Esee 5 or Becker BK2?

bsmith_shoot

bsmith_shoot

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Jun 6, 2012
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Both of these blades fill the role I'm looking for in my next knife purchase, but I'm stumped on why the Esee is twice the price? I'm after a good sturdy knife to use the heck out of, on my hunting, fishing, camping, backpacking, and hiking trips. I want 1095 steel, .25 blade thickness, 5+ inch blade, and a good grip. Both seem to fit that bill. So could any of you guys, with experience with both, tell me why I shouldn't just go with the Becker, due to price?
Thanks in advance,
Brandon
 
They are both pretty close to the same knife. The Becker is far cheaper but comes with a sheath that's not even close to half as good as the ESEE's. They'll both be tanks, but the ESEE 5 has much less grind going to the blade, making it a lot more difficult to use as a knife, where as the Becker is a bit more narrow towards the edge, making it much much better at cutting tasks and just as strong.

I would go with the becker. Upgrading the sheath and the scales would put you at about the same price range as the ESEE, but you don't need to do that if you don't want to.
 
I've handled both, and I own the BK2. The BK2 feels much better in hand than the ESEE 5, due to ESEE's more squared handle scales in comparison to the rounded Becker grip. You can also buy 2 BK2s for less than the ESEE 5 AND have money to spare...
 
My vote is for the ESEE 5. I understand the differences in blade geometry between the two, however I've always found the ESEE5 to be the better cutter and just a bit tougher in general. I've also had quite a bit of rolls and chips in the edge of BK2 which I haven't had in the ESEE, but I could have gotten a BK2 lemon. They are 99% identical in steel, but there is a difference in heat treatment according to some people (with ESEE having the advantage). Warranties are similar, but Ka-Bar might deny a warranty request if you were abusing it whereas ESEE is no questions asked.

On a sidenote, I had a lot of problems with my BK2 and I received several personal calls from Ethan Becker talking to me about them and offering to replace the knife. Can't beat that kind of customer service, when the knife designer himself calls to apologize. I don't necessarily have the highest respect for Ka-Bar, but Ethan Becker is a stand up guy for sure.
 
What about the Esee 6... I have the 3, had izula, and BK2. The BK2 is a great knife, but the sheath leaves little to be desired. The Esee's have awesome sheaths and attachment capabilities, with the micarta handles. I would go Esee (they also supposedly have an awesome heat treat)
 
The price difference is because the ESEE5 comes with micarta handle scales and a very nice kydex sheath.
The quality difference between the blades is negligible -- handle both and buy the one that feels better.
 
I think Becker sells more knives and as a result can do it a bit cheaper. Also ESEE has the best warranty in the business, you will see some ding-a-ling practically break an ESEE on purpose and send it back to get a new one. The warranty or "insurance" drive the cost up as well...

If cost is an issue get the Becker, if it isn't get the ESEE...
 
The only major differences are the sheath and scales. I have nothing bad to say about the bk2. The sheath is fine, the grip is good. If this is the type of knife you want it's great. I usually recommend other knives because it's heavy and not the best slicer but it's fantastic for what it is.
 
Don't own a BK2, but the 5 is about as tough as any knife can get. There's not really a way you can damage 1/4" of 1095 during normal use (normal including things like chopping and batoning), and the heat treat on it is superb. I used mine to clear a half mile of trail after a heavy ice storm brought down 1 in every 5 trees in the whole forest, and the blade is still quite sharp with no chips or rolls. I forgot my gloves, and I never noticed any hotspots on the handle either (although my thumb got a nasty blister from rubbing the gimping.) It made short work of branches and trees up to 5" thick, too.
 
It's very difficult to damage 1/4" 1095 even trying to abuse the knife. There were several threads on here about BK2 abuse including bashing the knife through a cinder block, smashing it into a fridge, batoning it through part of a lawmower and more. The amount of damage the knife took was pretty negligible for the level of abuse. The owner sharpened it all out and the knife was able to be used with no problems.

