Broke down and got a BK 2. D.G.K.

R

Roguer

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Jan 5, 2015
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Ok I broke down and got a BK 2. Being ignorant on the BK 2 I didn't look at its specs to much, till I closely read it and saw the nice profile was a .25 in spine with a decent saberish grind to boot!

Its a Darn Good Knife! Good heavy, nice strong point, decent heft and simple no nonsense blade for heavy work.

My need was for a nice heavy duty use shorter sized middling sized blade. I got a some Strong arms for light to med duty, the Strongarms do great work after I was badly disappointed by the 5" KA-BAR I got. But I needed some thing more heavy duty yet short enough to do the dang hard things I do at times with my knives. Yet able to do some sort of OKishly good delicate or Bushy sort of stuff. With a Saberish Grind to it. The BK 2 seemed to fit the bill with its .25 in spine. Also the blade size is perfect for big game processing and such it looks like. Big Blade Size (length that is) was not a consideration, I got enough big blades to fill those needs.

Oh Handle as usual it will help make the knife full fill its intended use better by the feel if it. And one thing I love about this BK 2 is its Great Thumping and Whumping Hilt!

I'm normally an OKC user for bigger blades and their RD line. But their use of mostly FFG besides their RAK and Tanto has made me go looking for a nice heavy saberish grind knife with a great thumping and whumping hilt, and still American Made. So the BK 2 looks like it will fill the heavy use need I have for it. The BK 2 will do nicely what I use my RD Tanto for (heavy whopping and chopping when needed of various things), but looking a head to big game season the more shorter and conventional type heavy blade will do its job well I think.

Some times I go out with a nice set of tools, other times I like to go minimalist of a load out. The BK 2 seems to fit that latter idea.

Now I see I'm probably going to have to get another BK 2 and strip the coating off for dedicated big game processing (Field cleaning and critter cutting up to pack out, not fine meat carving and butchering.)

I can easily see the BK 2 being used in out door "Systems" I usually throw together when I head out on a whim.
 
Yup, that was my gateway Becker.
Get ready for a BK9...

And Welcome!

Oh yeah...
Pics or it didn't happen.
 
Tanker, I'm caught between getting a 2 or a 10, which do you prefer?
Obviously I'm gonna end up buying both I suppose....:D but for the first full size Becker what floats your boat more?
BTW my gateway was the 16 :thumbsup:
 
Tanker, I'm caught between getting a 2 or a 10 which do you prefer?
Obviously I'm gonna end up buying both I suppose....:D but for the first full size Becker what floats your boat more?
BTW my gateway was the 16 :thumbsup:[/QUOTE]

The 2 is mighty heavy on my hip. And im not dressing out a Buick. I really love my 10 it always gets more play time.
 
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My gateway was the BK2, then came the BK5, BK1, another BK5, BK4, BK29 (with another BK5) I'm starting to see a pattern here...
 
Awesome response Tanker
I was sort of leaning to the ten but it's nice to get confirmation from those in the know
 
Just to be contrary - er, I mean, <cough> add a different perspective - I'm in the other camp. The 10 doesn't appeal to me at all; so, given the choice of a 2 vs a 10, I'll pick the two every time. How often do I feel like the 2 is the best knife for whatever task I might be looking at on a given day? Honestly, not all that often - but that's me, and my tasks (and the other knives I have available).

My first Becker was a Camillus BK7. Somehow, after I acquired some other knives, the 7 fell out of favor for a while. (The only explanation that makes sense to me is that I had given my well loved 7 away, and I didn't quite accept the Kabar 7 I bought as a replacement. I finally took it out and used it...the 7 and I are good again:thumbsup:.)
 
My 10 got butchered
IMG_08631_zpswtjw4wng.jpg

IMG_08641_zpsci2ujg3l.jpg
 
My opinion regarding the 2 and the 10 has evolved over time...

When I was getting ready to buy my first Becker, I was torn between the 9 and the 2. At the time, I was rather infatuated with the overbuilt tanks of blades that many view Beckers to be. I wanted an indestructible beast of a knife that could take any sort of use or abuse I could throw at it. Ultimately the 9 won out and it became my first Becker but I bought the 2 shortly after and it became my wife's knife when we went on adventures together. Since I was thinking of my wife when I purchased the 2, I was also considering the 10. Similar dimensions (blade length and width), same handle, etc. However, it looked like a mini-9 and it didn't sport the 1/4" awesomeness that I found so appealing in the 2. So the 2 is what won the day however many years ago and my wife actually is quite fond of it. She even harvested a Christmas tree a few years ago with it, just because she could...

