ESEE vs Becker

J

J.C.

Joined
Nov 7, 2006
Messages
27
Hi guys, was considering a larger knife for bushcraft,. was thinking either a Esse (rc6) or a Becker 7. I have no experience with either brand, and was wondering which one would be better at the finer task's (trap notching and spindle carving..etc) I know either one would be tough to beat for battoning and chopping. But how well do they really cut and slice? would one "bite" into wood better than the other?

appreciate any info:)

P.S any comparison pics would be nice
 
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There is a difference in ESEE/RAT and Ontario Rat knives for starters. I would either get the ESEE 6 or a BK7 they are both good ESEE has a no questions asked warranty you pay for what you get. Both are 1095 great heat treats the ESEE will have a better sheath the one the Becker comes with just sucks! Esee has a better blade coating. Ok Get the ESEE because if you get the Bk you will still buy an ESEE I mainly have beckers because of the collecting aspect of it. I LOVE both but I use ESEE more. Either way they are both GREAT knives! The knives will out work you every time.
 
I'd say which to get depends on your budget. If you don't have a lot of money to spend........get the BK7. It will be $65-70 well spent. The sheath on the Becker is functional.....it's not fancy. While ESEE's warranty is no questions asked, there don't seem to be a lot of complaints from the Becker folks about having trouble getting their blades replaced if something happens to them. If you have the extra money, and you think the ESEE 6 is the knife you want, go for it! Either knife will serve you well. I'd like to get an ESEE 6 someday but I'm in no hurry as I'm quite happy with my BK7. I think I'd want the ESEE more just to have one than for the quality difference. One thing I will suggest is this.......see if you can find places that have both knives. The handles are VERY different and you may like the handle on one over the other. Lots of people prefer the linen micarta on the ESEE and lots of people like the grivory on the BK7. The handle on the BK7 will definitely be thicker than the ESEE 6 but that may or may not be something that bothers you.....that's why if you can, try to find a place to physically hold either/or/both knives.

jc
 
I had an ESEE 6, wasn't for me, I now have a BK7. The 6 was cool, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. The handle scales don't have any contouring, and weren't the most comfortable for me in use. Really, something about the knife just didn't "click" with me. The sheath is greart though, and there's no doubt it's a quality knife, it just wasn't for me.

I find the handle on the BK7 to be more comfortable. In terms of capability, I figure both knives are pretty much the same. The factory Becker sheath works, but it blows compared to the factory ESEE sheath. However, for the price difference between the two, you can get something pretty nice. I've got some really nice custom kydex for my 7.

If you can, handle both knives before you buy, because that's what'll tell you which one you prefer. They can both do the same stuff in the bush. If you like the 6, go for it. If you like the 7, buy one, and if you hate the sheath, you can get a new one and be at about the same price as the 6. If the sheath works, then all the better. I was lucky when I bought my 7 and got on that still had the little Becker Remora in the sheath as well.

With that said, I don't use my BK7 much anyways though, it's a little bigger than I like to carry in the bush.
 
I think if you want to do more chopping, the BK7 will be better for you. If you want an all around blade, then the ESEE6 is the better choice. The ESEE6 has a better sheath (I don't own a BK7, but from what I hear) Either way, you won't go wrong. It is all personal preference, really.
 
The Beckers are great knives. They're pretty easy to sharpen and hold an edge well enough. The plastic handles on them, I have short fingers, I always felt as though I was going to lose control of the knife. The sheath on the Beckers, as a few have pointed out, leaves a lot to be desired. On the first day of carrying my Becker-7, the insert slipped out of the nylon sheath. I ended up trading it off more because of the handle/grip issue. If they made a set of grips in micarta, and thinner, I think that would be great. Even if they made the current grips a bit more "grippy" and thinner, that would be better for me. People with longer fingers might have a much, much higher opinion of them.

The ESEE grips are excellent...everything is excellent on them. Don't have any complaints.
 
