Sell me on the BK9, please

T

ThePeacent

Joined
Sep 15, 2013
Messages
5,648
Hello everyone!
OK, so I thought better to post here instead of the Becker subforum so as to avoid fanboys', followers' and extreme loyal customers' opinions.
So, I like choppers a lot. And I mean a lot. I use them on the apartment we have in the woods, and when backpacking, camping.
I have gone through many of them. I currently have a KaBar potbelly as a batoning tool and a KaBar Parangatang as a heavy chopper, as well as different sized kukris and machetes, axes... I feel I don't need any more camp knives or woods tools, for the rest of my life.

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Yet, I have gone through an offer, a new in box BK9 for $88. I have never tried a Becker and I've always been intrigued by the claims and fan community around them.

So, what'd you guys do? Do you think it'll handle the tasks of my other two KaBar well enough so as to bring only one knife every time I am in the woods?
Will it hold up to heavy chopping, batoning, prying, and able to di finer work?
I am all ears, every input and opinion is higly appreciated. Thanks! :thumbup:
 
You might not be able to add 1/4lb of zip ties to it.:D

I have a BK7 and it's one of my favorite big knives. I've handled the 9 and I like it a lot, so much so that I will be getting one before the end of the year.
 
I own a BK-9 and while it is an excellent large 'bush knife', I have little use for one. I think if I need a knife that big, I'd opt for a machete instead. The BK-5 is a more interesting design than the 9, imo.

My favourite fixed blade for outdoor use is a little ESEE Izula 2.

-Brett
 
I always have more than one knife in the woods. Always.

The BK-9 is a great chopper. I don't own one. I use the short Condor machetes (Village Parang and Pack Golok) for basic chopping. One knife option with the BK-9 is reasonable, but I would much prefer doing the more detailed cutting with a smaller knife regardless of whether it is possible with the BK-9.

For me with a two blade approach, I go two routes or variations of two approaches depending on what I am hoping or likely to do. (1) Larger blade than the BK-9 for chopping, and a smaller knife for more detailed cutting. That would usually be a SAK or traditional for me. (2) Medium large blade up to 7" like the BK-7 where I really don't have any cutting objectives (but will be cutting, not skinning or hunting), but I want a larger knife with me and will take along the folder in my pocket. (3) Not likely to be doing much cutting in the woods and I'll take a 5-6" fixed blade and a folder. This is my normal approach. If at the last minute I think I will be chopping, I may just add the short machete chopper rather than make do with the BK-7. That's three knives..... 5-6" fixed blades carry nicely in a belt sheath. The BK-7 carries okay, but most of my cutting is smaller kinds of things.

People say that the BK-9 carries nicely and is easy to use for smaller tasks. I view it pretty much as a chopper. But it is a good affordable 9" knife with good strength and ergos.
 
The BK9 sells itself. Good chopper and surprisingly knife like when it comes to finer tasks.

I am not a big knife kind of guy, but I love my BK9.
 
I don't chop things in the woods when camping and prefer a machete for yard work brush cutting, but the BK9 is a nice knife. :thumbup:

I like the handles on the Becker better than those KaBars, but no, it probably won't cut and chop significantly better (or worse).
 
I use my BK9 all the time when camping. It is a good chopper, but its not going to keep up with the parangatang, just to keep your expectations in check. But anything up to about mid calf size (4-6in) is doable fairly quickly. Anything past that and its going to take a lot more effort.

I typically use a folding saw to cut most things at camp, and then use the BK9 as my "camp knife". This means it splits the piece of wood or two I need for kindling, gets limbs out of the way, makes tent stakes, etc. It is nice to know that if the saw broke, I'd still be able to process decent sized firewood, but in reality I'm not worried about that. This also means that I don't chop much with it anymore, unless I'm out wandering around camp and find a limb down, etc while the saw is farther away.

The main "selling points" of the BK9 in my opinion are these:

* Excellent handle ergonomics. I personally find that Becker handles are among the most comfortable out there. I did add handle liners to give the grip more girth, which made it even more comfortable for MY hand.
* It really does "feel" pretty small for a large knife. I have no problems doing most smaller knife tasks with mine.
* Great value.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

I doubt you'd be disappointed. Although, I might be a fanboy ;).
 
