a Q about knives...... the horse is not dead yet

S

sasha

Joined
Feb 28, 2006
Messages
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Hi there I been thinking about getting a larger knife. Till now i found that the Mora is enough of a knife for most anything. But i been thinking about getting something larger. I hear only good things about swamp rat knifes and the guys on there site are just awsome. But same time i hear alot of good things about BK7 too. At a price of $50 the BK looks good as the swamp is much more. How would you compare the two knifes??? I know the swamp is an excelent knife. But been thinking that the BK might be just as good for my use. Is the BK7 is much lower in Quality???? I dont want to ask on the BK forum as im sure they think its the best there is. You guys are the ones to ask.....

Sasha
 
I love my bk's enough that I bought 10. They are great and the price is right. They are very tough and will take a pretty good edge. They are a lot cheaper than a swamp rat. Comparing the bk7 to a mora is like comparing a tank to a compact car as far as toughness goes. For the price these are some of the best knives I have ever bought. Out of the 5 bk9's and the 5 bk7's I have only had one that needed drastic reprofiling (I think it was a second but the seller didnt list it as such) the others didnt need a whole lot. hats my 2 cents
 
I've got three Beckers (BK7, BK10, and Necker), and a Swamprat M6. In terms of toughness, both brands can handle any realistic challenge you can throw at them in the field. The M6 is definitely tougher than the Beckers, but from a practical standpoint, who cares? For regular field use you aren't going to be chopping through concrete or fire extinguishers, so the Beckers should hold up just fine. Of the Beckers I own, I'd personally recommend the BK7. Compared to a Mora, it is much tougher and there's absolutely no fear of it breaking no matter what you do. However, I do find myself carrying a Mora way more than any of the other knives.
 
Yes, the swamp rat is a better quality knife. But for a user, who cares. The Beckers I have are very tough knives and really good quality for the price.

I would not hesitate to go with the Becker but don't settle for less if you really want a Swamp Rat, you'll just end up getting one later on anyway.
 
It always amuses me when the tough, tougher, toughest, adjectives come up in knife threads.

Beckers are tough.
Swamp Rats are tough.
Ontario's RAT line is tough.
Ka-Bar's Impact Series is tough.
Mission's MPKS knives are tough.
Fallknivens are tough.
Ranger's RDs are tough.
Busse is tough with a capital T.

It's like watching a debate about various American, British, Russian, German, Aussie, Polish, whomever's snake eaters--Which spec ops outfit is the toughest?

Answer: Who cares? They can all kick your ass. Any of the knives above will, odds on, take more abuse than you can. I'd feel fine with any of the above and another 20 or more brands/specimens I didn't even bother listing.
 
Beckers are great knives, very tough and hold an edge well. Their only downfall is the handles. They come razor sharp from the factory.
Swamprat is a great knife but very hyped up. I dont think the M6 is in stock anymore either. I have only recieved 1 (of 8 swamprat knives) that came factory sharp.
another line to look at is ranger knives. They use steel simular to swamprat and are a lot cheaper. They also come razor sharp from the factory.
You really cant go wrong with most of the tool steels. You just need to know the limitations. IE... dont pry with a becker or any D2 steel. They all have solid points and weak points. Half the fun is using the knife to find its strong point. Enjoy what ever knife you choose.
 
If a large knife is what you want, get the BK7. If you break it, then you can spend the coin on a Swamp Rat. I doubt you'll be looking to do so any time soon.

I have a BK7 and have done the following:
Chopped/Battoned both kiln dried lumber and dry logs/branches.
Stabbed it through the roof of a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Pried weeds from the lawn.
Chopped roots when removing a small tree that was all but dead.

Most of what I've done with it is simply to test the blade and tip. The coating wore off so I stripped it. Other than that, its as good as it was on day one.

I do own a Swamp Rat offering and would not hesitate to punish it in the same way. For the money, I'd start with the Becker. Another reason is, eventually, you'll want something in between the Mora and the BK7. The Swamp Rat Howling Rat (or something about the same size) will fill the niche quite nicely. Unfortunately, it will cause you to ignore the Mora and the BK7. Trust me, I know.

I must go show my BK7 and BRKT Woodland some attention now...:o They're feeling neglected.

Chris
 
Carrying a typical Scandi, you can hardly tell it's
there. You can get bigger and thicker Scandi
knives and knife blades at ragweedforge.com and
others places. Note the ones that taper from blade to tang.

BK 7 is heavier than the specs on the internet. Because it is
heavy, it is often left in the car. If I knew I had to do lots of
knife work, like shelter building, I would definitely take it.

Consider of the whole EDC bush kit; there are lots of
weight trade-offs for various gear: clothing to compasses.
For some people, knives and other cutters have more limited
use recently, since fire and shelter building is more restricted by law.
While on the move, the knife does you little good, but clothing,
especially rain and wind protection, is still useful.
Notice that I am talking about EDC in the bush, not the hobby,
working, or primary-purpose equipment that is a special case.
 
I have Several Rangers,Beckers and a SwampRat "Battle Rat".As well as several dozen custom knives.I use them all....

