becker bk16 or bear grylls fixed

mountainmist

mountainmist

Joined
Jun 12, 2013
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I'am looking for a good 4'' blade knife and i already have a bear grylls knife but i cant seem to get it sharp enuf to cut paper:(. I like the looks of the bk16 and its smaller witch I like. is the bk16 worth the $$$ or should I stick with my bear grylls?
 
I don't know much about the Bk16 but in my opinion the Gerber Bear Grylls "Ultimate Survival Knife" is not much use. I heard a lot of criticism so I bought one to test myself. The blade does not seem to take a decent edge and it rolls or chips pretty much as soon as it is used on wood. Apart from the hollow grind I quite like the design - it is just badly let down by the materials used.
If you are looking for a good 4" blade maybe consider an Esee 4.

You will find plenty of threads here on the BG knives.
 
Kabar Becker BK-16; You'll love it. I have an ESEE 4 also, but prefer the BK-16. The bar steel is a bit thinner on the BK-16 versus the ESEE. I prefer it for a general purpose woods knife. But for a light use chopper, I would go with the ESEE 4 or the BK-2.

I stay away from stuff like the Bear Grylls blades. Not even interested enough to try one out because I have to buy it first.

Is the BK-16 worth the price? If you use it, it's worth the price. Eventually you will own the BK-2, BK-9, and BK-16 and maybe a necker. That covers the spectrum of common uses and then it comes down to personal preference.
 
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If you already have one of the recently made BG knives, I would think to just keep it and use it.
I'm interested on why it's so hard to get sharp, because my experience with my BG has been that it's very easy to sharpen.

The BK 16 is clearly a better knife, but again, you already have the BG and it is a very usable and functional cutting tool.
I would spend my $$ on good sharpening equipment, so that any knife you purchase in the future, you can sharpen.

I should also add this:
you are here on BF, so you are most likely one of those "knife guys" you hear about. If you have the $$ get both !!!
........... and then a SOG Seal Pup Elite
.............and then a ESEE-4
................and then a TOPS BoB
................and then a Dustar Magen
.................and then a Fallkniven F1 and then...................... it never stops
 
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I might add that speaking as a parent who might be actually paying for the knives, I would say make do with the BG knife for a while. Being in Eastern KY, you will eventually want a machete to go with your BK-9.

Sharpening... I like DMT stuff. But, I find myself using a EZE-LAP diamond bench stone in fine (600 grit) and super fine (1200 grit) that I bought at Blade last year. Some say that the quality is not good or consistant, but I like mine for home use.
 
I already have a machete but its not full tang and i don't thank that it will chop as well. I don't have the bk9 yet but will in the next 45 days.
 
You are the perfect age to really begin an active interest in knives and develop woods experience. When I started really trying to broaden my knife buying experience, I started with SOG blades and I found them to be well made at the time. I even bought older ones on Ebay. I still like a number of their blades and the Seal Pup Elite (plain edge) is one that I really like (mentioned by Angus). It is a similar use knife as the BK-16. The handles always bothered me as being "cheap". I don't have that feeling about Kabar Becker knives. Lots of people buy new scales for them and they are available off the shelf due to the popularity of the knives.

I also really like the Fallniven F1, but it is fairly expensive, but is a similar use knife as the BK-16. That was the knife that I purchased as my "final" general woods knife... but the thing is so darn pretty that I hate to use it.

At Christmas I always bring along a few newer knife toys when I visit with my Sister. Her husband was quite the knife nut until she tamed him. He had stuff like orginal Moran fixed blades and so forth. He'd go to Gil Hibben's shop and have him make custom scales for him. The one knife that always amazed me was his liking for the Rambo III knife which he had Hibben make new handles for it. With the Becker BK-2, he showed me why the handles were made the way they are as I was not enamored with them at first. But he demonstrated the usefulness of the design. He was an X-Special Forces guy and knew how to use a knife.

The BK-16 is an excellent choice as an upgrade to the BG knife.
 
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The BG knife is quite serviceable but the BK-16 is a significant step up in quality. For comparable size I would suggest the ESEE-4 as others have, but given your age, it might be worth looking at the ESEE-3 as it is a little smaller and might suit you better for a few years.

Oh, and get a Mora as well. ;)
 
at this point, I'd suggest spending your knife $ on a guided sharpening system and strop -- or get an adult in your life to help you make a strop from an old leather belt and one of the large paint sticks used for 5 gallon buckets.
this way you can get the BG knife sharp and see if it really is the knife you want before buying the BK16 and having an issue with getting it sharp at some point down the road.
 
Comparing the Bear Grylls fixed blade to a Becker is like comparing a Barbie Powerwheels Jeep to a Yamaha Grizzly.
 
Just one more vote but I would say get the 16. It is a much better platform to start out on.
Its is customizable which is always fun, its 1095 steel which is an excellent blank slate to learn how to properly sharpen on vs the BG which has mystery steel and it is a solid, reliable knife, care for it and it'll last you a lifetime.
 
I broke the tip of the BG knife by stabing it into a junk of maple while preparing a fire. Gerber replaced it without issue but that simple failure (which I know can happen to anything...murphy's law!) got me digging deeper into the so called more dependable blades such as ka-bar, becker, esee and such. I currently have both Beckers and Esee blades but typically pick up a becker blade when doing a job. When it comes to the Becker's and Esee's buy what you like most as both will serve you well. The BK16 gets my nod as it is my main bushcrafting blade....pairs up great with the BK9 or the BK4. The BK17 might be an option as well for you. either way enjoy your purchase.
 
You might as well light your money on fire if you get the Grylls knife.. Junkers IMO. Go with the other company, or do some better research so it's not a rushed decision.
 
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