Bk7 vs Bk2

I would like to add a question to this thread. I have over the last week been doing a lot of research on various knives/makers/metals to the point of getting migraine headaches. The knives I own are medium/ light duty knives and want to update them. I still cannot seem to come to the conclusion of the best knife that covers all the bases. Some will say, No Knife can do it all and that is what I am starting to think. I want a knife that can chop wood if need be, baton if needed, build a shelter if needed, skin a deer or hog with it's razor sharp edge ( a must ) bust through bone without rolling the blade, easy to sharpen and pack. I have been considering the Camillus BK-2, Kabar/Becker BK-2, Ontario's Afgan, Scrapyard's Dumpster Mutt Dc, Le,Dumpster Mutt w/penetrator tip, to name a few. I have, just this morning, purchased a Cold Steel Master Hunter Carbon V for skinning, but know it falls way short in other catagories. Price was good so I jumped on it, and know they hold a great edge. I would appreciate some input if one knife can do all or at the very least, do most of the jobs I listed. Thanks!
 
bust through bone is a tough one. that's close to abuse, even for some axes... perhaps you want a hunter's axe? that will be a lot of the jobs you want done.

now, even Sir Nessmuk had an axe with two bits, one razor, one not, for various chores, and he'd never, EVER subject his knifes to tasks that the axe was suited for.

so, perhaps you want three tools :) they don't need to be huge, or ungainly, but each to their own best tasks.


Bladite
 
I sharpened the false edge on my BK7 to act as a bone breaker. It worked really well for that and you maintain your primary edge. Sharpening that false edge gave the blade alot more versatility IMO. It is such a steep angle that it works like an axe edge, without the weight. I say get the BK7, sharpen the false edge, and wear it out. It will do everything on your list that way. Just sayin'. Moose
 
The BK-2 is a great knife with excellent steel and will serve a number of the tasks you will need it for. It is thick and stout. With a rear-grip it can chop wood almost as well as a longer knife. It will baton like a champ, and would do very well with shelter building. I find that I can choke up on the grip a bit and get very controlled fine cuts if needed as well. If it gets a bit dull, the high carbon steel is super easy to sharpen. Where it might fall short for you is in the game processing - it could certainly clean a hog or a deer, but due to its size, the business end of the blade when skinning (the belly) might be a bit more difficult to control. However, this can be remedied a bit by using a finger-on-the-spine grip. I personally prefer a smaller knife for cleaning game. All-in-all the BK-2 is an awesome knife - I love mine. It is very affordable and Ka-Bar has great customer service.

I would strongly encourage you to check out the ESEE-4. This is a hard-use knife made of 1095 steel (with Rowen heat treat) that will serve nearly all of your tasks well. It is not as thick as the BK-2, and won't really chop anything (unless you use a baton). But it will excel at pretty much any other task - batoning small-medium logs, shelter-building, game prep, etc. It would be much easier to control for skinning game, in my opinion, compared to a larger knife. And it's thinner as well, which I find improves skinning performance. It's also much easier to pack than the BK-2. The 1095 steel is very easy to sharpen on basic stones to a razor edge. If you want a bit more length and a different handle, I would also check out the ESEE-6. Despite the 6" blade, the ESEE-6 still won't chop as well as the BK-2.

Another option you might consider is a two-knife set up with a large blade for heavy tasks (i.e. the BK-2) and then a smaller knife for skinning and game prep (i.e. the Becker Necker or ESEE Izula).
 
For skinning crap, I've learned to just use a regular BUCK Game Skinning Knife. They are designed for that and work well. IMO for an all out camping, hunting setup a little small AXE (hatchet), a BK2 style Knife and a Skinning Knife is all you need. I'd add in there a Multi-Tool as well.
 
Thanks for the input Guy's. I will look into a buying a couple knives, each for it's intended purpose. It seems on most knife forums, ( new to these knife forums ) the big knives get most of the feedback. I plan on investing several hundred dollars to cover the bases well. Still, seems a hard desision with all the quality knives on the market. I tuned into the U-tube destruction test the other day, that certainly gave me a few more things to consider.
 
Super X said:
Thanks for the input Guy's. I will look into a buying a couple knives, each for it's intended purpose. It seems on most knife forums, ( new to these knife forums ) the big knives get most of the feedback. I plan on investing several hundred dollars to cover the bases well. Still, seems a hard desision with all the quality knives on the market. I tuned into the U-tube destruction test the other day, that certainly gave me a few more things to consider.
Click to expand...

Some of those tests are total BS, I can't remember the guys name, but he wears he hockey mask, his tests are outrageous and IMO, over the top. Other tests show real world scenarios, and are good, but some just suk. Just sayin'. Moose
 
Super X said:
I plan on investing several hundred dollars to cover the bases well. Still, seems a hard desision with all the quality knives on the market.
Click to expand...

Thats the beauty of BK knives. Don't need to spend hundreds, just maybe 1 hundred.

I bought a BK2,BK7,Necker for under 200.00 And that covers lots of bases.
 
Ruben, that's all you had to say...

I now regret my grudge against Ka-Bar as I now see the superb value in these knives, I use to count ESEE as the Glock of knives, but after toying with my first ever BK7 today I'd have to say they're more glockish...

Straight forward and affordable, no nonsense, thrills and frills. the little knife it came with was sorta sharp, I put it on 9microns for a couple seconds and this thing shaves....... have yet to whittle with it, but I think it would excel in light use like food prep...

the sheath is fairly decent, I've heard many complaints about it, but I think those people are far to anal.. I paid $61 for my 7 shipped to my door and I'm gonna complain about a sheath made in china????? When my knife is made here in the good ol US of A...........? get real

I plan to broaden my Becker line purchases in the near future..I've never abused a knife to the extreme where it replaces another 'tools' role but I'm confident that Becker warranty is like a lifetime..
 
At first, I was turned off by the test however, after thinking about it, I saw some value there. Take what he is doing to the knife, and see it's failure point, then consider how you as a individual handle your knives. You can then come to a conclusion how well the knife will hold up for you, based on his test. Personally, I would never do most of those things to a knife however, a situation could arise where you may need to do some of those things. I figure a knife that can make it half way through those test, would last me forever with general use. A knife that did poorly in those test, may be a knife I could accidently break. That was the value I got from it anyway.
 
Super X said:
At first, I was turned off by the test however, after thinking about it, I saw some value there. Take what he is doing to the knife, and see it's failure point, then consider how you as a individual handle your knives. You can then come to a conclusion how well the knife will hold up for you, based on his test. Personally, I would never do most of those things to a knife however, a situation could arise where you may need to do some of those things. I figure a knife that can make it half way through those test, would last me forever with general use. A knife that did poorly in those test, may be a knife I could accidently break. That was the value I got from it anyway.
Click to expand...

i just never really could figure out when i'd be hamming on rocks, or clamping my knife in a vise, or trying to cut rebar with one. good way to induce stress risers/etc that have nothing to do with testing a KNIFE.

the Survivor TV show has little to do with actual surviving ;>

now, cutting some 2x4s, esp if done with some skill, and using all the edge, then cutting rope, and repeat, that's a good test.

handling some ABS guideline bending at the factory? sure. a knife probably should snap if subjected to some splitting/etc.

metal on metal tests? that's just abuse. especially if you think they'll cover it under warranty.


Bladite
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top