becker bk2 vs esee 5

P

PatrickKnight

Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Messages
1,949
Looking for a large camp knife. Wondering which of the 2 would be better for cutting wood, chopping tasks of that nature. I know they both weigh about the same but it seems to me like the beckers blade would be better for this. I do love the sheath that comes on the esee, I have never acutally seen the sheath that comes with the becker so i cant comment on that. Also how is the warrenty on both knives havent really been able to find to much info in that area other than people say esee has the best knife warrenty there is.


Any tips comments or experience by people who own them both would be great.
 
I wouldn't call either of these knives "large" but I guess they are a bit larger than the average knife, so I could see why you would call them that.

If I was choosing between these two, I would go with the Becker. The main reasons would be cost, and ergonimics. The BK2 is much cheaper than the ESEE 5, while still having similar quality of the blade steel. The main difference is that the ESEE 5 comes with a few "extras" already on the knife (kydex sheath and micarta handle scales). These extras can be added the Becker later, and you'll end up paying about the same for the BK2 as the ESEE 5 at that point.

After that, its the ergonimics. I feel like the Becker line of knives has an amazingly comfortable handle design. It seems more people like the handle design on the Becker, but I could be off on that one. Also, as far as the warranty, the ESEE 5 has an unconditional lifetime warranty, so if you break it, you get a new one. The Becker on paper has a little more restrictive warranty, but effectively its about the same. I would say both have great warranties. The few Beckers I've ever heard of breaking were replaced under warranty, so I don't think its a huge differentiating factor.

And finally, the big difference between the ESEE 5 and the BK2 is the grind. The grind on the BK2 is higher, so it should be a bit more "slicey" then the ESEE 5. Neither of them are moras, so keep that in mind, but my BK2 has done all the woods work I've ever asked it to.

Here is what the BK2 stock sheath looks like BTW. Nothing amazing, and nothing really bad.
scaled.php


And finally, if you're looking for a large knife for chopping, I would actually look for something a bit larger than these knives. Something like the BK9 or one of the machete type blades out there.

1003825v.jpg


In my tests the BK9 out chops the BK2 by almost exactly double.

Good luck :).
 
I only have the Becker but it seems to me that the BK-2 and ESEE 5 are essentially the same knife except the ESEE is a little more refined. If you don't mind the stock BK-2, it's a win for the price. Once you start adding on extras like micarta scales and a better sheath, perhaps the ESEE is a better deal since it already comes with these features.

bk04.jpg


Edit: What ocnLogan said! (He types faster than me... :D )
 
timberweasel said:
I can't comment on the original sheath, but I find that I eventually lose any fine edge on my BK-2 due to the sheath.
Click to expand...

The first gen. sheaths used glass reinforced nylon which does significantly wear a FINE edge, the new sheaths do not have glass and are easier on the edge. That said, every sheath dulls the blade somewhat even if it's a very very small amount of wear. Leather, kydex, if your knife has a razor edge and you sheath and draw it a hundred times or so it will not be quite as sharp as the first time. Though with one of the old G.R. Nylon sheaths it would only take a couple of those draws haha.
 
RogueBowie said:
The first gen. sheaths used glass reinforced nylon which does significantly wear a FINE edge, the new sheaths do not have glass and are easier on the edge. That said, every sheath dulls the blade somewhat even if it's a very very small amount of wear. Leather, kydex, if your knife has a razor edge and you sheath and draw it a hundred times or so it will not be quite as sharp as the first time. Though with one of the old G.R. Nylon sheaths it would only take a couple of those draws haha.
Click to expand...

I have a little BK-11 and the stock sheath certainly ruins the edge in no time flat. Custom sheath is in the works... :)
 
I don't have a BK2, but my brother's Esee 5 makes my BK7 feel like a lightweight. The Essee 5 is stouter than stout. It's almost a little too much for me. That being said, if you want a knife to put through the wringer tthe Esee would do ANYthing you could want it to. And it has a no-questions-asked warranty. Break it, get it replaced. If you din't plan on clearing timber, killing bears and chopping up lesser knives, the BK2 will do.
 
My BK2 sheath a year ago came with the glass reenforced sheath. I called them about something else (the snap on the sheath was broken) and they sent me out a new sheath. On the paperwork the new sheath said "NO GLASS", so I'm pretty sure this issue has been taken care of.

