Re-thinking the BK2

Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
310
Year's ago when the Ka-Bar/Becker BK2 came out i bought one because i loved the BK9 so much that i figured it must be a great knife too.

After buying it and playing with it for a few weeks I realized that i did not care for the BK2. I found it to be too heavy, too thick and it took too much energy to make it produce any significant amount of work.

Now years later I think i may have made a mistake in my judgment of the knife and i think i need to buy another and judge it again.

Is there anybody here who did not at first like the bk2 but later liked it. What made you change your mind?
 
No experience with the BK2, but, I have bought a knife, disliked it, and then later decided to buy another to see if I was wrong about it the first time.

Pro-tip: if you didn't like it the first time, you probably won't like it the second (or in the case of my laughable attempts to warm up to the Sebenza, the third) time either.
 
Last edited:
Year's ago when the Ka-Bar/Becker BK2 came out i bought one because i loved the BK9 so much that i figured it must be a great knife too.

After buying it and playing with it for a few weeks I realized that i did not care for the BK2. I found it to be too heavy, too thick and it took too much energy to make it produce any significant amount of work.

Now years later I think i may have made a mistake in my judgment of the knife and i think i need to buy another and judge it again.

Is there anybody here who did not at first like the bk2 but later liked it. What made you change your mind?

No, no. You were correct the first time. It is too thick, heavy and requires too much force to cut anything.

There's a bunch of good knives in that price range. Don't waste your money again, just buy something else.

No experience with the BK2, but, I have bought a knife, disliked it, and then later decided to buy another to see if I was wrong about it the first time.

Pro-tip: if you didn't like it the first time, you probably won't like it the second (or in the case of my laughable attempts to warm up the the Sebenza, the third) time either.

Agreed. I've bought several G10 Manix 2s.... I really like the LW version. Seems like I should love the g10 one... I just dont.

I've learned to just trust my initial impression and move along. Wanting to like something and actually liking it aren't the same thing.
 
I use my BK-2 to break down Ibarra chocolate for mochas. Perfect for that. Or if you want something to keep by the fireplace to split a bit of kindling.

evilgreg evilgreg , you mean the rabid fanboys aren’t right that I should drop four hundred bucks on a knife that doesn’t appeal to me?
 
The BK2 is a polarizing design. It’s extreme thickness combined with a short blade needs to thought of as a feature, rather than a detractor.

I believe the design was with intention to wear many hats, but none of them well.

Knife
Hatchet
Froe
Pry-bar
Stab and spear
Hammer
Anchor
Throwing knife
Hot plate
...and maybe a few more things I’m missing.

I think it’s cool.
 
Agreed. I've bought several G10 Manix 2s.... I really like the LW version. Seems like I should love the g10 one... I just dont.

I've learned to just trust my initial impression and move along. Wanting to like something and actually liking it aren't the same thing.

Yup, if you don't like it you don't like it.

I agree with you on the Manix 2, incidentally. I have several LW variants and like them a bunch but I sold off the full weight version after rapidly realizing it was a completely different experience that I didn't like nearly as much.
 
It’s a jack of all trades, master of none. It excels at nothing, but it surely is damn near indestructible. It basically sucks at being a knife.

If it was less than 3/16” thick and full flat ground it wouldn’t be half bad.
 
evilgreg evilgreg , you mean the rabid fanboys aren’t right that I should drop four hundred bucks on a knife that doesn’t appeal to me?

Apparently you and I are the only weirdos who lack the sophistication and culture required to appreciate the fine tolerances and rich corinthian leather or whatever of the Sebenza. We also both appreciate pink knives, maybe we should have some sort of club?
 
I think I've had 3 PM2 variants. Have often debated picking up another. Cannot tell you why I dislike it exactly. Have tried custom scales and different steels. Just doesn't do it for me.
 
Apparently you and I are the only weirdos who lack the sophistication and culture required to appreciate the fine tolerances and rich corinthian leather or whatever of the Sebenza. We also both appreciate pink knives, maybe we should have some sort of club?

Not to derail the thread, but I'm honestly a bit shocked by the Sebenza's continued success. I find the small version clumsy at best, but I really like the large one... for a bunch of reasons that don't sell well from any other brand.

I like hydraulic, unflickable without modification action. I like the neutral handle shape and thinly hollow ground blade. I like the sandblasting that starts to wear immediately. All features that folks would bitch about on a new Reate or Benchmade model.

Why it continues to command the money that it does baffles me, but I like them. Why the BK2 was EVER a success is even more baffling.
 
The BK 2 is a specialty item, and if you have a 9 and a prybar you have it's functions covered. If you are thinking of trying a heavy duty, short but non-tweener Becker, I have had good result with the 10. The BK10 is thinner and lighter while still being strongly built and far more knife-like than the 2. It's less slick aesthetically speaking, but if you don't like thumb ramps or that little nub off the choil, a few minutes with a grinder will take them right off
 
It’s a jack of all trades, master of none. It excels at nothing, but it surely is damn near indestructible. It basically sucks at being a knife.

If it was less than 3/16” thick and full flat ground it wouldn’t be half bad.
I think the BK-2 basically sucks as a knife. Splitting wood... go for it. Using as a wedge cutting a tree down, go for it. Hammering it through a helicopter or plane fuselage, go for it. Not a knife for me and I own one. I keep it to remind myself not to go with the popular chit chat about knives here and make my own judgments BEFORE I spend the money for the knife. The handle is too large for me to use as a knife. Okay for stabbing. Stabbing is not for me.... The handle is one of the reasons I didn't buy a BK-9. But I do own a BK-7 and yes, the handle is too large for me. The BK-7 is more of what the BK-2 should have been. And yet the BK-2 continues to sell otherwise Kabar wouldn't keep it in their catalog. If you want a beastly 5" knife, go for it.

