Which manufacturer produces higher quality BK&Ts? Camillus or KA-BAR?

Arkanian

Arkanian

Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
1,558
Good afternoon everyone,

Which company has the better quality BKs? I want to make sure I am buying quality blades. As you will read on, I'm having quality control issues with either the knives and/or the sellers. Where can I buy from and trust that the product is indeed new?

I purchased a Camillus BK2 from ebay advertised as "MINT" which I am in the painful process of trying to return because the spine is missing a chunk near the end of the tang, the tang is deformed at the end, the grind is inconsistent and the blade looks like it was sprayed with Krylon to make it look new (but CLEARLY is not).

I purchased a Camillus BK9 from Amazon (advertised as Camillus) however I received a KA-BAR and am in the process of returning it because the price I paid is higher than what a new KA-BAR BK9 costs.

I purchased a KA-BAR BK7 from Amazon advertised as "NEW/UNUSED" which I have already returned and am awaiting a replacement because both the handle and the blade were touched up with a sharpie and the grind on the blade is very inconsistent.

I purchased a KA-BAR BK2 from Amazon for my wife which hasn't arrived yet.

Overall as you can tell I've been extremely unlucky in trying to obtain nice quality new knives. Since I'm on a quest to buy quality, I'd like to know which manufacturer I should be trying for.

Thanks for reading.
 
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Camillus is know longer made.

I try to stay away from amazon, I have had a few problems with them also.

I use companys like, The Knife Connection, Tomars, Knivesshipfree, Knifecenter and rocky national.....there are also a few other that I forgot to name

Good luck, sounds like you have had some bad luck.....
 
Hey man, sorry about your troubles. Welcome to Bladeforums (if I haven't already said that to you).
I hope you soon find some Beckers that suit you so you can stick around and shoot the breeze about them.

Here's what I can say, having seen both brands. If you want cleaner looking knives, then Ka-Bar is your ticket.
Some of the knives that came out of Camillus had more of the inconsistencies that bother you.
In fact, years ago, I asked Tom at Chestnut Ridge to hand pick the Camillus knife below because I wanted a project knife to polish up.
While I never got around to much polishing (instead choosing just to strip and beat the heck out of the knife :D), he did pick me out a nice specimen without as many little indentations and such in/around the tang.

However, the BK9 I recently received, a Ka-Bar knife, has a great finish and grind. So too did the Ka-Bar BK11 and the EsKabar I bought a little while back.
Once you've settled all your issues with the vendors mentioned above, my advice is to buy Ka-Bar from a reputable dealer of Becker knives.
You might save a few bucks at Amazon, but you're probably better off getting the kind of service that comes with a dedicated dealer.

I hope that BK2 that's on its way is fine so you can get out there and start using it!


P1010581.jpg
 
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There's a bunch of vendors I've used who've done good by me. Got a BK 14 from Rocky National, BK 9 from Chestnut Ridge, BK 11 from Tomars KA Bars and I've gotten a Bk 2 , (2) Bk 11's, from Poor_Fish on Ebay. Post up pictures of the damages and deformities.
 
Thanks for the great information. At this point I don't even care about paying a "reasonable" price, I just want to make sure I am buying the best I can right now. I know knives are supposed to be used etc.. but when I first acquire it, I'd like to admire the sheer untouched beauty of it THEN be the person who uses it and can appreciate the memories of each use.
 
Arkanian said:
Thanks for the great information. At this point I don't even care about paying a "reasonable" price, I just want to make sure I am buying the best I can right now. I know knives are supposed to be used etc.. but when I first acquire it, I'd like to admire the sheer untouched beauty of it THEN be the person who uses it and can appreciate the memories of each use.
Click to expand...

I totally get it, man. Just today, I had to choose between a (very slightly) used Gen 2 BK2 and a new one.
I quickly made the call that I want to be the one to put all the dings on the knife.
I can vouch for all the vendors mentioned so far except for Poor_Fish on eBay. Never bought anything from him.
 
I got my BK2 from Chestnut Ridge, it's the black micarta version, they make the scales.
I like it, but if I look at it with a fine tooth comb, I can find minor flaws. The pommel didn't get a full coating, there is a small ding here and there, and there was a place on the blade that looked like it was hit with a needle.
Point is, for the price, you are not buying an art piece. They are user knives, the quality is in the metal, heat treat, grind, edge, handle.
As long as the grind is good, edge is even and sharp, just roll with it. Use the knife, as you would a pair of work boots. If you're worried about scuffs, get a Busse and put it in the safe.
I have knives that I haven't used, but Beckers and Ka-Bars aren't made for looking at.
 
foxx said:
I got my BK2 from Chestnut Ridge, it's the black micarta version, they make the scales.
I like it, but if I look at it with a fine tooth comb, I can find minor flaws. The pommel didn't get a full coating, there is a small ding here and there, and there was a place on the blade that looked like it was hit with a needle.
Point is, for the price, you are not buying an art piece. They are user knives, the quality is in the metal, heat treat, grind, edge, handle.
As long as the grind is good, edge is even and sharp, just roll with it. Use the knife, as you would a pair of work boots. If you're worried about scuffs, get a Busse and put it in the safe.
I have knives that I haven't used, but Beckers and Ka-Bars aren't made for looking at.
Click to expand...

