BK2 and Ontario RAK....Coworker says they are just for show and tell

W

wolverine_173

BANNED
Joined
Oct 21, 2013
Messages
708
I showed my bk2 and ontario RAK to a coworker and he told me they are just show off knives and not practical. Says you cant use them for processing game/fish or doing fine work...etc because they are too wide and thick

what do you think. Are these style of knives just for show and tell?
 
Well, while I don't think they are just for show your coworker is not wrong in that they aren't really ideal for processing game or fine work.

I'm not saying you can't do it, but their intended purpose (to me) seems to be wood/brush processing.

Edit: Read that as RTAK. The RAK doesn't look too big for game from pictures. Have you used it or the BK2 on game?
 
Last edited:
The BK-2 would work better for processing game and fish, I think, than the RAK (if I am thinking of the correct knives). But at the price point there are a lot of better knives for that specific purpose.
 
I agree they are not the best for it. But many say the bk2, ontario rd4/6, and RAK are great "survival knives" so while its not the best for processing game or fine work, if you can only have one knife, you would want it to be able to process wood as well.
 
what knife do you think is the ideal size and shape for processing game and wood?
 
Last edited:
Anyone who would think you can't achieve fine cutting tasks and process game with a BK2 apparently hasn't tried.
 
wolverine_173 said:
what knife do you think is the ideal size and shape for processing game?
Click to expand...
Depends on the game, but in general Schrade Sharp Fingers are popular, Spyderco Moran, Bark River Canadian Special, Drop Point hunter, and Fox River, Buck 110, Several Dozier blades, just to name a few off the top of my head. Just about any things around 4" (+/- Depending on the size of the game), thin stock/good edge geometry and good amount of belly.
 
It depends on the game. Usually @ a 2 - 3" blade for cleaning large game. A clip point or drop point works well. Skinning that same large game, a 5" skinner (@ .1" thick or less) works well. Taking large pieces of that game and making it into small pieces; a couple of butcher knives ?? 10" and 6" blades ??, a 6 or 7" boning knife, and a couple of paring knives (again less that .1" thick) will work well. As a do all, single knife, your BK-2 is OK. But it will take you longer and require more effort for each task. For smaller game go down in size (think paring knife for a rabbit).
 
So I was just handling the bk2 and rak tonight and they probably wont do very well with a deer or smaller animal like a rabbit.

I have a bk11 maybe that would work better. I have a mora companion and it works great but I want something more fancy, something my kids would want when im gone. something with micarta that can process game and wood if needed.
 
I have a BK2. It is a great blade for bushcrafting or heavy-duty work when camping. It is much larger than ideal for processing, skinning small game.

GL Drew is one maker that I would highly recommend. We have many good knifemakers to look at in that forum.

Note that the post from the fellow who said you NEED TWO knives to perform TWO different purposes. Well-stated.

Here are a couple of his fixed blades that I own. They run about $120 or so. Very impressive knives; exactly, IMO, what you are looking for in the use for dressing game. These are NOT heavy-duty enough for batoning wood or bushcrafting. The link gives you his contact info. You can do a Search for "drew" and find more of his work to look at.

easy to carry; excellent workmanship, nice jimping.
An easy-carry knife to carry with scabbard that can be worn left or right. The attached the belt loop is flat against the back of the scabbard so the knife can be carried easily in a day pack or in the back pocket.
Stock removal from 3/32 inch 52100 steel. Miked blade thickness is 0.106". (This is a sturdy blade)

Flat grind finished with a belt polish
bloodwood handle and buffalo horn handle shown in pics
Overall length: 7 inches
Blade: 3 inches
Leather scabbard with belt loop
easy to carry; excellent workmanship, nice jimping.




Here is a link to him on our Knifemakers Fixed Blade section:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1074241-52100-Slicer-((sold))

Very happy with this fellow's work.
 
Last edited:
1Hiker2 said:
Anyone who would think you can't achieve fine cutting tasks and process game with a BK2 apparently hasn't tried.
Click to expand...

Yes to this.

So, I was watching television and cleaning a couple of my knives awhile back, one of which was my BK2. I'd just gotten it, and it still had the factory edge. I was just wiping it down with a clean cloth and momentarily became fixated by something I was watching on TV. My hands had kept running down the blade, however. Then I felt a sting in my palm, and looked down to see that I'd sliced a small patch of skin out of my palm with the BK2, which I'd turned around in my hands so the edge was facing me for some stupid reason. This patch of skin was like, one layer thick, so thin it was see-through. There actually wasn't even any blood, that's how few layers of skin had been shaved off by the contact.

I would absolutely disagree that the BK2 is somehow incapable of fine cutting chores, as a result.
 
"My Coworker told me my knife is to wide and thick!" "Now I have to eat my squirrel with the skin on!"

:D

I've skinned and processed a squirrel with my BK9, I agree, it's not very practical for that task, but it did it! and both knives work extremely well for there intended purpose, that is, the BK2 is designed to be a solders do-all knife, including digging. The RAK would be a great fighting knife.

They're not designed to be hunting knives, or wood working knives. Moras and sharp-fingers work good for that.

:D
 
Oddly enough, I work in a sushi bar and the Japanese knives they use to break down the fish are thick little "hatchet knives" most similar in style to the bk2 With more of a Wharncliffe Style than the drop point.

So , not everybody has heard that they need a flexible European knife for filleting fish apparently..
 
1Hiker2 said:
Anyone who would think you can't achieve fine cutting tasks and process game with a BK2 apparently hasn't tried.
Click to expand...

+ 100 to this!
It's just a matter of knowing your tools,,maybe your coworker haven't handled a knife longer than 5 inches.
Here in my place, we can do fine cutting tasks with our bolos and machetes!
 
I think it depends on the skill of the user. Maybe your coworker is limited to what experience he has when it comes to processing game, and has never used anything like the BK2 or RAK.

Of course there may be a little bit of truth to it. In my case my BK9 gets carried more often than used, so often it's not seen in use.
 
The BK-2 has a nice thin bevel to it in spite of its thickness thanks to being so broad. It'll cut just fine. And to those who say you can't use it for fine work or processing game...I've dressed out meat rabbits with a 24" machete and have the video to prove it. While a BK-2 or the Ontario wouldn't be my first choice for the job, they'd do fine in a pinch. Literally in a pinch. Grab the spine.
 
I guess it really depends on what you use your knives for in terms of what is practical. You can do everything with the BK-2, but I would rather use a BK-16. It isn't a chopper, but in truth, how much chopping do you actually do with a knife? I would rather carry the BK-7 than the BK-4 for a woods knife where I could do some chopping if I chose to with it. The BK-9 gets most of the attention and people say that the BK-9 can do everything the BK-7 can and more. Well... I guess you just have to like carrying big blades and I consider the BK-7 leaning on the large size for me. I tend to pair a fixed blade with a folder for the woods.

I find that for a general purpose blade, something in the ~4" blade length works very well. I have been carrying sub-3" knives of late and have really liked them. But they aren't much good for chopping. Frankly, how often would I expect to chop with a knife that I wouldn't use a machete for the task? My chopper is a Condor Pack Golok or Village Parang. These are no small blades. Don't need anything else. Things move into the machete realm once chopping becomes a dominant task.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top