconut..................and chopping the firewood!!!!!!!! multi-purpose blade.
 
And we recently saw a posting where a forumite used a Falcata to prepare halibut. Khuks really are used for all sorts of purposes. If you choose to use it for kichen purposes like pk977 bear in mind that pineapple juice is VERY corrosive and a good cleaning and oiling with food grade oil such as a good mineral oil is important.
 
ndoghouse said:
Dont forget Lychee:D
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Lychee Harvesting using CAK is modern farmer. Enjoy, ndoghouse. Lychee with soda voka
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Love Lychee:thumbup: Nice pics pk. I have a Villager CAK by Kumar in the mail now. Maybe tomorrow?

Lychee soda vodka....mmmmmmm:D Thats my language there:thumbup:
 
ndoghouse, no more CAK. You already have more than enough CAK. Please left the chance to the others
I use it as a farming tools and doing some kitchen work as well.
Please advise me if someone who suggest using food grade mineral oil for anti-rust.
Hopefully, you can buy some Lychee at your department store.
I like Lychee soda vodka together with cohiba. That's the way of life.
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Its important to have balance in life pk. Especially if it comes as 16" and 35oz! If i see another of these Chiruwa Balance i might have to get one! Then i might stop...:rolleyes:
 
That right, ndoghouse! Coz I use it as a daily tools. Next step will be cut down the bamboo tree project.
 
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