BK10 vs BK2

[JDX]

In the past I've used a hatchet and carried a kabar Mark 1. I do a lot of camping which involves carrying gear. And I'm trying to lighten the load. So I plan on carrying a Swiss army fieldmaster and a bigger knife. Either the BK2 or BK10.

If mainly use the knife for batoning kindling and small logs for fire, making tent stakes, clearing camp sites of saplings, and whatever I need. If I need to pry something open, ill use my knife. So it has to be strong.

On one side, the bk2 is a pound of carbon steel and I can only assume it batons like a beast. On the other hand, the bk10 has a nice clip point for drilling applications, thumb ramp with jumping and a tad lighter.

Whichever knife you suggest, I'll be sure to mod it. Micarta handles, stripping the epoxy coating, giving the blade a patina, and using some locktite hardware.


Also a lot of people have said there are grind marks after stripping the paint. How would I go about removing it? I'm not that keen on the equipment needed. And I'm a bit new. So any help would be appreciated. And please be patient. Ill probably have loads of questions. Thanks for listening

 

[Bladite]

BK10 thinned out and a proper hatchet

 

[Gassy]

BK10 thinned out and a proper hatchet

I don't own a 10 unfortunately (will soon though) , but I do own a BK2, and either way I don't think you can go wrong, as for the grind marks I worked my way through various sandpaper grits up to 2000 for a nice mirror like finish - see here - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1249828-BK2-repurposed just be patient and make the roughest grit count, give the blade a good hit with it then work through the higher grits gradually.

Bladite is right on the money, make sure you have a good hatchet. Feel free to PM me if I can offer any direction, but you will be fine.

 

[Bladite]

I don't own a 10 unfortunately (will soon though) , but I do own a BK2, and either way I don't think you can go wrong, as for the grind marks I worked my way through various sandpaper grits up to 2000 for a nice mirror like finish - see here - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1249828-BK2-repurposed just be patient and make the roughest grit count, give the blade a good hit with it then work through the higher grits gradually.

Bladite is right on the money, make sure you have a good hatchet. Feel free to PM me if I can offer any direction, but you will be fine.

hah

i am the anti baton guy. if you are in a "oh my god, i was flying on air flight 111 and we crashed, and i found a bag, with a BK2 in there"... shit yeah, baton if your LIFE IS ON THE LINE... if you have to cut through flesh, and airplane parts, and god knows what evil...

seriously. do not. it's a waste of energy in a survival situation when your tool is your life.

if you are not building things, cutting things to dimension, and have backup methods, don't baton in a survival situation.

do not do it while camping for pleasure either. bah. waste of time.

UNLESS: you actually enjoy the meditation of batoning. then, by all means, have at it. baton all the things. just, please, do NOT bitch about it when the blade breaks. cuz, yeah, you did it wrong, probably, you are only human, and things break. plus, you were warned.

also do not use any hard use knife as a throwing knife. i do not EVEN want to hear it

bleah bleah bleah, i have to ... no you do not. think about it. think lazy. burn WHOLE LOGS. baton them? are you nuts? no!

nessmuk never batoned a thing in his life, and he burned more trees than any of us will

survive!

live!

thrive!

at the very least, text me, so i can reclaim that good blade, from your dead cold hands, because you batoned

i would also appreciate some cash, gold, axes, and even a nice beer at your dead camp, batoning kills, tell your friends

 

[Gassy]

hah

i am the anti baton guy. if you are in a "oh my god, i was flying on air flight 111 and we crashed, and i found a bag, with a BK2 in there"... shit yeah, baton if your LIFE IS ON THE LINE... if you have to cut through flesh, and airplane parts, and god knows what evil...

seriously. do not. it's a waste of energy in a survival situation when your tool is your life.

if you are not building things, cutting things to dimension, and have backup methods, don't baton in a survival situation.

do not do it while camping for pleasure either. bah. waste of time.

UNLESS: you actually enjoy the meditation of batoning. then, by all means, have at it. baton all the things. just, please, do NOT bitch about it when the blade breaks. cuz, yeah, you did it wrong, probably, you are only human, and things break. plus, you were warned.

also do not use any hard use knife as a throwing knife. i do not EVEN want to hear it

bleah bleah bleah, i have to ... no you do not. think about it. think lazy. burn WHOLE LOGS. baton them? are you nuts? no!

nessmuk never batoned a thing in his life, and he burned more trees than any of us will

survive!

live!

thrive!

at the very least, text me, so i can reclaim that good blade, from your dead cold hands, because you batoned

i would also appreciate some cash, gold, axes, and even a nice beer at your dead camp, batoning kills, tell your friends

I agree man I am not I to batonning I always use my hatchet (if required) but generally prefer one or two larger logs on a fire that burn long and steady. On the odd occasion I use it for kindling merely as a therapeutic exercise, but rarely ever, but on the flip side I can understand why people enjoy doing it, and if so the BK2 is the knife for it, and from what I have seen the 10 is more than capable also.

My knives are used for food processing, cutting rope and other generalised camp tasks, and I try to preserve and look after them somewhat to a fault.

 

[Bladite]

I agree man I am not I to batonning I always use my hatchet (if required) but generally prefer one or two larger logs on a fire that burn long and steady. On the odd occasion I use it for kindling merely as a therapeutic exercise, but rarely ever, but on the flip side I can understand why people enjoy doing it.

