Opinions & perspective on hard use of the BK20 and BK29

The bk29, seems built for batoning, though I still haven’t batoned with it either. I got the 29 first, then the 20, after kabar found about 25 or so and relisted it. The bk20 feels so light in hand, despite being almost 1/4” thick, that I find myself using it almost like a short machete. It’s also to me way more unique, whereas the design of the 29 is classic.
 
Roguer said:
My uneducated guess by looking at how the BK-9 has performed all over the place pretty goodly well. It probably will hold up, but the relief edge on the spine made me pass on it, and go with some BK-9s I got for light to medium duty. For me medium duty is what most call "Hard Use." But I use them as Steel on Wood mostly. I had a few idiots who tried to baton a rock and another one a rail road spike with my KABAR in D2 because they heard it was "TOUGH!", (Guess who I never borrow any thing to any more) I wouldn't expect an axe to stand up to those forms of abuse.
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Probably the same stand out idiots who tend to berate one for “needing” to carry a big knife, then ask to borrow your folder while holding a can of paint!
 
Yonose said:
The bk29, seems built for batoning, though I still haven’t batoned with it either. I got the 29 first, then the 20, after kabar found about 25 or so and relisted it. The bk20 feels so light in hand, despite being almost 1/4” thick, that I find myself using it almost like a short machete. It’s also to me way more unique, whereas the design of the 29 is classic.
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The BK 20/29 is like a short HEAVY machete, in a perfect Bowie pattern with a great handle and good hilt and looks like a great all round tool for wood work and such. Although I don't own one I do have some big blades for my heavy wood working projects, and I'm not talking making furniture and book shelves. And having some BK 9s and a BK 4 with micarta and a regular handle one and used them getting some BK handle experience (actually using them was faster than an axe in trail trimming, that's trimming an existing trial, not Making one!), I conjecture that the BK 20/29 would work wood well in the woods. But always remember when your applying force to some thing things may happen. That's why I got extra back ups for my "Wood working" tools and a few extra back ups because I could!
 
Roguer said:
The BK 20/29 is like a short HEAVY machete, in a perfect Bowie pattern with a great handle and good hilt and looks like a great all round tool for wood work and such. Although I don't own one I do have some big blades for my heavy wood working projects, and I'm not talking making furniture and book shelves. And having some BK 9s and a BK 4 with micarta and a regular handle one and used them getting some BK handle experience (actually using them was faster than an axe in trail trimming, that's trimming an existing trial, not Making one!), I conjecture that the BK 20/29 would work wood well in the woods. But always remember when your applying force to some thing things may happen. That's why I got extra back ups for my "Wood working" tools and a few extra back ups because I could!
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Yonose said:
I do love my only Bk20, so chopping only but no batoning!
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nutoknives said:
Da 20 a chopping machine not so much on da baton though, but if you get stuck u can get her through with a good nudge
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Yonose said:
The bk29, seems built for batoning, though I still haven’t batoned with it either.
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The BK20 batons better than any other knife I've owned. I only have 1 picture of it being batoned, but on every campout I've brought it I end up using it to prepare most of the wood for the fire, and it does it with ease. This pic was when I was taking on a very twisty and knotty bit of wood, it didn't even flinch.

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Going to work on a contest entry this weekend -- starting with a shelter build using my 29.
and yes - I will be chopping up green juniper trees (AKA brown cedars), dogwood, honey locust, and willow.
 
KingMC said:
The BK20 batons better than any other knife I've owned. I only have 1 picture of it being batoned, but on every campout I've brought it I end up using it to prepare most of the wood for the fire, and it does it with ease. This pic was when I was taking on a very twisty and knotty bit of wood, it didn't even flinch.

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My understanding, from watching a few vids, was that this design is purely original! In no way does it resemble another bowie I’ve seen! Not that I know of, anyway. Really should be a production model, maybe an inch or two longer to make it different than the limited edition?
 
Use it! The things are nearly indestructible and it sounds like you (like most here) would grt more joy from putting it to work than collecting dust. Life is too short for safe queens imo. If it makes you feel better to know what its capable of check out a destruction test by mayor fuglycool on youtube, i doubt after watching that you will have misgivings about using it.
 
Wouldn’t batoning one of these constantly through dry hardwood eventually (even years later) cause some kind of fracture? Nobody’s perfect all the time, although on softer wood it might never break. And warranty or not, I’d just feel dumb trying to send a 10 year old blade back!(if I even managed to carry it back out)
 
Probably the most used “big” blade I have ever owned is a Case WWII aircrew survival Blade I got out of a Navy seat pack Survival kit.....
It is made from essentially the same steel and I suspect a heat treat not quite as good as the 20-29 and I have over over thirty years personally abused and let others abuse it and yes it has the patina of hard use and and excessive “love”....... It is a most treasured Blade and I regard it as I do old and treasured camp mates...... I have a “new” one just in case (PI(pun intended)and I rarely use it anymore because I do not keep in the possibles box on the Kubota......... I hope you use it and I will be truly honored if it finds a similar place in your memory bag as that old Case does in mine.....

Ethan.
 
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