I own both and like them both.
They are the same price.( Yes I know beckers are cheaper, unless you ad micarta scales and a better sheath. Esee comes with both.)
Bk7 $65, Micarta scales $40, Sheath $35 = One Esee 6 with micarta scales and a good sheath.
With that being said buy what you like, you can't go wrong wth either.
 
both are excellent knives.
either will do everything you say you want out of them.
I find the handle on the ESEE 6 to be more comfortable than the stock Becker scales.
If you can, handle both and buy the one that feels best to you.
 
I'll take the ESEE blade myself. They are both good knives, and will both give long years of service. I like the folks at ESEE though, and they get my money.
 
I don't have a 7 or a 6, but I do have a few other Becker and ESEE knives. Both are very impressive. I love the micarta and sharpness of ESEEs, but Beckers are good at being used and you can get micarta for them.

I suggest you do what I plan on doing next year: get both.

Claidiasboris
 
My ESEE-6 is one of my preferred mid-sized blades. I like keeping it in the pack to pull it out for the nasty jobs. I had a BK-7 for a while but the handle was just too bulky for me. The ESEE-6 feels pretty good to me. The ESEE-6 is better for knife chores and I can choke up on it better than the BK-7. However, I far, far prefer a 4" bushy blade for detail work to the ESEE-6. Carving is tolerable but not great. Food prep and fire prep are great. The sheath on the ESEE-6 is simple and compact and is great for storing in a pack without adding to bulk. It works fine on the belt with the paracord loops, but as I say, I mostly keep it in the pack and use if for camp chores. It gets a lot of use on my trips, which is one of the best compliments I can give a knife.
 
If you find the Becker scales to be too slick, a cheap fix is to slide a piece of bicycle inner tube over it. Bulks the handles up a teeny bit as well, which I liked.
 
i sell both esee and becker knives at a gun store in indiana. i like beckers for the price, and they are great knives. when i pull out the esee's i can usually talk a customer into buying one. the quallity is better on the esee as is, out of the box. if you take the becker put new scales and a new sheath on it you would have damn near the same quallity. (becker= common man price)(esee= common man with alittle overtime price) my opinion is.... i own an esee junglas, esee5, esee6, 3 izula's, and an eskabar. i have one becker and it is a bk2. both are great but you get what you pay for with both companies.
 
appreciate all the replies:) I think for the money i will try the becker bk7, I have been studying a lot in the becker forum and am impressed with the utility and value of the beckers. I'm the most indecisive person you will ever meet, i still have a couple of weeks before i order (i quit smoking to have more knife money:) so if i don't change my mind by then i will post a pic of my new BK7 when she gets here. Thanks a lot guys
 
this is a real hard one for me, I like the design of the beckers better but I like the finish and micarta you get with the esee's. the becker handle for me is just amazing, by far the most comfortable handle Ive ever held. the becker sheaths suck tho.

If you want to buy a knife then stuff around with it to make it perfect the becker is a good choice if you want to just buy a knife thats perfect as is get an esee.

my biggest problem with esee knives is the handles have no contour to them they are just slabs, they are comfortable and work perfectly fine but they could be better.

my biggest problem with beckers is the crappy sheaths, easy to buy an aftermarket replacment but hey.

so after ranting on for all this time I still cant say which one is better, its a compromise really, buy both and decide for yourself
 
stewey1 said:
this is a real hard one for me, I like the design of the beckers better but I like the finish and micarta you get with the esee's. the becker handle for me is just amazing, by far the most comfortable handle Ive ever held. the becker sheaths suck tho.

If you want to buy a knife then stuff around with it to make it perfect the becker is a good choice if you want to just buy a knife thats perfect as is get an esee.

my biggest problem with esee knives is the handles have no contour to them they are just slabs, they are comfortable and work perfectly fine but they could be better.

my biggest problem with beckers is the crappy sheaths, easy to buy an aftermarket replacment but hey.

so after ranting on for all this time I still cant say which one is better, its a compromise really, buy both and decide for yourself
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well said! esee's flat slab handles i don't care for but i really like the downward sloping handle of some of esee's knives (junglas, 5, & 6). on the other hand, i really like becker's hand filling palm swells...combine both features in one knife and you have an almost perfect ergononomics handle-wise.
 
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