For the longest time, I only had the two Beckers, the 9 and the 2. I would often carry the 2 when my wife wasn't accompanying me and I didn't want to take the big 9. Though the 2 performed whatever task I applied it to, I found it lacking at times, mostly just a feeling in the back of my mind that I couldn't quite place. As time went on and my interest and enthusiasm in bushcraft grew, I came upon Kephart's description of his iconic knife design, or at least his description of the ideal woodsman's knife and all of the sudden it clicked. The 2 is simply too bulky, too thick, too robust to adequately perform the finer tasks that a woodsman or bushcrafter might subject it to. I began to realize that the 2 was more of a survival tool, a "if I can only have one knife in an Apocalyptic event" knife, a beastly blade that you could count on to cut through car doors and brick walls to escape the ensuing zombie hordes.

In essence, though the 2 will perform any cutting task required of it, it will not excel at some of the finer work that is required of a knife in hunting and bushcraft applications. Just my opinion of course...

Which brings me to the 10. I bought the 10 as a gift for a good friend of mine some time ago since she needed a good stout blade for her own outdoor adventures. I bought her husband the 5 as well. When I bought the 10, I was still of the mindset that it was a somewhat redundant knife. After all, what could it do that the 2 couldn't? Well, as my perceptions have evolved, I have come to value the 10 considerably more. It is lighter and slimmer, yet sports similar dimensions to the 2, which is ultimately why I gifted this one to my friend. I had the opportunity to trade her a different knife recently for the 10 and I am quite happy that I have one in my burgeoning collection now.

Now that my perceptions have changed and my needs as well, I would choose the 10 over the 2 any day. The 10 is simply more knife than tool, where the 2 is the opposite. Mr. Kephart's design calls for 1/8" thickness and though the majority of Beckers exceed that, only a select few go beyond even that, and those I view more as multi-purpose tools than knives. Your mileage may vary of course, as the saying goes, I think...
 
Nice Write up and P.O.V. observation there Pàdruig!

Well I did a lot of looking myself and came up with this.

Budget said yes to another knife, I looked over my inventory and saw a BK 7 might be in order but looking over the inventory I saw the shorter heavy middling blades where a bit short in number. I was even leaning to the BK 9 as it seems a bit more jack of all trades performer category. But I had to hold to my need vs. Wanting things. I have enough big blades for whopping and chopping and botaning things. I need a good shortish heavy blade. BK 2 once again fitted the need parameter. Well so I ordered the BK 22 this time. I've got enough "thinner" blades the same size area of a BK 2 so the BK 10 was ruled out for me right now. The BK 2 I realize after hefting my first one shows its not "THE IDEAL BESTEST EVER!" bush crafter, but it feels it can do the jobs just not as well a dedicated bush crafter. Its a great blade that can over lap and do other duties when needed. Like it was said earlier, its a great Multi-Tool and STILL a knife it looks like.

As I said I looked over my needs and the BK 22 came to the top to fill it as a great heavy multi-tool of a knife that's still a knife.

Pàdruig gave a great over all observation that can help people decide what would fill their needs/use for between knives he typed about.

For me it was another BK 2 er 22 this time...again. I did order the sheath for the BK 2 I got though, I'm going to use the BK 2 sheath for short duration outings though.

Now I have to look in to how to remove the coating maybe for a dedicated hunting field kit knife... or not.
 
So I should also state that though my needs and perceptions have evolved, I am still quite fond of the 2 and it will always have a place in my collection. I still love an overbuilt beastly blade and the 2 certainly epitomizes that concept brilliantly. Sometime ago, a Beckerhead here posted this video in regards to the 2, I cannot recall exactly who it was but I do remember enjoying the heck out of the video. It demonstrates the durability and capabilities of this rather iconic Becker. Plus these guys are always entertaining.

 
Choosing between the BK2 and the BK 10 is easy ... get both!

In all seriousness, the price point of the Becker knives provides excellent value. The BK2 is a beast and a must have Becker not unlike the BK9.

While the BK10 may superficially appear redundant to the BK2, it is not; they have different personalities and qualities - each deserving of their own place in a Becker quiver.
 
my tuppence worth of opinion:
since you have a 16 -- skip the 10 & 2, and go straight to 9.
Then add an 11 or 14 and you're set.
 
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