KA-BARBecker BK2 Campanion Fixed Blade Knife, Carbon Steel

Just for the reference for possible future and past versions of this knife: I purchased this knife on November 28th, 2013.First, a few positive impressions:+1. The knife doesn't feel as heavy in my hand as I anticipated from the numerous reviews of other customers.(From my point of view/need - I would say there's a plenty of room for weight increase in order to gain - let's say - an additional inch in blade length. That's the sacrifice I'd be glad to make. If this thing had the blade an inch or an inch and a half longer while retaining this thickness and blade width - it would be "just what I wanted" instead of "closest one to what I wanted").+2. The design is really nice - plain, uncomplicated, robust and straightforward. When I say "nice design" I refer to usefulness of the knife rather then it's esthetic appealing (which is, btw, also very nice for my taste).+3. Despite it's weight it's also enough compact to be the knife of choice even for less demanding outdoor/camping/survival/hunting activities where you would usually carry some smaller/lighter/thinner knives.Now, this knife isn't exactly the best performer in any single one of all "rational" activities you usually do on the field while camping, surviving, hunting, hiking... Why did I buy it then?Well, I think it's one of the best for the price in those "irrational" things like "giving a piece to your mind".I wanted to have a single tool that I can take on any trip (even on a one day not_far_out_of_town easy hike) and not to feel unrest in the back of my mind for "not taking the ax just in case that.....(whatever scares you that might happen unpredictably)".With this knife I can do just that - have a one (relatively lightweight) tool that you can use to cut, slice, dig, break rock and bones, hit, scratch, drill, bend, chop, baton, use it as a rope hook, nail it in something and so on. Like I said - it's far from ideal for any of this tasks alone, but there aren't many others knives which can do so much without giving you concerns about it's endurance for any of those jobs.Besides all that, even if your life is not depending on abusing your knife to it's limits - this fella's cheap enough to use it that way whenever you want because there isn't any high-price-tag that will make you to hesitate of using your knife as you should do - as a simple all-around tool rather than as an expensive toy.Now, the dark side of the Moon. First, two serious cons:-1. My knife came with the blade slightly bent to the left, right out of the box.I wasn't intentionally looking for the imperfections, but since I noticed that with my bare eyes just by holding it in my hands for a few seconds you can assume that it isn't something "negligible" what you could only spot by careful inspection and comparing it against the straight ruler or something similar. In fact, when I align the ruler edge against the base of the spin of the blade (approximately. 1/3 of the blade length on the convex side) - the tip of the blade is 2.5-3 mm away of the upper ruler edge. When I press the ruler edge against opposite side of the blade (on the concave side), the spin of the blade deflects from the middle of the ruler edge for abut 1-1.5 mm.It doesn't sound big in "numbers", but is very unpleasant sight for the eye.Is there anything looking poorer than the bent knife? And right out of the box?-2. The grinds on the blade were different in width on left and right side. The one was 3mm wider than the other. That means that the blade is not symmetrical on the left and right sides. The easiest way to visualize this is to imagine that the flat, upper part of the blade (spin) is 3mm wider on one side than on the other.I'm not sure if this is considered "normal" or "acceptable", but I haven't seen such blade dis-symmetries on any other knives I have, even the ones comperable in price to this one, or even cheaper.Minor cons:-3. The black coat on the blade is somewhat coarse: it feels almost like a lower-grit sandpaper. I have a few knives with some black coating but they're silk smooth in comparison with this one. Like I said - almost like a sandpaper. Not sure if this is good or bad since I haven't tested it yet.-4. Ka-Bar logo is not hard-stamped onto steel but rather just printed on the black coating. It will wear out sooner or later (or maybe you will intentionally strip the coating if you don't like it or if you want to customize the knife, like many do).Manufacturers logo is of not much significance to me, but I know there are people who care, so it's maybe ok to let them know what to expect with newer purchases.-5. Sheets are not spectacular bat neither bad: the hanging-strap could be stronger and better balanced, the button-locking secure-belt is almost impossible to lock around the knife handle with just one hand. However, taking into account the price of the knife - they are pretty ok for that price, and there's a lot of space to customize it for yourself.I can pull out the knife out of sheets with one hand (while pushing the sheets in opposite direction with a thumb) without problems, and I like the fact that the sheets are holding the knife decently firm. I don't know what kind of people can't pull this knife out of sheets single handed, but if there are any - maybe they're not quite fit for the tasks/situations this knife is intended for.So, I contacted the manufacturer regarding the two critical issues I mentioned above and I'm waiting for response.If they confirm that my knife is just "a black sheep" that somehow slipped the Ka-Bar quality control by some unfortunate chain of events - then I would just replace this one through amazon. If the new one I receive is free of those two major imperfections - I would give this knife a 5-star rating.(If the blade was an inch longer - I would give this knife 6-star if possible :)On the other hand, if the above mentioned issues are within standard specs of the Ka-Bar production then I would still give it two stars, because you can still take a hammer and straighten it yourself and have a decent peace of steel for a nice price. And for an unsymmetrical grind of the blade - I wouldn't bother fixing it (to much delicate work to do it right), would just leave it as it is.I'll update this review after I receive answer from Ka-Bar. I hope they won't answer with the offer/request to send the knife to them for inspection because I sent them the photos of the knife against the ruler, where you can clearly see all what I was writing about.Thanks for your attention. Sorry for somewhat cumbersome text, English is not my nature language.UPDATE:Like I said, I've contacted the Ka-Bar regarding the bent blade and uneven grind. Their response was fairly quick (a day or two), and this is what they told me (a quote from the email):"... the steel we receive from our steel manufacturer comes cold rolled however we do not grind the flat panels. KA-BAR does this to keep manufacturing costs down and to create an overall inexpensive well-made product for the consumer. The grind is within manufacturing specifications, and does not affect the actual performance.However, KA-BAR's Return's department is willing to handpick a BK2 that is straighter without the curvature. Please send back your BK2 to KA-BAR's facilities at the address below and we would be happy to assist you with this... "So, it seems that mentioned imperfections are still within manufacturing specifications (at least the grinding).However, I wanted to see if that's the case with other knives, so I returned the knife to Amazon and ordered a new one, also from Amazon (Amazon was great for this - no problems whatsoever).The new one I got was perfectly straight and the blade was symmetric.Now, I'm very satisfied :)So, I'm giving it five stars for the second knife I got and for overall satisfaction both with Amazon and Ka-Bar service.

The real knife from KA-BAR is amazing. It took me 2 returns and the third time I got the actual real knife from KA-BAR. The first two were poor counterfeits and I had to try other sellers to get the authentic one. The pic shows all 3, the bottom is the knife from KA-BAR, the two on top are not even close to the product.

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.