Esee 5 or BK2?

For about 30% more weight and a lot more blade and chopping power get an Ontario Marine Raider. Its cheaper than either, I like the grip better and the sheath is pretty damn good. Ontario's warranty is as good as anyones, and if you are going to scare the sheeple it might as well be with a big ass bowie.
 
Tough quesion for me. I read so many good reviews about the BK-2 that I bought one. The ESEE 5 is similar and has a better sheath, but smaller diameter handles and costs more. I have a ESEE 4. I don't use either knife. I actually like the Becker handles.

I would get neither. If I liked the Becker handles, I would get the BK-10. In ESEE, I would get the ESEE 6 or the forthcoming DC6. I think any of these three will be more useful to you in the woods for whatever task you have unless you intend to cut your way through the roof of your car or a plane. In which case, get the BK-2 or ESEE 5. Basically, the bar steel thickness makes the knife heavier than it needs to be and if you are like me, you simply won't use them and get something else once the new car smell is gone.

My other thought is what on earth are you planning on doing that your need this kind of strength? If you want to chop more, go with a larger knife or get a machete.
 
guns_and_labs said:
As I understand it from the designer, the ESEE-5 was designed for military survival situations, such that the blade would be used more for opening crates than slicing tomatoes. Based on their input, I went with the ESEE-6 for general campground duties. [And then I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I had Josh at wickededge take it down to a zero and put an edge on it that will slice hydrogen molecules. ] The ESEE-5 and BK2 both just don't seem right for a campground.

That said, I do have an ESEE-5... it sits on a shelf and looks really, really cool.
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As far as i know, the Esee 5 was for jet fighters who could use it for breaking open their cockpit if they got stuck after crashing (not really a 'jungle survival' scenario if you ask me).
Just like yours, mine is a cool looking display piece, but it will really have to be an 'end of times'-scenario before i would actually use it, if i can even lift it that is :p
 
I would go smaller, like a BK16 or similar. I have a BK2 and although it is cool as hell, I never carry it in the woods.
 
22-rimfire said:
Tough quesion for me. I read so many good reviews about the BK-2 that I bought one. The ESEE 5 is similar and has a better sheath, but smaller diameter handles and costs more. I have a ESEE 4. I don't use either knife. I actually like the Becker handles.

I would get neither. If I liked the Becker handles, I would get the BK-10. In ESEE, I would get the ESEE 6 or the forthcoming DC6. I think any of these three will be more useful to you in the woods for whatever task you have unless you intend to cut your way through the roof of your car or a plane. In which case, get the BK-2 or ESEE 5. Basically, the bar steel thickness makes the knife heavier than it needs to be and if you are like me, you simply won't use them and get something else once the new car smell is gone.

My other thought is what on earth are you planning on doing that your need this kind of strength? If you want to chop more, go with a larger knife or get a machete.
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This. Neither knife is very good at being a knife. Way to big and thick to cut very well. That said, I would go Esee every time. The sheath and handles are well worth the price increase IMO. I have the Esee 6 as a general camp knife. It works great. I also have the 5 but it is more of a novelty than anything.
 
I'm also of the opinion that neither is a good choice for camping/hiking/backpacking as the OP said.

- Too heavy to comfortably carry.
- Doesn't cut well because of its thickness.
- Doesn't baton well because of its lack of length.
- Doesn't chop well because of its lack of length.

Etc., etc., etc. They're nice all arounders I guess but you're much better getting an ESEE 6 for camping (where you might be chopping and batonning) and/or a Becker BK16 for hiking/backpacking.

If your heart is really set on it... go with the BK2. The ESEE 5 is cool looking and all but I found mine to be more of a novelty than anything else. The glass breaking pommel just catches on stuff, is uncomfortable, and the knife isn't that balanced. The BK2 on the other hand is comfortable in the hand, balanced, and has (IMO) the more functional sheath.

The only downside to getting the BK2 is that the scales are very slippery. You can cough up the cash for micarta scales, or you can just wrap the stock scales with grip tape. This is what I did with mine and it worked out well enough.

I've since sold both knives but I much preferred the BK2 in actual use.
 
I also would go smaller and you can baton with a smaller knife; ESEE 4 or BK-16/BK-17 are good examples. Take a folding saw to cut the bigger stuff if you need to. But if you want to chop and that is important to you, go ESEE 6, BK-9, ESEE Junglas, Condor Moonshiner or Boomslang or something similar, a short machete (my preference), or a hatchet.

