which one

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
5,944
would you take for a trek in the woods

BK-7
rat-7
cs recon scout

these all have similar dimensions... and are of a size I'm gravitating too lately. just thought I'd collect your thoughts.
 
Of the three mentioned BK-7. Why? Because Ethan is a cool guy and I trust his knives. He has his own subforum on BF and that makes him okay in my books.

As for the other two, well, you might get a good one. The Ontario Rat's have their political baggage and flaky coatings. The CS recon scout has that stupid kraton grip that almost everyone complains about. At 5/16" thick it wouldn't exactly be a cutter and yet despite its gorilla thickness, they still seem to snap in half at the handles.

The Beckman has good reviews on both handle ergonomics and toughness. Similar thickness as the Ontario Rat at 3/16" which at this blade length is a good compromise between heft and cutting ability.

I'd go with the Becker!
 
Those knives are all so close in performance, I'd go with the one that carries best, which is likely the Recon Scout with its concealex sheath. All of those knives are plenty tough. For a short trek, I'd just carry a good folder or a smaller fixed blade, but I don't know how far you are going or how long you may be in the woods. All of those 7.5" blade knives are big enough to do light chopping, if you think you will be doing any of that.
 
kgd said:
Of the three mentioned BK-7. Why? Because Ethan is a cool guy and I trust his knives. He has his own subforum on BF and that makes him okay in my books.

As for the other two, well, you might get a good one. The Ontario Rat's have their political baggage and flaky coatings. The CS recon scout has that stupid kraton grip that almost everyone complains about. At 5/16" thick it wouldn't exactly be a cutter and yet despite its gorilla thickness, they still seem to snap in half at the handles.

The Beckman has good reviews on both handle ergonomics and toughness. Similar thickness as the Ontario Rat at 3/16" which at this blade length is a good compromise between heft and cutting ability.

I'd go with the Becker!
Click to expand...

I can't argue with anything here:thumbup:
 
Interesting post, John. I have been watching a lot of youtube videos featuring larger knives being put to the chopping test. The rat was featured in one and it performed well. I will have to look to see about the others. I don't own anything by Cold Steel, but I do own 2 of beckers smaller knives and the are high performers for low cost. I thought about getting a BK7 myself next year, but have changed my mind to a leuku from ragnar's site.I am back in the hunt for a dedicated chopper that can be a draw knife, camp knife, lifesaver.
 
Of the knives you mentioned, I like the BK-7. Personally, I tend to carry a Fallkniven f1 as a sheath knife, and a larger blade in my pack.
 
Rescue,

Right now I carry a F-1 and an Outcast in my pack but I am thinking about the one knife thing again. So I am considering either a BlackJack Quick or if I get some $ a Fallkniven A-1. Still in the thinking stages.
 
Last edited:
But as far as your choices go, I would chose the RAT. After over a decade of being a Cold steel user and then owning a Fallkniven, CS lacks on solidness. The RAT would be a true full tang thus more substantial.
 
kgd said:
Of the three mentioned BK-7. Why? Because Ethan is a cool guy and I trust his knives. He has his own subforum on BF and that makes him okay in my books.

As for the other two, well, you might get a good one. The Ontario Rat's have their political baggage and flaky coatings. The CS recon scout has that stupid kraton grip that almost everyone complains about. At 5/16" thick it wouldn't exactly be a cutter and yet despite its gorilla thickness, they still seem to snap in half at the handles.

The Beckman has good reviews on both handle ergonomics and toughness. Similar thickness as the Ontario Rat at 3/16" which at this blade length is a good compromise between heft and cutting ability.

I'd go with the Becker!
Click to expand...


Where are all the folding ColdSteel Recon Scouts? I have to say that I dont agree with that statement at all. The Recon Scout is just as tough as the other 2, and all are simlar in usefulness. The 5/16" Spine is great once you look at the fact that the knife is flat ground..so the edge is actually just as fine, if not FINER than the Becker.
I love Beckers and Ontarios..but I feel that ColdSteel is overlooked, considering the Recon Scout is only $80 on the net.
I vote you carry whatever one you like. I would carry the Recon Scout..I dont care about politics when it comes to the knives I carry..I have owned all 3..and I still have the Recon Scout..Gene

EDIT: I would add that my opinion in no way is intended to imply that I dont like the others 2 knives..they just didnt "do it" for me. To each his own. Gene
 
Last edited:
gunknifenut said:
Where are all the folding ColdSteel Recon Scouts? I have to say that I dont agree with that statement at all.
Click to expand...

Hey Gene, I'm the last person to try and start an argument on this. This is the thread that sparked my comment.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=328256

Below is one of the posts from that thread. One of the broken scouts being referred to is the rather infamous Cliff Stamp review, which you can take or leave.

Greg Covington said:
This is the 3rd time I have seen/heard of this happening with the Scout.

