Fixed Tactical/Survival under $75

The only thing is, I can get a Ranger RD 7 for exactly $75 which is right at my limit.

(( please do not link to live auctions ))

Is that worth it? Because if I had to pay $40 for new scales (over $100 knife now) and be stuck with a poor sheath, maybe the Ontario RD7 that already has micarta scales and a nicer sheath would be the best choice for only $13 more than the BK7.

Hmm. Ontario RD7 - $75
Or. Becker BK7 - $62 (plus $40 for scales if I need them)

Ahh, knife buying is so stressful!
 
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I know a lot of people don't like this knife now because they had to go from Carbon V to Aus8, but how is the Cold Steel SRK compared to the Bk7 since they cost almost the same?


DEAL SPOTTING REMOVED
 
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You can get the Marine Raider Bowie for $33 right now as a factory second. Most people report they have a hard time finding any blemish on factory seconds. It's a very fun knife and the design is really solid.

They are all nice choices, besides the SOG and Gerber. You are paying for the little extras and what tickles your fancy. Make sure you get a good deal and check around, you can also find most of the Ontario Ranger designs for about $60 while some places have them for $75-110.
 
I think the BK7 is the best all around blade of the knives you listed. You would have to spend a lot more to get as much knife in another brand (and I'm not married to any particular brand). No offense, but, being a Becker, it will blow the Kabar that you have now away. I think the BK2 is a bit too clunky and specialized for a "two knife" collection, it's a prybar (again, no offense anybody, I have one and I love it). I would get it later. And you are right about the BK9, it is bigger than most people need. You'll love the BK7, with its sturdy full tang construction and good thickness to length ratio, it can cut, slice, chop, hack, feather, dig, stab, smack and take copious abuse, all quite well. And affordable to boot. Fantastic all around survival / camp / defense knife. I would almost say that if I could have only one all-purpose commercial fixed blade...

my two cents,

pete
 
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wmc1982 said:
The only thing is, I can get a Ranger RD 7 for exactly $75 which is right at my limit.

(( please do not link to live auctions ))

Is that worth it? Because if I had to pay $40 for new scales (over $100 knife now) and be stuck with a poor sheath, maybe the Ontario RD7 that already has micarta scales and a nicer sheath would be the best choice for only $13 more than the BK7.

Hmm. Ontario RD7 - $75
Or. Becker BK7 - $62 (plus $40 for scales if I need them)

Ahh, knife buying is so stressful!
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I have an RD7 too. I don't think you can go wrong either way. The RD7 is less finished than the Becker, rough construction, not as nice of grind, and the handles may be micarta, but they are pretty rough. It's a nice brute. And even though it is called a 7 it is more like 8" from handle to tip. I like mine. The Becker appears to me to be a bit more refined, more of a mass produced piece, very consistent production model. The handles scales on my RD7 don't even match. I was going to send it back when I first got it, the grind was so uneven, but then I realized that it just needed to be tuned on my sharpening stone. I love it now, ever since I realized that it is basically a just sharpened pick-up truck leaf spring. I still had to purchase an aftermarket kydex sheath for it, the sheath it came with did not flatter the knife at all. With the Becker, you are not going to need new scales, the ones that come on it are pefectly fine, and they are ceratinly more comfortable than the handle on the RD7. The micarta scales are a luxury you can add later and the add-on scales are nicer than the RD7 standard scales. You can get scales for the Becker and a kydex sheath later, when you can afford them. That knife is likely to last you the rest of your life. Of course, this is all just my opinion, take it for what it's worth. Both of those knives are great, you'll be very happy either way.

pete
 
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Maniacal Pete said:
I think the BK7 is the best all around blade of the knives you listed. You would have to spend a lot more to get as much knife in another brand (and I'm not married to any particular brand). No offense, but, being a Becker, it will blow the Kabar that you have now away. I think the BK2 is a bit too clunky and specialized for a "two knife" collection, it's a prybar (again, no offense anybody, I have one and I love it). I would get it later. And you are right about the BK9, it is bigger than most people need. You'll love the BK7, with its sturdy full tang construction and good thickness to length ratio, it can cut, slice, chop, hack, feather, dig, stab, smack and take copious abuse, all quite well. And affordable to boot. Fantastic all around survival / camp / defense knife. I would almost say that if I could have only one all-purpose commercial fixed blade...

my two cents,

pete
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Thanks, from all I've read the BK7 sounds perfect for me in every way. I plan on buying it within the next few days. I'll post pictures of it when it arrives :)
 
wmc1982 said:
Thanks, from all I've read the BK7 sounds perfect for me in every way. I plan on buying it within the next few days. I'll post pictures of it when it arrives :)
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Oh yes - pictures, man. We demand them! There's a thread for Becker pics over on the Becker forum too. Come on in - the water is fine.


