Question about which neck knife to buy..

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Noswad0208

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Sep 8, 2014
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I'm trying to decide between the Ka-Bar Becker EsKabar, or the Remora.

I had decided on the Remora, but now I'm not so sure. It will be an EDC knife, nothing big, just cutting strings and stuff, plus I want it to be a neck knife to have on me if the need for self defense should arise.

I like how the EsKabar looks, and it would be more useful than the Remora for EDC since it's larger (plus you can put real handles on the EsKabar without making your own or using paracord), but a 7 inch knife seems a bit large to carry around on your neck. EDIT: I also like the EsKabar sheath more, since it works with the TDI clip. It's just the size of the knife that has me worried.

Thoughts or advice?
 
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I've got an EsKabar, and I like it well enough. It's definitely too heavy to be comfortable for me to neck carry every day, and it's too thick to be an effective slicer for fine EDC tasks - I usually use mine for small woods/camp tasks. It's fine to neck carry for an hour or two, but I always end up wishing I had belt or pack carried it after a while. When belt carried it's fantastic, and you can even lash the sheath to a larger knife sheath to save belt space.

As a side note, don't forget that you can get the EsKabar in D2 (I think they call it the BK24) for just a bit more than the carbon version. Better edge retention and much lower maintenance, great value IMO.
 
Thanks for the reply. I was considering the Necker since it's shorter, but it weighs even more than the EsKabar. I would buy the TDI clip and handles to go along with the EsKabar, so when I was just using it around the farm I would definitely carry it on my side rather than my neck, the only time I would ever have it on my neck would be when I go to the city, and I think in that case it would be a bit more manageable than when hiking and such.

Again, thanks for the reply and the thing about better steel is definitely somehing to consider.
 
I've got both the Eskabar and Remora. They are my least used knives of anything I own. The Remora blade is too short to be of much use to me as an EDC, and the Eskabar is just doesn't push my buttons. It has no soul. I MUCH prefer my Izula to either. Even my Candiru gets more use because I can slip it into a pocket or satchel.

That said, I've never seen much use for a neck knife. It's not a very practical method of carry IMO.
 
I've now changed my mind to either a Remora or a Candiru. I've never had an ESEE knife, but my dad and I both own Ka-Bar Beckers (BK2 and BK9) so I know what quality is in those knives. The Izula just doesn't do much for me, and I kinda prefer the Remora's looks, but the Candiru looks like it has a sheath where you can paracord wrap the handle without the sheath getting in the way. When it comes down to it the EDC use won't be much hard stuff, twine, small rope, and maybe some hotdog stick carving. In fact, if the neck knife I get doesn't do what I want for EDC, I'll probably be getting the nearly 8 inch Ka-Bar "neck knife" that looks like a mini version of their original USMC knife for that purpose.

So I guess what I'm asking is if you had to rely on either the Candiru or the Remora, regardless of looks or anything like that, but on practicality, which would it be?
 
I EDC a bk14 cross draw over my belt buckle or scout carried with some paracord wrapped on the stock sheath. Its been one of the toughest and most capable blades Ive ever carried and I beat the shizz out of it. Its too thick for some things, and perfect thick for others.

What it isnt is a neck knife. Too long and too heavy. But with my tshirt untucked I've had a lot of people ask "Where did THAT come from?" when I pull it off my belt, and it rides there comfy even getting in and out of the truck 35 times or more a day.
 
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Well, (Yes, I know I'm annoying and bothersome) I think I've changed my mind again, and decided on the ESEE Izula. It just seems like the perfect EDC neck knife now that I look at it closer.

Thanks everyone.
 
Have you looked at Condor?
Just throwing a wrench in there!
Going gear has some on their website, i am sure
you could find Condor many places
 
Jody744 said:
Have you looked at Condor?
Just throwing a wrench in there!
Going gear has some on their website, i am sure
you could find Condor many places
Click to expand...

I've looked at them now lol.

