Ka Bar BK16 or Survive! 4.1?

B

BigDaveIndi

Joined
Mar 25, 2013
Messages
27
Hey all,

I'm trying to get my first blade for trekking and camping purposes. I really love the look and ergonomics mentioned for the BK16(loved the BK15 more but they have stopped its production) and I think it will suit my needs perfectly. Its quite affordable too. However, I've also read a lot about the Survive! knives and checked out the GSO 4.1. I know for sure that the Becker is an awesome company and people love their products. What about the 4.1? All their models look the same to me right up to the GSO 10 with difference in size. Are they really worth all the praise and affection compared to the Becker? I'm totally confused about both knives.

Please help me out in deciding my first knife. I'll greatly appreciate your experience with these two knives.
Thanks,
David
 
I don't have any personal experience with Survive!'s (I hear good things though) but the BK-16 is a wonderful knife that absolutely will not disappoint. great value, durable, comfortable to use, great out of the box and plenty of aftermarket scale and sheath options if that's something of interest to you.

a3eb7d25e584fcb83f7512a4e1e97c86.jpg


^After more than a few years of tough love


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Never used the Survive but have used a BK16 for some time and love it. It is my go to hunting and bushcrafting knife. I love it.
 
BigDaveIndi said:
Hey all,

I'm trying to get my first blade for trekking and camping purposes. I really love the look and ergonomics mentioned for the BK16(loved the BK15 more but they have stopped its production) and I think it will suit my needs perfectly. Its quite affordable too. However, I've also read a lot about the Survive! knives and checked out the GSO 4.1. I know for sure that the Becker is an awesome company and people love their products. What about the 4.1? All their models look the same to me right up to the GSO 10 with difference in size. Are they really worth all the praise and affection compared to the Becker? I'm totally confused about both knives.

Please help me out in deciding my first knife. I'll greatly appreciate your experience with these two knives.
Thanks,
David
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A bit of an unfair comparison - not least in regards to price.

I have several Beckers and like them a lot but I also bought a Survive GSO 4.1 and its a fantastic knife.

Get the 4.1 - you wont regret it (and if you do, unload it on the sales forum. It will sell fast). Its a fantastic knife and well worth the money and yes, it IS that god and at least as good as all the praise heaped on it.

I heartedly recommend GSO. Beckers are also nice and recommendable, but as mentioned, a somewhat unfair comparison.

You cant go wrong with either knife.
 
Thank you guys.. I'm more inclined towards the 4.1 now with the kind of reviews posted here on BF. Apart from the margin in price, how well do you guys think the 4.1 will perform against the BK16? I haven't got many suggestions here and I'm hanging on nowhere!
 
Personally other than holding and edge longer, I doubt the Survive GSO 4.1 will perform much better than the Kabar Becker BK-16. Big price difference. The 4.1 is more knife. If I had the funds, I would get both. The ESEE 4 is the same sort of knife as the Becker.
 
22-rimfire said:
Personally other than holding and edge longer, I doubt the Survive GSO 4.1 will perform much better than the Kabar Becker BK-16. Big price difference. The 4.1 is more knife. If I had the funds, I would get both. The ESEE 4 is the same sort of knife as the Becker.
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The steel difference alone is substantial. It will hold an edge longer, is tougher, and is more corrosion resistant.

Survive knives are well-made and worth their praise. You will, however, have to work much harder to get your hands on one than you would with the BK-16.
 
The 16 is my favorite fixed blade hands down. About a year and half ago I decided to get a 4.1 as an upgrade to my 16. The steel is better, the handle material better, better wear resistance, better corrosion resistance...

Well, I found out that for my general uses, the difference wasnt significantly noticeable. I doubt I could break either knife, I've never had rust issues with the becker, I love the grip of both knives, and the becker is very easy to sharpen.

Maybe it's because I already had a great history with the becker 16, or because of sentimentality, but I still frequently choose the 16 over 4.1 when camping or woods bumming.

I really can't say anything bad about either knife, and I'm sure you will be satisfied with either. For me, I'd probably rather get a becker 16, 9, and 14 for the price of the gso 4.1
 
Just noticed your location. If you live in a really humid environment, the 4.1 might be a better choice.
 
mec003 said:
The 16 is my favorite fixed blade hands down. About a year and half ago I decided to get a 4.1 as an upgrade to my 16. The steel is better, the handle material better, better wear resistance, better corrosion resistance...

Well, I found out that for my general uses, the difference wasn't significantly noticeable. I doubt I could break either knife, I've never had rust issues with the becker, I love the grip of both knives, and the becker is very easy to sharpen.

Maybe it's because I already had a great history with the becker 16, or because of sentimentality, but I still frequently choose the 16 over 4.1 when camping or woods bumming.

I really can't say anything bad about either knife, and I'm sure you will be satisfied with either. For me, I'd probably rather get a becker 16, 9, and 14 for the price of the gso 4.1
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That's why I said I personally would not see much difference other than edge holding. As I said, the GSO 4.1 is "more knife". But the BK-16 is also a great value and very functional. I think you are making a good choice with either and I would buy both if I could afford it. Maybe get a Mora too.
 