Will a BK9 handle the chores of your KaBar Potbelly and Parangatang? I don't have either of those two; so I can't give you a definite answer. I have a Condor Parang, and I would rather use the BK9 for any task. I wouldn't want to chop down something more than 6" thick with it - I have axes for that - but I have taken down 4-5" diameter trees with it, just because I wanted them gone. It won't handle light-medium work as easily as a good machete; but it's an entirely different animal, so that isn't really an apt comparison. (Or maybe it's just that I've never used a machete under 18 inches?) I've got a Cold Steel Magnum Kukri Machete (okay, that's 17"; but it isn't really a machete, in my mind) that would probably out chop the BK9...but it has a marked size advantage.
Do you need one? Probably not. But how many of your other choppers, machetes, axes, or knives did you actually need. Give it a try - you might find that you like it. If not, I'm sure it wouldn't last too long on the Exchange if your price is reasonable.
 
The parangatang is chopping monster, but that's about the only thing I'd be comfortable using it for. The BK-9 is a bit more versatile, if a bit less choppy. Also more versatile than the potbelly. But I'd still pair it with something in the 2.5"-4" range. The grip on the 9 beats the JAB grip on the other two for chopping, IMO.

oh well, you caught some fanboys anyway. ;)
 
I love the bk9, it chops better than my kukri. I'm running a 15 dps edge on mine and it's holding up great.



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I don't have to "sell you" on the bk9. The bk9 sells itself with its reputation! Only way to really find out is ta go buy one!
 
Just came in from a little chopping session. I'll post up some pics after downloading them, but I was using an RTAK II, TOPS Machete .230, Junglas, Condor Boomslang, BK-1 (da Brute), BK-4 and a BK-9 - which was the very first big knife and first Becker I ever bought. I have used the Parangatang and the Potbelly as well....I'm not a huge fan of the JAB handles, but as daizee said, that Parangatang is a beast of a chopper. I had not used my 9 in a while, and I forgot how big a sweet spot it has, and how light it is in comparison to how hard it hits. Don't get me wrong, my favorite of the bunch is the Junglas (I know, heresy) but the 9 is a pretty close second as a pure chopper. It is capable of finer tasks, but I'd still pair it with a smaller blade (presently it's set up with a BK-16 riding piggyback). For a one knife setup (like that would EVER happen) I think the BK-4 is the most versatile of the bunch.

I don't consider myself to be any kind of expert on choppers (or knives in general, FTM), but the 9 at that price is a great deal, and I've no doubt you'd have no trouble unloading it if you found it didn't suit you. But I think if you use it a bit, you might find it suits you just fine.
 
I think the BK9 beats the parangatang or potbelly for sexiness, and the only thing the Parangatang does better is chopping, plus the BK9 has much better handles. Once you own one, you see why you should own one.
 
A couple pics as promised:

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Will the 9 feather? Yes, it will - even in hardwood...

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This was a one hit chop - granted, it's pretty well dried (and a little rotted) "hero" wood (because it makes you look like a hero when you chop a 2" branch in half with one hit) - but still, the 9 is a decent chopper:

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Of course, all the others were pretty good choppers, too, but the only one that comes close (IMO) in price/comfort/value is the Boomslang; the BK-9 has a MUCH more durable steel and holds an edge better. I also feel the 9 has a more versatile and user friendly blade profile - it's easier to do the finer stuff with it. The RTAK II might be a contender but for the size and shape of the grips, which would have to be altered substantially for me to be comfortable using it - though the Micarta is a nice touch on a knife in its price range.

Just get the 9. It's a great woods tool and is lighter and more versatile than the Parangatang, while still chopping and batoning decently.
 
My current Bushcraft setup is a BK9 and a BK16 ....the 9 handles anything but the finest carving tasks, and the 16 excels at those, the pair were almost made to go hand in hand and be the perfect pair for woods work.....if I had the ability to make any changes to anything it would be to make the 9 0.25 stock like the BK2 and give it a drop point like is on the BK16 so it didn't chew up my batons quite as badly as it currently does with the swedge.....

Those changes would IMHO make it the perfect pair, but as is.... the 9 is as close as I've seen to perfect in its price range.... I could get exactly what I want from a Busse at 5x the cost, but theres not enough performance difference between them to justify that cost, and I'd have to do without that Becker designed handle....so it still wouldn't be perfect....
 
There is no "Selling a person on a 9" Either you get it or you don't. All we can do, is push you to buy it faster:D
 
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