Is the Bk2 Falling out of favor?

Honestly the BK2 is just too big and unwieldy. I don't see myself ever carrying a knife that is 1/4 inch thick, especially considering the excellent performance of a 3/16 (or even thinner) blade. I've handled the BK2, and don't get me wrong, it's hard not to like it. For me, it just doesn't fit the criteria that I look for. The BK16 on the other hand, is the perfect size for a belt knife. My 16 is my go-to blade and I never go into the woods without it. Love the blade shape. Love the flat grind. Love the grip contour.
 
Not really, it isn't out of favor as far as I can tell so much as just not in favor. It has competition now in the form of the 10/16/17 that for quite some time were unavailable as they were not made by Kabar initially. That has changed now. At one point (and this may still hold true) the BK2 in terms of sales from Kabar was like three times higher than all the other BK&T knives, so I am a bit skeptical on the numbers from Amazon, but ultimately, I look to see it still do well, but lose a lot of ground to the 10/16/17 now that they are more readily available.

The 2 is a beast, no question about that, and I love mine (it was technically my second but in my heart my first) but the one that gets carried is always the 16 (or more recently the 17).
 
As a new Becker fan, I can say that from a newbie/outside perspective that the BK2 is very much still a popular knife. When I was researching a good, all around, serious blade (specifically one in the Becker line) the BK2 came up over and over again. Is it losing ground compared to some point in the past? I can't say. I can say it is very popular as of today. Here is my latest inlay job ...it was a BK2. And for the record I didn't buy mine from A*****.

2a.JPG

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I've got some stuff to do next week - I was planning on bringing my Ontario Machete, an axe, and my 7.5" M8. (I could probably do everything with the Ontario or the axe, realistically; but I do like to play.) I guess I'll strip the BK2, and bring it along...or maybe bring it as is, depending on how much time I have to screw with knives before then. It'll mean tackling another job - because the BK2 probably wouldn't be great at what I was planning, and I don't want to get too sidetracked while there's work to be done - but as long as I have enough time for both, I'll end up ahead of the game.
 
Some really perceptive comments, and of course my "impression" that the BK2 was falling out of favor was based on a very few notes here on this forum -- hardly scientific. Then too Amazon implies that the BK2 is still outselling other Beckers and most other knives. But as someone observed that ranking could be deceptive because the BK2 has been sold longer than other Becker knives.

My thinking was probably influenced by my photographic forum experience. A high percentage of the discussions revolved around people selling their old cameras when a later model came out, even if the later model had very little advantage over the earlier one. The action in cameras on eBay was (and probably still is) hot and heavy. I didn't say so but I had in mind those who were selling or otherwise divesting themselves of their BK2s in order to get later Beckers. That would truly indicate a falling from favor.

Having and liking the BK2 but preferring other BKs for individual tasks isn't really a falling from favor as others have pointed out. Maybe I was thinking around some of these things but your comments cleared them up in my mind. Thanks.

Lawrence
 
as Derek says, but also esp: between the original Machax and the Campanion (the bk2 original name), these have always been in production in one form or another...

which means a lot of people have them, over a very long period...

the KaBar version is pretty good, but if you have one, no need to buy it

the Camillus BK10s are quite nice, and were UNOBTANIUM for a long long time, so when they had a chance to get sold, people bought them. a lot.

ups and downs...

i would expect some knives like the BK4 Machax to be lower these days, the KaBar version is a little different, so people probably bought into that; the BK5 Magnum Camp is also an "old one" has been around for a long time, it sold fairly well, but never in a stellar fashion; the KaBar one is EXCELLENT, but has very slow sales apparently. mmm...

the smaller and new knives are selling nicely, apparently; people favor those now.

up and down
 
I have two BK 2's - one stays in my Get Home Bag and the other in the house. While I love them, I find that my tendency is to use the really big ones (4 and 9) and the smaller ones like tweeners, 11 and 14. Maybe someday that will change.
 
As a fashion statement, it may not be currently in style. However, there will always be a need for that kind of power in a compact package. What else will you reach for when you need to cut up your lawnmower? It's a classic.
 
I have multiple BK2s - one in every vehicle as THE backup knife.

1) It's virtually indestructible. It will not fail under most foreseeable circumstances.

