ESEE-4 or Becker BK2

Y

Yabow

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Oct 29, 2010
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Hello All, I am about to purchase my first fixed blade! I have narrowed it down to the ESEE-4 or the Becker BK2. I will be using it for work/fishing/hiking pretty much anything I can. Which would you guys prefer, I can't make up my mind. Any thought will be very helpful, Thanks!
 
ESEE. Hands down. The no questions asked warranty is what sealed the deal for me. Talk about willing to stand behind their product. Awesome bunch of guys too.
 
myowngod said:
ESEE. Hands down. The no questions asked warranty is what sealed the deal for me. Talk about willing to stand behind their product. Awesome bunch of guys too.
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Thanks for the input! would you get serrated or plain edge?
 
Plain for me personally. Serrations are one more thing to complicate sharpening. A sharp PE is easier to sharpen and just as useful (atleast in my time of using knives - there has never been a time I felt I wanted serrations, but I have wished my combo edged knives had more of the plain edge.. thus why I only buy PE knives now).

EDIT: I'd also like to recommend taking a look at Dale's ESEE 4 + extended and sculpted handles @ http://www.the-knife-connection.com/ The handles are a bit longer than the factory ones, but that is entirely up to you. You can get a blade + your choice of handle for the same price as a factory ESEE 4 (or atleast close)
 
The BK2 is really more comparable to the ESEE 5 in that both are .25" thick. The ESEE 4 isn't quite that thick.

As for the warranty goes, ESEE does have a no questions asked warranty, and while KA-BAR doesn't state that theirs is the same or similar, if you check out the Becker sub-forum you will find both Ethan Becker and Tooj (Senior Engineer at KA-BAR) responding to issues all the time. I've never heard of anyone being turned down for service when it comes to a Becker or KA-BAR knife. They've saved me several times, even when I was downright stupid with my mistakes. My point being that while ESEE states that they have a super-guarantee, KA-BAR is no slouch.

The ESEE 4 is quite a bit more expensive than the BK2 if I recall rightly.

The ESEE 4 is likely to be a bit more handy as a belt knife, but the BK2 is an absolute beast.

If money is no object, go with the ESEE 4... you won't be disappointed. But, if you want a sharpened prybar with great ergonomics and an outstanding company behing them, go with the BK2. You won't be disappointed.
 
Another vote for the ESEE-4. Great knife and a great company. :thumbup:

I'd also go with the plain edge.
 
i have several knives from both companies and have beaten the crap outta them. in practice, ka-bar's warranty is just as good as esee's (ka-bar doesn't cover deliberate abuse while esee does).

based on your needs, i recommend an esee-4 because it's easier to carry it in your pocket and not even know that it's there. whereas the bk-2, it's more of a carry it in your backpack while hiking and only take it out when you're going to use it. also, you can get a molle back for the esee-4 (it comes with molle locks too) which increases your carry options.

ergonomics-wise, i love the bk-2's handle shape and size. it fits my hand perfectly although the esee-4 is very comfortable as well. the bk-2 is a huge chunk of metal but that handle makes it a breeze to use.

i keep my esee-4 in my hiking pack and the bk-2 in my urban survival bug out pack.
 
They're actually quite different knives. I have both, and I couldn't give you an apples-to-apples comparison because they're too different. The BK2 is 1/4 inch thick and is an absolute beast. The ESEE-4 is thinner and has a full flat grind, so it is a better slicer. Due to the BK2's thickness, it's a heavier, tougher blade more suited to chopping or extreme use.

The ESEE-4 does have a slightly small handle, although it suits me just fine and I have medium-sized hands. If you have large hands you might be a little uncomfortable. The BK2 has a very ergonomic handle that will fit any hand size.

Warranties are equal for all intents and purposes, unless you deliberately try to destroy your knife.
 
2 completely different knives. I love both knives (own both) and both companies. I prefer the 4 over the BK2 for general use.
 
Pffftttt. ESEE all the way. Not saying Becker isn't a bad knife for some but ESEE has been a great knife for everyone.
 
mdauben said:
Another vote for the ESEE-4. Great knife and a great company. :thumbup:

I'd also go with the plain edge.
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:thumbup::thumbup: Ditto, have one coming next week from Howe's Knife Shop in Michigan along with some Maxpedition stuff. Great shop, tons of knives, good pricing, & GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE . . . :)
Ordered my first ESEE from him on a Friday afternoon, was @ my post office the next Monday morning. You can not get any better than that. Hope this helps.
Be safe.
 
I've got the ESEE-3 D2 steel (actually the RAT RC-3, before the company name change), the ESEE-5 1095 steel (again, actually the RC-5) & the Ontario/Ranger BUSH RD-6 5160 steel. I've never owned a Becker. IMHO I always thought it was too bulky, by the looks of it. The ESEE-4 is just a larger version of the ESEE-3, so ESEE gets my vote. Serrated or not is up to you. None of my fixed blades are, but I now wish I had gotten one with a serrated blade.
 
myowngod said:
I didn't think the RC3 was ever offered in D2?...
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Hmmmm, the guy I bought it from a couple of years ago over on Knifeforums.com said it was D2. I didn't know ESEE didn't make them in D2. I guess he didn't know what he was talking about and I didn't research it before I bought it. Oh well, I love the knife D2 or not. It's a great knife. :D
 
Those are two wildly different (great) knives. I'd get the BK-2 (but then I already have one) because it's beefier, better at chopping and battonning tasks, much less espensive, yet still great for fine tasks (carving tiny spoons, etc.).

I'm not knocking ESEE for a moment but Becker knives fit me better.

Here's a tiny spoon I carved with my BK-2 (sanded it at home but deer hunting was slow that morning - what can I say)...

20101001_ac_13.jpg
 
Prophet118 said:
Hmmmm, the guy I bought it from a couple of years ago over on Knifeforums.com said it was D2. I didn't know ESEE didn't make them in D2. I guess he didn't know what he was talking about and I didn't research it before I bought it. Oh well, I love the knife D2 or not. It's a great knife. :D
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I believe the Ontario RAT series had RAT-3's in D2. There have been no D2 blades from RAT Cutlery or ESEE Knives.

That being said. I've never had a Becker but I've got lots of RC/ESEE knives and love them all. The RC-4 was my first and I still find it to be a very capable blade and a great all around woods knife.
 
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