Ka-Bar Becker BK2 Review – These Knife is All You Need

Ka-Bar Becker BK2 Campanion Fixed Blade KnifeChopping onions at campfire…

or cutting ropes on hiking trips or even, checking out old archaeological remains for aspiring fossil seekers, the chores seem like fun when these Ka-Bar Becker BK2 Campanion Fixed Blade Knife accompany you in your expeditions!

No camping or hiking trip is complete without the small compact Ka-Bar Becker BK2 knives. Designed by Ethan Becker and made in New York, Ka Bar Becker BK2 is one of the most purchased knives for camping chores.

With a hard shell black nylon sheath handle and, with a 1095 cro-van steel blade, this heavy duty knife is about 18 x 5 x 5 inches and, approximately weighs 1 pound. The blade by itself is 5 ¼ inches long. The complete length of the knife is approximately 10 ½ inches long. It is a delight to work with, be it chopping onions, veggies or chillies or, skinning your game for the campfire. One could call Ka Bar Becker BK2 a king of wedging activities!

The cutting, skinning and splitting challenges that tag along with many of the outdoor adventures become a cake walk with the use of Ka-Bar Becker BK2 knife. So, let’s delve into the interesting features that make this knife a trend setter in the world of knives!

What makes Ka-Bar Becker BK2 one of the top picks in hunting and camping trips?

What is in a name, 1095 cro-van steel?

Ka-Bar Becker BK2 blade is made of 1095 cro-van steel that is 1/4″ thick. Apparently, this is confused with the regular 1095 carbon steel that comes with 0.95 percent carbon. Usually, higher amount of carbon adds a toughness and hardness to the steel. 1095 carbon steel is closest in sharpness and toughness to tamahagane – a Japanese steel that contains 1-1.5 percent carbon.

However, 1095 cro-van steel gets slightly better than the 1095 steel with the incorporation of Chromium and Vanadium with Molybdenum. The blade undergoes a three step heat treatment procedure during its designing phase. In the first phase, the blade is run through a conveyor oven for an hour.

This is followed by freezing process wherein the blade temperature is brought to down to a staggering -120 deg Fahrenheit. The blade is further subjected to tempering process in which it is heated for seven hours continuously in a walk in oven.  One could call it a cross between the 1095 steel and O1 tool steel in terms of sharpness, toughness and cutting edge.

With a drop point blade shape, texture coating and 20 deg blade angle heavy cutting activities like cleaving meat, filleting fish, cutting thick ropes and even, easy digging activities are performed with ease using Ka-Bar Becker BK2 knife.

The customisable sheath is a big advantage for a camping knife!

Ka Bar Becker BK2 has an extremely customisable sheath that is made of plastic and glass filled nylon. Addition of glass particles in the sheath adds durability to the sheath. Simple and light weight, the sheath is extremely secure and keeps the beast on its leash when not in use.

The sheath has excellent retention properties and does not let the blade move a bit, thereby protecting the blade’s sharpness and toughness. The sheath also contains lanyard holes for external attachments and importantly, is moisture resistant.

Balanced grip is an essential for a good knife!

Ka-Bar Becker BK2 comes with a very comfortable handle that is made of Grivory – a semi crystalline polyamide, which gives an excellent and a balanced grip when cutting through objects.

Grivory is usually granulated and processed through extrusion processes to give a good grip structure. This is used in Ka-Bar Becker BK2 knives for the following qualities it adds to the knife.

  • Good strength and stiffness
  • Little scope for absorption of moisture
  • Excellent dimensional stability
  • Excellent resistance to chemicals
  • A sizeable surface for a balanced grip

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Limited Life time warranty

Ka-Bar Becker BK2 comes with a limited life time warranty that applies exclusively to the original purchaser of the knife. As per the warranty, the defects in the material, normal wear and tear of the knife and the issues pertaining to craftsmanship are covered under the warranty.

However, if damages are incurred when the knife is used for activities it has not been designed to withstand such as, chiselling, screw driving and extreme cases of batoning activities, the limited life time warranty does not apply.