2) The 2 is versatile. It will always be ready to do any knife thing asked of it. Not extremely well for ALL jobs, but nothing is perfect for every job. It will be better than a small knife for really big jobs, but will do smaller jobs much better than the "behemoth" knives (kukri/bowie/machete/etc knives).

3) Being coated (as all BKs are from the factory), it resists rust better during long term storage/non-use, as in car back up knife, a purpose for which it is eminently suited.

4) (And a big one, for me) It is Texas public carry legal.
If I am doing those chores around the farm that I know I will need a beefy blade to accomplish, but also know that I'm probably going to have to make a run or 2 to town for supplies, with a 2, I can leave it in its sheath while in town. Better than wearing an empty 7/9 sheath when I have to take said larger knives out to of their sheaths in order to go out of the vehicle.

AND this is Post # 2000 for me, so I'm gonna have to celebrate somehow. :D
 
I love the 2 because I'd rather have a knife that was good at everything instead of great at a few things. Practice with it and get better with it and it will never let you down. I can do fine work with it, for instance I can featherstick with it as well as I can with any other knife I own including my moras
 
I have to say, it was my first REAL knife for a couple of reasons:

1: I, along with some others that I know, don't have unlimited funds to drop on a knife or tool that is phenomenal to have but may not be used each and every day. THE PRICE IS RIGHT.

2. Its a "does lots of different things well, cut a lawnmower in half oerfectly " type of tool. So its a great place to start the collection.
GREAT ALL AROUND TYPE KNIFE

I guess then, does it matter if its "the cool kids knife"?

My answer is no.

What matters to me is that its friggin bombproof and could feasibly be the only knife that I have, and id be OK with it.
 
I also pretty much agree with Dex. It is hard to just pick a knife especially if you haven't really handled many knives. The BK-2 and the BK-10 satisfy that wow factor in form and function not to mention price. I honestly don't use mine much or even any these days. But it definitely appeals to my knife self. Digging through the kinds of knives I have purchased, I have noticed a number with 1/4" blade stock and all are tanks of a sort including my Randall that is about the same size. I'm just drawn to a knife about this size, but I prefer to use something smaller along the lines of the BK-15, BK-16, or BK-17 for most things.

It doesn't bother me one bit to have purchased the BK-2 and not really use it. I like it. But I like others more and for the most part I can only use one at a time.

Maybe if I were younger I would like to carry the BK-2 on the trail just for the cool factor. But I have sort of gotten past the point of being concerned about what others think of my knife choices.
 
My tastes have shifted and I have moved to taking a hatchet with me when I do get out so for my knife I like something smaller. I am going to be buying a BK14 and selling my BK2 I think.
 
I agree that a lot of people get into the .25" blades before they know anything about knife geometry, or what they want out of a blade. A lot of it has to do with inexperienced people doing long, rediculous reviews on YouTube doing nothing but chopping, and batoning saying how much of a beast it is. It's totally obvious that a person lacks any experience at all when they compare the functionality of a .25" blade to a .188", or .125" blade. .25"s are in a class all their own. I own several, and have handled more. The thickies have the same purpose as any other knife... To cut and to do it well, but the difference is doing it without breaking. This is going to change the functionality, but remember when choosing a thickie you're not wanting a scalpel. You just want something that will NOT break, which opens up a lot of other tasks like prying, breaking, digging, etc. I started my knife study with a ka-bar, bk7, bk2, a RAT(ESEE)5, an Ontario ranger 4, a Tops tracker, steel eagle 7, and shadow hunter, and now a bk9, 15, 17, and 11 as well as all the ESEE models. I've learned a lot about geometry over the past few years. I'll rank the thickies I've handled like this: any .25" blade made by Tops is useless as a knife; the Ontario Ranger FFG had a great edge, but the blade height was way too high, and ergonomics were awful; the RAT/ESEE 5 is the second best thickie out there due to low blade height, great ergonomics, and geometry; the absolute best thickie on the market is the BK2. The BK2 has perfect ergonomics, excellent shape and blade height, plus it has the geometry that makes it what it's supposed to be... a great cutting tool. It's a beast of an actual knife, and not just a cool looking thick piece of steel. For these reasons it will not fall out of favor as the best thickie to have. That said... I think I need another one. I'm starting to miss it.
 
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