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.

I have been looking around for a all around survival and outdoors knife for carry and backpacking. After quite a bit of research I purchased the this Ka-Bar Becker BK2. After a few days of snowy winter camping, really using this knife and putting it through its paces, I can certainly report, it exceeded all of my expectations. Details - The good: * The knife is definitely weighty. * The blade came sharp, but can definitely be sharpened further. * The handle feels sturdy and did not slip in my hand when wet, also felt comfortable with or without gloves. * The black coating over the blade is quite sturdy. * The thickness of the blade makes it feel stronger. * Fantastic Sheath, this one came with the glass filled nylon sheath. I'd like to speak to some of the other reviews of this knife and dispel some of the rumors. First off, the blade takes a keeps an edge very well. It came to be very sharp, certainly sharp enough to cut through paper easily. I did take the time to sharpen it myself adding a bit of a convex edge and keeping a 20 degree angle. Within minutes with two stones and a strop finish, the knife was hair shaving sharp. The knife handled outdoor tasks with ease. I was in the snow, and often the knife was wet. The grip did not slip for me and was quite comfortable in my hands. The knife worked well when chopping branches, chopping a dead tree, batoning, slicing wood, making feather sticks, or just cutting food. It retained it's edge throughout without the need for a touch up on the edge. When I came home I did strop the edge which brought it back to shaving sharp. The black coating (which protects the high carbon steel blade from rusting) took a beating and was easily cleaned with water to look brand new. Some have complained about the sheath being glass filled nylon and have worried that it will remove a sharp edge from the blade. After looking at the construction, the thickness of the blade itself actually separates the sides of the sheath as the knife pushes in and pulls out. There is no way that the edge will ever touch the sides of the sheath and it cannot lose an edge this way. They have made it easy to remove the nylon belt loop from the sheath to attach a belt clip instead, which is a handy feature. There are convenient holes in the sheath for attaching paracord. I added an allen wrench (the size used to remove the nuts in the handle of the knife) and a ferro rod to the outside of the sheath. Finally, the sheath is designed to keep the knife in! That sucker is tight and takes a bit of a pull to come out, which I think is a great benefit. I can't imagine it every coming out accidentally on the trail. Details - The bad: * Standard Sheath doesn't hold the knife up well if secondary snap isn't around the handle The only annoyance I had was if I was moving quickly and did not snap the second restraint around the handle, the knife would flop around against my leg. It would never come out of the sheath because, as I said before, it is in there very securely. Overall this is a minor issue (snap the button shut, or get a belt clip and carry it on your back). Overall I give this knife a 5! Great knife, very sturdy, fantastic sheath, and a great value. I plan to buy a second one!

I spent alot of time searching for a good knife to go along with me on our hiking/survival trips. I did plenty of research before i came to the conclusion of the BK2. Chopping, splitting, shaving tinder, skinning, prying, digging, stabbing, and anything else you can imagine... you can do it with this bulldog of a blade. The 1/4 in thick blade is unstoppable. Slashing through 1" to 2" bamboo came suprisingly easy. Splitting 2x4's and even 4x4's down the middle from battoning left me wide eyed. Alot of people that complain about anything regarding this monster should take a second look. The weight, I have no problem with... it helps pack a punch when it comes to chopping (it's like a compact camp axe.) 1/4" thickness of the blade adds muscle when you need to use it for prying (think of a small sharpened crowbar.) The handle feels great, its form gives you that extension of your arm feel. The pummel is beyond perfect. It wears good enough that I've replaced it with my everyday knife. It goes where I go. And the sheath, I like it as well. Most people complain about that and the weight the most. But, the sheath is simple, does a great job of keeping the beast on its leash till the time comes to pull it out. Plus it is one the few things out there that have alot of possibilties when it comes to personally modding it out. It's like the 10/22 of the knife world. My BK2 will be around long after I'm gone, and bringing as much reliability to my son as with me. It came out of the box razor sharp, when i did the simple hair test... it actually took off a couple layers of skin. Which I found funny since I'm normally safe when it comes to tools like knives. So, I took it as a comical blood bond with my new side kick. I have already turned many others onto purchasing this knife, and I would put this mini machete on the front of the list to any outdoor fan/ hiker/ survivalist. Thanks to my beautiful wife for the great birthday blade.******** 3/17/12--- I'm adding to my already posted review, not just to boost the bk2 some more... But to set the record straight on some of the more negative post's that i've read about it. I've had the bk2 for 6 months now. And have hit the trails with it numberous times already. I'm sure everyone already has heard of the chopping power of this monster. Well, living in the deep south of the pine belt... it has gone beyond what i've expected. Fire wood for camp on the trail is blown through with ease. Also, shaving kindling to start your fire will come simple as well. Down here, we also have alot of lighter pine. (old pine wood that has set up lots of resin) And anyone that has delt with this type of wood knows, that it is as hard as stone and always a pain to cut, chop, or chip... but if you do, you have some of the best fire starter out there. The bk2 takes on this task like an axe to a viking. Many that post bad reviews for this knife say that they would rather carry a simple smaller blade, and a camp axe or saw. Well, if thats your take on it... fine. But, i would much rather have a knife that can replace multiple items, than carry 3 