Becker BK4

wildnewfie

wildnewfie

Joined
Feb 23, 2012
Messages
868
Hello Everyone,

I am looking for some input regarding the Becker BK4. I recently purchased a BK9 to use as my primary chopper along with a Fiskar's x7 axe while camping on extended trips. However I am now a little concerned by the weight that my pack is obtaining and in an effort to reduce this I am looking at the Becker BK4 as a replacement for the BK9 & axe on simple 1 night camping trips. Will the BK4 be a suitable alternatice to fill the roles of both the BK9 and axe? Any opinions are greatly appreciated. As always I will be carrying a smaller knife (BK2 or hopefully the BK10 when they are released) and folding saw on my travels.

Cheers and thanks for any input.
 
I am a huge axe fan but I am also first to say that most people don't need them, more so in the summer, if you just enjoy having one and using it that is one thing but just how much wood do you plan on processing?

For most people a big knife, little knife and a folding saw will get most all jobs done.
 
Sorry I guess I should have specified..... the main purpose of an axe for me is to fortify shelter to provide extra protection from the top and to assist in processing fire wood. Fire wood is not a major issue as I can usually use dead snags/deadfall however and axe does give me a lot more options with respect to gathering firewood in the fact that I can stay closer to the campsite when searching and can utilize larger pieces.
 
The easiest thing to do is just pull the trigger on a BK4 and if it shows up and you dislike it sell it on the exchange here.
 
Sad thing is even if I dislike it I would probably keep it and add it to my collection of nice but not my style such as BHK PLSK1 and Ontario RD9. Thanks for your input though.
 
I have the BK9 and the BK4 and I would just carry the 9 on an overnight .I like the feel and versatility of the BK9 more than the 4 .I have used my BK9 more and that may be the issue is I am more comfortable with the 9. P.S. I know what you mean about the RD9 too much weight and not enough bite.
 
Thanks "thebrain"....I think I will get the BK 4 anyways just to add to the collection. As for the RD9 you are right. It is a poor chopper but it is one of the toughest blades I have. I have seen the blade bend approx 30-40 degrees while batoning and it came back perfect aftwards despite this great aspect the extra weight combined with the lower cutting potential is what prompted me to buy the BK9 and I am very glad I did. The BK9 blow's the handles off the RD9 in chopping and so far has preformed very well in everything I have asked of it. Should be interesting to see how the BK 4 plays out in my hands..ah well might as well spend it as you can't take it with you, right.
 
Check out the cold steel tomahawks like the trailhawk. Lighter than an axe but chops a lot better than a knife.
 
To be honest I am no longer a fan of Cold Steel and would rather stay away from thier products. I do have a carbon v srk which preforms very well but my other cs knives have let me down such as the san mai master hunter and the recon scout and recon 1 which have suffered some serious failures. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 
wildnewfie said:
To be honest I am no longer a fan of Cold Steel and would rather stay away from thier products. I do have a carbon v srk which preforms very well but my other cs knives have let me down such as the san mai master hunter and the recon scout and recon 1 which have suffered some serious failures. Thanks for the suggestion though.
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Well then maybe another manufacturer of tomhawk then. I've been thinking about trying HBforge or fort turner or something along those lines.

If you would rather stick to a large knife than an ESEE Junglas might be worth considering. I'm told the BK4 is about on par with the BK9 for chopping.
 
The machaxe will not replace an axe. It's a great knife, but still a knife, and an axe will outchop a knife.

There have been a few threads here comparing the BK-4 and the BK-9, and the general consensus is that the machaxe and the BK-9 are about equal in chopping ability.

Honestly, if you are carrying an axe, I would just leave the BK-9 at home. I never carry more than one chopping tool, it's just too much weight. I rotate between several choppers (BK-9, trail hawk, wetterlings axe, machete) but I choose just one depending on my needs for that trip.

If you just want to carry both, that's fine, but the easiest way for you to reduce your pack weight is to carry just one chopping tool. Perhaps bring the axe when you anticipate a lot of heavy chopping and carry the BK-9 (or a new BK-4) when you anticipate less chopping.
 
