bk2 vs esee 5

That's almost like asking which one of my kids I like better. :D I'm always just a tad partial to Beckers, but I've got nothin but love for ESEE too.

If I had to choose though, I guess I'll go with the BK2.
 
Both are outstanding but I like the

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Beckerhead #42
 
This topic is a dead horse thats been beaten beyond death lol,

I own both and like both but theres a few things you should know before you part with the money.

on paper the specs are very similar on both knives however they are both designed for different purposes. The esee 5 has a sabre grind starting roughly half way down the width of the blade giving it a very strong blade, that plus its 1/4 inch thickness, glass breaker pommel and full tang its tank proof and fits the purpose of a downed pilots knife well.

for the average woods bum like myself I find the glass breaker a waste of space, but when Its in my car its reasuring, I wish the 5 had a flat pommel so it could be used as a hammer and glass breaker but hey Im sure pilots love the esee 5 as is.

the bk2 is also sabre ground but it starts much closer to the spine making it a high sabre grind, this gives it a thinner edge than the esee 5 making it theoretically weaker laterally, this tho is what makes it far better at slicing and great at finer tasks even tho its a 1/4 inch thick.

I love the becker handles for me they are just awesome, the best designed handle Ive ever held, I also love the hammer pommel its bloody useful once you start using it. The esee 5 handle is comfortable but its just 2 hunks of flat micarta, Its good but not as good as the bk2 but not bad enough to warrant modification.

I think the steel and heat treat is about the same quality on both knives, the blade coating is better on the esee but lets face it after battoning a couple of logs both coatings are going to look crap,

the becker sheaths are crap, they work but they could be alot better, the esee 5 sheath is good no complaints from me.

if you get a bk2 you can modify it with aftermarket goodies like micarta handles, kydex sheath etc and then your pretty much at the cost of a esee5 so it depends on what your gona use the knife for and how much you want to spend

so to conclude my rant I think the bk2 is a better general purpose woods blade and beats the esee 5 at everything other than dominating firewood and cutting your way out of a burning aircraft. at the end of the day both knives are awesome and when accompanied with a smaller fixed blade or folder both will serve you well

I was so torn between the 2 I had to get both, if I had to chose only one it would be the....................... both of them
 
I have held the BK2 before, and I like the feel of it, however, I own the ESEE5 and I find it more comfortable in hand. When considering the package, I prefer the Micarta, and the ESEE5 comes with a great sheath, and I have heard complaints about the BK2 sheath.
 
I was on the side of the BK2 for years...then traded into a ESEE 5, there is no real debate here for me the ESEE 5 fits my mitts, the glass breaker is super useful for punching holes in cans and of course breaking glass, but what really makes it cool is the built in spindle for a bow drill, I find all these little tools immensely useful in camping and working around the property.
 
I'm in the same debate right now! thanks for starting the thread. I own every other esee except the 5 and light machete. But i'm leaning towards a bk2 with micarta handles and a hedgehog sheath. thanks again!
 
The difference in the edges is also something to consider. The BK-2 is a bit thinner, the grind starts closer to the spine, so I find it to be a better cutter.
At the same time, my BK-2 has flat micarta scales, and has a kydex sheath. So, I have made my BK-2 into being more like the ESEE 5.
 
Anything ESEE has is always going to win with me simply because of the grips. I don't even really have to justify it any further than that, security in my hand.
 
I love Glocks and I love .45 ACP. Unfortunately, the Glock-21 and anything like it is off limits to me. I mean, I have shot them and I can shoot them, but they are not comfortable in my hands because the grip is so large. So, I have to stick with 1911s and pistolas like the Sig-Sauer P-220.

Beckers are really great knives but they all feel like a Glock-21 in my hand, like I am not totally in control of it. That doesn't mean I stop liking .45 ACP caliber or find a reason to condemn Glock because of the 21. The only problem with Beckers and my hands is this, besides the BK11/Necker, they all have Glock-21 grips to me, which sucks because I like Beckers and think they're great tools! :D
 
I never cared for the BK-2, But for the price it's a very good knife. I think Kabar could do a better job on fitting the handles to the tang and putting even grinds on it though.

The ESEE-5 is almost twice the price and in out of box function I can not say it's better or worse. Fit and finish the ESEE is definately nicer. The ESEE-5 comes with a thick edge, but a thick edge can be thinned out and made to be a great cutter. I love the security of the handles on the ESEE-5, and dislike the slippery handles of the BK-2. Yes I can buy micarta slabs for the BK-2, but they will never fit as good as the the slabs on the ESEE-5. And also if I did that I would be paying As much the ESEE-5...

So for me the ESEE-5 wins hands down, but to each their own..