or 4 different tools that do one thing each. I've also read that its not as good because it doesn't have a partial seration. Well, yes, but anyone being familier with a knife also knows that other than cutting rope... you really don't use seration. And if you keep your knife sharp, it should go though rope with no problems. People have also posted a negative of it being bulky and unmanagable. ??? Ok, to those people... you either have little girly boy hands, or you have no idea how to handle a blade. My last weekend hike, i used my bk2 to carve a wooden spoon. And it came out great. So, my take on these stupid negative posts i read... is that the people making them are those ultra light backpackers that think anything more than a swiss army knife is too much. (well to those, you can keep your swiss army trash for the cork screw wine bottle opener, and your top dollar north face gear. And i'll keep my bk2 monster that can do everything a knife, axe, saw, or anything else can do except open your bottle of merlot. And my carhart gear that will outlast that north face tent material jacket that will rip passing a rose bush.) And to the others out there that just simply dont know how to use a knife... you shouldn't play with big boy toys in the first place.

Great knife. Overkill for most applications. But it's nice to know you've got something that can likely handle just about anything you throw at it. Of all the video reviews I've seen, I've only seen one break and that was at the end of chopping down a small 6-8 inch diameter tree. Really like the molded sheath too, as it's easy to convert it to horizontal hip or behind the back scout carry with a Teklok. And it fits very secure without the need of any kind of safety loop. Just don't follow the youtube video instructions that tell you to cut off the strap and/or pop out the rivets. There's no need to destroy any aspect of the sheath when the Teklok can be attached directly to either side, which is also preferable, as the knife will fit closer, more securely. My only qualm with this knife is the thick black coating. It won't allow you to strike a ferro rod off the spine. And make cutting a little less efficient. They really need to do something when it seems so many recommend striping the finish and either polishing the blade or forcing a patina. I haven't done that yet - planning to put it through more paces first before making alterations that would likely invalidate any warranty. But I've already bought some Jasco, so it's just a matter of time... My BK2 came arm-hair shaving sharp right out the box - which is about as good as one can reasonably expect for a mass produced product these days. Update 062317: Review updated to include pictures of the sheath with Tek Lok modification. Update 071217: I think I'm done with customizing this knife. I stripped Beckers stucco-like finish with Jasco paint stripper. Use the foam spraying aerosol can if you can find it - I went with the liquid/gel in a much larger can, because the store was out of the aerosol. For this application, the foam would be easier to use, and based on videos I've watched online, it seems to work better. With the gel the finish didn't peel off like it did in the videos of those who used the aerosol. After soaking it for a half hour, it very easily scraped off with a razor blade. But, because you have to pour out enough gel to basically submerge the blade (handle removed), there's more excess, which means more opportunity for chemical burn. Use a thick pair of rubber gloves, like you would when working with acid, and you'll be fine. It's the clean-up process after that gets a bit worrisome. After stripping the factory finish, I gave the blade an apple-cider vinegar bath for about two hours, which gave it a nice deep gray patina to help prevent rust. It cuts considerably better with the smooth finish. The blade didn't loose any sharpness in the process, but I honed it to a slightly sharper than factory finish in a few minutes on the Worksharp Guided Sharpening System also, as I'd spent a good amount of time using it before stripping the finish. I used it a little afterwards, and rubbed a thin coat of mineral oil onto the blade afterwards to further prevent rust after washing some dirt off. Oiling the blade makes it look even darker, if that matters to you. One thing to note, while sheath retention is still just as firm - the blade still didn't fall out of the sheath when violently shaking it upside down - removing the factory finish will make it rattle a lot more. Stuffing a piece of foam inside the sheath should take care of it though. I opted away from the Tek lok after finding a seller of leather soft-loops - longbranchleather - on the biggest and everybody's most hated auction site (I don't know if amazon allows mention of names so I'll leave it at that). The benefit of the softloop is that you don't have to remove your belt to take the knife on and off. And, when carrying scout, it's much more comfortable to lean against; when you're sitting in a seat, you can even angle the knife for better comfort. I had planned on making an easy kydex ferro rod loop, but with this softloop, it wasn't necessary. Which brings me to firesteel... Anyone who's tried to make a fire with this or other similar Becker blades, knows you can't strike ferrocerium off the back of the knife. Due to the thick factory finish, the back edge isn't sharp enough. And nobody wants to dull their cutting edge if they don't have to. Stripping the finish will enable you to spark a ferro rod, but not all that well. To really get some sparks you'll need to sand the back down slightly, optimally with a belt sander. That said, for those who don't want to go though the hassle of stripping Becker's stucco rust proofing, Schrade makes an affordable ferro rod (SCHFS1) that's the perfect size for striking in the small half-round notch between the handle and blade edge, which is sharp enough to throw sparks. It's not quite as safe as sparking off the spine of the knife. But the benefit of a rod that's almost the perfect diameter of the half-round notch is that you'll get more surface contact with the rod than you could even scratching a larger rod off the spine. For that reason, I think Schrades small rod is the perfect companion to this knife. With the pictured soft loop and a little shock cord, it's not going anywhere.