I carried a bk16 for like 8 months as my edc...until i got my gso4.1...it kicked it off my belt and i haven't looked back...absolutely love my 4.1.

3KE3G03.jpg


I like it so much i have 3 now lol

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Okay, now I have again shifted to the Survive! side. Am I correct that the first three are 4.1's followed by 4.7, 5.1 and 10? I am thinking like.. Let's say.... I dunno my man, bobby3326!
 
The reality is that in a knife this size you won't see much a difference between the bk16 and gso4.1
Concerning edge holding: you will only see a marked difference if you cut alot if abrasive material such as cardboard... But who cuts cardboard in the forest ?
Concerning toughness: this will only come to play with large blades such as choppers

I had both so I tested both
 
BigDaveIndi said:
Okay, now I have again shifted to the Survive! side. Am I correct that the first three are 4.1's followed by 4.7, 5.1 and 10? I am thinking like.. Let's say.... I dunno my man, bobby3326!
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Those are all old spec, 20cv 4.1, jimpless 3v 4.1 x2, 5, 6, and 10.

I love my survives, there gonna cost you more but your getting much better steel...but the way i see it is my bk16 was $80, the sheath is bad so immediately bought a kydex sheath for it $60...that's $140 add on micarta scales and you're at $180...a gso 4.1 can be had $200 on a great deal but on avg 230-250 second hand market.


No so far apart when you start adding on to the 16
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And to say there's no apparent difference in edge retention is absurd...that's like saying a lancer is as fast as an Evo bc they have pretty much the same body style.
3v blows 1095 away....I've yet to dull 3v, 1095 not so much.

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I also have both, though my current old-spec 4.1 is actually the Survive! SK-4 in S7 steel. I really like the BK-16, I actually prefer its handle-shape to the old-spec GSO-4.1, and the grind is great :thumbup:

But I think Bobby3326 summed it well in post#15 - if you aren't happy with the base-level BK-16 sheath and handle scales, you're going to end up paying almost as much for those upgrades as for a GSO-4.1 which comes with micarta or G10 scales and an excellent sheath as well as upgraded steel. If you just want the knife NOW and don't need the better steel, or can live with the Becker factory sheath and handle-scales, and like the coating or don't mind stripping it yerself, then :thumbup: save yourself some cash and get the BK16. Otherwise, wait :)

The new-spec GSO-4.1 is currently in production, by the way, and will feature (imho) much improved handle design as well as Delta-3V steel = an improvement on the HT of CPM-3V developed by Nathan Carothers with collaboration between Guy Seiferd (Survive!), Dan Keffeler, and Peter's HT. However, it is going to cost more...

And as another thought, you could always go Custom, we have some AMAZING makers who post their work for sale here on BF: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/754-For-Sale-Fixed-Blades
The prices are more reasonable than you might imagine, take a look. Here is one example: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1419449-Micarta-G10-N690-***Discounted-price***

Pic of Gerber Strongarm, GSO-4.7, SK-4, BK-16:

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and here is a video including the BK-16 in some "tests":

https://youtu.be/TbHKydzeHJo?t=2m1s
 
Here's a pic detailing the bevel geometry of the BK-16 vs some others - excellent slicer

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The BK-16 has a better slicing design and is for sure lighter in weight, with the Survive you're paying for upgraded steel and upgraded handles. The Becker is a steal of a deal, the Survive price-wise is on the level of hand-made customs from the knifemakers here on the forums, which also come with micarta and 3v and arguably better looks.

Comparing 3V and 1095 is tough as 3V is quite a bit fancier than 1095 and will outperform it in toughness hands down. But, for a knife as small as the BK16 or 4.1 the toughness is less important than the edge-retention as you probably won't be able to break either knife without seriously abusing it. Because 3V has more stainless properties it is harder and holds an edge longer than 1095, while sacrificing ease of sharpening. If you want to sharpen your knife out in the woods 1095 is much better, if you only use diamondstones at home than 3V will not need sharpening as often. I like both steels and currently have many knives in both, 1095 is as dependable as you can get as a steel, it doesn't dull fast enough for me to need to sharpen it out in the woods, and I use it pretty hard when I'm out there. 3V is the same, but I've not really seen a marked improvement just yet because I've not used it as often.

In my personal opinion Survive seems to be most popular because it's hard to acquire, and scarcity breeds demand whether it warrants it or not, I have found great deals in the customs section for similar materials at lower prices that are hand-made.
 
In my opinion, the sheath and handles of the bk 16 are perfectly functional. Yes, replacing them is an option and you may like to do that in the future, but it is certainly not necessary. I still use the factory sheath and handles with no worries. I am considering the micarta handles, but ive put it off for so long because I really don't need them. The 16 could cost close to the same as the 4.1, but that doesn't mean that it needs to. The 16 is a fine blade as is. The 4.1 is still likely better overall, I just dont want you to think that the 16 is defficient for the price of the factory model.
 
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