---

Beckerhead #42
 
OrdnanceBubbaUSMC said:
You can get the Marine Raider Bowie for $33 right now as a factory second. Most people report they have a hard time finding any blemish on factory seconds. It's a very fun knife and the design is really solid.

They are all nice choices, besides the SOG and Gerber. You are paying for the little extras and what tickles your fancy. Make sure you get a good deal and check around, you can also find most of the Ontario Ranger designs for about $60 while some places have them for $75-110.
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THANKS! I was trying to exercise will power and not buy any more knives this week. :grumpy: Now I have to decide if I want more than one.:D
 
I'll hook a brother up. :thumbup: Check your visitor messages. Don't want to get busted for deal spotting.
 
wmc1982 said:
thanks again for the other comments (I actually do have that buck nighthawk allen in the short version, thats why if I get a becker I might get the bk7 since the bk2 would be closer to the same size as the nighthawk.

The Magnum Camp looks cool, I have never seen it before. Another one I'll put on the list as I may soon be addicted to Beckers.

I think since I can really only spend under $75 after shipping and considering I already own the ka-bar usmc and buck short nighthawk, the BK7 would probably be best and give me more options if I want to hack at some wood or baton logs for a fire out back.

I don't see the difference in the Ontario's and the RAT/ESSE knives, they look the same but one costs double. So right now the only possibility would be the Ontario RC7 for around $80. That RC6 by ESEE looks perfect but I don't have the money right now.

I think It's a safe bet with a good price with the BK7. And one day I can always get the micarta's as an add on. For right now, I'm just going to consider the best under $75 and hope I get a job soon so I can get all the other cool knives I've seen here!

Thanks for the help!
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reading this thread really made me want to own bk 2 and 7 :)

by the way; RAT=Randall's Adventure and Training. RAT made some sort of business with some knife manufacturers ie. TOPS, Ontario, and recently they just paired with ESEE Knives (CMIIW). That's why some of OKC (Ontario Knife Company) somewhat similar with ESEE's. what makes one's costs double is better sheath and awesome guarantee. but IMO nothing wrong with OKC's that dont cover solid guarantee, I found their knives exceeded my expectation.
 
From what I understood about the RAT/RC/ESEE situation is that they contracted with Ontario and the RAT knives were the result. You can still buy the RAT knives made by Ontario it's just that they aren't covered under the warranty of the newer products. Apparently the RAT guys(not the knife) wanted to make some changes to how their knives were finished, heat treated, etc. Ontario wouldn't change the process to accomodate them so they chose to go with another manufacturer(Rowen). Anything that has Rowen on the blade will be covered by the warranty. People that own both the Ontario versions and the Rowen versions seem to generally prefer the Rowen versions for superior finish and heat treat. However, whether you see RC-4 or ESEE-4, they are the same knife and have the same great warranty. The only difference would be the logo as the company changed its name from Rat Cutlery (RC) to ESEE. Hopefully the info I've given is correct and if not, I hope somebody can and will correct it. :)

Having said all of that, I own several of the Becker knives(BK-2, BK-7, BK-9, BK-11,) and like them very much. I hope to try out some of the ESEE knives as well at some point. :)
 
I like the BK-9 and the RTAK-II, both are great for me.

(maybe I'm compensating for something?)
 
wmc1982... I may be wrong, but the way I understand it is that the company started out as RAT Cutlery and partnered with Ontario so they could broaden their market share and sales. Ontario, however, would not allow RAT Cutlery to make necessary changes to design as its customers wanted to see. RAT Cutlery ended the contract with Ontario and changed the name to ESEE. ESEE now has freedom to make changes in steel and designs in which they could not with Ontario.
 
