Bk4 or 5? Chopping ability?

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SynSerp

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Dec 28, 2014
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I have seen that Amazon has come down even lower on the 4... Which was the only reason I was thinking of buying the 5 instead. Well, just one of em. Now I'm wondering which one chops better. I already snagged a 15 a while back, so I feel I have slicing down.... So maybe the 4? It's what I. Leaning towards...
 
I have 0 experience with the BK4 but I do have a 5. It's not that great of a chopper. The 4 is known for its chopping ability (with a wrist flick). So if you're looking for a chopper, get the BK4 or maybe get a BK9.
 
Bk9 just doesn't fit the mold I'm looking for. I really honestly want a hatchet like tool but I really am opposed to the money it costs for a 9.
 
I can't imagine the 5 chops better than the 4, it's very thin-ground and has a trailing point, neither of which lends to powerful chopping. The 4 has a saber grind and a point-heavy design that would actually lend to much better chopping than most other knives its size.
 
KingMC said:
I can't imagine the 5 chops better than the 4, it's very thin-ground and has a trailing point, neither of which lends to powerful chopping. The 4 has a saber grind and a point-heavy design that would actually lend to much better chopping than most other knives its size.
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Why do people prefer this knife? What do you guys have to say about it in general?
 
SynSerp said:
Why do people prefer this knife? What do you guys have to say about it in general?
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The 5 feels fantastic in the hand, for the blade length its very nimble and with the high grind it's a fantastic slicer. it's kinda good for any task around a campsite you can think of (hence the name Magnum Camp), from food prep to wood prep and everything inbetween.

The only reason I haven't bought a 4 yet is I already own a 9 and have a couple others on the way, since I've seen proof of the 9 chopping better than the 4 on the forums I'm holding off for now, eventually I'll break, though, it's just a cool knife to look at and I'm sure it's comfortable to work with.
 
KingMC said:
The 5 feels fantastic in the hand, for the blade length its very nimble and with the high grind it's a fantastic slicer. it's kinda good for any task around a campsite you can think of (hence the name Magnum Camp), from food prep to wood prep and everything inbetween.

The only reason I haven't bought a 4 yet is I already own a 9 and have a couple others on the way, since I've seen proof of the 9 chopping better than the 4 on the forums I'm holding off for now, eventually I'll break, though, it's just a cool knife to look at and I'm sure it's comfortable to work with.
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So do you think a 9 would replace an ax in a similiar way
 
SynSerp said:
So do you think a 9 would replace an ax in a similiar way
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No, batoning through wood is barely on par with a camp hatchet, a proper two-handed axe would split big rounds a LOT easier than a knife/baton combo would. The thing is, axes get much more inertia when swung, and have a head specifically designed to separate wood into pieces, so the amount of work being done to split even one 10" round is gonna be so much less than trying to baton it to pieces with a BK9 or similarly sized implements.

For example, I had an 18" Ontario military machete on a campout where by younger brother brought his 2.5lb multi-purpose axe. After he felled a dead tree to trim up (took maybe a minute) we all went at it, my machete couldn't even come close to his axe for trimming the trunk into rounds, and when it came time to split I had to have another brother swing the baton to try and split the rounds with the machete, where my brother took 1-2 swings and had a round in half with his axe.

A proper axe is king at heavy-duty wood prep, the only time a 9 is more useful is for trimming the large pieces into smaller pieces and other cutting jobs.
 
Yup...they are different animals.
5...Slicing machine,excellent butcher knife.
4...chopper,de limber .
Both have they're purpose but designed for different duties.
 
The 4 will out chop the 5. The 9 should out chop the 4, and none of them will be anywhere close to a full size axe.

The 9 is in the same class as a hatchet for chopping, if that helps you visualize the chopping power at all.

And in my mind, batoning is best done for campfires and the like. Where you split 1-3 2-4in logs to get the fire going. Splitting rounds should be done with an axe.

But big knives are amazing at limbing branches/trees that have fallen. They can take care of limbs 1 - 1.5in in a swing or two, and they are much easier to handle for long amounts of time imo.

Anyway, good luck making the choice :).
 
ocnLogan said:
The 4 will out chop the 5. The 9 should out chop the 4, and none of them will be anywhere close to a full size axe.
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In my experience the 4 and the 9 chop abut the same. The 9 has a couple minor advantages over the 4 like being easier to sharpen but nothing that's a game changer.
 
Yeah I'd also rather chop with the 4 than the 9. The 9 is cool, but I traded mine (on a 5 interestingly enough), yet I kept my 4 and now have a backup 4 I like it so much.

Both the 4 and 5 are great knives, but the 4 is the far superior chopper and overall woods knife, imho. The 5 is so slicey though.... you have a 15 so you know.
 
Well what brought me to thinking of finding a becker as a wood processor, is that I've been looking for a good as for s while now to complete my wilderness bag. Well... A hammock and a fine axe. I've been looking mainly at wetterling and Gransfor bruks but I've been trying to keep it in the 120-140 range. One of the few I want is either the wetterlings bushman or the Gransfor bruks wildlife hatchet. This has led me to try to find a good lightweight tool but I struggle to find a balance of a hatchet that can do this. Which brings me to trying to see if a becker is worth replacing a hatchets job.
 
the bk5 is an amazing slicer and the bk4 is an amazing chopper - easy solution... buy both (or 2 of each)
 
Well, let's start with a disclosure, the BK-5 is my favorite; please see my signature image.

That said, as great as the 5 is, it gives way to the 4 and the 9 in chopping. I agree with much of what has been already said in this thread including the part(s) about a hatchet or ax being the preferred chopping tool with credit given to heavy knives in limbing.

To delve into this further - while the 5 may not chop and baton as well as the 4 or 9, it handles food prep and slicing tasks better - much better. The margin of "better" in the slicing and food prep areas is greater than the margin of "worse" in chopping and splitting. When one factors that fact into the analysis - the BK-5 starts pulling away from pack. When you realize that it is not always absolutely necessary to chop big wood or split big wood then one can realize why the 5 is truly the "Magnum Camp."

For me, I would prefer a 5 and a 4 (or 9) but if limited to only one, it would be the 9; or maybe the 5, then there's the 2, then again the 7 is versatile, as is the 10 ... :D;)
 
The BK 4 chops like a small hatchet
Cuts and chops heavier than a small machete with a snap of the wrist
Can be choked up in the narrow part of the blade for fine work
The recurve works very well as a draw knife
Batons wood very easily
 
The 4 is a great knife. It chops great, but can be used for other stuff as well: batoning, draw knife, etc
 
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