The Basic 5" Field Knife - Thoughts and Impressions

crossada said:
Thank you everyone!! The UF2 is my favorite CPK currently and this one keeps catching my attention.

Trying to decide what I need next
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What you don't see is that the Basic 5 is about 2 ounces heavier. I assume the FK3 will make up for the difference.

If you like the UF2, the next thing you need is either the baby sister DEK1, or big brother Shiv. Or a DEF2.

Your welcome. :)
 
Oh I have a DEK1 and a LC from Nathan’s preorder!

I agree I need a Shiv but what has won me over with these knives is the pure joy of use. I would probably be in the woods batoning the Shiv trying to justify how it is also the perfect outdoors knife!!
 
crossada said:
Oh I have a DEK1 and a LC from Nathan’s preorder!

I agree I need a Shiv but what has won me over with these knives is the pure joy of use. I would probably be in the woods batoning the Shiv trying to justify how it is also the perfect outdoors knife!!
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Pàdruig Pàdruig has already done that with his shiv lol

both knives are fantastic and have a completely different feel between the 2

(UF2/BFK)
 
Maybe it's a moment of inertia thing, but the bfk feels way more than 25% heavier than the uf2 and its handle is good for completely different things. For knives that look basically identical to a layperson they couldn't be further apart.

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XtianAus said:
For those of you who have both, do you prefer the feel of the heavier blade of the Basic or the lighter UF?
Trying to figure out if the Fk3 is worth shooting for over the basic 🤔
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My friend.... 2 different animals!

The UF2 is freaking amazing!

But if I was stuck strictly outdoors, I think the BFK might win in intended design purpose
 
XtianAus said:
For those of you who have both, do you prefer the feel of the heavier blade of the Basic or the lighter UF?
Trying to figure out if the Fk3 is worth shooting for over the basic 🤔
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I would lean towards the bfk. The uf2 is light and nimble and the blade is a little longer. You can definitely tell it's designed more towards fighting/defense. It's thin enough and long enough that you could use it as a filet knife or camp kitchen knife in a pinch and I think it would do fine.

The uf2 handle reminds me of a longer Dek1. Pointing the blade is very intuitive. It feels natural and when you move the knife it feels like you're steering a sports car.

The bfk has a bigger handle in almost every way, which is very comfortable for prolonged hard use. When you move the knife around, it feels weighty, purposeful, like you're driving a nice truck. The blade has more belly.

I personally think that you could use either for any cutting task a knife should be used for and you'd be fine; they'll get the job done. I think it really comes down to personal preference.

I prefer the larger grip of the bfk and the extra belly of the blade. It's a more familiar tool which makes me feel like it's better suited to the tasks I find myself doing more often. However, if I knew I was going to need to defend myself with a blade, the UF2 would be towards the top of my list.
 
I'm tempted by the FK3 (with swedge?). But - for all day carry and compared to the BFK, I prefer the UF2. More nimble, longer blade, nearly disappears in the pocket. Very comfortable with it, can handle it blindly and in the dark. These days, I have to deal a lot with boxes (where it excels), and carry it almost daily. If you have to deal with fire wood, the BFK is probably more useful.

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BTW, my puppies concur.

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carnifex knifeworks said:
I would lean towards the bfk. The uf2 is light and nimble and the blade is a little longer. You can definitely tell it's designed more towards fighting/defense. It's thin enough and long enough that you could use it as a filet knife or camp kitchen knife in a pinch and I think it would do fine.

The uf2 handle reminds me of a longer Dek1. Pointing the blade is very intuitive. It feels natural and when you move the knife it feels like you're steering a sports car.

The bfk has a bigger handle in almost every way, which is very comfortable for prolonged hard use. When you move the knife around, it feels weighty, purposeful, like you're driving a nice truck. The blade has more belly.

I personally think that you could use either for any cutting task a knife should be used for and you'd be fine; they'll get the job done. I think it really comes down to personal preference.

I prefer the larger grip of the bfk and the extra belly of the blade. It's a more familiar tool which makes me feel like it's better suited to the tasks I find myself doing more often. However, if I knew I was going to need to defend myself with a blade, the UF2 would be towards the top of my list.
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This.

Unlike a lot of knifemakers who just design the handle to look a certain way, when you handle and use a CPK, you can actually feel the amount of thought and refinement that Nathan put into the design, specifically for its intended use.

The handles of the FK2 and BFK are larger and more rounded, and specifically designed to be more comfortable for extended use, AND cutting tasks where you’ll be applying greater pressure (i.e. woodworking/bushcraft, like making feathersticks, carving notches etc.).

The UF2, as its name indicates, was designed as a Utility Fighting knife. The handle is designed so that the knife points/indexes naturally in a saber grip (and for THAT particular use, the handle of the Shiv 2.0 is fantastic!), and is also designed to lock into a very comfortable icepick/reverse grip, and yet, be versatile enough to handle regular cutting tasks, with a blade that works well as a knife, and isn’t purely for fighting (eg. a Fairbairn-Sykes dagger).

In a nutshell, ask yourself what your main uses/priorities will be. Mostly lighter cutting, and you prefer a lighter, livelier knife? The UF2 is a great choice. A do-all camp knife where you’ll be doing extended cutting and/or applying more pressure? The BFK/FK3/FK2 excel for those.
 
XtianAus said:
For those of you who have both, do you prefer the feel of the heavier blade of the Basic or the lighter UF?
Trying to figure out if the Fk3 is worth shooting for over the basic 🤔
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I don’t think the UF is going to give you any insight into the FK3. Totally different handles and blade shapes.

The FK2 and the BFK are more useful comparisons. I like the little bit of extra length on the BFK vs the FK2 and they are both light enough any chopping power is going to be mostly just how hard you swing it and not inertia. If you already have an FK2 I don’t think the 3 is going to be a massive improvement. If you don’t have one I would search out a BFK or FK3 over a 2.

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