BK -7 Combat Utility - outdoor knife?!?

P

Plainsman

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Apr 5, 1999
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I have and love my BK - 7, but find the size and design doesn't work as well as an outdoor knife for campcraft/bushcraft as many of my other knives, so I don't use it that way. I see it as a large "defensive/combat" blade and enjoy pairing it with a tomahawk in that "role."

This may be because it was purchased long after the BK-1, BK-9, Pasayten, "Kanji" and Moras. These fixed blades always filled the outdoor roles better for me and I've purchased many more since that work as well or better.

So is the BK-7 one of your primary outdoor knives?

Thanks!
 
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For me the 7 is one of my favourites to bring into the outdoors. The size works for both wood and food. Not to heavy in the pack. Love mine.
 
I use a skrama which is similar.

I mostly do camp chores with a folding knife. So pairing that with a honking great big smash monster works well for me.
 
The BK7 "Is a jack of all trades. And master of some. But better than a master of one." (I know that's not the quote exactly. But that saying seems to fit it.

For the fancy fu-fu bushy straight stuff, it is a secondary choice for must bushy fu-fu oriented types. The smaller Tweeners would be a better choice for the finer fancy bushy crafty fu-fu type those who do those types of fancy cushy crafty thingies they like to do.

I find a smaller lock back or small fixed blade is good for the finer bushy craft stuff. But I find the BK9 does that stuff good enough. My one BK7 gets stolen by the shorter relatives and they use the lock backs they steel for the finer bushy stuff/chores. But the BK7 is used as the bigger blade just get things done faster.
 
I remember Ethan saying that a 7 inch blade was sort of a bastard size. Too short to be a good chopper, and too long to be utilitarian. I have a 7, but it never sees use. I bought mine already customized.



 
I love my BK7, I have the Camillus one. For some reason it stays shaving sharp better than many others I have. It gets plenty of love when I want to lug around a bigger knife on the hip. No reason to limit yourself to just one knife though, I have others for other stuff or if I just feel like something else. Over all, I prefer smaller blades for most every mundane task. When I do want something a bit bigger, I grab the BK7
 
If what I've read is true, it was designed more as a fighting knife with utility functions. Something better than the MK2 ("ka-bar"). The BK 16, 18, 62, 19, 76 would probably be better for a lot of outdoor uses. or if you want something larger the BK10.
 
I have a modifed 7 that I like quite a lot. It might be a good One-Knife choice, but that's not a choice I have to make, so I'd rather pair something smaller with something else. Tho to be fair, I'd probably pair the smaller knife with one of my own knives that's right about the BK-7's size.
 
I absolutely love every BK&T that I have. I also have the 7. The cool thing about BK&T blades is that you can easily modify them to your specific liking.

I put a choil on mine and had a custom kydex sheath made, a while ago, by Mashed Cat. The choil makes it much better for fine intricate work close to the handle.

When I first started my journey down the hard use outdoor knives rabbit hole, the BK-2 was king. I bought one & loved it. But the grind was noticeably crooked. I wore out numerous sharpening devices with no joy. Then I bought a Tormek T4 Bushcraft machine and it has since become a favorite again because I fixed the crooked grind and was easily able to make the 1/4" thick, 1095 CroVan hair popping sharp.

The Tormek is a great investment if you have a lot of big, thick choppers. Hands down the best & fastest way to fix a crooked grind on a big choppers, unless you have a belt sander and can get the exact angle.

I have multiple ways to sharpen and I use them all, at different times, for different reasons. I really enjoy sharpening by hand with stones. It's therapeutic. I also have a Norton IM313 and a IM313 with water stones. My kitchen knives have never been sharper. Wife won't even use them. She prefers the cheapest steak knives we own. So I leave them alone. She drops things a lot and that's why she likes them a little duller, if that makes sense.
 
I've thought about choiling my 7, but since I never use it, it seems pointless, haha.
 
I think the BK10 is a better camp knife. For chopping and splitting I have a Tramontina 12" machete.
 
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