Looks like some pretty nice stuff, but after going on my two day tear of must get a knife, I think I really have made up my mind on the Izula, and it looks like it would fit what I want it for better than just about anything else. Thanks for the suggestion though!
 
There's not much to it really. You can easily pocket or neck carry the Izula 2. One of my favourites for sure.



 
upnorth said:
There's not much to it really. You can easily pocket or neck carry the Izula 2. One of my favourites for sure.
Click to expand...

True, but the smaller one is a bit cheaper, plus I want to paracord wrap the handle rather than have scales on it, and if I'm going to EDC a neck knife I want it to be as light as possible.
 
Well I'm glad that all my effort wasn't wasted on someone that already had their mind made up, and just wanted to keep whining. You're welcome.
 
Good choice. I'm a huge Izula fan. For me it's the perfect general purpose small fixed blade.

You should reconsider the scales on the Izzie. They exponentially improve the ergonomics and really don't add much weight. Although like I said before, I hate to carry around my neck anyway. It's the least efficient carry method. If you do decide to carry around your neck just be sure to use a break-away chain. Don't be an idiot and use para cord.

Here's a comparison shot of some of the knives you've been considering. I've added a Tom Krein Grasshopper on the right just because I like it as another small fixed option.

Excuse the bad iPad pic.

i-GBW3j6Z-X2.jpg
 
upnorth said:
Well I'm glad that all my effort wasn't wasted on someone that already had their mind made up, and just wanted to keep whining. You're welcome.
Click to expand...


It wasn't.

It's quite probable that I will buy an Izula II next year if I like the Izula I.


addylo said:
Good choice. I'm a huge Izula fan. For me it's the perfect general purpose small fixed blade.

You should reconsider the scales on the Izzie. They exponentially improve the ergonomics and really don't add much weight. Although like I said before, I hate to carry around my neck anyway. It's the least efficient carry method. If you do decide to carry around your neck just be sure to use a break-away chain. Don't be an idiot and use para cord.

Here's a comparison shot of some of the knives you've been considering. I've added a Tom Krein Grasshopper on the right just because I like it as another small fixed option.

Excuse the bad iPad pic.
Click to expand...

I'll probably buy the kit since it comes with the clip and paracord should I decide to wrap it, so if I don't like it around my neck, I'll have that option.

And why do you say not to use paracord for the lanyard?

Also, thanks for the pic, it helps to be able to see scale.
 
Noswad0208 said:
And why do you say not to use paracord for the lanyard?
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I'm only talking about using para cord around your neck. It's basic safety. The breaking strength of true para cord is 550 lbs. That's enough to snap your neck if it gets snagged. A break-away ball chain is the best option.
 
Noswad0208 said:
Well, (Yes, I know I'm annoying and bothersome) I think I've changed my mind again, and decided on the ESEE Izula. It just seems like the perfect EDC neck knife now that I look at it closer.

Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...

This was a very wise choice. Best production neck knife out there IMHO. YMMV of course.
 
A nice sized neck knife is the Boker Tom Krein pocket bowie 440c steel , discontinued , but still widely available .
 
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Why limit yourself to these brands ? There are many neck knives out there. Quality of steel and smart conception will make a difference. Find out what works for you. And by the way... neck carry is the smartest way to carry a blade, because your knife is always with you (even in the shower or on the john, if you want me to go there...). It must be lightweight and relatively small (6" overall seems a max.).
 
I'll be ordering the ESEE Izula in Fire Ant Red tomorrow along with some "titanium" colored paracord for hand wrapping (plus it's a cool pattern, so I can use it for bracelets and stuff too.)

I read somewhere about how a guy took a length of paracord, and a ball chain, and stripped the insides outof the paracord, strung the chain through the paracord, and then burnt the paracord right before he got to the hook on the ball chain, so that if he ever got hooked on something, the chain would break, while still making it look like a paracord necklace.

The only reason I'm slightly apprehensive to a ball chain is because I once had to crawl under a table to retrieve my necklace that broke at the wrong time. What's even worse is there were two old ladies sitting at the table.
 
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