Valid points made here guys....I'll take them all into consideration however I am surprised that the BK 9 and the BK 4 chop about the same. I know the BK 9 is an amazing chopping but I was expecting the BK 4 to be a better based on blade design. Thanks again everyone.
 
wildnewfie said:
Valid points made here guys....I'll take them all into consideration however I am surprised that the BK 9 and the BK 4 chop about the same. I know the BK 9 is an amazing chopping but I was expecting the BK 4 to be a better based on blade design. Thanks again everyone.
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Granted, I have not used either the 9 or 4, but I think this might be due to the 9 weighing a little more. Also, I think at least for me, it would be easier to get a more consistent chop with the 9.
 
I have both the BK4 and the BK9. The BK4 is my favorite knife to carry in the woods. I had the BK9 first, and when I got the 4 I was actually surprised at how small the blade is compared to the 9. The 4 is also lighter. For me, the Machax feels better in the hand overall, it's both more exotic and more graceful, and the weight-forward design is a thing of beauty for me.

Despite that it is smaller than the 9, I find the Machax to be nearly as good a chopper (almost identical) to the 9, especially once you have the "snap cut" technique down with the Machax.

The thin part of the 4 is better for fine detail work with carving or sharpening (bow drill or hand drills, tent stakes, etc).

The BK9 is easier to sharpen than the BK4 because of the recurve blade design. The 9 is also better for batoning larger logs, but not by much.

They are both great knives. I prefer to carry the 4 in the woods, but I do love the 9 for other tasks as well.
 
I really like the Bk4, but I don't think it out chops the Bk9.
The 4 feels small to me compared to the 9.
I like to take the 4 when I'm bumming in the woods.
 
I got the Machax late this winter and hence, haven't had it very long. However, when comparing it's chopping capabilities to the BK-9, I found the Machax to outperform the BK-9 in the same material. For me, I think it is because of the change in balance and the lighter feel in the hand. It swings fast and really bites into the material. The first thing I started chopping with it was an oak board being roughed out for a bow. It outperformed every other chopper I had! The Machax has replaced both the BK-9 and my Trailhawk in my kit currently. One tool that can do what I needed two to do before!

That's my $.02 worth! ;)
 
Does the Machax have a Kukri feel to it? I have experience with machetes and kukris, and was thinking of a BK-9 when I get as a self Christmas present. My brother has me interested in a BK-4 as well. After having carried more gear than I need, I can appreciate the less is more approach, especially since I don't cut trees down. Though I did with my machete once. Don't judge me...
 
tcarp1911 said:
Does the Machax have a Kukri feel to it? I have experience with machetes and kukris, and was thinking of a BK-9 when I get as a self Christmas present. My brother has me interested in a BK-4 as well. After having carried more gear than I need, I can appreciate the less is more approach, especially since I don't cut trees down. Though I did with my machete once. Don't judge me...
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I handled one and I didn't think it felt all that kukri-like. Kukris tend to come straight out from the handle and then curve down where as the BK4 has the handle at an angle to the blade which has a straight spine and a large recurve. Sure looks kukri-inspired and it feels like it would chop well, but to me it fells like it wouldn't be as good at some of the finer tasks that the BK9 handles reasonably well for a large knife. Though I've read reviews from guys that might disagree with me.
 
Speaking for myself, I would carry a BK16 and a folding saw which should be enough for processing firewood for an overnighter. The axe is unnecesary and I would only have it with me car camping unless you are talking longer term woods living. My next step woud be a heavy machete larger than either the BK9 or BK4 before an axe.
 
22-rimfire said:
Speaking for myself, I would carry a BK16 and a folding saw which should be enough for processing firewood for an overnighter. The axe is unnecesary and I would only have it with me car camping unless you are talking longer term woods living. My next step woud be a heavy machete larger than either the BK9 or BK4 before an axe.
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Machete isn't a bad idea either. I just got a marbles scout machete with sheath and it feels lighter than the BK9 and probably chops better. For the price of a BK9 or a little less you could get a Marbles machete w/ sheath, mora, and a leatherman sidekick and be pretty well set up for cutting tools.
 
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