Batoning

James w

James w

Joined
Aug 6, 2015
Messages
951
Hey all I'm kinda new to knives although I do own a kabar short I'm trying to find a good batoning/bushcraft knife I like the esee5 and 6 but am still looking any one suggestions please


My kabar would be fine but the false edge I highly dislike
 
Welcome to the site :).

It kind of depends on what you mean by bushcraft, and how much batoning you think you'll be doing. That, and budget can change things quite a bit.

Here are some generic recommendations.

Becker Bk16
Becker Bk10
Becker BK2 (probably the "batoniest" other than the ESEE 5)
Becker Bk12
ESEE 4
ESEE Laserstrike
ESEE 6
TOPS B.O.B.

There are lots of good options out there, but those are some of the more common and well respected blades in the middlish size range for what you're looking for. Take a gander, and see if anything tickles your fancy and then maybe we can help you find other things more similar to the one you're liking.

Good luck :).
 
So im not really interested if I can't find the knife for $140 the bk 10 and esee 5 and 6 and tops bob are so far the ones I like
 
Choosing from those four - I'd say go with the Esee6.
 
Last edited:
I'd skip the ESEE 5 personally. Its great at batoning (probably among the best out there for its blade length)... but really not great for most of the rest of the "knife things" that you'd want to do with it.

Of those, I'd go with the BK10 or ESEE 6 (or BK12). I personally am a fan of the Becker handle ergonomics (very comfortable), and dislike finger choils, which is why I'd skip the ESEE 6, and go for one of the Beckers. All of those are good choices though.

The Tops BOB is a good knife, but its fairly thick and has a low grind, and if I was going to get a knife in that size I'd be looking at the BK16 or ESEE 4 or something like that.
 
Welcome!

I'd recommend the ESEE 6 or Doug Ritter RSK Mk2 Perseverance (aka BK12).
ESEE6PB.jpg
DRRSKMK2.jpg


ESEE6 - http://www.knifeworks.com/ratcutler...ommelblacksheathwmollelocks.aspx#.VcO2RflVhBc
BK12 - http://www.knifeworks.com/dougritterrskmk2perseverance.aspx#.VcO0vPlVhBc


I prefer the BK12 over the BK10 and prefer the handle of the BK12 over that of the ESEE6.

But you can't go wrong with either.
 
While I'm not a fan of the practice, basically every 4 inch and up with a decent thickness can be used for batoning.
Beckers are well known for toughness, as are Esee. Fällkniven S1 and A1 come to mind too, I even batoned with the F1 which has a 3.8" blade.
 
One does not bushcraft by batoning wood alone. I got back this afternoon from a two nighter out in the woods camping on the trails and we did do some bushcrafting. The most used knives were the Mora in first place and the Ontario Falcon in a close second. The large blade on the pack wasn't even needed once. Cut to length with folding saw and the thickest wood we needed was split perfect with the less than 4" blade on the Falcon. We did harvest a bunch of fat wood and it was the same thing. Cut the stump that was about 5" with saw and chop up chunks with falcon the cleaned them up with the mora.

You don't need a huge blade to bushcraft, you don't even need a long one to baton what you need. I do carry a large blade on the pack though because there are them times when you will want it or even worse need it. Get an Esee 4 for the belt or similar, a mora in the pack and a BK7 or similar on the pack for batoning if bushcrafting is your ultimate goal. Like ocnLogan said, depends on what you call bushcrafting.
 
I have the tops bob and the bk2, and there my go to knives in that size range. Both can withstand whatever you throw at em, both will easily sharpen up to a razor edge, and have good edge retention. For an all around do it all knife thou I'd take the tops bob, as it's capable of heavier tasks such as batoning and chopping but can also easily carve and do finer tasks. The bk2 can also do finer work with a lil edge tweaking, but not as easily as the bob.

However if you pair a bk2, or 7 with a mora you have the best of both worlds.
 
I'll second or third that Tops B.o.B., it will hold up better than everything listed with the same thickness. I love using it, and has done everything I have wanted it to.


Edit: Note, I said same thickness, the BK2 obviously is King.
 
Batoning. Hmm. Spent a lot of my life in the outdoors with a knife. Time spent using a knife to batton - - -0.
 
I think batoning with an axe is the the best option...

[video=youtube;hOMxnWPgUlk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOMxnWPgUlk[/video]
 
Camillus said:
Batoning. Hmm. Spent a lot of my life in the outdoors with a knife. Time spent using a knife to batton - - -0.
Click to expand...

/commencing rant

Could not agree more. Batoning has become a fetish, one of those check-boxes for wilderness knives by people with little experience and some amount of fear. They think it's a necessary capability for any "bushcraft knife" — just in case — but in reality batoning has basically no use in outdoor life as it's actually lived.

One can always contrive situations that provide an excuse to whack a knife into a chunk of wood, but real necessity? Nope.

/rant ends

If you're looking for a reason to buy a thick-bladed knife (ESEE, BK, etc., etc.), just buy the knife because you like how it looks and it makes you happy to own it. That's all the reason you need. No need to conjure up visions of whacking a thick blade into a thick stick with another thick stick while cold rain pours down. If that scenario is remotely possible, bring a hatchet or a folding saw. That will do the job better, and you won't look like a newbie in the woods.

/rant really, really ends
 
Last edited:
50+ yr hunting,fishing,camping and just running around in the woods. 4 yrs in the military with a lot of time in the field. I've NEVER batonned a knife. Use the right tool for the job. If you have to split something in the woods, whittle yourself a wedge.--KV
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top