bush-haus said:
wmc1982... I may be wrong, but the way I understand it is that the company started out as RAT Cutlery and partnered with Ontario so they could broaden their market share and sales. Ontario, however, would not allow RAT Cutlery to make necessary changes to design as its customers wanted to see. RAT Cutlery ended the contract with Ontario and changed the name to ESEE. ESEE now has freedom to make changes in steel and designs in which they could not with Ontario.
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The differences I've seen between ESEE and OKC are significant. I think that ESEE knives are quite a bit more refined. Also more expensive. I've got 4 of the ESEE knives. Beautiful product. I'm glad I own the OKC RD7, I have fun beating the hell out of it.

pete
 
thanks for all the clarification, I have a much better understanding of the whole Ontario/ESEE thing now. I also saw two Ontario RC7's at a store for two different prices but he explained one was a ranger and one a bushman (I think that was it), that one had a different kind of steel and blade width.

I definitely like the Ontario/ESEE knives and will get one, two, three, or more in the hopefully near future, but I want to go out and handle some and see the differences. I have a bit more to learn about them before purchasing one, even though I know the cheapest Ontario RD7 would probably be a sure thing for the low price, but I want to handle the ESEE's first to see if their RC-6 is worth the price upgrade for that style of knife. I'll see what needs the BK7 meets and what I want for my next style of knife for the ESEE's. I might want a larger chopping knife or I might want a shorter 6" blade. Not sure if I want to go up or down after this BK7. I'm going to have to find a decent blade shop or knife shows, wherever they sell knives like this. I can't EVER find anything better than a Gerber within a 30 mile radius of here, and even If I drove farther to Charlotte, NC I wouldn't know where to look. I'll do some searching and hopefully find something like a "knife show" where I can handle some nice quality knives.

But for right now. On my list of knives to buy are
1. BK7 (ordered an hour ago)
2. BK2 (cheaper so it won't take too long to save up :) )

Thanks again guys for the very helpful advice, I've learned a lot and now I'm very confident in my next few purchases :)

Already playing with my BK11 now in anticipation for it's big brother to arrive!
 
jcwagers said:
From what I understood about the RAT/RC/ESEE situation is that they contracted with Ontario and the RAT knives were the result. You can still buy the RAT knives made by Ontario it's just that they aren't covered under the warranty of the newer products. Apparently the RAT guys(not the knife) wanted to make some changes to how their knives were finished, heat treated, etc. Ontario wouldn't change the process to accomodate them so they chose to go with another manufacturer(Rowen). Anything that has Rowen on the blade will be covered by the warranty. People that own both the Ontario versions and the Rowen versions seem to generally prefer the Rowen versions for superior finish and heat treat. However, whether you see RC-4 or ESEE-4, they are the same knife and have the same great warranty. The only difference would be the logo as the company changed its name from Rat Cutlery (RC) to ESEE. Hopefully the info I've given is correct and if not, I hope somebody can and will correct it. :)

Having said all of that, I own several of the Becker knives(BK-2, BK-7, BK-9, BK-11,) and like them very much. I hope to try out some of the ESEE knives as well at some point. :)
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The neew ESEEs are the way to go now, but the Ontario RATs IMO were (and still are) terrific knives for the money. Check my avatar. :D
 
Buck Nighthawk is nice, long enough, great grip, good heat treating, cheap

BK2 is also nice, tank like construction cheap, thick, heavy, so it isnt as versed as the Buck but it is way tougher!

I even like the CS SRK. Fallkniven rip-off but actually not terrible for the money. Handle is much harder on it then a Fallkniven.



ESEE are nice but none are in that price range

I have had the Sog and the LMF 2, I actually liked the LMF2 better than the Sog, the sog I had was partially serrated...hated it and the handle was hard and slick! The LMF handle was grippy and it felt like a tank, the brief use I experienced with both the LMF 2 and the Sog, the LMF 2 performed better. If sog redid the handle on the Seal Pup, they would have an extremely good knife on their hands. The handle in my opinion was just that bad! Zytel is just not my favorite in a fixed. As I said, too hard, slick/slippery and a tuning fork with shock...that handle doesnt absorb much of anything. The LMF 2 is a partial serration...that also killed if for me. That knife actually performed quite well. It batoned well, chopped...good but would have better had it not been partially serrated! It was extremely comfortable too! Handle is a type of rubber so it was grippy and ate up some shock. Sheath is very big on the LMF 2...It has some novelties about it. I got mine for 55 bucks. These 2 knives just miss because of a few things...but these few things are big ones, making them deal breakers!
 
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