Help me decide... BK9 or F1?

B

benhar

Joined
Apr 17, 2012
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92
I'm assuming I'm gonna get a bunch of "Get both!" answers, but here it goes anyway :)

Getting ready for an annual camping trip, and looking to buy a new toy, I mean tool, to take. Just sold my ESEE 4 because the grip just never felt right in my big hands so I never really used it. Now I can't decide if I want to replace it with an F1 or a BK9 (would get a Mora too to make up for size difference). I've had my eye on the F1 for some time now, and like the idea of having a tough, all-round knife. I'll be taking a Schrade hatchet and Laplander along, so I already have the wood gathering covered. But at the same time, the BK9 just looks like it would be fun to have.

I typically only car camp and don't do anything serious, so I don't have visions of being Rambo or Bear Grylls. But we like big fires and go through a lot of wood, and the wood gathering is part of the fun. Beyond that I do try to keep a BOB at the house.

So, please help me decide before I suffer from analysis paralysis... A quality, heavy-duty fixed blade, or a large chopper accompanied by a smaller budget fixed blade?

Thanks!
 
If you have big hands, then the Becker BK9 will most likely feel more comfortable for you during use. The F1's handle is short(er) and a bit thin.

Since you're taking a hatchet and folding saw already (and thus have your wood processing covered), the Fallkniven probably makes more sense for you in this case. It's a great all-arounder, to be sure. I'd try to handle one first, though, if you're able.

But, everyone should own a BK9! So.....GET BOTH!

Both are great knives for different purposes. Good luck in your choice!
 
Since you're already going to have a hatchet and saw for heavy work, I'd suggest getting the f1... first.

The suggestion of trying to handle an f1 before buying if possible is a good one though. I find the handle on mine fine (xl glove size hands) but what works for me may not necessarily work for you.

Lastly, buy the mora no matter which one you decide to get. Definitely a contender for the best value for your money in the knife world, so every knife person should try at least one at some point.
 
I stopped buying fixed blades after I got an F1.

Had the same issue with the ESEE 4 and sold it. The F1 is perfect for what you describe. It carries much lighter and is much more practical than the BK9 IMO. Using the F1 around the campsite is an absolute pleasure. Just look out for fakes from sites like ebay.
 
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Pretty tough to recommend one since both knives are so different in terms of size. The easy answer is to get both and you may well do that. The Falkniven F1 is very good. The Kabar Becker BK-9 is very good for a general chopper/camp knife. Fun too. So, I would recommend that you get the F1 because you want one (seemingly a lot) and substitute something else for the BK-9 that costs less. I will suggest you consider some of the Condor products.... 8.5" Hudson Bay, 9" Moonshiner, 10" Kumunga, or one of the short heavy machetes they make like the Pack Golok or Village Parang (11"-12" generally). I take an axe along car camping, but don't really like using it much on dry dead wood. I'd rather cut with a saw and break what I can by normal means. The longer blades chop better.

You may find that the larger blades chop as well as a hatchet and leave the hatchet home in the future. I have a CRKT Choogan tomahawk (with the hammer head) which is fun too, Big enough to actually chop with,

You actually have the chopping covered. May I suggest you get a good sized saw for cutting larger dead wood up for the fire into usable lengths during idle camp times? Unfortunately, chain saws make too much noise in most campgrounds. I have a cross cut saw for this believe it or not (one or two man version, that's the question. Since I camp alone more often than not, I chose the shorter one man version.) They aren't cheap, but will last a life time if you don't let them rust up. Much faster cutting than a bow saw. I've tried just about everything at one time or another.
 
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I wear a large glove, and my BK9 fits my hand pretty well. One of the truly fun things about Beckers, though, is the ease of modification. If the handle isn't thick enough for you, the slabs can be unscrewed and a liner inserted. Or you can make your own handle that fits your hand perfectly. There are a number of threads on the Becker forum that showcase the possibilities. I like using a knife that is more dialed in to what I want than anything I would get off the shelf, and for me the 9 fits the bill. If you don't want the heft of the 9, take a look at the 7 or 2. If I have an axe, I take a 10, basically because I got a really good deal on it instead of the 2.
 
Definitely think keeping a pair of gloves with you is a good thing when using knives for more than a few cuts. Protects you hands.

On the subject of large knives (9" or greater), I tend to not want to carry them, but they are certainly fun around camp. If I know I am going to need a large knife in the woods, I'll generally choose something larger than the BK-9. Not going to use something like the BK-9 cooking as I'll have a small folder or fixed blade for that. The F1 works really well as a general purpose knife and one you will learn to rely on it and use in the woods. You can do much much worse. A few years back, it was all the rage here on Blade Forums. Since that time, so many new knives have been introduced that choices get muddied.
 
