Bushcraft Devotions reviews the Kabar Becker BK9 - The Ultimate Bushcraft/Survival Knife Affiliate Link: amzn.to/3PQ27nF “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
I have had my BK9 for 10 years and I have beat the hell out of it and it's still a dam good blade. Shelters cleaning game from squirrels-Elk and not one issue.
I have the bk9, bk2 and two bk7's. I refuse to spend $50+ on different handles. You can by another knife for $50. Maybe you can call me cheap, but oh well. I worked hard for every dollar I ever made. Cool review.
Great informative review, I have one also the only thing I did with mine is I replaced the handles with brown micarta scales and replaced the hardware with stainless ones and I carry in the pouch a large Victorinox knife for other camping needs. I also own the BK7 BK2 and BK crewman.
That's gotta be in the top 3 1095 or high carbon large blades. Junglass, junglas 2, rtak 2 are also great but the bk9 to me batons better but chops about the same as junglas. For budget blade I'd get an Ontario sp5. I would prefer the bk9 to junglas or rtak 2. I put rtak 2 in 5160 slightly above the junglas but I love junglas 2
Yeah. This is my go-to in most cases. The sheath should be upgraded. I paint the handles green. Can't find green micarta handles. That sabre grind is superior for batoning and light chopping. Have the see 6 dark earth. Looks good but I trust the bk9 mire
Combat survival knife, yes. Bushcraft knife, no. A good bushcraft knife is a craft style blade that isn't neccesarily suited to hard battoning, although some blades do come close that can be beat on. The rough coating is simply bedliner, put on because it is cheap and the manufacturer can then skip a lot of polishing steps on the blade. It also retards the cutting ability and complicates sharpening as it mucks up your sharpening stones pretty quick. As a combat survival knife the BK 9 is hard to beat. As a bushcraft knife it is pretty terrible at carving a spoon or other camp crafts.
I highly recommend this knife. This beats the rtak 2 or sp5. The Sabre grind makes this a champion batoner. This is my go to. The bk 7 is my fave for mid size. The only complaint that's un fixable is there's no choil. The sheath sucks but you can get a kydex sheath. I got some micarta handles but prefer the plastic painted olive drab green
I have a love/hate for the BK9. I like the steel but I do not get why they skeletonized the handle. I actually sent kabar a message about making them with a full width non-skeletonized tang. You would think that it would actually be cheaper to manufacture by not removing material out of the handle. I have seen these break at the thin skeletonized part, that's why.. I don't know, it's a good blade but I wouldn't trust my life with it I guess. My other large blade is an Ontario RD9 with a non-skeletonized 1/4" stock.
I haven’t used the BK7. I would like to get one though. I think it would be a great knife, but the added weight and length of the BK9 is just better for large jobs. They would make a great combo!
3:42 "clip point with a flat grind .." Nope, not a flat grind, which is flat from edge to spine. This looks more like a sabre grind, or a very shallow hollow grind. I can't quite maker it out as there is no shine on the blade. 4:42 If they had wanted the knife blade heavy why not just use 1/4" stock? After all it's a pretty thin blade. 5:42 I've heard that the handle becomes very slippery when wet. That might be very irritating to some. 7:40 ".. if you had one tool .." OK, elephant in the room - why would ANYONE only have one tool with them out there? This is why I don't subscribe to the one-tool-option malarkey! There is absolutely NO reason at all why you should be in that situation without adequate cutting tools, unless you're a total dufus at planning and preparation! It's not a matter of whether a big knife like the BK-9 is better than a small knife like an ESEE 3/4. Why not both? Why not a saw as well? Having more, and more appropriate, tools means there is less wear and tear on each edge for the same work, and the last thing one wants to do is mess about with sharpening blades out in the wild. OK, so yeah one CAN do all those things you mention with the BK-9, no doubt. But, can you do them well, or easily or comfortably? No. It's not made for that. Why on earth chop your way through a 4" branch when a Silky folding saw will cut it through in minutes, with minimal effort and certainly no blisters. It's also light and very easy to carry, and will not need sharpening for many, many years! Now, I'm not saying that this is not a good knife. Sales of it say it is, and so do the testimonies of many users. What I am saying is that there are smarter ways of getting that work done, which may include the BK-9, where appropriate. I've developed the following guideline for a "Cutting" set-up as a basic starting point for planning outings. Working from this one can decide with confidence what the most appropriate load-out could be for THAT trip. The next one might be different, depending on many factors. Firstly, there are two main categories: Heavy carry - for when heavy wood processing is anticipated, one has a "home base" like a camp, or where not too much movement is anticipated. Then Light carry, where weight is one of the higher priorities to be considered, but some wood processing will be required. Heavy carry: Here one MUST have a saw! (This is not negotiable!) But no axe/hatchet. Large knife: this will be required for heavy work so a BK-9 would be good for that. [Personally I'd rather take my Cold Steel Trail Master (San Mai III version)] This I would probably attach to my pack where I can easily access it at all times. Belt/"bushcraft" knife: this would be for all those close-in jobs like csrving, feathersticking, notching, shaping, food prep, etc. (Victorinox Venture Pro is the knife I currently favour). Worn on my belt at all times. Multi-tool knife: here I'd take my venerable Victorinox Swiss Champ that I've had and used for decades! Light carry: Belt knife: for general camp chores and wood processing (light). [Cold Steel SRK (sabre grind, in CPM 3V) ] This I would wear on my belt at all times. Multi-tool knife: Victorinox Hercules (because the tools are a bit bigger and more robust and it has a decent size saw! Thus no need to carry a Silky, unless I anticipate a lot of wood processing, then I'd chuck in a Silky Pocketboy.) I would use this basis for deciding on each trip as part of the planning/prep phase. Note: For outdoors I do not advocate carrying/using hatchets or axes. They are too specialised and there are tools in the mix above that can be used with less energy expenditure, neater and faster, and much easier to carry. For example, splitting logs is much safer using wooden wedges one can cut with the saws and knives above. Axes are also dangerous. An injury involving an axe is usually quite serious and can easily be life-threatening, especially when used by those not used to them. Even experienced people get injured. Well, I rather went on a bit didn't I. Comments welcome. Cheers mate.
hey bro, new sub here , u.s. marine vet here 93' to 97' active ! , would love to talk more , but i am not on social media here at all, daily on my person e.d.c.'er with beastknife here , thanks n talk soon > tom !