I know I would like the BK-10 more, but won't spend the money because I "know" I won't use it. It will just sit around and I'll mention it from time to time that I have a BK-10..... The only Beckers I really like are the "tweeners" and the BK-62 Kephart.

Added: The BK-2 reflects my early urges to fill the "survival knife" niche. But I have other knives with 1/4" blade stock that I like better if I want that kind of a knife. At one time, it would have been my choice for a true long term bug-out blade. Not so much any more.

If I was planning on hammering (with a mini sledge hammer or my tomahawk) a knife through logs to split them, the BK-2 would be my choice (wearing safety glasses of course). Break it? Don't care....

If you want to give the BK-2 a try again, get the BK-10.
 
Last edited:
I have been through many, MANY, knives to give them a 2nd, 3rd, 4th+, chance. I've had at least 3 bk2's. Only one I held onto for years was one that had been modded into a clip point and had thin micarta scales pinned on. That, was a nice bk2. But still just too heavy FOR ITS SIZE that I just couldn't justify carrying it around and having it take up space here or there laying around. I like the fact that it's indestructible, and it actually cuts decent with its grind, but I don't like the drop point? original blade profile and tip, and especially the weight. Just doesn't make sense to have a 5" blade length be so heavy. What are you going to do with a 5" blade that yoj need it to he that thick? I cant think of anhthinh. If ever got a bk2 again it would be to mod it, severely. As others have said already there are just better options out there, better Beckers too. The bk20 is a thick one wish would have held onto. Makes sense to have that be ..25" thick.

Blah blah. I'd pass on owning one again unless you want a throwing knife that won't stick into.things all that great. It's a usable knife, it is, it just doesn't do anything well, except not break.
 
I try not to look back at my knife purchases that "miss". I don't sell them. They are there to remind me of a different time.
 
just for comparison & reference, another heavy use large knife; the skrama is only 0.165" thick
 
Not to derail the thread, but I'm honestly a bit shocked by the Sebenza's continued success. I find the small version clumsy at best, but I really like the large one... for a bunch of reasons that don't sell well from any other brand.

I like hydraulic, unflickable without modification action. I like the neutral handle shape and thinly hollow ground blade. I like the sandblasting that starts to wear immediately. All features that folks would bitch about on a new Reate or Benchmade model.

Why it continues to command the money that it does baffles me, but I like them. Why the BK2 was EVER a success is even more baffling.

Have you tried a buck sprint?

OP, The BK2, or similar, are odd knives to me. I like big choppers, but for the most part, unless designed with a full-height grind of some kind, 0.25" is generally too thick to add any utility other than weight. Dropping down to 0.2" is (pretty close to the 0.188" of other beckers) a 20% decrease and no lose an all gain in functionality, unless you're trying to make a short knife a chopper, such as the BK2. I think in every way, the BK7 or BK9 is better. I've not had a BK10 but have had similar and they're pretty decent with the tall blade and thinner blade stock. You would still be pretty hard pressed to break on of the thinner blades with hard use so the BK2, to me, goes to the point of unbreakable and then beyond. I don't think a knife is a good prybar, ever, as it lacks the primary component of a prybar, length for leverage. Yes, it can make a bad prybar and be used as such, but you probably still need some cheater pipe to get leverage to make it useful.

I understand why people like it, but for me and my uses, it's completely overkill. Something like an esee 6 is far better and still pretty dang hard to break. Maybe the BK2 with a Full-height grind would be better? Or a full height convex like the CS trailmaster. TBH, the trailmaster surprised me on how well it slices, considering it's thickness. It's a bit of an odd knife overall, for me, but it made it interesting on how you can get a beefy blade that still cuts pretty well.

I suppose a BK2 is better than a lot of other knives, but there are too many other knives that are better to bother with the BK2, even within the Becker line, to bother with one. I've tried the short thick knife thing before in some Busse & kin knives and they never stuck around long... they weren't great at being a knife.

I had a maker from the forums design something specific for this type of use though, and I love it. 4.2mm V4E steel with a little bit of BK4 type of angles mixed in. I think it works a lot better for me. Yes, I'm showing it off a bit because I love the design, but I my main point is there are better options than the BK2 at similar price points (this one was way over the BK2 pricepoint).

M0dvDDtl.jpg

J2Kce2Ol.jpg

tJHvQsCl.jpg

8rPpVLrl.jpg


Edit: again, if it works for you, great. It seems like needlessly thick to me, based on my experiences and uses.
 
Last edited:
If you were hiking and a you run onto a person carrying a BK-2, would you smile? I would.

Added: As a knife buyer, user, and shopper, when you are in a store that carries the BK-2 and you handle it, my first reaction was "Wow, what a cool knife!" This is what sells the knife. I handled mine after purchase a fair amount and came to the conclusion that this knife was not for me. Do I regret the purchase? Not really. I learned from that purchase.

If I want a chopper, the BK-9 is about the minimum practical length. It works for that use. I generally go larger for chopping with a knife.

Would the BK-2 work for a hunting knife, doing hunting chores? I could get by with it, but I don't need to. Is it a practical hiking or camping knife to use other than playing with at a fixed camp such as car camping at State Parks and so forth? I don't think so.
 
Last edited:
I kinda like the BK2 but using it really is
something of an endurance wrestling
match...
One strategic principal to survival is
by conserving every bit of one's energy.
And i honestly think the bk2 would make
a fine neck knife for freedivers ;-)
Tickled pink that it is designated as a
(NSN 1095-01-493-1798) KNIFE-COMBAT
 
Last edited:
Back
Top