Thanks all for the responses. I have Amazon Prime, so maybe I'll order an F1 from there so I can return it if the handle is too small.

Regarding muddied waters, anything particular I need to be looking at? I briefly looked at the Master Hunter, but as mentioned the F1 does seem to be the rage, and I keep hearing great things about the grind.
 
I have an old carbon v master hunter and like it quite a lot as well. I have no experience with the newer ones though.
 
Since you have Amazon Prime, order both, compare them side-by-side, and return the one you don't prefer.

The ergos of the BK handles are so much better. Since you have large hands, IMO, you will prefer the BK9, BK2, and BK16.

There's a reason the BK9 is called 'the King'. ;)
 
TravisH said:
Since you have Amazon Prime, order both, compare them side-by-side, and return the one you don't prefer.

The ergos of the BK handles are so much better. Since you have large hands, IMO, you will prefer the BK9, BK2, and BK16.

There's a reason the BK9 is called 'the King'. ;)
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Bk2 is quite heavy for the knife size though
 
After owning a BK-2, it is one of the last knives I would choose for much of anything short of the "world ending". Even then, I doubt I would choose it.
 
Isn't the 3V the one with the really thin blade? Would that be a concern? As suggested with the BK9, I suppose I could order both and return the one I like less.
 
The blade thickness is about right on the BK-9 for the knife size. It's the same as the BK-7. Only the BK-2 is 0.25" bar steel and way way overbuilt.
 
22-rimfire said:
After owning a BK-2, it is one of the last knives I would choose for much of anything short of the "world ending". Even then, I doubt I would choose it.
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I've said it many times, but essentially I agree with this.

Had the BK10 or BK16 been available when I bought my BK2, I have no doubts that I would have purchased one of those instead. The issue for me isn't so much the cutting ability (which, due to its wide chord, isn't all that bad when you get used to it), as it is the weight. I just don't want to pack mine around. Handy knife to have in the firebox though.

That said, I'm not altogether displeased with my purchase of the BK2. It was a good learning experience. I learned that I don't really have a need for blades that thick, particularly on a knife that short in blade length. I learned that I loved the Becker handle ergonomics, and that the becker handle scales worked great with that spine thickness. I learned that battoning, while useful in some circumstances, might not be something you need to do aggressively and/or regularly. Because of my BK2, I knew why my BK9 felt strange in my hand (I needed to add liners under the handle scales to make the handle the same dimension as the BK2).

To the OP. The BK9 is one of my favorite camp blades. What I like most about it is that it can chop pretty well (not the best, but quite good), yet still be used comfortably for actual "knife tasks". I have no problem using mine to make tent pegs, feathersticks, etc. From what I've seen, not all large blades that can chop can do both things as well as the BK9. So that in my mind is what makes it special.

That said though, while I agree that the BK9 is a great knife for what it is, it does appear that you have the "chopping" role more or less covered by other tools. Because of that, I'd skip the BK9 for now.

For the other knife... I honestly don't know. The F1 seems good from what I hear about them, I've just not handled one. So far, in that same size range, my favorites are the Mora companion, and the BK16, if that helps at all.

Good luck finding something that works for you :thumbup:.
 
I'd definitely recommend the Fallkniven. For me it's right in that sweet spot of being nice enough, but not too nice. By that I mean it's not so nice that I'd shy away from using it, but it's definitely nice enough that I can tell the difference. OP mentioned a Mora as well... the new Mora Kansbol (looks like a newer version of the 2000) could also be a good option. However, having used the F1 a lot over the past few years that's where I'd spend my money.
 
ocnLogan said:
...That said, I'm not altogether displeased with my purchase of the BK2. It was a good learning experience. I learned that I don't really have a need for blades that thick, particularly on a knife that short in blade length. I learned that I loved the Becker handle ergonomics, and that the becker handle scales worked great with that spine thickness. I learned that battoning, while useful in some circumstances, might not be something you need to do aggressively and/or regularly. Because of my BK2, I knew why my BK9 felt strange in my hand (I needed to add liners under the handle scales to make the handle the same dimension as the BK2).

To the OP. The BK9 is one of my favorite camp blades. What I like most about it is that it can chop pretty well (not the best, but quite good), yet still be used comfortably for actual "knife tasks". I have no problem using mine to make tent pegs, feathersticks, etc. From what I've seen, not all large blades that can chop can do both things as well as the BK9. So that in my mind is what makes it special.
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I still own my BK-2. It is a good knife for splitting wood around the house and I don't mind a bit pounding on it to split wood. If it breaks, so be it. It was the first Becker I purchased and I don't regret it. It was part of my learning curve.

The BK-9 is a very good knife. I agree with what you said. I just tend to go bigger if I want to chop much with a knife.
 
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