When it comes to a knife like this I recommend the BK2 because it's basically a beater knife. The stock sheath is just fine. You can invest the other $90 or whatever the difference is and get a $40 Silky Super Accel saw, a $15 Mora Robust or some other small knife, and still have around $35 left over for a Victorinox Farmer or some other gear like a ferro rod, camp chair, tarp, paracord, first aid kit, personal survival kit (altoids tin size), fishing gear, or you could use the money toward getting nice shoes, socks or a pack.

There's more to your entire kit than just the knife. If funds are limited then make your money count. Fancier handle scales and a kydex sheath, in my opinion, aren't worth the additional money when you can put that money toward so many other things.
 
I classify them both as survial knives. I would chose the Becker for a wilderness and the ESEE for urban. My personal choice would be the ESEE but that is because I personally trust ESEE knives more than I do Ka-Bar (I have no reason for this other than its in my mind this way).
 
I guess I should add that I do a lot of kydex work, so the sheath isn't an issue. I also have all the gear I need truly, so the knife is my only expence right now. I'm gettin this type of blade, to bridge the gap between my Izula 2, and my Ontario SP11. I'm more than willing to pay for the best knife.
 
I have had much better experiences with ESEE 1095 as opposed to Ka-Bar's. I have had too many chips/rolls in my Beckers which leads me to believe Ka-Bar's heat treatment is not as good as ESEE's. If you're willing to pay the premium, go with the ESEE, and if you ever manage to damage it, just send it back to them and you will be taken care of no matter what.
 
Personally, I would go with the BK2. Like others have said, there is a slight difference in grind (BK2 should be a bit slicier), slight difference in steel (1095 vs 1095cv), roughly similar HT (both great), similar warranties (no questions asked vs replacement for basically anything but purposely breaking it).

The BK2 handle is super comfy, and I actually happen to like the stock handle scales. The price difference between the two comes down to almost exactly the cost of an aftermarket sheath and scales for the BK2 (which the ESEE comes with).

The upside is you can't really go wrong with either :).

And finally, I know that you want a .25in thick knife, but for hiking and hunting, I would take a serious look at the BK16 and ESEE 4 as well (just because they're easier to haul around).

Good luck man.
 
NYOutdoors said:
go with the ESEE, and if you ever manage to damage it, just send it back to them and you will be taken care of no matter what.
Click to expand...

It should be noted that this includes owners further down the chain - you can buy em used and still get the full warranty.
 
I had both those knives and feel The Doug Ritter RSK® Mk2 Perseverance is a step above them both. You get Becker quality and Rowen heat treat plus a different blade pattern some find more versitile. Check it out before you take the plunge. If your positive you want to choose between the two then go ESEE because of the scales and sheath. I feel the blades are too close to call unless you abuse them, which I doubt you would do in a survival situation. YMMV.

Unklfranco
 
NYOutdoors said:
I have had much better experiences with ESEE 1095 as opposed to Ka-Bar's. I have had too many chips/rolls in my Beckers which leads me to believe Ka-Bar's heat treatment is not as good as ESEE's. If you're willing to pay the premium, go with the ESEE, and if you ever manage to damage it, just send it back to them and you will be taken care of no matter what.
Click to expand...

Did you have other problems with other knives besides the BK2 that you seem to not have sent in, despite the offer from the knife designer to replace it?

Both are fine knives. I wouldn't say they're the same either. ESEE, obviously, you're paying for scales and kydex. I haven't really liked the ESEE knives I've tried out because of the blocky handle design. They're essentially just slabs of micarta, barely contoured. I found them to raise considerably more hot-spots in hand than the Becker handles. I mean, you can mod them, but they're pretty darn basic as is. I also haven't found the Becker sheaths to be as awful as people make em out to be, and custom kydex isn't that expensive. ESEE's heat treat MAY edge Ka-bar's, but it's gonna be a close thing.

The relevant threads that have been referenced are below:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ting-the-BK2-to-the-test-so-you-don-t-have-to
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/839944-BK2-test-the-final-part-(LOTS-of-pictures)

I mean, seriously, do you really need a tougher knife than this?

At the end of the day, both are fine knives. You'll get a great product backed up by a great warranty in either case. Break it, and they'll replace it. I personally think Beckers are better buys, but that's mainly due to the lower price and my dislike for the ESEE handle design. Just be careful... there are more Beckers than ESEE's and in both cases, you may find that you can't buy just one.
 
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