The Kabar "unicorn" of BK2s

TheJeepster said:
Maybe it broke because of all those holes in the tang.
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This was my thought when the first thread was started. The Esee knives I've had or still have don't have cut outs in the handles. I've never seen an Esee break right there. Heck, my Junglas just spent two days processing a wet weekends worth of campfire wood without any issue. I thought about a bk2 after I sold my first Esee 5. Glad I didn't go that way. Got another 5.
 
I think the Laser Strike is the only full-size ESEE with cutout handles (because there is a fire starter in there)
 
jeepnjg said:
About the coating kerfuffle...
Below are pictures of my Ontario Gen 2 SP43. Low and behold, I killed it on a pine knot. (yes, yes, I am the common denominator here!) I sent this back to Ontario, and Dan Maragni (via the customer service rep) told me it bent because I removed the coating... That made NO sense, but it wasn't worth arguing over. I told them there was no way I wanted that knife again, and they let me pay the difference to upgrade to a RAT 7. BTW, the RAT 7 has done an AWESOME job taking care of splitting wood for our backyard fires/cookouts.

The Damage
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IMG_20140504_184924505_zpsa82bbc9d.jpg


The Workload
IMG_20140504_185514076_zps0f9a3578.jpg


The Culprit!!!
IMG_20140504_185627952_zps42f120b1.jpg


Just felt like sharing with you guys!
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The guy actually told you it bent because the coating had been taken off???!!

What a load of manure.
 
I have run my bk2 through it's paces with no issues.

This was from one day while campin this weekend.


My bk2 processed his much wood or more for three days in a row with no issues. I wouldn't not trust it. And I would not think it is inferior to the esee 5.
 
@Gizler00 That is an impressive amount of wood. What is that hot little number to the right of the BK2?

I will have to bust through at least that much wood to be able to trust the BK2 again. I WANT to trust the knife. I stripped it, polished it, looked at new grips, and was even scoping nice sheaths for it on Ebay. It was going to be my go-to knife. Interestingly enough, the only knife that I have beat the snot out of and didn't even hear a whimper from was my Ontario Afghan Bush. I was amazed that it whooped my BK2 in toughness.
 
Do the Camillus BK2 knives have the same skeletal handle?

I've got a BK2, but I don't recall if it's Camillus or Ka-Bar.
 
Gizler00 said:
I have run my bk2 through it's paces with no issues.

This was from one day while campin this weekend.


My bk2 processed his much wood or more for three days in a row with no issues. I wouldn't not trust it. And I would not think it is inferior to the esee 5.
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Would you feel the same way out in an isolated location, without the axe, hatchet, additional knife back up ? I used to feel the same way and yodeled from the mountain tops in praise of the 2. But The cut out versions are popping up with broken backs now and then. I bought the knife to be a trusted stand alone when I don't want to hump an axe or whatever. Empirical evidence trumps passion.
 
I beat the crap outta my BK2 and never had any problems. (Except that it's a jack of all trades, master of none)

2-3 broken knives out of thousands is no reason to go throw your trainwreckers in the trash guys, trust me.

If you don't trust it, go beat on it till you do.
 
The BK2 has always been on my want list. Beast of a blade but wouldn't it be smarter to avoid skeltonizing the tang? I wouldn't mind the extra ounce of weight for added power.
 
upnorth said:
Would you feel the same way out in an isolated location, without the axe, hatchet, additional knife back up ? I used to feel the same way and yodeled from the mountain tops in praise of the 2. But The cut out versions are popping up with broken backs now and then. I bought the knife to be a trusted stand alone when I don't want to hump an axe or whatever. Empirical evidence trumps passion.
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Yes.

You guys, skeletonized tangs do not make a knife weaker. This is resultant of a micro crack in the steel growing with abuse. Yes, you abuse your knives; get over it.

Maybe it happened at the factory making the cutouts, maybe it happened at some point while wailing away at it dern bludgeoning instrument beating it through knotted wood. Idk.

But it's not like they're punching holes in hardened steel kabar. Manufacturing flaws occur in all product. At least one non skeletonized model has broken and I Doubt that was manufacturing.
 
AntDog said:
I beat the crap outta my BK2 and never had any problems. (Except that it's a jack of all trades, master of none)

2-3 broken knives out of thousands is no reason to go throw your trainwreckers in the trash guys, trust me.

If you don't trust it, go beat on it till you do.
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I still remember your post about bouncing around in the trees with a BK2. :P
 
stvpourciau said:
Yes.

You guys, skeletonized tangs do not make a knife weaker. This is resultant of a micro crack in the steel growing with abuse. Yes, you abuse your knives; get over it.

Maybe it happened at the factory making the cutouts, maybe it happened at some point while wailing away at it dern bludgeoning instrument beating it through knotted wood. Idk.

But it's not like they're punching holes in hardened steel kabar. Manufacturing flaws occur in all product. At least one non skeletonized model has broken and I Doubt that was manufacturing.
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This is a contradiction. In my mind, the more you mess with the tang the more chance there is for an error or weak point. Now, this isn't to say knives with a skeletonized tang can't be great. They can. I love my Bravo 1 which has a skeletonized tang. But the BK 2 and the Esee 5 a supposed to be these indestructible tank knives. But one has big holes cut out of the tang. That doesn't say tank of a knife to me.

But Antdog is correct. A couple of bad eggs a bad knife does not make! It is probably fine. Just not for me personally. And like was pointed out before, if you are worried about your BK 2, go buy a bunch of wood and beat the crap out of it. You will most likely be satisfied when it doesn't break.
 
Wow. That's not a good way to skeletonize a knife. It puts the weakest point at the very center, which also happens to be where the greatest amount of force can be applied, due to the lever effect. You can see the result.
 
jeepnjg said:
@bladeite that's actually not the first time I've heard nor to strip coatings. Do you have any explanation as to how paint or powder coat, or rhino lining (or whatever that stuff is on the bk2) strengthens the metal? My knee jerk reaction is that if a blade needs a paint job to hold it together, then that's not a blade I want in my collection. What am i missing there?
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Sorta like removing the tag from a mattress. ;)
 
I agree, there is a margin for error the more you cut on steel but it's not hardened yet so the odds of cracking are lower. Right? I have no proof for that statement.

My bk2 does not have the cutouts there are still ample places for factory error to occur.
 
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