KA-BAR Becker BK2 Campanion Fixed Blade Knife, Carbon Steel

EDIT: (July-2015) Regarding this "the hard sheath dulls the blade!" business. I DOESN'T. The earliest versions (ones made prior to my review, years ago) of this hard fiberglass reinforced sheath had material at the mouth of the sheath that made contact with the blade edge on inserting & withdrawing. This issue has long since been taken care of YEARS ago and the sheath has had a redesigned rectangular cutout in that are ever since. So, the hard sheath I have is fantastic. If you like the nylon, get the BK22, if you like the sleeker hard sheath, go with the std BK2 here wituout fear of any concerns about it dulling your blade. That issue is ancient history. So ends the July 2015 edit. By now you've probably heard the obvious details so I'll try to comment on a few things that gave me concerns before I bought it. Some major things people have claimed are that it's too hard to remove from the sheath and worst of all, that the blade edge contacts the inside of the sheath dulling the knife. I won't say their claims weren't valid, but I'm happy to say there's no sign of either issue here. Grab the handle, push off with your thumb and out it comes. Perfect resistance, no more, no less. Perhaps Kabar addressed the issue, perhaps complainants forgot to eat their Wheaties. My knife was purchased through Amazon, new June 2012. The other claim of edge/sheath contact hasn't been the case here. While the sheath allows minimal play, they managed to keep it just right to avoid friction. Perhaps Kabar addressed that too. I even shined a light into the drain hole and looked for "saw" marks. None, whew, what a relief. That issue would have been a near deal breaker. The nylon webbing belt loop has too much excess allowing a lot of "slop" once on. Stitch it up the SIDES to the proper point to fit your belt and you've got yourself a nice small accessory pocket turning a potential lemon into lemonade. Regarding the knife itself, I'll echo every positive thing said of it. A slightly wrinkled finish or some stippling on the grip would have been an improvement but I still like the semi-smooth finish. The shape of the grip literally guarantees it won't go flying out of your hand. In a worse case scenario, say gutting an animal and up to your elbows in a greasy mess, could potentially see your hand slip forward onto the blade when contacting bone while doing a forward thrust. Possible, but unlikely. When it comes to indestructible fixed blades, I own a few Ontario blades since they're the guys who supply the US military. I like that endorsement. They also don't charge stupid prices. This is my first Kabar and I like what I see. I challenged myself to find even a minor blemish or imperfection. I can't, and that is unusual. This BK2 is flawless right down to its sabre grind. If I had to face the unknown and I could take one tool with me- it would be this or an Ontario RD6, or their SP8. For what it is, $64 is worth it. You can spend a little more and perhaps find its equal (Ontario RD6), but for no amount of money are you going to do better. No, I don't own every blade in the world, but I just can't see doing much better if at all. Oh, and if you want to find its match for less, forget it. Money matters, I know, but it's a matter of "buy once, cry once". Don't worry, you'll feel better once you feel this thing in your hand. It made me want to chop down a tree for no reason at all! But I didn't ;-). UPDATE: I hope you found the info useful in making your decision, except ofcourse for the dimwit who I've noticed has clicked "not helpful" on every single review. Maybe it's not malicious, after all, no review can be found helpful to an illiterate.

I have not put this knife through the ringer yet, but I am sure it can take anything I can dish out. I understand some people's criticisms that this knife is a jack of all trades, but master of none. It could be used to do almost any outdoors task, including being used as a pry bar, but it is so big and heavy that it would not be good for fine cutting work (like a mora, or something lighter and smaller). That being said, if I could have only one knife in the woods, it would be this knife because it could be used for anything, including things that a smaller knife could not do. The thing I like the most about this knife is that if I severely damaged the edge, I could have it re-grinded because the blade is so substantial. I saw a test in a blade forum that involved a guy absolutely torturing this blade (cutting up a lawnmower, a refrigerator, even a cinder block), and the guy was able to re-grind the blade to almost new. After purchasing it, I now understand why. I think it could last a lifetime even if occasionally abused in the way a normal knife shouldn't be. Now for the minor gripes... The blade's edge was not very sharp out of the box. This is not a big deal for me because I usually sharpen blades myself when I get them. Not many companies put a razor edge on knives at the factory anyway. I have found that Mora puts an incredible edge on their knives (especially considering the price) and that my SOG seal pup elite was razor sharp out of the box, but Ka-Bar and Ontario only put adequate edges on their blades. Again, no problem because you need to be able to sharpen/resharpen your own knives anyway. Also, I don't care for the sheath. I have not witnessed the dulling issue that some have had, but I don't like the nylon belt loop. I might buy the blade tech attachment to replace the nylon, or get a custom sheath. The nylon just isn't sturdy enough and makes it difficult to remove the blade with one hand. Other than those two gripes, I couldn't be happier. Some people really bashed this product in reviews because they hated the sheath. To be honest, I haven't purchased many reasonably priced blades that came with good sheaths. And, this is not an "expensive" knife in the vast world of blades. The blade itself, which is why I bought it, gets 5 stars. The sheath would get two and a half. Since I am rating the knife, it gets five.

想像、情報通りにとても良いです！斧みたいにバトニングできます笑 他の方が言っているようにシースから抜けにくいです。 ですので私はシースに入れる際1番テンションがかかる位置で放置したり、テンションかけつつシースを炙ったりして癖をつけました。（自己責任で） 抜き差しがかなり楽になりました。 残り2点となっていたので急いで購入したら購入してすぐに8点に増えていました笑。が、物が良かったのでその辺りの管理の仕方は良しとします。

This is just one of many knives I own and like to use for survival and backpacking. It is my main knife in my bug out bag and what I use backpacking. No more crappy bear grylls knives, this kabar is a real beast at one pound. I got mine on my door in two days razor sharp and stayed that way for a long time even after many trips and weeks of use. Able to cut down trees with a good swing if you keep our hand on the pummel knob. All in all it is my new favorite survival knife and the sheath is not as bad as it is said to be, although the strap is a little cheap it isn't the worst, it will last for a while and you can even get upgrades. The almost kydex glass filled nylon is tough and actually sharpens the knife every time it is pulled out. Would recommend it to enyone who wants a very reliable beast of a knife that will never brake.

