ESEE vs Becker Cage Match explanation

It's just a dumb thing to do, I could not care less who says different. If you needed a definitive user end result just ship the two knives off with a couple of Marine brothers in Afghanistan, then wait six months, and get the results of real world use. Bashing nice knives with hammers shows two things, A) you have too much time on your hands B) you have more money than you need.

I'll stick to that, the rest of you stick to your guns. Knives cross the line between tools and art, they are sacred to the individuals that carry them for life and death.

That won't mean much to the credit card, buy more, have more folks but to a few proud, it means the world.
 
Quarter Tank said:
It would have been better if you didnt hit them together like you did.

if you put them through head to head challenges cutting through, batoning and slicing the same materials would have been better served demonstration

example: after batoning through multiple ironwood logs seeing what the paper slicing ability is of both stock knives, that sort of thing
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Really? You don't think I proved both of these knives can be beat on and cut into hardened steel and not shatter. We already knew those knives could do all those wimpy things you mention, what you saw had never been done. Can't say that any more.
 
DerekH said:
Wow, there are alot of you that have some really negative reactions to this. Kinda surprised. I thought this was a laid back place where people could relax, shoot the bull(moose, ha!) and have a good time and share our ideas and our goofs and not get such negativity. TAGannon didn't come to your house and take your knife and start beating it up, he bought one. Yeah, maybe he has money to throw around, and you know what? Good for him. He isn't the only one. Others do too (pretty much every Busse customer ever).

I guess it is your prerogative to think what you want, but where is the little boy in you that wants to see two matchbox cars ram into eachother? Where is the kid that took apart a vcr to see how it worked? (Guilty.) You can't tell me you have never looked at those two knives and wondered, just a little bit, which would win, can you? I have. I look at my BK2 and a cinder block and wonder. My Jeep. My cat. My neighbor's tiny yippy dogs.

Even if you are against it, even if you hate the idea, you guys should at least respect the fact that he had the courage to do it, knowing full well that they wouldn't be getting replaced, cause he is a stand up guy that isn't going to try to send em in for warranty, even after THE OWNERS of the respective companies said he could. He did a really awesome thing and now not only did we all get a little bit of entertainment, some soldiers are going to get some great knives too.

TAGannon, I feel I must apologize for some of my fellow Beckerheads here. Not sure why they take such offense to what you did, but I personally think it was awesome. Thanks for showing us a cool video that reinforced all of our beliefs about our knives being awesome and nigh indestructible, both Becker and ESEE (Rat, whatever their name is this week) and thanks for having the balls to do it.

Maybe you could get a few more posts in and a few more threads started and get a Beckerhead number for yourself. I for one would be glad to have you among our ranks.
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Derek,

Thank you very much for your comments. I really took them to heart. Thank you for the blanket apology.

I’ve already saved the Becker forum to my Favorites and will visit and post with enthusiasm. I’d love to have a Beckerhead number. My newfound love and respect for the BK-2 has been a real eye opener.

There will always be people who just don’t “get it.” I don’t let that sway me.

I look forward to hanging out here and getting to know more about you guys.

Thanks!
 
Quarter Tank said:
there was a winner?

I concluded from those videos it was a tie.
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Ok, how's this? I think that if the ESEE had chipped out worse than the Becker, then some of thoughts that were voiced in this thread (from the Becker fans)would have been different than what was posted.

Becker fans were on the immediately on the defense.

It would have gone from "Well, the Becker has a thinner grind....etc.," to:

"Yeah!! The BK2 kicked the ESEE's ass."
"Becker's always been the best and now it's been shown! It can chop through an ESEE!"

Stuff like that.

Whether anyone admits it or not, Becker fans and ESEE fans don't want to see their favorite blades slighted (or maybe seen in that light) in any way.

Fans of both companies are extremely prideful of their blades. That is good, if you ask me. They are blades worth being proud of.
 