You have to assume it will happen with the Trailmaster series too.

I have dissected these knives and rehandled them on several occassions. The possibility of heat risers during heat treat exist since the shoulder to tang angle is very acute. I always drew them back with a torch in this area to bring them down to a spring temper.

This is a type of failure you rarely, if ever, see with a differentially heat treated blade.
Click to expand...

For most knife tasks either of the three will likely be great. My money is still on the Becker. I would have bought one had I not opted for a scrapyard SOD. One of these days I will go for the BK-9.
 
The CS has my favorite grip and I have never been able to hurt one of them. I liked all of the BK's that I have used and I could care less about knife politics so I could just draw the name of one and go with which ever.:) That said, I would opt for a much smaller lighter knife for a short trek and for a longer stay I would probably use the 12 inch Tram.
 
I'd take the Recon Scout. I have used mine for a long time, and it has never failed me. I wouldn't take a RAT 7 because of the political backings behind it. The BK 7 never appealed to me.
 
kgd said:
Hey Gene, I'm the last person to try and start an argument on this. This is the thread that sparked my comment.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=328256

Below is one of the posts from that thread. One of the broken scouts being referred to is the rather infamous Cliff Stamp review, which you can take or leave.



For most knife tasks either of the three will likely be great. My money is still on the Becker. I would have bought one had I not opted for a scrapyard SOD. One of these days I will go for the BK-9.
Click to expand...


I have no doubt that one or 2 has broken...there has been many more of the Scouts and Trailmasters manufactured than all the other knives discussed here combined. You are bound to get a few bad seeds.
I would say that my second choice is the Becker..I like the RAT as well, but the beckers handle is a bit more to my liking. I really like the BK9, now there is a great chopper.
If you saw my rehandled Trailmaster..I could agree about the handles..but I dont really have a problem with the ColdSteel handle wiggle..it doesnt bother me..but having the rehandled trailmaster..I admit, a rehandled ReconScout would be awesome.
Overall, I think that John is splitting hairs between the 3 in the post..they are all solid 7" blades. If I was gonna go outside this 3..I really like my Fallkniven A2..thats a really awesome performer..or the BRKT Rouge Bowie also comes to mind. Infact, the Rogue has classic lines, and a fantastic convex grind. Gene
 
TheGame said:
I'd take the Recon Scout. I have used mine for a long time, and it has never failed me. I wouldn't take a RAT 7 because of the political backings behind it. The BK 7 never appealed to me.
Click to expand...

Not to get anymore annoying than I am already:eek:..there is probubly way more to discuss about CS than RAT..thats why I like just dealing with the knives and not who makes them. ;)
 
gunknifenut said:
Overall, I think that John is splitting hairs between the 3 in the post..they are all solid 7" blades. If I was gonna go outside this 3..I really like my Fallkniven A2..thats a really awesome performer..or the BRKT Rouge Bowie also comes to mind. Infact, the Rogue has classic lines, and a fantastic convex grind. Gene
Click to expand...

Hey Gene agreed on all those points. I never find your posts annoying and we are all here to discuss things and differences in opinion are what make this place lively and fun.

Really the challenge of the OP was the very fact the three knives are so similar in many respects. All three would work. I also completely agree on the alternatives you mentioned above. They cost between 200 and 300% more and their additional value depends on even more obscure things like fit and finish and preference in steel type.

A bit off topic, but there were a couple of posts in this thread that made the statement that individuals don't care about the politics. I certainly understand that this could be the case for some people, but it is completely opposite for me. The manner in which a company behaves in public and private, how they present themselves in places like Blade Forums, their customer service and access to customer service and even their ethical stand point on certain issues are very important things to me. These factors don't trump all the qualities of a knife. I.e. I'm not going to buy a rusty tuna can lid with a handle on it from Mother Theresa for the sake of moral considerations. However, when three knives are of almost equal specs with only minor differences in style, materials and price point, I will go with the moral card as a tipping factor every time. :):):)

Edited to add: Gene - those re-handled CS knives you recently posted look awesome and really have a lot of character. My comments in this thread speak nothing of the knives you had re-engineered. I think they look great and probably at a bargain!
 
Last edited:


I'd get JK, Bryan, Scott, Dan, Doug, Bill, or Christof to make a 7" knife for you. Just the way you want it. Why go to a production knife when we have some serious talent right here? :o

I keep thinking about a 7" Peacemaker from Breeden knives or a big Leuku from Koyote. This is has to be one of the best times in history for those who like and use knives. :)


 
Rotte said:


I'd get JK, Bryan, Scott, Dan, Doug, Bill, or Christof to make a 7" knife for you. Just the way you want it. Why go to a production knife when we have some serious talent right here? :o
Click to expand...

Don't forget Nick ;)
 
I'd also take a look at the Scrapyard SOD's when they start coming up on the secondary market !!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top