Better Weapon: Becker BK9 or Kaybar Heavy Bowie

I agree, the Kabar Heavy Bowie seems the better choice. But as a rule, the larger the blade, the more room you need. Drawing it, striking, returning, and repeating the last two will be tiresome.
 
Decapitation counts when you are the Kaishaku, not in combat. That was a poor argument. I am simply making my point. You have three people saying the heavier knives just don't fit as well for fighting. The rest agree to the terms of the two knives. Or a Glock. Which is smaller with no blade. :D
 
Blackfeather said:
Decapitation counts when you are the Kaishaku, not in combat. That was a poor argument. I am simply making my point. You have three people saying the heavier knives just don't fit as well for fighting. The rest agree to the terms of the two knives. Or a Glock. Which is smaller with no blade. :D
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Not an argument, I am just saying what it is capable of. Heavy is a relative term, what is heavy to one person may not be to another. You can have your hissatsu though and I will pray for you that your opponent doesn't have a natchez bowie.You just might be seeing your hand holding the hissatsu from a different perspective.:D
 
CRAP, I done misspelled 'Kabar', right there in the thread title. And I'm a good speeler, too.

Thanks for all the replies, there is some really good info here, the kind I was hoping for. I have never held the BK9 (though I have a BK7 on order) but I own the Kabar. I've read a lot of online comparisons of these knives and the general consensus seems to be that the Becker may have the slight edge in woodscraft because it's heavier out front. But the more centered balance of the Kaybar is what made me think that it may be better for defensive purposes, along with the more pronounced clip blade. The handle is fatter than I would prefer, but I can live with it.
 
I found the video..

[video=youtube;zRucfn9YGws]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRucfn9YGws[/video]
 
Who are you planning on killing!!! For hunting / pig-sticking etc get a dedicated blade. For self defence both knives are WAY to big to lug around...
 
I
Who are you planning on killing!!! For hunting / pig-sticking etc get a dedicated blade. For self defence both knives are WAY to big to lug around...
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I don't "plan" on killing anybody, and I generally carry one of my Glocks or small .357s for defensive purposes. I just like the idea of having at least one big blade for an all around tool/weapon, and thought it would make for an interesting discussion.
 
I just don't think this argument should even be happening all someone needs to do is look at this video and see what a complete nightmare it would be to face something like this.

[video=youtube;bRk93Vlrd48]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRk93Vlrd48[/video]
 
That is indeed an impressive video, but the Natchez is more than I would be willing to spend. And as far as the big knife/little knife controversy goes, my thinking is for a person like myself who is untrained in any form of martial arts, a big blade would be the best bet because anybody can hack. One of the reasons I asked this question is that I work at a nuclear power plant and firearms are forbidden on company property, so I can't keep a pistol even in my car. We're not supposed to have knives either, but since they can usually be written off as tools they are often overlooked.

Of the Becker BK9 or Ka-Bar Heavy Bowie for the superior weapon, I would choose a Glock 23.
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But I only have a 17 and a 22. I guess I'm just screwed... :D
 
peh21 said:
That is indeed an impressive video, but the Natchez is more than I would be willing to spend. And as far as the big knife/little knife controversy goes, my thinking is for a person like myself who is untrained in any form of martial arts, a big blade would be the best bet because anybody can hack. One of the reasons I asked this question is that I work at a nuclear power plant and firearms are forbidden on company property, so I can't keep a pistol even in my car. We're not supposed to have knives either, but since they can usually be written off as tools they are often overlooked.



But I only have a 17 and a 22. I guess I'm just screwed... :D
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It doesn't have to be the natchez but it's just a very good example of a large knife that would be a devastating weapon . I think that a similar sized more affordable knife like the Hisshou( around 200$), sk-5 trailmaster(130$) or the ontario raider bowie(53$) would also be good choices.I would pick any of those over the ones you listed but I would choose the kabar heavy bowie between those two. The cheaper sk5 natchez bowie is coming out in a month or two and it will probably be around 150$.
 
Nternal said:
I just don't think this argument should even be happening all someone needs to do is look at this video and see what a complete nightmare it would be to face something like this.

[video=youtube;bRk93Vlrd48]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRk93Vlrd48[/video]
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ll see your natchez bowie and raise you a Jim Bensinger custom fighter.

http://vermontbladesmith.com/
 
Nternal said:
The bigger they are, the harder they hit. Why on earth would you prefer a much smaller blade in knife combat? Are you a ninja? Even ninjas would prefer a larger blade. Battles were fought with swords for a reason.
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Knock it off with the ninja crap. He made a good point. Whoever gets there first has the advantage, and the ones that tend to get there first are typically lighter and faster.
 