Other ways to deal with this is to sheath and resheath the knife a few hundred times (not hard if you're like most of us and like to play with your knives), of take something like a hacksaw blade or a file and take a tiny amount off of the sheath by the edge.

Good luck :).
 
I second the idea of getting a larger knife, like the BK9 or 7, or the Machax. They're a bit thinner stock, but much handier IMO. The 2 is a really big chunk of metal. Feels very authoritative in hand, but just felt too hefty for my tastes. I'm pretty sold on Beckers. I just like the handle ergos better than the ESEE handles. 5 might be worth a look for a camp knife, because it's excellent at food prep too.

-edit- Also, if you think the ESEE 5 is the be-all and the end-all for a robust knife, give this thread a look:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ting-the-BK2-to-the-test-so-you-don-t-have-to

I think the BK2 can give any knife a run for its money in terms of being able to take abuse.
 
I most certainly, would NOT let a sheath determine if i bought a knife or not. If i did, i would not have any fixed blades at all. All of my sheaths---even the "good ones", are not up to my standards. I have or will modify them.

But, all that being said, the Becker BK2 & the new tweener sheaths & the BK4 sheath are all on the right track. Many sheaths can not be modified to work well. Those i just mentioned can be EASILY modified to work well. Check out the Becker forum---lots of good stuff there on knives & sheaths & modifications of both.

Here is my simple BK2 sheath mod. It works excellent for me.

100_0926.jpg


100_0922.jpg


It is the old one with nylon glass. I have no issues. Put the knife in it & remove it, about 100-200 times, you will fix the problem. Once "the channel" is cut, you're good to go.
 
I have had an RC-5 (Now ESEE-5.) for a while - with it's old sheath (See below.). I picked up a 'deal' locally on a BK-2 last summer - $79 new with the aftermarket Micarta scales as well as the original. In retrospect, the OEM grips are fine, as I found out when I ordered my son a BK-2 from an internet source better known for selling books. It's gone up since then - but it's still only ~$63 shipped - a bargain.

003.jpg


The BK-2 was new - I did ease the Micarta edges some since. The ESEE-5 had seen some use - that stout pebbled finish on the blade, however, shows little evidence of use - even now. It's Micarta handle is still more comfortable - and it is a more 'handsome' knife. With the OEM grips, the BK-2 is utilitarian - and plenty comfortable. It slices and chops better - a likely offshoot of that slicker finish. It's sheath is serviceable. I have it for my B.O.B. I love my RC-5/ESEE-5 - but that BK-2 is every bit as useful - and cheaper - probably by just less than half as much as the ESEE-5.

Stainz
 
I bought the esee 5 and i regret it. What they don't tell you is that the micarta sucks all the oil off your hand when you hold it. I bought the og-5p, which is orange blade, tan handle. The handles are now a dark od color, and the first thing i did with it was cut up some cardboard, which noticeably wore he powdercoat. Just get a bk-2 and save $100.
 
jessep said:
I bought the esee 5 and i regret it. What they don't tell you is that the micarta sucks all the oil off your hand when you hold it. I bought the og-5p, which is orange blade, tan handle. The handles are now a dark od color, and the first thing i did with it was cut up some cardboard, which noticeably wore he powdercoat. Just get a bk-2 and save $100.
Click to expand...

Not arguing with you, but I am surprised that the coating on the ESEE wore from cutting some cardboard. The ESEE coating is known for being tough, the coating on my ESEE 4 has fared very well through a lot of batonning/light chopping/carving while the coating on my BK2 started wearing from first baton (but that's okay, I stripped it anyways ;) )
 
The Micarta scales on the RC-5/ESEE-5 are removable for cleaning. They clean up nicely with just some dish detergent or similar. The powder coating on all three of my ESEE's are still there after a good bit of use. Don't know why yours is coming off.
 
Ive owned both but I like the Esee 5 as it includes the kydex holster and micarta handles. quality is top notch!
 
Its worth noting that the BK2 will be coming with a new coating, and a laser engraved marking. The new coating is much more ESEE like than the old coating (its textured, if the photos are any indication).

It should be landing sometime soon, like within this month. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
 
They are both terrific knives. You can't really go wrong with either one. You will probably want another sheath for the BK2, that is the only real difference I can see. The ESSE-5 sheath is great; the BK2 sheath is garbage.
 
That doesn't look very bad. It'll happen eventually anyways. Keep using it and then strip the coating off when most of it has worn off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top