Hey everyone, David C. Andersen here coming at you from the KnifeCenter.
Today we're taking a look at two different big fixed blade choppers for camping and survival.
The Becker BK 9 combat bowie versus the ESEE Junglas machete.
Let's check them out.
While these two big choppers aren't quite the same, they do seem to get compared often
enough to really warrant a comparison like this.
They're both made in the USA from a classic carbon steel with bolt on handles.
They've also both gained reputations of being bulletproof options for survival or camping
or anything where you would need a big tough blade.
However it is you're soon going to see each one has its own advantages and personality
and the names of each kind of give you a little bit of a hint as to what those are.
So let's dive in and see which one of these knives is best for you.
Alright, let's start with the similarities on the blades themselves.
Each one is about three sixteenths of an inch thick, and that gives you strength under pressure
without being so thick and heavy that the knives get too unwieldy.
You can still easily thrash these because of their balance, but they're strong enough
for chopping batonning or digging or even prying in a pinch without worrying about inflicting
too much damage on themselves.
The steel on each is almost the same.
And both of them do have a powder coated finish to provide protection from rust since neither
of these are statements.
As I've heard Ethan Becker say on more than a few occasions, they may not be the latest
secret squirrel steel out there, but they're both dependable and time proven to work.
The ESEE uses good old 1095 carbon steel, while the Becker made by KA-BAR uses 1095
cv.
Now that CV means that there's some additional albeit minimal additions of chromium and vanadium
over standard 1095.
Now it's not really enough to affect the outright performance.
It's mostly there to help with homogeneity during the heat treating process.
On the flip side, Rowen who manufactures ESEE's blades is regarded by many to have one of
the best 1095 heat treats in the business.
So in the end, there probably isn't enough of the difference between these steels in
real world use to say that one is tougher or one can hold an edge longer than the other.
This really is one of those cases where the distinction really makes no real difference
when you're actually swinging the blades.
Now, as for where these knives differ from each other, of course, the Junglas does offer
more length at just over 10 and a half inches versus just over nine inches on the Becker.
This means with the homeless, you do have a little bit more swinging power.
Even though with the higher grind on the steel, it does remove a little bit more weight from
the blade itself.
It's actually the handle design that helps you swing a little more effectively rather
than the blade length.
Now despite the reach offered on each of these knives, both are passable at smaller knife
chores to now each has enough belly to work pretty well at skinning, especially if you
use a lanyard wrapped around your forearm to support the weight of the blade while you
grip right behind the point.
Now for woodworking tasks like carving notches, or making feather sticks, I think the BK nine
balances a little bit better when you're working with those things at the heel of the blade.
And the homeless, of course works for these tasks as well.
But you're going to need to choke up a little bit more to kind of make the balance a little
bit more neutral.
And in that regard, I think it's kind of a shame that they don't include a finger choil
on this design like they do on some of their smaller knives, it would be a real nice place
for your index finger to sit to sit and make that neutrality happen the way you want it.
More so than the blades the way the handles on these knives differ is even more apparent.
Now the Becker is cheaper to get into right now with a sheath comes in about 118.
And the reason for that at least one of the reasons is the handle material which is an
injection molded synthetic.
Now there are some folks out there that complain about these handles being slick, but I've
not really found that to be the case for me personally when I've really worked out my
BK nine because of the shape including this nice palm swell and the beak here at the back
makes it so you don't actually need extra texture to have a good grip.
That's it if you want a nicer feel KA-BAR does make a set of micarta replacement handles
which I did put on my BK nine after a while they run about 45 bucks and with them you
get the best of both worlds.
You get that same excellent shape as the synthetic handles, but you do get a little bit more
texture, especially when wet since micarta tends to feel a little tackier when it does
get damp.
Plus if you go this route, it's still going to be less expensive than the Junglas if you
want the knife to come with a sheath.
If you have really large hands though, you're probably going to want to go with the ESEE.
My hands aren't super big but they are slightly larger than average.
And as you can see I have just enough room on the Becker handle but nothing really extra
to work with.
