Looking for 4" fixed blade

F

flphotog

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Jul 10, 2014
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I have been thinking about getting an EESE 4 for awhile now, however after getting the BK2 I'm now leaning toward the BK16. I really like the BK2. I'm asking in the Becker forum because if anyone here can recommend the EESE over the Becker it's worth thinking about.
Anyone have any pros, cons on these two knives and how they compare to each other. I'm looking for it as an EDC knife for the most part. Currently have an EESE 3 and a Spyderco Enuff Leaf but mostly carry the EESE along with a Spyderco Tenacious.

Any thoughts are appreciated.
 
I have both the BK16 and Esee4. I like the Esee; but the handles are its weakness. They're easy enough to modify, I suppose; but, once I found the BK16, I never got around to doing so. The Esee is a great knife, if that's the direction in which your leaning...but I doubt you'll find many Beckerheads that will advise you to choose it over the BK.
I've got a comparison pic someplace, if I can find it.
 
Hard to go wrong no matter which direction you go. FWIW, the 16 is Uncle E's favorite. It's a great knife; very useful. What do you anticipate doing with it?
 
I prefer the BK handle design over the ESEE design.

I don't like the feel of the ESEE and would be motivated to upgrade to Micarta or G10. But then, I find that the Kabar Micarta and TKC G10 scales improve the ergos of the BK as well.

Of course, that's a personal preference, and, other than that, don't have a strong pro/con either way.
 
I'm with the consensus. I find the handles on smaller ESEE models very uncomfortable for extended use. I'm not a big Beckerhead like many here, but I think their handle designs are exemplary.
 
Actually I am leaning toward the BK16 if I didn't make that clear. I'm pretty sure that's the direction I'll head but need to wait a month or two.
 
To address the handle issue with the esee knives, look at the Esee RB3 and JG3.

But, to answer your question, I would still take the BK16 with micarta or a sheath over the Esees.
 
I think the esee 4 is a great price with micarta and a kydex sheath.
The bk16 is just more comfortable.
I would buy the 16 again and again.
 
The esee is a great blade but the handle is not as comfortable as the bk16. Edge retention is the same in my experience. The Micarta handles make a big difference for the 16 or even better are the handles from tkc. I have a set on my 16 and it is a dream in the hand.

Either way you can't go wrong but I would grab the 16
 
Handle and price goes to the bk16. Esee 4 has slightly thicker steel stock. Overall I would go with the bk 16 over the Esee 4. I would choose the bk16 over most until you start hitting the much higher bark river bravo price range.
 
I have both and the weak points to the 16 is the sheath. I despise nylon sheaths. The ESEE 4 comes with a much better sheath IMO.
 
I had an ESEE4 with TKC scales -- then I got a BK16 and sold off the ESEE4 because it never got used after that.
I found the handle that much more comfortable and the lack of a useless choil was a bonus.
 
When i was looking for a field knife in the 4-5" range recently, i tried out an ESEE...and then came running to Becker and bought a BK16. The ESEE is a very nicely made, very good quality knife. But the blocky slabs they use for handles just don't fit me well and don't work for extended usage. The BK16 is a dream. It is my first and only Becker... so far.
 
NJBillK said:
To address the handle issue with the esee knives, look at the Esee RB3 and JG3.
Click to expand...


For serious. Never had one in hand, but just looking at the shape of the blade I can imagine how comfortable that would be.
 
tueller said:
Handle and price goes to the bk16. Esee 4 has slightly thicker steel stock. Overall I would go with the bk 16 over the Esee 4. I would choose the bk16 over most until you start hitting the much higher bark river bravo price range.
Click to expand...

I'll agree with this. The only thing about the 16 is that if you have large hands, you may find the length of the handle a bit small. I have medium-ish sized hands, and still put liners on almost all of my tweeners for a little more hand fill. Bravo 1 has a really comfy handle, but price wise it's a whole different echelon. One knife that hasn't been mentioned here that falls into a slightly more expensive tier but comes with a kydex sheath and micarta handles is the TOPS B.O.B. If you've got larger hands, it's worth checking out, IMO.

9825746705_2bde829f2f_b.jpg
 
Guess I don't get it...all the bad press on the sheath. Aftermarket sheaths for the 16 can be had at a very reasonable price. Got my EDC 16 used and it already had a sheath from a non forum supporter but its very nice and only $30. No way I'd let a thing like that sway me either way.
First and foremost... It's the Knife.
If the ESEE was the same price as a 16, the 16 still wins. Not a deal breaker. I can deal with any sheath as long as it holds the Knife without falling out or off my hip, and it keeps the Knife from cutting me. Any sheath issues can be dealt with...ergonomics are key and much more difficult to remedy.
 
I agree 100% NCSlice. But then, I can and do make my own sheaths, so it matters even less to me than it might to some. And it works. Half those people, from reading their other posts, never even take their knives out of the drawer. So they have their fancy kydex sheaths to protect the knife from dust, I guess? Seems like a waste to me.
 
Fletcher.357 said:
I have both and the weak points to the 16 is the sheath. I despise nylon sheaths. The ESEE 4 comes with a much better sheath IMO.
Click to expand...

Sheath isn't a problem, I replace all of them with a custom sheath from Panther Concealment. Like this one for my BK2.
k3t00JRl.jpg
 
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