The deal with the BK-2 and ESEE 5 is that neither is a particularly good knife for anything other than a knife of last resort. Too big and heavy to carry much, too short for good chopping, too thick for slicing. But they work.
 
22-rimfire said:
I also would go smaller and you can baton with a smaller knife; ESEE 4 or BK-16/BK-17 are good examples.
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Hell, using a wood wedge you can split wood with an Izula:

[video=youtube;N-WuP-xYlnc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-WuP-xYlnc[/video]

Now, you're not going to get perfectly sawed logs like that out in the woods, but you're not going to create them with a BK2 or ESEE 5 either.
 
My preference is for the Esee 6. I added some better scales from LMF to mine, and it is a difference maker. That said, the 6 is a very good chopper, great at batoning, and in my experience using it, can easily handle finer tasks due to the choil and the jimping. Of note also is the fact that I pair this with a Condor Kephart, (my other favorite knife), which I use for delicate tasks and food prep. However, the Condor Kephart has a 4.5" blade, is light, nimble in the hand, and can in a pinch, baton smaller sized wood. Plus it has a nice leather sheath, 1075 carbon steel, and a much lower price point that any of the knives previously discussed in this thread. Just mentioning this as it might be better suited to your intened use. The two knives you asked about are to my experience over built, unnecessarily heavy, and just too "klunky" for camping, or hiking.
 
Wow. Thanks for all the advice. I like the Esee 4 and a folding saw idea. I think that's the way I'm going to go. Sometimes I go on three day backpacking trips and other times I do just drive the truck to the camp site and set up. So the lighter and smaller blade is probably best. The only problem now is waiting for the snow to melt and Smoky Mountain Knife Works to open again.
 
Someone asked what knives I already have. I don't have a big fixed blade. I have a Zancudo folder and a really really old and rusty 3 inch fixed blade that I took out of my grandfathers toolbox when I was 7. My friend has a Buck Hoodlum that he brings with him and it's pretty good but I've seen too many videos of it breaking. I just want a cool knife too! Haha. I would like it to be a one and done purchase and again...I really like that orange/venom green combo. I don't know if that's good or bad in the knife world, but I like it.
 
Just sold my Esee 5. Beast of a knife, was a little more than what I needed. Great knife, but thicker than I am. Good knife for the zombie apocalypse.
 
They are both great knives that will do the same work in the same way for the same length of time and are both backed by more or less the same warranty. I went with the Becker and would do so again in a heartbeat.

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I have both and find both to function about the same.
I bought the BK2 first, and immediately got the aftermarket micarta scales (I know...plus $40 almost equals cost of base Esee 5). I have larger hands, and didn't care for the "slickness" of original scales, although the ergos were excellent. I planned to do this before I purchased it. At the time of purchase, the BK2 sheath was the one that tended to dull the blade when removing it from the sheath ( has since been corrected). I was aware of this as well, and had a custom leather sheath made by Skystorm. Got that sheath about a week after the knife.

I was also aware that it was not going to be a good slicer, and my intended use was to be mainly for wood processing. I put a convex edge on it, and it is now my field "axe" (when pack space is limited). I've had excellent results with splitting/batoning. If I have room in my pack, I will carry a hatchet or small axe. In either case, I also carry a folding saw, and my Survive GSO 4.1 or my Bark River Bravo 1. The smaller knives are for any bushcrafty things like feather sticks, shavings, and any misc camp chores that my folder can't handle. The BK2 is a tank of a knife, but if you are aware of it's pros/cons, and decide what you REALISTICALLY need it for, its a great investment for the money.

I bought the Esee 5 as a back up / alternate to the BK2. Both fit in my leather sheath. When car camping or at the cabin, I generally have both, and often hand of 1 or the other to another person to help with wood processing. Batoning seems to be a safer and easier process to get a hang of, for those with minimal hatchet/axe experience. Plus, it's fun to see people's reactions when you start "splitting wood with a knife", and they've never seen it before.

While I prefer the ergonomics of the BK2 handle, if it came down to a choice between the 2, that would depend on the situation. Heading to the woods in a SHTF scenario? BK2. Making way through an urban environment in a SHTF scenario? Esee 5.

Both are great knives and cost is close (if you upgrade the BK2 with micarta scales). Buy 1 now, and put the other on your birthday list.
 
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