Bush Kraft 16

upnorth

upnorth

Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
7,038
I will be farting around with the 16 all through summer...or more, as time allows. I am going to practice some bush craft because I am interested in it at this time. My efforts will be amateurish but that is OK, as I've already learned from the multiple mistakes on this experiment. I haven't sharpened the 16 since it came out of the box and I really like this knife. More than an ESEE 4 ? No,....... but equal to the four. The 16 is different in many ways and I enjoy it immensely for its own attributes. She's a keeper.:thumbup:
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[video=youtube;_uxn3RoqTOQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uxn3RoqTOQ[/video]

Looking forward to your thoughts on the 16 and that Mora. I haven't handled an ESEE before but did just get a 16. Would you mind elaborating on why you like it more than 16?
 
I just was comparing the BK16 & ESEE4 at the shop last weekend. I haven't put them head to head, but I'd be interested to know why your preference is what it is as well.
 
Guys,

Maybe I am reading the OPs post wrong, but I do believe he says while he BK-16 is not BETTER than the Esee 4, He thinks it's the 4's equal..
 
Upnorth if you like that book you will dig this!
Mors is makeing Vids!!
SO very COOOOL!!

[video=youtube;uvlmsH0IFT4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvlmsH0IFT4&feature=plcp[/video]


Thanks
 
bkoregon said:
[video=youtube;_uxn3RoqTOQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uxn3RoqTOQ[/video]

Looking forward to your thoughts on the 16 and that Mora. I haven't handled an ESEE before but did just get a 16. Would you mind elaborating on why you like it more than 16?
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They both have attributes of their own and stand alone as a good knife. I bought five ? of the little Moras years ago and they were about 8-9 bucks each. They are tough, extremely sharp and slice like a dream. There seems to be a lot of buzz over the Mora Companion lately with its soft grip. I might grab a couple in stainless. The little red handled carbon steel Moras are a great value but will rust by simply leaving a finger print on them if you forget to oil it. I'd rather have the lower maintenance stainless, which also has a slightly thicker blade (in the Companion) and is factory ground along the spine, which helps when using a ferro rod.
 
Murphnuge said:
I just was comparing the BK16 & ESEE4 at the shop last weekend. I haven't put them head to head, but I'd be interested to know why your preference is what it is as well.
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My grammar can be poor and convoluted. Really what I was struggling with since I got my 16 was do I like the ESEE more?, when I am at heart a Becker admirer. For a while I said to myself, screw it, tell the truth, you like the ESEE more. And as you know it's a hell of a knife. Then with use I came to admire the 16 for it's design and performance. So in all honesty I came to the conclusion that I like them both for their own attributes, which I tried to explain. Initially I was bummed that the 16 had a thinner blade than the 4. But as I evolve with knives and became more interested in bush craft I clued in. The thinner FFG blade makes sense for finer slicing, while still maintaining the Becker robustness\reliability. I don't know what the factory grind angles are but they seem to be a compromise between slicing and batonning toughness ? I want to make the edge more acute and get a bit more slicing performance for feather sticks and such. I'll leave the splitting for a hatchet or whatever else is available. I struggle with the concept of being in the isolated bush with only a thin little Mora etc. and have always felt instinctively more assured with a fairly robust knife. I'm ok with the 16 and my rational side says that it's a decent blade. But if someone laid the 4 and 16 on a table and yelled grab one and run, I believe that it would be the 4 in hand. The fours extra weight is noticeable compared to the 16 but still minor compared to a full sized blade. I'm struggling. But I do like the 16 regardless of some back lash that I saw a while back. I don't really expect a smaller slicer to do what a mid size or large chopper can do. My 16 will have bigger company for bigger jobs.
 
The 16 parked my ESEE 4 in the drawer and I didn't think anything could do that.
 
jim62 said:
Guys,

Maybe I am reading the OPs post wrong, but I do believe he says while he BK-16 is not BETTER than the Esee 4, He thinks it's the 4's equal..
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Thank you. I sure don't know it all and likely forgot some of what I did know. I have been in the outdoors as many of you have also, for most of my life. But I never got into the whole ''bush craft'' thing, thinking that it was goofiness and that most outdoor answers are common sense. As in many things, I was wrong and or my views evolved. Why have knives if you don't use them ? And bush crafting seems sensible for outdoor survival and the simple fun of using a decent knife. Acouple of years ago I came VERY close to being lost in dense bush. I was going through bogs with tan coloured cold water up to my clackers. I scared up a moose and it went crashing through the bush. I found a huge Elk rack. I was getting a little hungry, tired, borderline scared a couple of times. It took a long exhausting time to get in and I doubted that I would get back before dark. The barely perciptible trail that I followed in basicly vanished and I was winging it for hours (using the ball compass). Thoughts flashed through my head that my wife would be alarmed if I was a no show and that I would have to spend the night, cold, wet, bug eaten etc. I did have the foresight to bring along: a button ball compass, a water bottle with water, a folding knife, a lighter. But that was it, maybe a tin of sardines, I can't remember but I tend to do that. I was just going to do a day trip through dense bush in search of an old fur trade post with my metal detector. When I finnally stumbled back out (thank G.od for the compass), I came out about a half mile of were I went in, my pants were ripped with hanging flaps, I was exhausted, spooked and REALLY damn grateful that I was out. My water was long gone and I was drinking straight from what I could find, just clearing out the back swimmers and mousquito larvae. That scare has stayed with me and I now take trip prep far more seriously. I would feel just fine with a very sharp 16 (light weight) and maybe hawk etc. on a trip like that now. Or simply the 16 alone as it has proven to me that it can handle rougher work if need be.
 
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jcl-MD said:
Upnorth if you like that book you will dig this!
Mors is makeing Vids!!
SO very COOOOL!!

[video=youtube;uvlmsH0IFT4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvlmsH0IFT4&feature=plcp[/video]

Thanks
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up, I have much to learn. I moved from were Mors lived and came to the south due to work committments. I miss it and want to go back...............
 
I don't have the 4, but I do have the 3. The handles are the same size. I like my 3 better than the 16, just because it fits my hand better. Even though the ESEE's handle is a bit shorter, it doesn't have that protrusion that digs into my hand. Plus it has the choil, making it able to fit in my hand well. But, from a performance standpoint, I'm clueless, tbh. I love the tweener blades, but the handles just don't work for me. It's very unfortunate.
 
The Warrior said:
I don't have the 4, but I do have the 3. The handles are the same size. I like my 3 better than the 16, just because it fits my hand better. Even though the ESEE's handle is a bit shorter, it doesn't have that protrusion that digs into my hand. Plus it has the choil, making it able to fit in my hand well. But, from a performance standpoint, I'm clueless, tbh. I love the tweener blades, but the handles just don't work for me. It's very unfortunate.
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An interesting and honest reply. :thumbup:
 
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