Becker BK9 or Ontario SP10 Marine Raider or Ka-Bar Heavy Bowie?

L

Lover of Blades

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Nov 9, 2010
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I think the title says it all. The main reason I want the Becker is because I know that if I break it, I will get it replaced. And I also know that it probably won't break on me, not for years. But, it is more expensive than the other two. I've heard that the Ka-Bar's handle breaks at times, and the SP10 is just heavy... This is going on backpacking trips. But, not too far out, so weight isn't too big of a deal. If possible, though, I'd like to get a bit of a lighter blade.

Thanks, guys, I appreciate your recommendations.
 
IMHO, ESEE 5-6-Junglas would be the way to go. Of the three you are looking at, I think the BK&T 9 is the one.. More Versatile.. I have heard the same thing about the handles though. You can always do a Piggyback sheath and go with an Older RAT/ESEE and maybe a Neck style knife I.E. Izula, Becker Necker, Swamp Warden.
 
I'm gonna' say the KaBar Heavy Bowie. I've had one for a couple of years, and it's never let me down. Without a doubt, the best deal on a Bowie you'll find.
 
BK-9 for sure - I've chopped wood & batoned with mine and I consider it a decent chopper, way better than my BK-7.
If you wanted to spend more and go with ESEE for their micarta scales then for chopping you'd want the Junglas - that would be their equivalent to the BK-9.

The only problem I've had with my Beckers is the handle scales coming loose - undo the bolts and put a drop of loctite on them - that'll fix that. Since loctiting I've batoned and chopped and my scales are still on nice & tight.
 
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Lover of Blades said:
I've heard that the Ka-Bar's handle breaks at times...
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Do you mean the handle of the HB? I can't imagine any way that it could be broken, it it just very tough material. The sheath of the HB is not a piece of junk, but doesn't the quality of the knife. I'd say go for the Heavy Bowie, though none of the knives is a bad choice...maybe just a little heavy. ;)
 
Id check out the Swamp Rat Ratmandu, if that was out of my price range id get the BK9.
 
Morales has ity right, buy any one of those and go chopping. excellent values
 
Or an Ontario RTAK II? Awesome full flat grind 10" long blade, nice comfortable handle. A little more expensive than the others but well worth it I think.

Cheers, Scott.
 
I was going to start a thread asking about the Kabar Heavy Bowie and if it's worth the price. I've heard mostly good things about it, but I saw a youtube video where a guy had chipped his, and hear another account of the knife chipping from someone on a forum.

Anyone had any problems with the Heavy Bowie? Worth $55 or is something like the Ontario Raider SP10 a better way to go for the same price?
 
Hey, I found a Heavy Bowie at a knife store (I had to drive three hours, then found one that was super dinky, but it had at least a few Ka-Bars) and found it for a good price - $47 - so I went ahead and bought it. Now, I have a little triumvirate with my friends going where we each get one of the knives that we like, and through this we're all able to use all the knives we like, and test them to see if they're good enough for each guy to get. I bought the HB, my friend William got the Ontario, and my friend Josh got the Becker. We've used all of them thoroughly, and I would say that I think that HB and the BK9 are almost on the same level, although the HB splits better. The Ontario's very heavy, but it is thicker than the other two, and it chops very well. The BK9 chops dang well, and the HB is passable at chopping, although with edge-retention, the HB wins. But, the HB is the lightest, and the most well-balanced, which allows for a LOT more control of that big blade. I skinned a tiny squirrel to see if I could make minute cuts with it, and because the blade was so well-balanced, and not tip-heavy like the others, it was able to cut much, much, much better than the others. All in all, I'm happy with my purchase.
 
Easy! The correct answer is BK-9. What do I win? You already want that one, geeeeeeet iiiiiiiiiiiit! :D

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Beckerhead #42
 
I actually ended up finding a FS Ontario for $33, so I figured, "Oh, why not?" and got that too, on Sunday. Haha. But I still think the HB is going to stay one of my favorites, just because of that balance. Also, I noticed your quote, it's pretty good. I know of one by Ben Franklin that uses the same metaphor - "A democracy is like 2 sheep and a wolf deciding what to eat for dinner. A republic is like 2 well-armed sheep contesting the decision."
 
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