I completely agree, but I'd like to put it on a pedestal and admire first, then scruff em up.
 
Whatever you get, get a Kabar. The Camillus's I had, were perfect, no issues, no problems. I can say that so far, every Kabar BKT that I have seen, heard, or owned, is either perfect, or replaced by Kabar immediately. Even some knives that have been abused, have been replaced.

I do believe that Toooj's kitchen is cooking better BKT's than ever before. Tougher, sharper, and better QC.

Stick with Kabar, you'll get a great knife, or Toooj will take good care of you.

Moose
 
Yep, I've had some issues with Chestnut as well. Don't want to go into it, but totally agree with what is shown "in stock" is inaccurate, got hosed on this on three occations.

Three strikes and yer.....

Vin
 
Arkanian said:
Good afternoon everyone,

Which company has the better quality BKs? I want to make sure I am buying the better quality blades. As you will read on, I'm having quality control issues with either the knives and/or the sellers. Where should I be buying from that I will trust is new product?

I purchased a Camillus BK2 from ebay advertised as "MINT" which I am in the painful process of trying to return because the spine is missing a chunk near the end of the tang, the tang is deformed at the end, the grind is inconsistent and the blade looks like it was sprayed with Krylon to make it look new (but CLEARLY is not).

I purchased a Camillus BK9 from Amazon advertised as a Camillus, however I received a Ka-Bar and am in the process of returning because I don't believe the price paid is what a new Ka-Bar BK9 costs.

I purchased a Ka-Bar BK7 from Amazon advertised as "NEW/UNUSED" which I have already returned and am awaiting a replacement because both the handle and the blade were touched up with a sharpie and the grind on the blade is inconsistent.

I purchased a Ka-Bar BK2 from Amazon for my wife which hasn't arrived yet.

Overall as you can tell I've been extremely unlucky in trying to obtain nice quality new knives. Since I'm on a quest to buy quality, I'd like to know which manufacturer I should be trying for.

Thanks for reading.
Click to expand...

Are you purchasing this stuff from Amazon or one of their "featured merchants" ?
I got my BK2 from Amazon (not a featured merchant) and it was brand new without defects and also the best price at time I could find. If you have problems with Amazon they are pretty good about resolving it.
 
cccpull said:
Are you purchasing this stuff from Amazon or one of their "featured merchants" ?
I got my BK2 from Amazon (not a featured merchant) and it was brand new without defects and also the best price at time I could find. If you have problems with Amazon they are pretty good about resolving it.
Click to expand...

Thankfully the BK2 I purchased for my wife (which hasn't arrived yet) is from "Amazon," whereas the BK7 and BK9 from Amazon were from 2 different merchants on Amazon. I say thankfully because it sounds like it may be the only one I ordered that will arrive without major defect. I wish I had come to bladeforums before purchasing everything because it would have saved me time, money and grief! You guys are OK in my book! :thumbup:
 
Guys, I can appreciate everyone wanting to give a heads up about CRKS, but issues with CRKS, need to be taken to the Exchange. No more posting of problems with dealers in the discussion threads. Save that for the Exchange, which is where this should be, if you haven't posted there already. I don't want this turning into a bash thread, and if anyone else posts about issues with a dealer in this thread, I'll move it to Good, Bad, and the Ugly. Thanks guys.

Moose
 
cccpull said:
Are you purchasing this stuff from Amazon or one of their "featured merchants" ?
I got my BK2 from Amazon (not a featured merchant) and it was brand new without defects and also the best price at time I could find. If you have problems with Amazon they are pretty good about resolving it.
Click to expand...

right, if you don't order from amazon DIRECTLY, you're getting a 3rd party merchant who could be anybody from a legit company, to a shell company selling stuff that fell off a truck, or some kid in TN who has access to a bunch of Beckers in the garage that his Daddy won't miss ;) except Daddy has used them a fair bit already ;)

if you have amazon prime shipping, ordering big heavy things becomes all too soon a habit ;)
 
I bought a 2 and an 11 direct from Amazon, shipping was super fast and knives were new and good to go. I have no issues or concern with Amazon. Midwayusa is also a great company, but not lowest on knives.
 
I always just assumed that since it was "Amazon" it was going to be reputable, what I didn't notice was the orders stated they were going to be fulfilled by different companies. As I said, thankfully my wife's BK2 is from Amazon direct. Once I get all these returns worked out, I'm going to pay a visit to Tomar's and basically have a blast.
 
Short of going to a brick and mortar and pulling a Moose (have them lay out ten of what you want for your inspection so you can pick the best one) then you are really SOL. If you are pretty picky (not that it is a bad thing mind you) then about the only real solution is seeing it firsthand at the time of purchase. You will more than likely pay more, but B&M stores have higher overhead, so they gotta make that up somewhere, and the ability to see what you want firsthand before you buy is a pretty big draw I think.

We have all had some troubles out of pretty much everywhere at one time or another, but at the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference, and unless you are the one physically doing the picking, you may have a pretty hard time being satisfied.

Where are you located?
 
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