ESEE 3, 4, or 5 vs. BK2 (LMF is out I guess) for backpacking

B

bearedmonkey

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Nov 23, 2011
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Been poking around these forums for a while but finally joined this morning (benefits of being a teacher = no school today!). I'm looking for a good all-around knife for backpacking (wood chopping and battoning, light food prep, rope, you know... misc backpacking stuff). Anyway, so I get that the LMF might look cool and have the best sheath, but as a knife it's a cheap. That leads me to the BK2 or one of the ESEE. Everyone seems to love the BK2 (indestructible, great knife), but most folks seem to say lean toward the ESEE 3 or 4 if I've got the money. Why is that? Obviously the ESEE has micarta scales, but say I were to add those to the BK2; would the ESEE still be better? What makes this the case? Is it that little chole (sp?) at the base of the blade? Certainly looks like it might make detail work easier. Is it the weight (the BK2 certainly is a beast)? Is it the warranty on the ESEE? If I went with an ESEE, which one do folks recommend (3, 4, or 5)? Finally, I love the custom sheaths I've been online that include a firestarter; can anyone recommend other custom sheaths? Finally (sorry for all the questions), can anyone vouch for the Misch Metal firesteels? If they do what they say they do, it sounds kind of awesome. ESEE also has one.

So... thanks guys. Happy holidays.

b.
 
Some people believe that the esee heat treat is better. But if it is, there no REAL documentation to support that that I have found. Rowen does a great job with their 1095 and Kabar excels with toooj behind the wheel with their 1095 CV. I've owned both and both are great. With esee your getting the micarta and kydex sheath out the door and a "no questions asked warranty". Want a new knife? Break it in a vice and they will send you a knew one. However the Kabar warranty is just as good on failures, they just don't put up with people that wills break it on purpose. But they are damn good at fixing their mistakes. For the same.price as an esee 5, you can get a bk2 with micarta and a custom kydex so they pretty much cancel out in terms of price.
As for what your looking for I guess it depends on weight and ergonomics. Lots of people like the esee handles, and lots of people like the Becker. I for one think the esee is blocky while the Becker sinks into your hand. Both the 5 and 2 are relatively heavy but for an end all be all knife that's a good thing. If you want less weight the esee 3 is very nice, I've never quite like the 4, its too long of a Blade on too thin a handle and is uncomfortable and awkward to me.

I pick beckers but that's just my opinion based on the ergonomics alone of the bk2 vs the esee 5 .
 
no time to answer all your questions, sorry brother, but here's this... I've got an ESEE 3 and I won't be doing any chopping with it, just too small and light. I could probably baton with it, but nothing too big. It's an absolutely fantastic small knife and I've used it for food and most misc camp chores, but I would need something else for wood processing. The BK2 is really good for wood and heavy duty stuff and is just a tiny bit too big in my opinion for light duty chores although I've done them all with the Bk2 and it certainly functions. The guys who make the Bk2 have what is basically a smaller, thinner BK2 coming out in January which I will immediately purchase and carry everywhere :)
 
Sorry for the grammatical errors, typing on a phone is a bit more difficult than it would seem
 
i would get this

DRRSKMK2.jpg
 
The BK2 and ESEE R5 are too thick and heavy.
The ESEE R3 is a tad small and borderline thin for all around tasks.
The ESEE R4 is perfect weight/lenght/thickness for just about everything.

Not sure if the Ritter BK is thinner than the BK2 version, but could be too long/heavy still. Or it may be perfect.
 
No worries -- see my username? I'll be dealing with that typo for the remainder of my time here! It's supposed to be beardedmonkey, not bearedmonkey! Gah!
 
Missed a few questions. Get a gob spark firesteel. Choils a good, I like em. But they do reduce the cutting edge so some people don't. Some would rather have the cutting edge up to the guard and just use their thumb on the spine for guidance. For custom sheaths I'd recommend Azwelke for kydex and mywifethinksimcrazy (nix leather), goose52 (bg leatherworks), and skystorm (Skyler storm leather). All good work.
 
Or.....my personal favorite. The bk10. Thinner and lighter than the bk2 but about the same size. Pictured with an Azwelke kydex

photobucket-2324-1321443865516.jpg
 
The 3 is a real nice camp knife. It handles woodwork very nicely too, but forget about chopping with it. Its thin, but i havent found it to be a problem and it can baton just fine, as long as youre realistic.
One thing i hate about ESEEs are the relatively short handles. The choil makes up for it, but the blade loses a lot of edge-length with a choil.

The BK2 is a great knife too, but in my opinion its too thick and heavy for my needs, as an allround backpacking knife. The same thing applies to the ESEE 5, as they basically have the same dimensions.

The Ritter BK12 looks real nice. I havent handled one myself, but it looks like it would be a great backpacking knife.

Regarding ESEEs firesteels, please note that last time i checked they were sold with the a regular ferro rod (like LMF steels) instead of mischmetal. I dont think theyve gone back to misch metal, as they had problems sourcing them.
 
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my $.02:
the BK2 and ESEE5 are both too thick for their length for a wide range of camping/woodcraft type duties. The BK2 has a wide ranging and very loyal folowing, so this is only personal preference.
The ESEE6 and Ritter/Becker are both great if you want/need a 6" knife.

The ESEE3 is a bit thin in my hand (I have big hands) and the handle is a touch short.
The ESEE4 uses the same scales, but thicker steel, so it fits better.
There are aftermarket G10 scales available from The Knife Connection that fixes the handle length problem -- but they cost more than $50.

