Help Me Decide On a Knife? ESEE-6 vs. ESEE-5 vs RAT-5 in D2 vs BK2

C

ColdDeadHand

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Nov 5, 2014
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OK,
Looking for something I could make a lean-to with or baton kindling with in an emergency, not TOO big so I can bushcraft with it still, and I think at least 5" blade so I can puncture vital organs...you know...in case somebody needs one punctured someday.

Picked up a RAT-3 and realized it's probably my first real knife and everything till now has been kinda crappy. Eye opener.
I love the choil on the RAT-3, love the blade contour, love the canvas handle, but the handle could be bigger for my hands, this just barely fits.

So I'm thinking RAT-5 in D2, I am pretty good at sharpening by now, I can manage keeping an edge on it I also like the pommel on the RAT-5, like a glass breaker.

The ESEE-5 seems to have everything I want except the choil is a little more subdued, but I can remedy that.
esee-5.png


The ESEE-6 looks like everything I want except the pommel is not what I'd call "glass breaker/skull thumper", it's kinda rounded. Any experience here with ESSE-6's and breaking glass?
esee-6.png


Throw the BK-2 out there, but I have a feeling it'll be a little too heavy, more like a sharp mallet than a bushcraft knife.
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Do not equate the purchase price in your recommendations, please, I am committed to just taking the time and budgeting and getting the one I need.

Thank you for your experienced advice.
 
The knives about which you are asking are modern designs.
Moving from Traditional to General...
 
I would say esee 6 of these options. Its ffg, a touch thinner (3/16" instead of 1/4") yet more than robust enough for anything that you might need to do with a knife. I have no idea about how well it would do breaking glass though, because honestly I've never needed to.

You mention that you are not sure if the BK2 would be too heavy. Just so you know, the primary grind on the BK2 is a bit higher than the grind of the esee 5(and they are the same thickness) which means it will be a touch slicier. I haven't looked up the weight difference yet, but I would be surprised if the BK2 weighed more than the esee 5. So between these two I would get the BK2.

And finally, if you're looking at these, you should also look at the BK12, which is a 6in blade, 3/16" thick saber ground knife that most definitely competes against the esee 6.

Good luck deciding :).
 
The Esee 6 is perfectly balanced. I like it alot. My choice in the Becker line would be the Magnum Camp Knife or the KA-BAR Short Becker Trailing Point.
 
ESEE 6 all day compared to those other two knives!

I've owned the ESEE 6, ESEE 5, and BK2. The 5 and the BK2 are clumsy, clunky tanks...dead weight. Silly and not practical for regular outdoors tasks in my opinion. The 6 in comparison is a nimble, versatile, and a more than capable woodsman tool that can be used for most outdoor needs. The ESEE 5 and BK2..........not so much!


I think that any of the knives could break glass if you ever needed them to!
 
I would lean toward the ESEE 6, BK-7 or BK-9. I have only handled a ESEE 6 (have a 4 and never wanted a 5 as I have a BK-2). It is not really the weight of the BK-2 that bothers me, but the chunky nature of the blade when you really don't need it with a knife that size. Knives that allow me to do little tasks (high dexterity) are my favored choices. The BK-2 size tends to be the upper end of the length of knives that I use. I tend to want to carry a machete or short machete (larger than BK-9) if I think I need a bigger blade, but the 6"+ ones are certainly fun and cool. ...just seldom need such and they get left at home.

D2 will be harder to sharpen in the woods IF you actually needed to sharpen it versus doing it to occupy yourself. Chipping is the issue with a thin D2 edge. This comment is more based on reading rather than actual experience. But I generally am a fan of D2. One of my favorite woods knives is a Dozier Pro Guides knife (5" in D2) and like the Dozier Wilderness knife (again D2), but I don't abuse the knife and resist such things as hard pounding batonning. Honestly, I seldom baton anything. But, there are times with green wood that you are fashioning for stakes, camp fire tools, support poles, notching, and such that a little batonning is useful as it allows for a safer shorter cut that is easier on the hands. I seldom need to split wood but I suppose the need could develop especially getting a fire started before it can handle wetter wood.

Honestly, the BK-16/17 or ESEE 4 size is all you need except for the occasional task and a folding saw will handle that for the most part. Like the Fallkniven F1 alot too. But that is the only Fallkniven knife I own. Probably would like a slightly larger one too. The pointed skull crusher is not a big deal to me. Not a fighter; I am more a shooter, even with the lowly 22LR.
 
I really like the 6. Great weight and shape for the length.


Useful for many tasks and excels at splitting firewood
 
I would second Survive Knives! GSO line . I have a GSO 5 and it's a great all around survival , camping and bushcraft knife . Another knife you might want to consider is the Ontario TAK 1 . It has a 4 1/2" blade made from 1095 , but the real deal with the TAK 1 is it has a nice big handle that is much like the ESEE 6 . So you get a smaller knife that's easy to carry , but with the bigger more comfortable handle than the ESEE 4 for example .
 
B34NS said:
OP thought about survive! knives?
Click to expand...

Mike-The-Knife said:
I would second Survive Knives! GSO line.
Click to expand...

nope. I've read the name but never even seen one. I will put that research on this weekend's To Do list. Thanks to all who replied for sharing your experiences.

So far I think the ESEE-6 is in the lead, I'll just have to get over the butt not being pointy. I'll probably slide down a hillside and appreciate it someday.
I'll check out Survive! and see how they stack up.

And a thanks to knarfeng for moving this post to the right section!
 
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