The Junglas is definitely more accommodating in that respects this it does have more length,
and even though it lacks a palm swell is still very comfortable for me.
That extra length on the handle also has the advantage of allowing you to choke back for
more leverage when chopping which I alluded to easier.
That also brings the edge angle down a little bit for more power on your swing.
Both of the knives have a nice swell at the back of the handle though, ensuring that you
can really put some Muscle behind it and maintain a nice solid grip without fear of the blade
going flying.
Now when we come to the sheath, ESEE definitely goes more premium and offers you a full kydex
sheath complete with a slide lock here at the top that you can slide up, and that's
going to prevent the knife from being extracted at all.
It also has a nylon backer that enables belt or Molle carry, and it features a snap strap
here at the front.
It also has a fold at the top that's secured by Velcro, and you can tuck the handle in
there and it's going to provide even more safety.
Now this is the other area where the backer saves you a bit of money by going with a simpler,
it's still very effective nylon sheath.
It's also got belt and Molle compatibility on the back.
And it does also feature a snap for retention.
Where it's going to pull ahead though for some is this Velcro pouch on the front.
It features some space here for some other survival goodies like fire starting gear sharpeners,
a fishing kit or what have you.
It's also got a small sheath insert.
And that actually fits the Becker BK 13 Remora, the small carbon steel neck knife, that way
you can easily have another tiny blade on you for those really small detail cuts without
taking up any extra room on your belt or in your pack.
In the end, both of these knives are capable hard use large fixed blades that do indeed
have a lot of overlap.
But for me, the differences are subtle, but worth noting.
The ESEE is more focused on being a pure outdoor tool, at least in my impressions.
And despite the word machete in the name, it's a bit more of a heavy chopping knife.
I think if you're going to be doing machete work for hours on end, it's probably going
to leave your arms a little bit tighter than they would need to be if you were using a
thinner machete.
But I think if your intended uses for this blade focus more on chopping tasks, the Junglas
probably is going to be a little bit better of a choice.
Meanwhile, the Becker can still chop, but I think it's going to be a little bit more
versatile in the different types of roles that it can fulfill.
In addition to the outdoor uses, as the name combat bowie suggests, it definitely has some
tactical applications as well.
And I think it's easier to manage when you do get down to the smaller nitty gritty cutting
and carving jobs.
Either one though, is going to be pretty bulletproof option figuratively, of course, not literally,
and will be something that you can depend on in extreme circumstances.
As I mentioned earlier, the Becker is certainly cheaper to start out with coming in about
118.
And you can always upgrade parts of it as you go.
Whereas the ESEE is a bit more expensive, but it's got everything you want right from
the start with a sheath an micarta handles coming in about 175 I actually think that's
a pretty good price where they've got it.
If you took the BK nine and upgraded to micarta handles and added a custom kydex sheath, you're
probably going to end up spending more than you would if you just got the Junglas the
first place.
But I think the Becker has a cool middle ground option where you keep the stock sheath and
add that upgraded micarta handle option that splits the difference between the two price
points.
Now here's the part where you let us know where you would spend your money down in the
comments.
And usually I leave these things open ended and let you all decide.
But this time, I'm going to actually share my choice with you.
Now I've actually owned and used both of these knives pretty extensively.
And they've both served me very well.
But I actually replaced them both with the Becker bK 20 boondock bowie, because I thought
it was sort of the perfect blend of both of these two knives.
Now, as I showed you earlier, I do still have my BK9 because it's actually my very first
Becker and it holds sentimental value to me, but I almost never reach for it anymore over
the boondock when I'm actually going to work.
Unfortunately, that doesn't help you guys really, because the boondock isn't available
anymore.
But anyway, let us know your choices below.
And if you want to get your hands on either of these cool knives, we will leave links
in the description below.
Those will take you over to knifecenter.com where you can sign up for our knife rewards
program while you're there because if you're gonna buy one of these cool knives you might
as well earn some free money to spend on your next one.
David C. Andersen from the KnifeCenter Don't forget to like this video and subscribe if
you haven't already.
See you next time.