BK 16 and Esee 3 comparison

CowboyStyle

CowboyStyle

Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
278
Both have micarta scales and orange g10 liners. Bk is 20 20 inclusive and esee is convex edge.












Start





Fine work







cutting paracord







splitting aged mesquite













spark throwing







slicing ripe limes







finish






At the end of the day both are great knives. The esee had a slight advantage with slicing which may be due to the thinner blade and convex edge. The becker was slightly better at wood crafting and camp duty. But to be honest most of the differences were very very close.

I think it comes down to handle preference. The becker was more comfortable for sustained use and larger hands. The esee may be more comfortable for medium and smaller hands. Either knife will serve you well in hard use. Both knives were back to shaving sharp after a few passes on the strop with some red compound.

Both becker and esee have their heat treat down neither had any chips or rolls after tackling some hard wood. Thanks for looking.
 
Great knives there, but I guess it would be a better match the 16 with an ESEE 4, closer in length and thickness. Good stuff there, enjoy your steel.
 
Nice evaluation and great pics! Thanks for sharing. A BK16 is next on my list and will complete the Trio with my 2 and 14.
 
I'm a fan of both of those blades. I have a few different kinds of both. I'd agree the 16 is more like the 4 but it's still pretty close to both. Go with the TKC scales on the 4 and you'd have a nice knife to compare with the 16.

I prefer the clip on the 17 to the Esee clip which seems more of a sharpened swedge.
 
Thanks guys always fun putting the steel to work. The esee 4 would have been a closer match to the 16 but I did not have one to compare. But to be honest the esee3,4or bk 15,16,17 are all pretty close in performance. I think it comes down to skill and personal preference.
 
Are those factory micarta scales on the 16? I just put a set on mine and they are lighter colored and I prefer the darker look on yours.
 
Your best bet would be to do a laser strike and bk-16 comparison.

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That's kinda what I thought that the micarta had darkened. Haven't used my BK16 yet although it one of my favorite knives I can't stand the sheath (not a fan of fanny pack knife sheaths) but have been carrying and abusing an ESEE 4 for awhile now. Can't wait to either buy or make a simple sheath for the 16 then she will get some use.
 
ESEE drop point blades vs BK&T drop point blades:

I like the sharper pointier point of the ESEE models but I have yet to find more ergonomically superior handles than what Ethan Becker has designed.
 
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Good thread. It would be nice to see how a FFG BK16 does instead of the FPR sabre grind. However it seems that the 16 still held its own
 
Psyop said:
Good thread. It would be nice to see how a FFG BK16 does instead of the FPR sabre grind. However it seems that the 16 still held its own
Click to expand...
I'm glad you commented on this, as I was sitting here thinking, "...thought the 16's were FFG?" Are both versions still available?
 
No the sabre 16's were nixed when Ka-Bar stopped doing the rollstamp. According to Ethan he had wanted a FFG all along but they had to do the sabre to accommodate the Ka-Bar stamp. When they got the new machinery he had them change the design. There are some Sabre 16's out there but not a whole lot of them.
 
Great side by side comparison. I prefer the 16 for one of the reasons you mention, the handle size. The 16 fits my hand much better than the 3.
 
I have a 16 on the way. I also have the Esee Laser Strike and can't wait to compare them both. I figure they should be pretty close in most aspects however I suspect the BK16 to preform better for slicing due to the thinner blade.
 
Two of my favorite knives there! Thanks for the comparison. I actually carry the ESEE 3 in my pack on day-hikes, because I like the thin blade and lighter weight. IMO, it's the best of the ESEE breed...or maybe the 6, but I won't go into that too much.

The TKC handles make a big difference, if you are serious about using your ESEE blades for long periods of time. However, even with large hands, I don't ever have any real issue using the 3 heavily. If I had to choose between an 4 and 16, though, I'd take the 16 any day of the week.
 
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