Ka-Bar has been a famous name in the history of knives. This historic brand has retained its class through the years and, at the same time, has brought a lot of innovation in their products. The Knife that we are going to talk about today is no exception. It is a combination of Ka-Bar heredity along with Becker’s innovative designs. Made in the USA, it is one of the most popular knives and also amongst well-received knives in recent history.

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KA-BAR BK2 Becker Companion Fixed Blade Review

Before we move on to the detailed discussion, let us explain to you the categorization of the knife. While there are some knives that are specially designed for the menial tasks required for a camping or hunting trip and some which are meant for the tougher tasks, the Ka-Bar BK2 knife lies somewhere in between these two categories.

If you are in search of a knife that will neither be dedicated towards performing ‘heavy lifting’ nor the fine cutting tasks, then you have landed in the right place.

KA-BAR BK2 Becker Companion In Detail

Tech Specs:

• Length- 10-5/8 inches
• Blade length- 5-1/4 inches
• Weight- 16 ounces
• Tang – 0.25 inches
• Thickness of Blade- 0.25 inches

The Blade:

The Blade comes in a drop point shape. It is made of 1095 Crovan steel, a high-carbon steel. It is a durable variety of steel which is popularly used in manufacturing knives. It is also powder-coated, thanks to which it is roll resistant. The textured coating adds to the eye-pleasing look of the knife. It is also quite durable and makes the knife last long enough.

The blade is highly sharp right from the moment you take it out of the box and does not need you to sharpen it before you use it for a considerable period of time.

This sandpaper-like coating, however, adds some unwanted friction to the knife which some users may not like.

The thickness of the blade allows you to apply force while using it for cutting tasks.

It has an extremely sturdy tip as well as a high flat grind. People often compare the blade to ESEE-5 but it outdoes the later with its features.

If you are looking for a medium-sized blade to serve your purpose, this will be a fair deal. On the other hand, if you are searching for a longer blade, you must look for BK7 or BK9.

The hatchet effect:

The combination of a thick stock with a flat grind helps in producing a Hatchet effect where a wide angle is formed that allows the knife to wedge into the material as you cut it.

Functions:

It is a multi-tasking knife that is capable of performing a variety of jobs such as splitting or batoning wood, preparing a pile of woods to be used in the bonfires and splitting logs. It can easily split the logs into smaller pieces of diameter 4 inches. You may even use it for carving purpose and gather some shavings or tinder for lighting a fire. It also plays a great role in cooking things. Chopping vegetables and curving stakes become really easy with it.

However, you cannot expect it to be like a big knife since it is comparatively smaller in size and thus has its limitations.

How does it perform in the real world?

Cutting wood: It cut wood like a pro, with minimal effort and least time. Though you cannot expect it to work like an axe. It finely chopped logs into small pieces. Be it pine or fir, the knife will not have a problem in chopping it.

Another thing is that it can cut woods of relatively smaller size and is not that great a performer when it comes to chopping bigger pieces.

Fine cutting: The next thing which we wanted to judge was the finesse of the knife. We first started with cutting feather sticks. It was great at it and produced angular cuts quite easily. It also produced a few curls at ease.

Making deadfall traps forms another important part of survival trips and it passed this test too, like a pro! The thick geometry of the knife along with its forward-heavy design turning made it the cutting process a bit messy, but the task was somehow accomplished and that is what matters for the survivalist in you who do not care about the hurdles and dangers that he might face in his journey.

Chopping vegetables: If you are making preparations for dinner, this knife may come in handy for you as it will help you to cut vegetables quite easily. Of course, you can’t get the same performance as a kitchen knife would perform. Preparing for fine dining will not really be possible with it. But if you are looking for something that will help you survive in the wild for a few days then it shall be fine.

As a weapon: It is not as powerful as a weapon. If you looking for a survival knife or one that would allow you to kill animals or can be used for fighting, then this is not your thing. You should buy a dedicated fighting knife in that case.

Full Tang Knife:

It has a full steel tang which means that the knife is a single solid piece with two pieces of handles pinned on to the blade, one on either side. This is the strongest tang arrangement.

The extended tang sticks at the bottom of the handle and it makes it easy for you to be used as a chisel.

Weight:

It is a bit too heavy in weight, especially if you consider its size. This makes it a bit difficult to lift and manoeuvre. So it may happen that you may not even feel like taking it out of its case and using it in cases where you just need to cut a packet or perform similar tasks. It is too heavy to be used for such small tasks or small requirements.