After many hours of research this is the knife I chose to purchase. My thoughts all revolving around what would be the one tool I would want to have on me in a long term survival situation. (if I could only choose one) To be completely honest, I have no hunting experience and I am limited in my use with knives. I have always hiked, fished, camped and have alot of experience with tools in my careers. However, selecting a knife for hardcore survival needs has been a several month project for me. This is the result after picking the brain of every outdoorsman I came across, hitting every gun & knife shop in three states, reading every review I could find and watching every video my computer could download. The main reasons I landed on the Becker Campanion is probably first and foremost the fact it is made by Ka-Bar. There are few manufacturers with this strong of a reputation, and if iit's good enough for our Marines, it's good enough for me. A very important feature in a fixed blade, especially of this size, is it must have a full tang. (that is the steel blade runs completely through the handle) This is essential for safety and durability. The model I ended up with has a tang that extends past the end of the handle to create a pomell that acts as a hammer. (some newer models do not add this feature) At a quarter inch thick, this blade is sturdy and heavy. I whacked through a sapling as thick as my forearm with little effort. It is not recommended to pry with your knife but I truly feel if an emergency dictated this need, I predict this blade could handle the job. I was tempted to go with the larger Bowie but after holding and using this knife I feel I made the right decision for me. I'm no Careem Abdul Jabar but would be considered to have a large hand and this knife fits nicely in my grip with perfect balance. I have slightly mixed emotions on the sheath. I love the body with the way the knife locks in and is easily removable with one hand. The material appears almost indestructable. It has drainholes with plenty of airspace around the blade to prevent rust and holes to lash to the leg. I'm not crazy about the nylon webbed belt loop. It's long and floppy. I would have preferred a leather loop attatchment for the belt. I have seen customizations made on both the handle and sheath on Youtube reviews that I found interesting. I think adding some simple stitching to tightin up the wide loop may help alot. If Ka-Bar were to add a few features like those found on Gerber's Bear Gryll's Ultimate Survival Knife this model would be absolutely unstoppable. Overall, I am very satisfied with this addition to my "All Hell Breaks Loose Survival Pack." If you are happy with the specifications, I assure you that you will be satisfied with the quality. I also feel this was not overpriced at sixty or so dollars at the time I made my purchase.