Lo he usado ya en varias salidas y es un cuchillo impresionante. Solía llevar un hacha para procesar madera (solo para fogatas) y el BK2 la ha sustituido. Exelente para batonear. Por el costo, vale mucho la pena. Hay algunas cosas que pueden mejorar, aunque en si, el cuchillo es excelente. Creo que lo principal es la funda. Me encanta la funda rígida (De un tipo de plástico muy resistente) El problema es que por el peso del cuchillo si no lo mantienes cerrado con l broche, este tiende en colocarse horizontal, lo que lo hace incomodo. Ademas de no poder colocarlo de manera Horizontal en el cinturón. Soluciones: Existe el BK22 que es exactamente el mismo cuchillo, pero con una funda de un tejido plástico muy resistente, con una bolsa extra para llevar un feroserio, navaja, etc. Es de muy buena calidad y ademas lo puedes poner en la posición horizontal, en la correa de tu mochila, etc, por el sistema MOLLE. La otra que yo preferí ya que como lo dije me encanta la funda rígida, Fue comprar un clip de la marca Boker Plus. El que eh adaptado ya a 3 cuchillos y me parece excelente opción. Multipocicional y se adapta a distintos grosores de cinturón ademas que no te tienes que quitarte el cinturón para colocarlo. Pongo una fotografía de este clip. BK2 tiene un recubrimiento de pintura muy resistente que evita la oxidación de la hoja. Esto también impide sacar chispas con un ferroserio, por lo que opte en limar un par de centímetros de el canto de la hoja. Esto lo hice con una lima. Quedo muy muy bien. La otra mejora que realmente no es muy necesario hacerla, son las cachas ya que estas son de un plástico muy resistente, pero puede ser resbaladizo en situaciones con líquidos. Le hice unas de micarta y mejoró muchísimo el agarre, el diseño lo deje como el original, que me parece muy bueno y tiene que entrar perfecto en la funda. (También venden unas en linea........ Muy caras) Este cuchillo si tuviera estos cambios de fabrica, su costo se elevaría mas del doble creo yo. Y no es necesario realmente hacerlos Con este cuchillo y uno mas pequeño cubro mis necesidades. Vale mucho la pena

Als Hobby-Bushcrafter war ich immer auf der Suche nach DEM Messer. Ich testete einige und war im Grunde mit dem was ich hatte, recht zufrieden. Doch wie es nunmal so ist, kitzelt es einen noch immer und ich konnte nicht aufhören die Augen weiter offen zu halten. ... bis ich über das Ka-Bar BK9 auf das BK2 stieß. Das BK2 ist ein Biest von einem Messer und man hat damit RICHTIG was in der Hand. (ich muss an dieser Stelle aber auch sagen, dass ich recht große, kräftige Hände habe!) Mit einer Klingenbreite von über einem halben Centimeter ist es sehr spaltfreudig und extrem stabil. Messer aus dem Hause Ka-Bar sind für mich die absolute #1, Made in den USA, und als ehemaliger Soldat, der auch zwei Jahre in Texas gedient hat, hat diese Marke zudem etwas Persönliches, etwas Ideelles. Ich habe die mitgelieferte Kydex-Scheide schnell über den Lederverarbeiter meines Vertrauens ersetzen und mir eine nach meinen Wünschen fertigen lassen. Sie lässt sich entweder der Länge nach vertikal am Bein tragen, wie es Standard ist - ich kann sie aber auch horizontal am Rücken tragen, wo sie niemand sieht. Die Griffschalen sind sehr stabil aber recht glatt. Sie lassen sich leicht mit einem Inbusschlüssel öffnen. Dies erleichtert die Pflege des Messers. Gegenwärtig warte ich auf hölzerne Griffschalen, die ich mir aus den USA liefern lasse, um alles noch mehr auf meine pers. Bedürfnisse anzupassen. Wer möchte kann den schwarzen Schutzlack entfernen, muss dann aber wohlgemerkt darauf achten die Klinge dann und wann etwas zu ölen, denn der Stahl ist etwas rostanfällig. Bei solch einem schönen Stück gehört die Pflege, wie auch das scharf halten, ganz einfach mit dazu. 5 v. 5 Sternen - ganz klar, wenn auch vielleicht etwas subjektiv. Klare Kaufempfehlung!

By far the best knife purchase I could have ever made. I took the BK2 camping to see what the fuss was about. The knife is a beast at a 1/4" thick; batoning was a breeze. It made quick work of some hard wood that I used for my fire; yet it stayed sharp to do some feather stick making. The black coating is very rough in texture; I took some fine grit sandpaper to the coating to smooth it out. The handle material is very smooth if you choose to wear a good pair of outdoor gloves then grip should not be a problem. With being in Canada there is always hockey tape lying around somewhere; I wrapped the handle with one layer of hockey tape and it seemed to do the trick. The handle is super light weight which is awesome for chopping: the weight of the blade can do the work. I am not knife expert; but I do appreciate a good blade. If you are on the fence about this knife checkout gideonstactical or preparedmind101 on youtube. These guys do a full knife review on the BK2 and many other knives. These two helped me make a decision about making the purchase!! I am thinking about picking up a second BK2 to potentially do some customizing!