Becker BK7 or Ka-Bar Bowie?

C

charlesbjr

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Mar 8, 2006
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I am looking at purchasing the Becker BK 7 or the Ka-Bar 12 5/8 Bowie. However, I cannot decide which.

Size is similar
not much of a price difference

Any input?

Thanks!
 
From what I read, the performances are similar.

You should get the one that looks better to you.
(I would go for the Kabar after seing noss4's vid).
 
I was originally going to go with the Becker, then I saw the video - which made me think again.

Nice video!
 
Between the two, the Kabar will have more power in a swing for chopping/limbing (due to its greater mass) whereas the slightly thinner Becker will pass more easily through normal cutting mediums and be lighter to carry on your belt. The steel difference between them pretty much mirrors their design specialties---at the hardnesses they're running, the 1085 Kabar is using should be tougher in terms of not chipping or fracturing under impact, whereas the 0170-6 should hold an edge a bit better in normal cutting, with a bit more abrasion/deformation resistance. However, these differences will fairly small between these two steels--either steel done right is well balanced for a wide variety of uses.

Both are tough knives from good companies and a bargain. Were I choosing between them right now, I'd probably go with the Becker, for no other reason that Camillus is in some serious trouble right now, and the future of the Becker line is unclear. I think either will serve you well, though.
 
Apples to apples would be the smaller Kabar vs the BK7. Or the larger Heavy Bowie vs the BK9.

I'd get the Becker while you still can. Especially if you have small to medium sized hands. And it being American made would be a plus in my book. Conversely, if you like the kraton (rubber) handles better, get the Kabar; if the handle is too wide for your taste you can always whittle it down some. And I love the blade shape & edge profile of the Kabar HB's...

Both are great knives & won't let you down.
 
becker is my choice also. i have the becker tactical and the bk7 .
like everyone has stated pound for pound bout the same.
becker is a great value.
you can remove the slabs from the becker and custom fit your own.+++
noss4 thanks for the video. very cool
 
Becker. It is a much stronger knife than the KBar, simply because it uses a full tang rather than the KBar's narrower and weaker tang. I also do not like the material KBar handles are made out of. It damages too easily. The Becker also has a better sheath made out of Nylon, as opposed to leather which rots more easily. The Becker's sheath also has a handy pouch on it that will hold a sharpening stone, multi-tool, folding knife, fire starter, etc. Also, unlike on the KBar, the Becker's tang protrudes beyond the hilt, making a good hammer strike surface. I watched Noss4's video, and you could do all of that stuff with a Becker. In fact, you could probably do all of that stuff with a $20 Cold Steel Bushman.
 
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I would choose the RAT7 over either. Mainly due to handle ergonomics. I like the acuteness to which the BK7 edge is ground however. . .
 
Get the Bk7. Really nice knife. Google knife reviews and read about it. Also that type of kbar isn't 1095 it's 440. They are 440 tiawan. like the TDI and the folders .Not the 1095 like the next generation and the regular. That why the msrp is only 40 dollars. you can buy it at retail stores for about 38.remember it's 440. it's made in tiawan. You can do that with any knife. GET THE BECKER. Good seel and made in the USA.
 
Umm...the bowie is made out of 1085...not 440....? im not sure Im understanding what you said. Either knife is a solid choice, but I personally like the ka-bar. Im not a fan of the becker handle (I know they can be replaced, I just havent done it) Its really a matter og personal preferance here. either knife will serve you well.
 
I would get a smaller Becker and the larger K Bar.
I would suggest calling the K Bar bowies in 1085 the "Birds Head" k Bars so no one gets them mixed up with The other K Bar lines.
Probably the best thing to do is swing them around a bit before you buy and pick the one that feels best. They are both exellent products and I would be happy with either.
 
K-Bar 14 ¼ destruction test. ON VIDEO (links at bottom )

I was doing a blade-flexing test by putting it in a vise and bending the blade
I was able to get about a 20 to 25 degree bend about 10 times before the tip broke.Unfortunately I didn’t have the camera running for this test.

Now it was time to work this knife until total failure. With the camera running.

With a broken tip I proceeded with impact testing, beating the back of the blade with a hammer in to a 2x4 over and over. No blade breakage and no edge chipping.

Then onto breaking a brick then hacking away at it like a log. The edge never chipped. There is one chip near the tip after striking my tubing notcher (wild swing) on the workbench.

Next onto a large landscaping brick hacking away the sparks really begin to fly (literally) I hammered the blade splitting the brick. After this there is still no blade failure just blade denting. I was still able to cut four layers of poster board I glued up from another project.

I whacked PVC pipe cutting it like a tree branch cutting it clean.

I moved on to hammering into metal conduit. Finally chipping a thumb size notch out of the blade.

Back to hammering in to 2x4s the blade finally broke in half at the broken notch.

However even with the blade broken with only about 2.5 inches left I continued to hammer and chop with the blade.

On to the handle: MELT posted a reply that the handles on K-Bars aren’t tough. The video proves him wrong. Locking what was left of the blade in the vise I beat the hell out of it with a hammer, over and over. The hammer just bounced off like hitting a car tire.I set the handle on fire and let it burn for a minute then beat it again and again.It finally took a 15-pound sledge and about 8 hard blows for the handle to fail.Kraton G is indeed a tough handle.

Bottom line this is one tough knife it took a hell of a lot of insane abuse to destroy it.

Since there is some debate between the K-Bar Bowie and the Becker BK series
I will perform the same test and see what the Becker can take before total failure.I already ordered the Becker BK 9 I will have it posted after the 1st or so of January.

The videos of the above torture test are in 10 minute 3 parts. Total 30 minutes of knife Hell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl1Cuj7JKDs part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Le8NZ9T-E part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY9zJYpQBHI part 3

Hope you enjoy the videos ? Because I really ! had fun making this one
 
The Ka-Bar Bowie - the tip is less clipped than the Becker so it's got more of a belly. That extra curvature is better for skinning game.

my .02
 
wow, thats some serious knife torture. I'm definitely interested in seeing how the BK9 does. I just bought a BK7 and it would be interesting to see how much it will take. I'm not going to do that with my knives, but I'd be glad to see someone else do it to there knives.
 
noss, super job. you turn the kabar into a froe. very good tool.
excellent test. baton , hammer, prybar, chopper,
screwdriver might be next. i'm still writing while you are chopping.
stay with this work. as close to real life as possible.
thanks again for excellent you tube.:cool:
buzz
 
"MELT posted a reply that the handles on K-Bars aren’t tough. The video proves him wrong........ Since there is some debate between the K-Bar Bowie and the Becker BK series I will perform the same test and see what the Becker can take before total failure.I already ordered the Becker BK 9 I will have it posted after the 1st or so of January."- Noss4


"It (the Becker) is a much stronger knife than the KBar, simply because it uses a full tang rather than the KBar's narrower and weaker tang."-Melt

As you can see, I did not say that the handles on K-Bars are not tough. I said that a Becker's full tang is stronger that the K-Bar's norrower tang. And until you test a Becker, you have not disproved that statement. The K-Bar 14 1/4 destruction test video is awesome, though. I look forward to seeing the same test done with a Becker. If I'm wrong about which knife is stronger, then so be it. But I want to see the Becker test for proof.
 
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