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.