TAGannon said:


I look forward to hanging out here and getting to know more about you guys.
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Welcome! :thumbup:
I for one really liked your experiment. Although there was nothing that wasn't expected in the outcome, now the outcome that we assumed would be correct has been proven. It says far more about your character that you did this without asking for a warranty replacement than the fact that you did a destruction test on two of your own knives, which is completely your perogative. A hard knife will usually go through a softer knife but a thick knife can usually destroy a thin knife as well. The ESEE 5 is quite a bit thicker in the front grind than the BK2 and I and very pleased to see that the total depth of material removed from each knife was about the same. Since both knives withstood such gross abuse without showing small fractures around the impact site I would assume that they are equally up to the hardest survival tasks they could ever be put to. Like you mentioned earlier, lots of guys own both the ESEE5 and the BK2 and put them through the wringer already but noone had really tested the heat treat in terms of not shattering from impact while still being able to cut into equally hardened steel. I can't ever see this being relevant to me personally, but I'm no longer in the Army and don't really need my tools to be that durable any more. Still, it's nice to know that whichever knife I pick to hook on my belt will be up to any emergency task I could possibly be faced with.

The esee and bkt rivalry is supposed to be fun after all.
 
TAGannon said:

A few weeks ago on the ESEE forum I commented on how when I went to re-profile the edge on my Becker BK-2, I could use a double cut bastard file. When I tried the same on my ESEE 5, it simply slid along and did not bit in. I concluded the ESEE was heat treated better and made the snarky comment that “I could probably baton my 5 through a BK-2”. Someone responded with “put your money where your mouth is.” So I did.
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Ok guys I think that some of us are missing the reason why he did this. He made a bet, someone one said do it, he did. Who cares about how much money he has or maybe might not have. TAG is apparently a man of his word. I don't care who you are; I for one RESPECT what he did. It was hard for all of us to watch, I know, but imagine what he was thinking when he was about to hit them.

BKT and ESEE are both winners in this case because he proved that both are equally matched knives. And we (the Beckerheads) have at least one new future member because he is so impressed with the outcome of this 'experiment' with both knives. Now I'm working on my Rat Pack number because of this. I for one am going to go and get an ESEE next month (I spent what money I allow myself this month), and really I can't go wrong with any of them.

For everyone else that doesn't see the value in what TAG did try to see things more open minded. Becker knives are the only best knives out there. They are just the ones that we love. People are allowed to have the own opinions as to what they think are the best. And lets face it we can't all be in love with the same knives, and we cant all be right. If we were; have you ever heard of supply and demand or inflation?


Thanks TAG for puttin' up!!:thumbup::thumbup:

I look forward to chattin' with ya.
 
Tom, I appreciate the honesty in your reports and the fairness you show in the third video especially.
From a manufacturer's standpoint, those videos are going to sell knives, and I honestly hope that they bring more folks to this forum who are interested in Beckers.
If that had been your purpose (marketing), I could see the point a little better, but you admit you were just matching a dare.
From that standpoint, I hold to my earlier comments about wastefulness. Just seemed like two good knives gone kaput.
Still, it's your dime and your time. Kudos to you for having the bullocks to go through with it.
You know, folks don't usually make fun of .50 BMG shooters and those guys chuck $3 or more down range every time they pull the trigger. In that sense, it's all relative.
I too hope you stick around and become a contributor here. It's a pretty laid back group of guys unless you (a) insult Ethan or his knives, or (b) try to get Bladite to sell a Machax.
 
I thought it was really awesome to watch. I have really wondered the last few months whether which knife was stronger and to that I must thank Tom for showing that they are BOTH incredibly strong and durable. They are production knives... meaning there will be MORE made. They weren't the last of each model to be produced. I can still go get my tool/art at my vendor no problem. This experiment hurt nobody's pockets, just a few souls as they saw "their" knife getting pounded and wasted. I still have mine, and you still have yours.

_____________________________

Beckerhead #32
 
Hey Tom.....

I think you are a stand up guy with just that slight touch of nuttiness required to be an interesting addition to the Becker community....I welcome your participation......You were straight up as anyone could hope.....When I start an experiment, I want it to reinforce my preconceptions.....You did the honest thing and changed the theory and not the data....It takes guts to embrace results we did not want.......

I say three cheers and WELCOME.......

All Best....

ethan
 
Breaking knives is nothing new.

Edge to Edge chopping, pounding and smashing is not a great head to head test.

But it also shows both knives are tougher than you need a knife to be.

I have never hit a knife I own with a hammer! Cheap or expensive, I just don't see my self doing it.

I have never chopped through a logging chain, or batoned a knife through angle iron using a sledge hammer or put one of my knives in a vice and tried to bend it, then tried to break it by smashing it on the side with a sledge hammer. I also don't do any of the above in a hockey or paintball mask in a jump suit.