 
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The gloves are funny. I always use gloves just like those or the gray canvas gloves while camping. I'll reach right in and grab a burning chunk of wood and move it around and people that are not used to seeing that are just awe-struck by it. I give them the gloves and they won't do it! My Wife trusts me, she took them and now she does it. I mean, you have to work to get burned with them on. So many people bang their hands up or cut themselves and the best way to take care of that is to protect your hands as much as possible instead of arguing about the legitimacy of carrying sutures. :D
 
They are both overbuilt tanks designed for the armageddon kind of thing. I personally don't see the point in either design and find them overly bulky to be of much use. I far prefer the ESEE-6 with a much more reasonable 3/16" thickness that has enough robustness to tackle prying and splitting jobs, is an 1" longer making splitting utility and camp chores better and is lighter than the 5. Thats just my impression.

Tonym is one of the few people I've known to actually use the divot for a bowdrill handhold. Interesting concept, but really a top piece is pretty easy to make on the fly or a normal sized bushy knife and carved out rock make a much more compact and effective package. My two cents, but I think these bulky blades represent a fantasy knife more so than utility blades.
 
kgd said:
They are both overbuilt tanks designed for the armageddon kind of thing. I personally don't see the point in either design and find them overly bulky to be of much use. I far prefer the ESEE-6 with a much more reasonable 3/16" thickness that has enough robustness to tackle prying and splitting jobs, is an 1" longer making splitting utility and camp chores better and is lighter than the 5. Thats just my impression.

Tonym is one of the few people I've known to actually use the divot for a bowdrill handhold. Interesting concept, but really a top piece is pretty easy to make on the fly or a normal sized bushy knife and carved out rock make a much more compact and effective package. My two cents, but I think these bulky blades represent a fantasy knife more so than utility blades.
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Do not ruin my fantasy with your crappy opinion!!:mad:
;)

Seriously though, I agree that for most a 1/4" thick 5" bladed knife is not what the doctor ordrered. However in reguards to the 6 battoning better cause of that extra inch, I dissagree. I have battoned with the 6 and 5 side by side up to 4" diameter Elm. The 5 broke through well befor the thinner six. I believe the saber grind was more of a factor than the actuall thickness. The tapering Flat grind of the 6" didn't wedge the wood apart nearly as well as the abrupt saber grind..

Now back to the OP's question which was which is better for him. The BK-2 or the ESEE-5. Well I believe only the OP can answer that...
 
kgd said:
They are both overbuilt tanks designed for the armageddon kind of thing. I personally don't see the point in either design and find them overly bulky to be of much use. I far prefer the ESEE-6 with a much more reasonable 3/16" thickness that has enough robustness to tackle prying and splitting jobs, is an 1" longer making splitting utility and camp chores better and is lighter than the 5. Thats just my impression.

Tonym is one of the few people I've known to actually use the divot for a bowdrill handhold. Interesting concept, but really a top piece is pretty easy to make on the fly or a normal sized bushy knife and carved out rock make a much more compact and effective package. My two cents, but I think these bulky blades represent a fantasy knife more so than utility blades.
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You might be surprised to know that Jeff Randall agrees that the knife is thicker than it has to be and he wasn't all that thrilled about the bow-drill divot, either. Those are requirements that the SERE community had for the knife. I don't think they're much into fantasy, but, hey, go for what you know...
 
Tonym, agreed we can argue in circles about thick vs thin on batoning. I'm far more inclined on thinner steel for batoning and I've also done that experiment many times over with several knives. But that is a 20 page thread discussion not meant for this place.

We all get to have our fantasy's. You have yours, I just happen to notice that in real life you tend to be wearing a more modest knife on your belt :D

I'd also agree that if the OP cold hold both these blades in their hands that they would come to a far better conclusion about which they prefer than what a thread like this could tell them. Again for me, when I held both in my hands, the immediate thought was......not a blade I'd want to lug around.. But they are both very popular knives.
 
Don Rearic said:
You might be surprised to know that Jeff Randall agrees that the knife is thicker than it has to be and he wasn't all that thrilled about the bow-drill divot, either. Those are requirements that the SERE community had for the knife. I don't think they're much into fantasy, but, hey, go for what you know...
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Not very surprising to me Don. I was hanging around their forum when they first brought out that knife and I recall Jeff's own words on the subject vividly. I belief that Jeff tends to prefer a folder and a machete or for fixed something of a 3" variety + machete, but like everybody else his preferences are shaped most strongly by the environments he works in most.
 
Jeff is a hoot. Half the stuff ESEE Cutlery makes he says is not necessary. :D

I think you and I are actually on the same sheet of music when it comes to most of this stuff. I don't really care if we're talking about a folder, with a lock or without, or a fixed blade, thick, not thick, doesn't matter. What you can do with the thing is what matters. I don't own a Mora but I know enough about using a knife to recognize what I see in people's photos and descriptions. That's why I don't slam them. I don't think you need a sharpened prybar to survive. But, hey, once in a while, it's great to have one. :D
 
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