Not all factory knives came "razor sharp"--in fact most of them did NOT.

There is a difference in the level of "fit and finish" as well as "factory edge" in all of them.What the company calls "sharp" may or may not be "sharp" to you.

As a "general rule" you get what you pay for...be it cars,houses,guns,knives,etc

Buy the knife that feels the best in your hand---even if that means you save your $ now and get it next year..

If you get one now--and then hold/test what you really wanted in the first place you will dislike the knife you have even more.

Do not settle on a Brand--Settle on the performance you need.

If you can find a blade that does what you need-feels good in your hand as well---who cares who made it..???

The biggest advantage a Becker has over a more expensive knife is your more likely to "use" it without worrying if you might scratch it---

and like coyotesniper69 said--they all have strong and weak points.

Buy what feels BEST in your hand--try the knife grip before you buy it.(buying from a catalog could mean a knife you like the "looks" of feels terrible in your hand.)

Sincerely

Dr.Bill
 
coyotesniper69 said:
Swamprat is a great knife but very hyped up. I dont think the M6 is in stock anymore either. I have only recieved 1 (of 8 swamprat knives) that came factory sharp.
another line to look at is ranger knives. They use steel simular to swamprat and are a lot cheaper. They also come razor sharp from the factory.
Click to expand...

I am curious what you think is hyped up about Swamp Rat? If something is "hyped up", that generally means it's virtues are exaggerated. I have owned and used plenty of the knives & don't find that to be the case at all.

They do come highly recommended by enthusiasts, which could be considered hype from a certain point of view. But all the brands you mention are recommended highly, and you did not claim that the others are "very hyped up". . .

I have not had such bad experiences with edge sharpness as you mention, and I know how to sharpen, so it would not be much of an issue in any case. They do not come as sharp as Spyderco, but in most cases they could shave.


________________________



For the original poster, I would recommend that he get any of the knives mentioned here. They are all good knives and will serve you well.
 
Dave I was wodering about your comment of chopping through fire extinguishers. Was this some sort of test?
 
if you want to stay with a mora, but still have a heavier blade for chopping, brush clearing etc, i suggest you look at ragweed forge here:

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html
a little more than half way down the page there are two large knives, one with an 8 inch blade and one with a 7 inch blade. they also hold true with the low prices of moras.

ps, i am in no way affiliated with ragweedforge, just intrigued by thier large selection.
 
sasha said:
Hi there I been thinking about getting a larger knife. Till now i found that the Mora is enough of a knife for most anything. But i been thinking about getting something larger. I hear only good things about swamp rat knifes and the guys on there site are just awsome. But same time i hear alot of good things about BK7 too. At a price of $50 the BK looks good as the swamp is much more. How would you compare the two knifes??? I know the swamp is an excelent knife. But been thinking that the BK might be just as good for my use. Is the BK7 is much lower in Quality???? I dont want to ask on the BK forum as im sure they think its the best there is. You guys are the ones to ask.....

Sasha
Click to expand...

the good bk i think has a S30V blade and a hefty price tag.
 
2dogs said:
Dave I was wodering about your comment of chopping through fire extinguishers. Was this some sort of test?
Click to expand...

MAN! nuthin gets me more riled up than coming across a fire extinguisher in the wilderness! I pull my big blade and get medieval on those things!
they really p!ss me off. :grumpy:
But one time, it was a full one. hoo hooo, the joke was on me that time. ;)

Thanks for listening. :D
 
sasha said:
How would you compare the two knifes?
Click to expand...

The Swamp Rat is a lot stronger and much tougher due to the differential hardening, these are very large differences, not a small percentage. There is also a large chopping advantage to the Swamp Rat for thicker woods.

-Cliff
 
Guys thanks for all the info. I might go and get the BK7 if i can still get it for the price of about $30. It would be a great way to find out if i got a use for a larger knife. I would still carry my Mora it just fit good around my neck while out in woods. I thought about playing with a larger knife to chop wood and make shelter. It seems like the one main problem with the Bk7 is the handle. I would see how it works when i get it. Has anyone made a wooden handle for it???
I cant seem to find the prices for the swamp knives. Assomeone that didnt use a large knife when i read about .25 in width all i can think about is something that is large and not easy to use so i want to play with one and see how i like it.
I just might join the large knife club.

Sasha
 
Im going to talk to the guy this week see if i can buy it cheap. Siguy I was thinking about getting one or more Moras. While at it im going to get the larger knife too. If its any good at holding an edge as my small mora it would be a great knife to have.

Sasha
 
http://www.ragweedforge.com/BladeCatalog.html

There are some big blades here that are quite reasonable.
And they are not too heavy IMO.

You can put handles on in different ways. See different
forums.

You may want to drill a hole in a tang to accept a pin or
bolt sleeve.
If you drill a hole in any tang, test the tang for hardness,
first, with a file or drill bit. If too hard, you can heat that
spot and let cool very slowly; it will then be soft for drilling.
If any of you smiths have a better way, let me know or
give me a link.
 
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