There are so many blade designs, even the Samuri carried 3 blades. In other times and places of history, we have seen lots of weapons sizes, and shapes, all meant to kill. How can we decide what's the best fighting knife, when most of us have never been in a knife fight? Sure, long and heavy can cause lots of damage, but small and light can also be lethal.
Training with any weapon can increase one's skill, but there's always a trade off. A bigger knife will always be slower than a smaller knife in the same hand.
Akido is a great example of training, those guys trained to disarm a Samuri. A sword vs. an unarmed man doens't always have the same outcome.
A person's speed, accuracy, and training are more important, in a knife fight, than the knife size, IMO. That's why average, untrained combatants were given a spear in the past, or today a gun.
If you aren't trained in knife fighting, better hope the other person isn't either.
 
If you aren't trained in knife fighting, better hope the other person isn't either.
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I understand that this response was probably not intended specifically for me since my original post didn't address the dynamics of knife-fighting or the blade size controversy, I'm just wanting a big general-purpose knife to go with my smaller fixed blades (ESEE, SOG, Cold Steel, Kabar) and was wondering which of the two designs mentioned might have the edge as a defense weapon in the unlikely event it was ever called upon for such purposes. And to tell the truth, the reason for my asking that is that my Heavy Bowie is still brand new, so if the responses had been overwelmingly in favor of the Becker I might have returned it. But due to the responses in this thread I'll probably keep the Kabar and still purchase the Becker later on.
 
peh21 said:
I understand that this response was probably not intended specifically for me since my original post didn't address the dynamics of knife-fighting or the blade size controversy, I'm just wanting a big general-purpose knife to go with my smaller fixed blades (ESEE, SOG, Cold Steel, Kabar) and was wondering which of the two designs mentioned might have the edge as a defense weapon in the unlikely event it was ever called upon for such purposes. And to tell the truth, the reason for my asking that is that my Heavy Bowie is still brand new, so if the responses had been overwelmingly in favor of the Becker I might have returned it. But due to the responses in this thread I'll probably keep the Kabar and still purchase the Becker later on.
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No, you are correct, my response was not aimed at your OP. But, the OP did open up the subject of knife fighting. I'm sure that both are excellent blades, with the Ka-Bar warranty, you can't go wrong with either. I've worried a bit about those rubber handles, own a few myself. But, Ontario and Ka-Bar offer replacements if they ever fail. The Becker line is an excellent value, US made, and the handles can be upgraded and modified.
I see both blades as being oriented towards the outdoors, and less for fighting. Granted, I wouldn't want someone pointing either at me, and both could do some damage.
 
I am baffled that more people are actually trying to argue about this. Again, big and heavy is a relative thing and there are people who can be swinging 1-1.5lbs at the end of there hand no problem. I bring back the point of the 16oz gloves and handwraps. No amount of knife arts is going to turn you into the flash and your legs don't move faster than a trained persons hands.you also have to remember that the poster said he wasn't harboring any knife fighting in mind in particular he was talking about which one is the better weapon . Would you guys also suggest that a sword would be inferior to your smaller,lighter knife as a weapon?
 
Nternal said:
I am baffled that more people are actually trying to argue about this. Again, big and heavy is a relative thing and there are people who can be swinging 1-1.5lbs at the end of there hand no problem. I bring back the point of the 16oz gloves and handwraps. No amount of knife arts is going to turn you into the flash and your legs don't move faster than a trained persons hands.you also have to remember that the poster said he wasn't harboring any knife fighting in mind in particular he was talking about which one is the better weapon . Would you guys also suggest that a sword would be inferior to your smaller,lighter knife as a weapon?
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A sword would be almost useless in a hallway, or a trench, or a foxhole, or when you're on your back or up against a wall. So no, bigger is not always better.
 
aplehr1 said:
A sword would be almost useless in a hallway, or a trench, or a foxhole, or when you're on your back or up against a wall. So no, bigger is not always better.
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Your Missing the point.. I'm not saying that it would be better in every circumstance and of course you hand pick situations where a large,long sword would be impaired. I'm talking about what is the superior weapon based on "fire power". And actually some short swords can be effective in the situations you mentioned look at the gladius,smatchet,etc. I would much rather have the natchez bowie in the situations you mentioned than a smaller knife. Why would you wanna sell yourself short in a situation like that? Wouldn't you want biggest,baddest weapon that you can use effectively?
 
Nternal said:
Your Missing the point.. I'm not saying that it would be better in every circumstance and of course you hand pick situations where a large,long sword would be impaired. I'm talking about what is the superior weapon based on "fire power". And actually some short swords can be effective in the situations you mentioned look at the gladius,smatchet,etc. I would much rather have the natchez bowie in the situations you mentioned than a smaller knife. Why would you wanna sell yourself short in a situation like that? Wouldn't you want biggest,baddest weapon that you can use effectively?
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When was the last time somebody used a gladius in a self defense situation? You are missing the point - big time. Do you think most hand to hand combat happens in a big open field? How old are you? 14?
 
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