My knives are used for food processing, cutting rope and other generalised camp tasks, and I try to preserve and look after them somewhat to a fault.

there's more than one way to do it

if you are doing it for fun: whatever man

if you are doing it to stay alive another hour, day, week: do not use up your tools - there is no warranty

 

[daizee]

Also a lot of people have said there are grind marks after stripping the paint. How would I go about removing it? I'm not that keen on the equipment needed.

Don't.
No need, and a phenomenal time sink. and doing it right will give you carpal tunnel syndrome.

The 2 can beat up the 10. but the 10 can run circles around the 2.
I've got both, the 10 is my preference.

 

[Snakebreaker]

 

[trailbum]

I really like my BK10.

 

[Cap’n Smudge]

I love the bk2. I keep one in my SHTF pack. In my camping gear I keep my bk14 and a larger custom fixed. I don't need both, I just have a problem. Typically, I only need/use my 14 while camping/hiking. Out of your choices I would go with the BK10. It would be the all around, more capable of the two.

 

[Clan Campbell]

I think that is my favorite look on these blades. I stripped and forced patina on my first Becker (BK2), and I am not disappointed, whatsoever, but, there's just something about the worn contrast between the black and steel that I just love! That ∆∆∆ is how my 4 will look soon.

More on topic, if the 10 is as nimble as the 12, which I reckon it is, it would probably be my pick if I wanted to carry just one fixed blade, and a hatchet. If batoning is your thing, and a hatchet isn't, the 2 would stand up better I would guess.

 

[TravisH]

If your MAIN task is firewood prep, you should consider a BK4 or, the king, the BK9.

Between the BK2 and BK10, I'd go with the 10. For me, the 2 is too heavy and clumsy.


Grind marks, meh. Though there are visible grind marks, they are hard to feel, and the few that can be felt and easily be sanded down. Below is a closeup of my stripped 10 blade. The only grind marks that can be felt are the two vertical bands that are towards the tip end which I intend to sand smooth.


Here's Nick Wheeler's excellent YT vid for sanding blades - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I4x4QLpfnk
Though it's geared more towards a high-level professional finish, the basic techniques are fundamental and will serve you well.
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE - pay close attention at 7:55 and 12:20 for critical info for not slicing your hand open!

Since you intend to force a patina, sanding to 180~220 would be good enough.

If you do decide to sand, let us know and we'll be happy to go into more detail with you.

 

[Jonny1280]

Both great knives!
The 10 is probably a more logical choice...

However, there's just something about the BK2 that inspires great confidence...
The fact that it IS 1/4" thick and weighs 1 lb. is the reason it would be my "one knife" camp knife if I were choosing between the two.
It's a beast!

Have you given any thought to a BK4?
In my opinion in may be the single best woods tool available in the BK lineup.
As far as versitility is concerned...it's tough to beat.

 

[The Warrior]

I've had a few 10's, but ended up selling them. I like it, but don't see what it can do that the 2 can't. Is the 10 more nimble? Probably, but the weight of the 2 doesn't affect me whatsoever.

 

[Gassy]

I've had a few 10's, but ended up selling them. I like it, but don't see what it can do that the 2 can't. Is the 10 more nimble? Probably, but the weight of the 2 doesn't affect me whatsoever.

This is my reasoning for not have bought a 10 as yet, I'm a big guy and the 2 suits my hand well, the weight isn't an issue for me either. But guaranteed I will end up with one.

 

[CM_Rick]

I agree with a 4 or a 9. They are the solution for what you're looking to fulfill while backcountry camping. IMHO, either knife easily replaces a hatchet. You could pair them with smaller blades, but I don't think that's necessary. If you just HAVE to use a hatchet, then go for the 10.

 

[JDX]

I don't own a 10 unfortunately (will soon though) , but I do own a BK2, and either way I don't think you can go wrong, as for the grind marks I worked my way through various sandpaper grits up to 2000 for a nice mirror like finish - see here - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1249828-BK2-repurposed just be patient and make the roughest grit count, give the blade a good hit with it then work through the higher grits gradually.

Bladite is right on the money, make sure you have a good hatchet. Feel free to PM me if I can offer any direction, but you will be fine.

When I use the sandpaper, do I only go in one direction? Or back and forth?

 

[TravisH]

When I use the sandpaper, do I only go in one direction? Or back and forth?

Did you watch the Nick Wheeler vid I linked above?

Initially, go in one direction across the whole blade then back.

When you get close to where you'd like to stop, then go in only direction, lift, go back, stroke again.

Again, Nick explains and demos all this in detail.

 

[daizee]

When I use the sandpaper, do I only go in one direction? Or back and forth?

I posted this to a similar thread a couple years ago. I'm no Nick Wheeler, but I've hand-sanded a blade or two..:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-BK2-stripping-method?p=10326803#post10326803

But seriously, none of the pros do this work AFTER heat-treat. It's really... omg, a horrible job. An hour of work before heat-treat saves you about 6 hours after. The steel is really hard and wear-resistant after heat-treat, that's the point! If you're not up to an even 180+ finish before hardening you're pretty much screwed.

 

[Gassy]

When I use the sandpaper, do I only go in one direction? Or back and forth?

Yep definitely watch that video, I found on the angle best. But when you get to the finer grits I found it didn't much matter. Don't try to get the last out of the paper either, keep using fresh pieces otherwise you will double your time.

Just dig in and do it you will be fine it just takes time.