KA-BAR Becker BK7 is a all purpose combat utility knife. This knife was designed specifically for soldiers and adventurers. Requiring a sturdy but lightweight combat knife that can stand up to hard use.
So In this article we’re going to review KA-BAR BKR7. And we’ll cover all the good and bad aspect of this knife, so that you can decide if it’s really worth a purchase for you or not.
Key features
In this article...
- Made in USA or imported
- It is Sturdy, lightweight all-purpose utility knife
- It is easy-to-sharpen and made from 1095 Cor-Van steel blade
- Handle is made durable glass-fiber-filled nylon
- It has 20-degree edge angle; 7-inch blade length
- It measures 12-7/8 inches overall; weighs 0. 75 pounds
Detail Review
The Ka-Bar Becker BK7 is a fixed blade knife with an overall length 12-⅞ inches. And the blade length from the guard to the tip is 7 inches and weighs around 0.75 pounds.
Blade
Blade of knife is built from full tang, 4.8mm thick 1045 cro van steel. The metal, grind, and straight edge will make this knife simple to use, sharpen, and maintain in the field.
1045 steel is highly durable, an excellent choice for a good long lasting edge. Plus if it starts getting dull, you don’t have to do hard labour to get it back in shape. It’s got a thick spine for longevity durability especially in the field. You can easily chop, slice small to medium sized wood for fire.
The clip point is very sharp yet extremely tough, with the upper swedge which is not sharpened. It is extremely capable for piercing or drilling through material. The tip is actually aligned with the center line of the entire knife. Which makes it look balanced and symmetrical.
The thumb ramp on the blade is also convenient. It does not interfere with any normal grip or use of the knife. Yet it provides a solid, comfortable spot to rest your thumb, which also seems to allow a little extra leverage during repetitive slicing.
For some people it’s comfortable and for others it’s not. Therefore it comes to your personal preferences and on your hand size, what you feel.
Moreover, it comes coated with black epoxy coating. It’s thick and quit substantial than I expected. I don’t abuse my blades unless I need to, but my intuition is that this coating will cling tenaciously and stand up to a lot of real-world abuse.
Also, because it is not stainless steel it will rust easily, if you don’t care for it properly. So keeping your knife dry with an occasional thin coat of lubricant or pure mineral oil is a must.
Handle
Handle equipped on this knife is made from “Grivory” which appears to be a high-density or abs plastic. It is very smooth and don’t have much of a texturing.
So the grip is more slippery than I would normally wish on a knife, especially of this type and size. But you can fix that by scuffing/etching them with sandpaper or a Dremel tool, or wrapping them with grip tape.
However, these are just temporary measures. I would suggest to invest in a good custom made handle if you are really having a hard time gripping the knife. Though, if you are just going to use it in an occasional camping trip or a backpacking trip, you don’t have to spend more on handle.
There’s also an over sized lanyard hole and a generously exposed pommel that can be used for hammering, crushing tree for wilderness survival. Overall factory grips seem quite nice, and those who find their smoothness deeply disconcerting, they can opt for custom handles.
Sheath
Sheath is probably the weakest part, about the blade. It is made from ballistic nylon with double-stitched piping around the external edges. And have a compartment for a secondary knife, fire stick or edge sharpener.
It is very well made and the materials feel like they’re good quality. But the knife fits inside the sheath very loosely and rattles around considerably. The only thing keeping the knife in the sheath is ONE retention loop/strap with one snap button.
If this gets undone there is nothing holding the knife inside. I’ve never had the snap loop come undone, but I feel like after a while that snap will wear out. Also, the sheath is entirely too big for the size of the knife. But if you consider the affordable price point and superb quality of the knife itself, it doesn’t feel all that terrible.
All I can say is, it is a very basic and underwhelming, yet perfectly adequate for casual use. And if you really need an excellent sheath, you can anytime replace it with custom leather or kydex sheath.
Field Test Video
Conclusion
BK7 is sturdy, lightweight all-purpose utility knife. It is a great knife for camping, hunting, backpacking, preppers, bushcraft, extreme adventures. And for anyone who wants a ridiculously heavy duty utility knife for shop, home or workplace.
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