I must say, I subscribed to your channel because of the quality of the production as well as the choice of gear but I wasn't totally impressed with the commentary and your sharing of thoughts. Now after having done quite a few of them, I believe you are steadily learning/evolving and certainly getting better at it,. being more comfortable now. More power to you then!
KBar should lower the price on the "16"....maybe 59.99 or so,80 bucks is over the line,you can get a rat 7 for the same price with canvas Micarda,same steel,a nice choir,6 3/4 edge and shave sharp,go with the Ontario...,more bang, better handle,same steel,longer blade.
I agree with you. this blade is a diamond in the rough. I got mine 4 days ago, and after some work, I prefer it over my ESEE 4. The handle shape just kills! I like that it is thinner than the ESEE 4, and lighter. Stripped mine, put a convex edge on it, and a patina. Becker Micarta scales ordered, and on their way, (A bit pricey, those scales), but to me, worth it. This is my new "general go to, all around" blade. But they do need work.
I'm all for carrying more than one blade. I always have a multitool regardless of what/how many knives I carry. If you want a blade for larger work (wood processing), than a 4 inch blade definitely wouldn't be a first choice. A hatchet, ax, or a 7+ inch blade (something I would consider a chopper) would work much better. -Krik
I think if you combined the BK 16 with a hatchet and small stainless folder or multitool, you would be set. Everyone loves these huge knives but they don't process wood as good as a $25 hatchet.
For those Becker handles, hit it with a hand grinder or file. Perhaps reshape it a bit to fit your hand, and then smooth the subsequent rough surface with various sandpaper grits to get the surface you like. That's what I did with my BK7.
You're logic is sound. But I don't think it would be worth it to make the coating rough just for control on smaller pieces of wood. But honestly, I have no idea why the coating is coarse. Maybe that's what happens when you put a cheaper coating on a knife? If you talk to Ethan, let me know what he says. Heh. -Krik
*I can't stand knives that are painted with paint. A knife is not a fender in a car!!! There is no paint that can withstand a knife stabbing into wood.*
Your HD camera really shows up that coating well. I see what you mean by grippy, it looks rough as from here. Save up a little more for the Esee you reckon?
Overall, I like the Esee 4 better. Better scales, better coating, came factory sharp. The BK16 is cheaper. And it's definitely not a bad knife with a little bit of work (reprofile the edge, strip the coating). I know some people don't the like ergonomics of the Esee 4 handle. But I have no issue with it. As for the BK16's handle, I really like the ergonomics, but not the material, at all. Hope this helps. -Krik
A smaller knife is going to limit what you can do, as you probably already know. I will keep this in mind when we do the next Izula video and try to use different cuts and what not. -Krik
Randall's Adventure and Training (RAT) originally collaborated with Ontario to make the RAT series. Eventually they started to make their own knives (ESEE). Either way, The Ontario RAT series are great knives for the price. I believe Ontario still makes the RAT series, but it no longer stands for Randall's Adventure and Training. -Krik
Yea, we are from PA. The knife I would carry depends on my mood and the specific environment I'm traveling in. I've had plenty of fires where I never used a knife, hatchet, or ax. But, as of now, the ESEE 4 would be my go-to. Oh, and a organized backpacking trip isn't a bad idea at all. I'll give it a think -Krik
We have a review of the Izula. I do some cutting with it. We are going to do a follow up video to the Izula with new handle scales. What would you specifically want to see in the video? -Krik
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. And believe me, I am my biggest critic. If I could go back and redo all the videos, I certainly would! But as in life, we must move on. -Krik
Looks like a cool knife, though I kind of feel that a survival knife should have a mirror finish on the blade so you could use it as a signalling mirror in a pinch.
I dig it, and almost got it, but I did get the BK-15, and since I'm a 3 Knife man, I paired it off with the BK-5, and my neck knife is the BK-14, as far as the Grivory handle, you will see they are great, the feel is smooth, but I have no problems with my hands slipping on them, great stuff, my other set is the BK-2, the BK- 4 (machaxe ), and the BK-14, very happy with both sets. I did convexed both sets on my Tool Sharp Tool and Knife Sharpener , both sets are very sharp.
what knife? thanks~ and i watched the bear bag hanging vid... it was pretty cool one~ are you from PA? seems to me that you travel often in the PA... i'm in Western NJ... you should organize a backpacking trip with your subscribers... get together and hang around PA and western NJ.. thanks
Hi Krik, I did get the BK-16, since now I only carry a 2knife carry a saw and a hatchet, and a multi tool, I paired off my BK-9 with my BK-10, my BK-5, with the BK-15, my BK-7 with my BK-17, and the BK-2 with my BK-16, and I also have the BK-4 which sometimes I use it with my BK-15 because I like a choil and a trailing tip knife, Thanx for reminding me of my Becker's. Oh Yeah I also have two BK-14's in two different color slab's which actually add another demension to the BK-14, again Thanx.
thanks for the info. what do you think about carrying two knives system? one small fixed blade for the camp chores, such as cutting and food prepping and the other for the wood processing. i like how ESEE 4 looks and performs but i think it is a bit small to process woods. yeah~ the west coast youtubers get together and do backpacking trips. perhaps us east coast youtubers should show them what's up :). i do realize that the west coast has lot more to offer but we too have the great nature here.
thanks for the info. i think i'm going to buy me ESEE 4 for cutting tool and Buck Thug for the heavy duty tasks such as wood processing/batoning. i figured i need to have two knives to go out and play. Krik, what do you carry when you go out for... say 3 days of backpacking? and thanks for the videos once again. your videos quality is very good and the gears that you review is what i want to know about. keep up the good work and i hope ask you many more questions about gears. thanks again dude.
Thanks for the vid. I really dont get the comments on the camera work, I think its great and the quality of the HD(?) makes it a pleasure to watch...so clear. Subscribed and off to check out some of your other vids. cheers.
Nice review. The sheath is designed that way so that a tactical officer or soldier would not have to break down their duty belt to add the sheath. Just open and placer on. It's unlikely you would be removing it with any frequency so the velcro lasting wouldn't be an issue.
I EDC my BK-11, and my Ka-Bar USMc short and love them both so much. Definitely adding this to myu list for bushcrafting (for my staffmaking hobby and spear-making)
IMO you are putting WAY too much emphasis on the sharpness. Yes i agree it could be sharper but in the end this is something that you not only can do yourself, you will HAVE to do it anyway, sooner or later, especially if you use it for woodworking. So taking that as a key factor in rating the blade is really missing the point.
Is there a difference between Essee knives and Ontario's RAT knives? I only ask because I recently bought a RAT 7 for around $80 and seems to be pretty good.
I really like the quality of your video dude. It's clear as day. Good, honest review. I've been wanting to pick one up because I can't beat the price for a good field knife.
They used to make them in saber grind back when they were marked with a stamp. When Ka-Bar switched to laser engraving the markings on the Beckers, the designer decided to switch to full flat grind in the BK-16, at least it's what he said, the interview is somewhere on YT. Basically saber-ground BK-16s are the early production run.
Would this be a good defensive blade? Is the drop point good for penetrating? The blade shape on the Becker Eskabar isn't good for penetrating, so I was wondering if it was the same on this one.
REVIGOR Check out the Blackjack Tac Ops 4, it's my favorite EDC defensive knife and it comes with micarta handles and a kydex sheath, also comes hair shaving sharp out of the box, much better option in my opinion for EDC defensive knife.
The same brother. Work, camping, work. Lol but been messing around with leather & making knives. Im pretty set as far as tools go. So time to get some good steel instead of files & saw blades. But all is good buddy. I wld love to see some of your leather work.