Carrying it from one place to the other is also a bit difficult due to its weight. It may, in course of time, cause you back pain if carried on your body (which is most likely for carrying a survival knife).

Handle:

The handle is manufactured using a high-density plastic called as Zytel. The design is just perfect for a workout knife of this type. The material makes it light yet tough. It is also featured with a great finish which gives it an elegant look. It is designed with its butt and the guard flaring out in such a way that you will find it quite comfortable to hold and use the knife.

The handle is thick with a generous palm swell. It is designed in such a manner that even those with a larger size of hands will not find any difficulty in holding it. If you are looking for a better grip, you may opt for micarta scales or even wrap the handle using athletic tape or a ranger band which is basically a section of the inner tube of a bicycle. After all, changing the handle after the sale is not at all a difficult task!

The shape of the handle is unique and there are no hot spots found while using it.

Sheath:

The next thing that we will come to is the sheath. Here the sheath is extremely light, simple in design yet strong thanks to the glass-filled nylon construction.

The snapping sound that is produced by putting the knife inside its case adds a feel-good factor to using the knife. No rattling sound of the blade is associated with it. The blade never falls out of the sheath to bother you. A drain hole is also present.

The nylon belt look is simple in structure and comes with a snap fastener which provides it added retention. There is also a Philips head driver using which it can be completely removed.

Ergonomics:

It has been designed in such a way that you will feel really comfortable using this knife. It is ergonomic even in the reverse grip. Be it dry or wet, you will not find a problem to hold it the way it suits you. The rivet holes and slots that the knife comes with will provide you with a number of options such as molle locks, paracord, webbing and tek-loks.

Price:

Money matters. And the amount of money that you invest in a knife is also a big factor to consider. The price is not exceedingly high but is not reasonable for a knife of its category. You will find a range of knives with better functionalities at this price range.

Customer Reviews:

Kabar Becker BK2 has received mostly positive reviews in the different review sites. However, People have appreciated the sharpness of its blade as well as other features like the nylon sheath, and ergonomics. However, a lot of users have faced trouble in carrying it and some have even mentioned that the knife is not at all what it claims to be!

Pros:

• It has a decent look thanks to its shiny steel blade and matte handle.
• The 1095 CroVan blade is sharp yet strong and allows you to cut things with ease.
• The sheath that it is enclosed in is light and sturdy.
• The handle is designed in such a way that it makes it ergonomic and lets you operate the knife according to your convenience.
• It is capable of cutting through huge pieces of wood or performing other tasks important for your survival, thanks to its thick blade and smart design.
• You can use it to give angular cuts as well as curls.
• It can be used in a number of arrangements such as molle locks, paracord, webbing etc. thanks to the rivet holes and slots.
• It is a multi-tasking knife that can be used for different purposes like chopping wood, cutting fine vegetables and carving.

Cons:

• It is a bit too heavy for tasks like preparing food, feathering and other such tasks that you will need to perform if you are on a camping trip. There’s no wonder that it will perform these tasks well but you will not feel comfortable in doing them with this heavy knife.
• It is a bit over-priced. You may get other better knives at this price range.

Summary:

So, as you can see, the Kabar BK2 can be used for a number of functionalities. However, if you are in search of a knife that excels in one any of these, then sorry! This is not your thing.

It is a bit heavy for its size so you will not feel like carrying it or lifting it for menial tasks and would prefer a handy knife instead. It has a sharp blade that is strong enough and will thus not bend easily. When it comes to giving sharp cuts, it will leave you no reasons to complain thanks to this sharp blade. Be it wood or some other material, you can always cut it with least amount of effort within minimal time. But as we have mentioned, the comparatively small blade size becomes a problem as it is unable to chop larger chunks of wood.

Handling it is not a problem thanks to the convenient grip it offers (only if you do not have any problem in carrying or lifting it).

You may buy a kitchen knife for chopping vegetables finely, a fighting knife if you are looking for a weapon, a chisel for chiselling and have got other such choices for another use. But if you are looking for a multi-purpose one that would be of some help at least in all of these occasions then go for Kabar fixed blade BK2. It will be a one-time investment to serve you at all your tasks. ’Jack of all trades, master of none’ is the best way to describe it in a humorous way!