i'm looking for a camping/chore knife that is an all around good buy. so far i have read all the reviews i can find on the Cold steel UWK and the Becker combat/utility 7, and i can't make up my mind. I respect all of the reviewer's opinions, i just want to know if people prefer one knife over the other and why. they are about the same price and people say good things about both. how do the steel qualities compare? i heard some bad things about the UWK 420. also, what should i use to keep an edge on these knives? thanks a lot.
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
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bk7 or UWK?
- Thread starter jackal23
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2001
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- 4,306
I have not handled a UWK, but I am VERY pleased with my Becker.
I just got my C/U 7 today and I would highly recomend getting this kinve.. Acutually its something everyone should get..Out of the box, it was razor sharp..Check out my initial comments about this knife at:
Good luck...
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2042
Good luck...
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2042
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2001
- Messages
- 378
For utility, I find the ODA to be a better design. 420 is not the best steel, but Cold Steel is pretty good about heat treatment. The only personal complain about CS's new line-up was from a pair of used knives bought off e-bay. The new owner couldn't get them to hold an edge. I suspect that the edges were treated to a rotory tool by the first owner, thus destorying the temper. The other posts on that thread stated that 420 worked fine; just don't compare it to S60V!
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=201919
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=201919
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2001
- Messages
- 1,190
Becker . . . ANY Becker . . . hands down! (IMHO)
RokJok
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2000
- Messages
- 4,169
I haven't handled the newer Cold Steel blades, so I can't speak to their performance or value.
I think the Becker BK-7 is an incredible value (okay, insane value, i.e. the knife to buy RIGHT NOW!!) in the current $50 mid-size fixed blade market. It offers an efficient geometry in decent steel that has been well heat treated. Plus for the mini-survival-kit fans in the crowd, the pocket on the kydex lined cordura sheath will accomodate an Altoids kit. My "personal preference" mods to add to the BK-7 are to grind a choil into the blade ahead of the guard and roughen up the handle scales a bit.
Re: sharpening carbon steel blades, use Norton india stones according to the recommendation in this thread. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=198735 I use an Edgepro for reprofiling of edges and a Spyderco Sharpmaker for day-to-day maintenance.