In the limited life time warranty, damages are repairable for a comparable value, as dictated under the norms of the company, pertaining to repairs and replacements. To avail the limited life time warranty in case of damage, the knife must be returned to the manufacturer, keeping the Customer Service Department in loop.

Apart from the above mentioned features that make it a good hunting knife, the grip has a hammer pommel base that can be used for pounding activities too. Even simple activities such as pushing down a nail into a wall can be achieved using this sturdy pommel base. The other advantage this knife holds is customisation of its grip. People often remove the scales and customise the sheath, as suited to their needs.

Where does Ka-Bar Becker miss out albeit it’s convincing cutting abilities?

  1. The nylon sheath that comes with the grip and, an open close button mechanism adds a chic look to the knife. However, if the button goes off, not only is the whole look and feel spoiled but, the grip of the knife is affected too when carrying it. The sheath suddenly becomes a hindrance in such a case.
  2. When opening the knife, one has to use the thumb to push the upper part of the sheath with some force to get the knife out. Now, given the fact that the knife does not slide in or out of a sheath as it is a fixed blade knife, opening it with full force with little awareness can result in injuries. Mind well, it is 1095 cro-van steel blade and the injuries inflicted could be serious.
  3. Opening the knife from the sheath does not create much noise. However, closing it does. If this were to be used in hunting expeditions, this is a big negative as the noise can alert or intimidate any wild animal lurking in the background.
  4. Weight is a big let down in Ka Bar Becker BK2. Carrying a one pound weighing knife whose weight is compounded by thickness of the blade is definitely a roadblock in long expeditions.
  5. Frequent sheathing of the knife has been found to dull the sharpness of the blade of Ka Bar Becker BK2.

What are Ka-Bar Becker’s brownie points over its competitors, as a survival knife?

Ka-Bar Becker BK2 turns out to be a wonderful hunting knife as compared to ESEE 3 from the ESEE series. Contrary to 5.2 ounce weighing ESEE 3 that has a 3.88” blade, Ka Bar Becker BK2 with a .25” thick blade of 1095 cro-van steel, makes the former look small and inconspicuous! But like all other knives, Ka-Bar Becker BK2 has a heavily textured powder coating that gives some rolling resistance in the initial days of use. With a regular usage, the resistance dies out.

Another difference that comes to mind on comparing Ka Bar Becker BK2 with ESEE 3 is the pommel base. BK2 has a flat pommel base whereas, ESEE 3 comes with a pointed one (mostly designed for breaking rather than pounding).

The outstanding feature of Ka-Bar Becker BK2 is its glass particle containing plastic and nylon sheath with a nylon belt loop with a snap fastener which is not only water resistant but has a sturdier grip than its competitor Condor Rodan that comes with a leather strap. Also, as compared to Blackbird knives too, Ka-Bar Becker BK2 knives are top notch in quality and service.

Overall, Ka-Bar Becker BK2 has an edge over its siblings and cousins from the Ka-Bar family and, the other knives with its thick cutting edge that works best in cleaving logs and meat.

What we think about Ka-Bar Becker BK2  knife?

So, if you are a camping enthusiast or, are passionate about hunting, Ka-Bar Becker BK2 is your best bet wherever, skinning and chopping game, splitting logs and shaving tinders and a lot of stabbing and pounding activities are involved.

This knife is a breeze to work with if you are dealing with challenging tasks such as batoning through a steel pipe, or skinning a game or whittling an oak spear! It is important to note that batoning huge sized objects like timber with BK2 is not advisable as the blade can snap off, given the size of the target object.

Maintaining this beast of a knife isn’t that hard. To keep your cro-van 1095 steel rust free, wash the blade, wipe it dry with a clean cloth and oil it once a week. Oiling protects the steel from moisture attack and, preserves the shiny and glassy look of the knife blade.

Ka-Bar Becker BK2 comes off as one of the leading survival knives and is, worth every penny invested on it.

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