I'd like to get some opinions on the three knives; The Becker BK9, Kabar ZF War Sword and Kabar ZF Chopper. I'm not into the whole Zombie thing, but the price for performance ratio seems to be high on these ZF series. I like they come with black grips to replace the neon green ones. I don't like that the knife is made overseas, but given it's price point, it's hard to ignore for that reason.
I have been unemployed for 2 years now, so cash is tight. I have been doing a lot of backwoods hiking in my free time, and have come to the conclusion I need a big chopping knife for preparing firewood. I've been carrying a hatchet, but it's heavy and it seems to strike wood about 50% of my swings. (That's an exaggeration, but you know what I mean!)
I carry a Chris Reeve Shadow IV that I've had for several years. This will not change, it will handle everything but cutting wood, digging fire pits and basically being abused!
I had been wanting an Esee Junglas, but I can't justify spending over $150 at this point. Maybe someday if my employment status changes.
I've read all the reviews and seen all the videos on the BK9. I know what it's capable of. I know it's a quality knife. Not just for it's price, but overall, it's a great blade and should serve me well for the rest of my life. I like that.
I've seen a few reviews on the ZF War Sword. It seems to be a decent chopper as well. Not as good as the BK9, but it's also about 40% less than the BK9.
I have yet to see anyone actually chopping wood with the ZF Chopper. I'd like to get some more input on this blade.
So, given the three, my intended use and my situation, which do you think I should choose? I know it's easy to just say BK9 and forget about it. But these other 2 knives are throwing a serious monkeywrench in my decision making process. The $30-$40 saved is a half tank of gas in my truck or food for my dog. I can always upgrade to the BK9 or Junglas later and probably would, which would make the ZF knife good for throwing in the SHTF toolbox in the truck.
I have been unemployed for 2 years now, so cash is tight. I have been doing a lot of backwoods hiking in my free time, and have come to the conclusion I need a big chopping knife for preparing firewood. I've been carrying a hatchet, but it's heavy and it seems to strike wood about 50% of my swings. (That's an exaggeration, but you know what I mean!)
I carry a Chris Reeve Shadow IV that I've had for several years. This will not change, it will handle everything but cutting wood, digging fire pits and basically being abused!
I had been wanting an Esee Junglas, but I can't justify spending over $150 at this point. Maybe someday if my employment status changes.
I've read all the reviews and seen all the videos on the BK9. I know what it's capable of. I know it's a quality knife. Not just for it's price, but overall, it's a great blade and should serve me well for the rest of my life. I like that.
I've seen a few reviews on the ZF War Sword. It seems to be a decent chopper as well. Not as good as the BK9, but it's also about 40% less than the BK9.
I have yet to see anyone actually chopping wood with the ZF Chopper. I'd like to get some more input on this blade.
So, given the three, my intended use and my situation, which do you think I should choose? I know it's easy to just say BK9 and forget about it. But these other 2 knives are throwing a serious monkeywrench in my decision making process. The $30-$40 saved is a half tank of gas in my truck or food for my dog. I can always upgrade to the BK9 or Junglas later and probably would, which would make the ZF knife good for throwing in the SHTF toolbox in the truck.
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