There is SO much to say about the Ka-Bar BK2, but I'll try to keep this short, sweet and to the point... no promises First off, I need to say that the pictures that they show of the knife on Amazon.com aren't 100% accurate for this knife. The picture that they show is of the BK2 first edition. The knife that you will receive if you order one is slightly different, but in a good way in my opinion. The bottom of the handle in the picture shows that the handle material and the bottom of the knife are flush together, when in reality the knife you will receive has an extended tang that sticks out of the bottom of the handle by about 1/3 to 1/2 of an inch; This allows for the knife to be used as a chisel. The BK2 is an absolute BEAST! You can put this knife through just about any torture test and it'll come out ready to kick Chuck Norris' butt. The blade is 1/4 of an inch thick which makes the entire knife feel sturdy and VERY hefty in your hand. The knife isn't a light one, but for camping or any other place you may need to chop wood, this knife will blow the competition out of the water. The BK2 is definitely more for brute jobs like chopping wood, cutting thick plastic or anything you would need a hatchet for. You can also use this knife as a chisel because of the extended handle that I mentioned earlier. The handle of the BK2 feels just as solid as the blade of the knife. The handle is made of grivory. Grivory is a very hard material which feels a lot like the love child if glass-filled nylon and aluminum had a baby. If you take the two halves of the handle apart, you have a fairly good sized space inside of the handle in which you could store some small survival items like some fishing line and a few hooks. The handle has a very solid feel to the shape of it; while the handle isn't made of a very "grippy" material, the shape of this knife handle will make it pretty hard to slip out of your grip, wet or dry. What better way to finish up a fantastic knife review than to tell you about the fantastic sheath that comes with the knife. The BK2 comes with an extremely well molded kydex sheath. (for those of you who don't like kydex, just ignore me while I gush over this sheath) It comes with many different customization options and places to wrap molle straps, paracord or other kinds of rope or material. Another plus to getting the newer generation model of this knife is that they improved not only the looks of the sheath, but also the functionality of it as well; The sheath now holds the knife in place extremely firmly, which is an area that they had problems with before with the earlier edition. The only downside to the sheath is the nylon strap that they used in order to attach it to your belt; The nylon strap loop is WAY to big. (this can be easily solved by stitching it together in the middle) There is even a section of the sheath that indents, making it possible to put something like a magnesium fire starter on it without interfering with the way the sheath fits snugly against your leg. The last thing that I love about the sheath is that it has a drain hole on the very bottom of the sheath, where the tip of the blade is, in order for water that may get inside of the sheath to drain out through. All together, this is one of the finest, most durable and BEST knives that I've ever owned. You will be VERY hard pressed to find a better knife that can do what this knife does, take the abuse that this knife can and still be as affordable as it is. This knife is absolutely the best value if you're looking for a knife that can take a TON of abuse and still work just as well as the day you bought it!

This is a great knife and a great value. I figured I would make my review more of a comparison between two very popular survival and camping knives in order to hopefully give some insight that a regular singular review could not address very easily. I also own the very popular but more expensive ESEE-5 survival knife (~$140) and these two knives are both perfect in many ways and in the ways one knife is comparatively weak the other is comparatively strong. I love the sheaths that come with both knives. Both these knives have the same length blades, same metal composition (1095 steel), almost the same tempering, the same thickness (quarter inch), and the same basic overall weight. They are both coated knives, but the ESEE-5 has a much more significant and harder wearing coating. The ESEE-5 has a pommel point at the handle end to make it great for breaking car window glass, but that very feature makes it harder to use a stick as a baton (at least if you want the stick to last very long before falling apart) to carefully hammer the tip of the knife into something hard. The Becker Campanion has a nice flat pommel end that could easily be used with a rock, stick, etc to hammer the tip of the knife into something hard like a coconut for instance. In my opinion, the blade of the Becker Campanion is shaped a little better than the ESEE-5 for cutting vegetables etc. when camping out, but the ESEE-5 has a better blade shape for a true defense or survival knife. If you look at the tips of the knives the ESEE-5 has a much more noticeable point vs. the Campanion which would make the ESEE-5 better and more efficient as a stabbing tool in a survival defensive situation. The main benefit I see of the more rounded tip shape of the Becker Campanion knife is that in combination with the lighter plastic handle scales the Campanion has vs. the ESEE-5's solid and heavier micarta scales and the small metal cutouts under the handle scales whereas the ESEE-5 is solid metal under the handles is that the center of balance is farther forward on the Campanion knife. This makes the Campanion a noticeably better light chopping tool and it feels better in the hand for that purpose vs the ESEE-5. This would make the Campanion a more enjoyable choice in my opinion for tasks like building an emergency shelter out of tree limbs and branches. One drawback to the Campanion is that the handles are very slippery especially when wet. The micarta handles on the ESEE-5 provide great grip when wet or dry. The solution I found that worked very well to rough up the Campanion grips was to take a soldering iron and to gently touch the hot tip to the surface of the handles and press and melt little dots into the handles all over. That greatly increased the grip without weakening the hollow handles like melting or scratching long grip lines could do. Adding Loktite to the handles is a good idea as well to keep the handle screws from slowly loosening over time. The only other comparison difference that I noticed is that the handles of the ESEE-5 require an allen wrench on each side (2 separate wrenches) of the knife at the same time to loosen and remove the scales for thorough cleaning etc. The Campanion knife has an allen head on one end and a nut that is held from turning by the handle scale itself on the other side. That means the handles can be removed easily in the field using only one single allen wrench. Overall both knives are great, and I use and love both and consider both knives worth the price, but there are differences that might matter to you and I pointed out all the ones I have noticed. I hope this review helped.