I have seen it done to knives I own, and I think.......wow, I have a knife that will take some abuse...........but I sure wish I had that knife and he had a feather up his A#%.........then we would both be tickled! (Just hate to see a quality knife ruined, when it could be sitting with my other knives waiting to be used and enjoyed).

I don't own any Becker or ESSE, but I would not mind having either in my stable. But I only have so much money for knives, and for some reason I keep buying other knives ahead of them.

Both brands give you a great bang for your buck, with a great warranty, and great group of people that enjoy them, which makes me happy.
 
Three rounds of of some great ground n pound,I like how they shook hands afterwards.
Other then pure entertainment it proved how tough both knives are,I was expecting one of them to just snap.I wonder how the 1095 would do against other steels.
 
Wow! And... wow! You've certainly shown that both knives can take a smack-down that would make a die-hard Cold Steel fan cringe. :eek: The video was very entertaining (even if I did cry a little...) :D

After weeks of shopping for a new camp knife, it all came down to ESEE and Becker for me. I finally decided to go with the BK2, but will likely compliment it with an Izula before too long. Your video just made me a little more comfortable with my decision. Thanks! :thumbup:
 
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cramsey3006 said:
Ok, how's this? I think that if the ESEE had chipped out worse than the Becker, then some of thoughts that were voiced in this thread (from the Becker fans)would have been different than what was posted.

Becker fans were on the immediately on the defense.

It would have gone from "Well, the Becker has a thinner grind....etc.," to:

"Yeah!! The BK2 kicked the ESEE's ass."
"Becker's always been the best and now it's been shown! It can chop through an ESEE!"

Stuff like that.

Whether anyone admits it or not, Becker fans and ESEE fans don't want to see their favorite blades slighted (or maybe seen in that light) in any way.

Fans of both companies are extremely prideful of their blades. That is good, if you ask me. They are blades worth being proud of.
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I have to disagree. I guess you could call me a Becker "fan" since I own four of them and no ESEEs, but "fan" the way you're using it implies some kind of emotional connection, which has nothing at all to do with my reasons for being a "fan" of BK&T knives. I simply don't get emotionally invested in my tools. I like Craftsman, maybe you like Snap-On, who cares?

Now, what I am a fan of in the way you're using the word, is the community here (people, not tools), the interaction with Ethan and other big-name industry notables, and I've seen pictures of people using their gear that have educated me, made me launch into huge belly-laughs while just sitting here by myself, and put a lump in my throat when I see a little kid taking his first shots with a BB gun out in the woods with his dad. People engender emotional responses, not the knives they choose to buy and/or use. Well, at least that's how it is over here. I personally think that the little bit of emotionalism I've seen expressed in these couple of threads over a brand name of knives says more that's negative about the few folks expressing it than it does about anyone who found the test entertaining/interesting/instructive/useful/funny.

And like I said right out of the gate, anyone who knocked TAGannon for following through with a challenge on his own dime, and to the benefit of troops serving overseas, needs to do some serious soul-searching and internal priority-rearranging. I was surprised to read here that Tom isn't a Beckerhead yet, and I admit to getting a little emotional over that bit of news, but I won't hold it against him as long as he endeavors to rectify that shortcoming soon! :D

Blues
 
Hi BluesStringer,

I am a Beckerhead. I proudly display it in my signature.
After the cage match, that was a goal of mine. I wanted in on this family. Even became a dealer, as you well know...thank you very much. I appreciate the referral of Tim for a BK-2. He ordered one. Should have it in his hands today.
So, I hope that makes you feel better. Thank you for your kind words.

Tom
 
TAGannon said:
Hi BluesStringer,

I am a Beckerhead. I proudly display it in my signature.
After the cage match, that was a goal of mine. I wanted in on this family. Even became a dealer, as you well know...thank you very much. I appreciate the referral of Tim for a BK-2. He ordered one. Should have it in his hands today.
So, I hope that makes you feel better. Thank you for your kind words.

Tom
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Ah, I thought so! I guess I was reading older posts and neglected to check the date. I just got so emotional when I read that, I lost my freakin' mind! LOL

No problem with the referral. Glad it worked out, and I look forward to your next video release! HA!

Blues
 
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