BK9, Trail Master or Other?

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WoodenChicken

Joined
Sep 11, 2008
Messages
633
The largest knife I have is 4", and I'd like to get a nice big fixed blade for chopping, and general outdoor/camp/survival purposes. I have a few in mind, can I get some help/opinions/suggestions please?

1. The new BK9 which is recently out. I know nothing about it, but looks solid.
2. Cold Steel Trail Master--got a great review from Nutnfancy who has a lot of experience with blades
3. RTAK 2 by Ontario--also excellent nutnfancy review, but the company has issues apparently?

Or other suggestions. All of these knives appear to be under $100.
Thank you
 
Ka-bar heavy bowie is another one to look at.
Stay away from the CS Laredo though, its not full tang.
Its a half tang with a steel cable welded to it, the cable is welded to a threaded screw setup at the pommel end.
This is not my pic but heres the naked truth
CSLaredonakedknife.jpg
 
One more reason to get an exposed tang. I live in a cold climate and just wear gloves in wintertime.

Ever consider a custom? Greal deals can be found on Breeden, Koyote, and Stomper, and they are available very quickly.
 
Ranger RD-9 wonderful heavy blade. The Becker knives are very well known for their durability and all in all being a great knife. They have been purchased by KaBar, but I do not expect that will change the quality. There is a good theard on it in the Rat Cutlery thread section. You mght look at some of the other Ontario Blades as well. The SP8 is a great blade for the $$$.

Cheers!
 
I really, really love my long heavy bowie. It's great stuff, and I've beaten the snot out of it without problems. Pretty substantial tang underneath the handle. I'd like to check out that bk9 too, though.
 
1095 CroVan blade. I like how the BK9 looks, and leaning toward that right now. Excited. Too bad I can only afford to buy one large knife right now.
 
Rich_S said:
Are the new BK9's still 0170-6C (AKA Carbon V) or 1095 like the new Neckers?
Click to expand...

0170-6C (AKA Carbon V) and the KaBar Cro Van steels are both members of the 1095HC family, according to Ethan. There are minor differences in hardness and flexibility. Some of that may be due to the heat-treat processes used.

But given Ethan's experience with metalurgy and knife design, as well as his long time association with noted metalurgy experts in the cutlery field, I respect his choice of the new steel as appropriate.

I will be getting one of the newer BK11's soon to do a one-on-one comparison between the two steels (as well as comparing the design execution between the two manufacturers).

As far as I know, and from what Ethan has said, the entire KaBar Becker line will be made with the Cro Van steel here in the U.S., the only exception to date being a limited edition BK11 with San Mai (laminated) steel made for them on special order to their specs by a company in Japan.
 
WoodenChicken said:
The largest knife I have is 4", and I'd like to get a nice big fixed blade for chopping, and general outdoor/camp/survival purposes. I have a few in mind, can I get some help/opinions/suggestions please?

1. The new BK9 which is recently out. I know nothing about it, but looks solid.
2. Cold Steel Trail Master--got a great review from Nutnfancy who has a lot of experience with blades
3. RTAK 2 by Ontario--also excellent nutnfancy review, but the company has issues apparently?

Or other suggestions. All of these knives appear to be under $100.
Thank you
Click to expand...

I love the Trailmaster, my personal all time favorite big blade..The BK9 is also another fantastic blade...the RTAK isnt much fun..I have one..its a bit light for its girth..I wish it had 5 oz. more, and it would chop better than most. Its basically a machete with little prying strength or a brittle blade. Gene
 
Codger_64 said:
0170-6C (AKA Carbon V) and the KaBar Cro Van steels are both members of the 1095HC family, according to Ethan. There are minor differences in hardness and flexibility. Some of that may be due to the heat-treat processes used.

But given Ethan's experience with metalurgy and knife design, as well as his long time association with noted metalurgy experts in the cutlery field, I respect his choice of the new steel as appropriate.

I will be getting one of the newer BK11's soon to do a one-on-one comparison between the two steels (as well as comparing the design execution between the two manufacturers).

As far as I know, and from what Ethan has said, the entire KaBar Becker line will be made with the Cro Van steel here in the U.S., the only exception to date being a limited edition BK11 with San Mai (laminated) steel made for them on special order to their specs by a company in Japan.
Click to expand...

If that's the case, then "1095 Cro Van" has nothing to do with 1095 steel. 1095 steel is probably the simplest steel out there - iron + 0.95% carbon + 0.4% Manganese. No chromium or vanadium. 0170-6C is an alloy steel. While it has roughly the same amount of carbon and manganese as 1095, it also has chromium, vanadium, nickel, and silicon. Two very different steels.
 
Rich_S said:
If that's the case, then "1095 Cro Van" has nothing to do with 1095 steel. 1095 steel is probably the simplest steel out there - iron + 0.95% carbon + 0.4% Manganese. No chromium or vanadium. 0170-6C is an alloy steel. While it has roughly the same amount of carbon and manganese as 1095, it also has chromium, vanadium, nickel, and silicon. Two very different steels.
Click to expand...


Ethan discussed the 1095CV steel vs. 0170-6C in this post a while back:

EthanBecker said:
Hey Everybody.....

WOW... Where to start.....The San Mai Necker is the result of an AHA moment last year during a meeting at Ka-Bar with the Fukumoto people about a kitchen knife project....They pitched the Hitachi white steel #2
for a"mass market' series of kitchen blades for the US and while we were letting the Fukumoto people down gently John, Paul and I looked at each other and said NECKER!!!!!..SO....These are a limited run and will be followed soon by a slightly reconfigured Necker in 1095 CROVAN (whose chemistry differs from the Camillus 0170-6C by having the addition of .25%Nickel and is functionally, pretty indistinguishable from it).......Ka-Bar does cook it's 1095 slightly differently which results in a drop of approximately one Rockwell point---BUT gives a very large return in mechanical strength, including edge chip out....There is very little lost in edge retention!!!....All in all a big net improvement in functionality.....The new blade is a trifle thicker and so in order to maintain the great blade geometry of the orginal we are grinding it all the way to the top....the blade IS marginally heavier but it does heft better in my hand....

Ethan
Click to expand...

Codger
 
Rich_S said:
Interesting. They probably should have called it 0170-6D or something then. Calling it 1095CV is confusing.
Click to expand...

Knife companies pick names for their "mystery steel" to add to the mystique as a marketing ploy. Like "SCHRADE+" steel was used for two different 400 series stainless steels. So what is the composition and heat treat process for "INFI" steel? Is it depleted uranium? :D
 
Infi Composition:

V 0.36% Vanadium
Cr 8.25% Chrome
Fe 87.79% Iron
Co 0.95% Cobalt
Ni 0.74% Nickel
Mo 1.3% Molybdenum
C 0.5% Carbon
N 0.11% Nitrogen

Infi Heat Treat:
Don't know, but it's quenched in 25 year old scotch! (maybe...)
 
Hey Rich S....
the whole 0170 thing came from a now defunct Sharon Steel company's in house designation for their cutlery steel which was firmly in the 1095 camp...Sharon sold to most of the eastern cutlery industry and it had a LOT of names....It sounded foxier to the Camillus guys than just plain Jane 1095 and had an historical connection.....Marketing, marketing, marketing.....By whatever name it is known it is really good stuff......

All Best,

ethan
 
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