If you need a knife RIGHT NOW -- pick up a BK14 Eskabar and a set of izula scales or an ESEE Izula II, Gerber Big Rock or a Mora - or if price is no worry, call Kabar and order a limited Edition BK10 for $150.
If you can hold off on a camping knife until January, the "tweeners" will be very reasonable priced and will easily handle just about any hiking/camp-type chore other than chopping up wood. (and that's what a hatchet and folding saw are for)
 
Clich are those standard micarta scales? Seems like every picture I look at is different.

Anyway, so hold out for the BK12, huh? It's longer but thinner? And folks are saying it's out in January? Is it going to have the same cordura sheath I saw in the pics folks posted earlier this year?
 
The bk12 is a limited run EDIT limited production at a time but they will keep making em j believe just in small serial numbered batches You can buy them now just search for the Ritter rsk mk2. The micarta is the standard Kabar the differences you see is that 1. No two pairs are the same and 2. Hand oils darken them
 
bearedmonkey said:
... I'm looking for a good all-around knife for backpacking (wood chopping and battoning, light food prep, rope, you know... misc backpacking stuff).
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There are a lot of threads on good "all around" camp knives and backpacking knives. For backpacking, decide what tools you are going to bring and what tools you are going to leave behind that you expect another one of your tools to double as. For me, a backpacking knife functions as knife, hatchet, shovel, hammer, prybar, etc. and i leave all similar tools at home except for a multitool with a small razor-sharp knife. The larger knife should have enough length and strength for light chopping, digging, prying, hammering and batonning if necessary, with minimum weight - 3/16" or less stock thickness, none too thin edge bevel, 5"+ blade length, comfortable handle.
My goto knives for this are a Cattaraugus 225Q and a Swamp Rat RMD.

bearedmonkey said:
... I get that the LMF might look cool and have the best sheath, but as a knife it's a cheap.
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Who told you this?? Load of crap, it's a great knife, esp. for the price! Not a good backpacking or civilian knife in general (which is why I rarely carry the one I own into the woods), but it's well designed for military applications and is loaded with features catering thereunto (which is why I'll be gifting it to a friend in the Army). If you want a similar Gerber better designed for you, get the Prodigy (USA) ... or the Big Rock or BG 'Ultimate Knife', plenty serviceable for your stated purposes without the extras and lighter weight.

bearedmonkey said:
Everyone seems to love the BK2...
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Not me :thumbdn:, WAY too thick and heavy for the length and cutting performance, just like the ESEE 5 - again, better suited for grunts in military applications. I'd personally prefer any of the Gerbers mentioned based on weight-to-performance ratios, and also based on handle comfort and security. A different Becker or ESEE might better fit the bill (and should be more durable than the Gerbers, but durability isn't everything).

bearedmonkey said:
most folks seem to say lean toward the ESEE 3 or 4 ...
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I don't own either (opted for the Swamp Rat upgrade), but my own experience with ESEE would certainly recommend them above the Beckers based on ALL the factors you mentioned - handle quality/comfort/security, choil feature, warranty, heat-treatment quality, lighter weight with same durability, SHEATH (ESEE stock sheaths are quite servicable and have various attachment options and accessories, no need here for a custom). I'd opt for the ESEE 4 - most comparable to my two knives I listed at the top for this purpose. A warning, ESEE handles can be a bit small and uncomfortable for some... But if you don't like how it handles, they resell well.

bearedmonkey said:
Finally... can anyone vouch for the Misch Metal firesteels?thanks guys.
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I can vouch for those sold at goinggear.com (I think he has videos on the site demonstrating what they do) - an impressive shower of very hot sparks, great for firing tinder if that's what you're about. If you get a coated knife or one lacking a sharp spine, bring something to scrap with if you don't want to dull the edge of your knife.
 
chiral.grolim said:
I don't own either (opted for the Swamp Rat upgrade), but my own experience with ESEE would certainly recommend them above the Beckers based on ALL the factors you mentioned - handle quality/comfort/security, choil feature, warranty, heat-treatment quality, lighter weight with same durability, SHEATH (ESEE stock sheaths are quite servicable and have various attachment options and accessories, no need here for a custom). I'd opt for the ESEE 4 - most comparable to my two knives I listed at the top for this purpose. A warning, ESEE handles can be a bit small and uncomfortable for some... But if you don't like how it handles, they resell well.
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I don't really understand how you can say that the Rowen heat treat is better than KA-BAR's, I have an ESEE-3 and a BK-2 and as far as I can tell they both are great.

Handle comfort? that's personal preference really, but IMO the Becker handle is FAR more comfortable than the ESEE.

Not trying to start an argument, just saying my opinion.

Back on-topic, I would say that the ESEE-4 would fit most of your criteria quite well, light enough for backpacking but still thick enough (3/16th) for battoning and still a good slicer.
 
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i agree there isnt any REAL documentation showing one is better than the other. They both are very very well heated.
 
I have a BK2 but it's not a knife I'd like to backpack with. I'd rather use my Scrapyard 511 or ESEE 4. They're lighter and definitely capable of handling lots of tasks.
 
Note that one big difference between the BK2 and the ESEE5 is the grind. Look at their pics, and where the grind starts, the BK2 starts higher up, and that creates a thinner edge. It's better for camping than the military E&E design of the ESEE5. They are both built well, but their thickness is overkill for most situations. Their weight lends itself to chopping, if you don't take a larger chopping tool. To me, the BK2 feels lighter than the ESEE5, the BK2 generation 2 has some cutouts in the tang, the ESEE5 doesn't.
I've been taking my ESEE 4 on my outings, I added The Knife Connections G-10 scales to add some length and thickness to the handle. I know there are better knives out there, but for what you've asked about, the 4 is the best all around knife.
If you take a machete, large chopper, hatchet, or tomahawk, then your knife can be smaller, a 3 will do what you will need from it.
 
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