KA-BAR 200038 BK3 Becker Tac Tool - Black Tactical Knife for Outdoor Survival, Camping & Hunting | Durable Fixed Blade with Sheath

I'm not sure if I can add much to the party here as there are plenty of accurate, positive reviews, but I still have my two cents worth all bottled up and waiting to be uncorked.I read every review posted here and also went through a good many related threads on bladeforums.com before pulling the trigger on this product. I expected that out of the box it would not be as sharp as I would like, which was true. So, the first thing I did was sharpen all three edges ... serrated, straight edge and the notch, to my satisfaction. For me, this tool does not have to be ground razor sharp as I wouldn't carry it for practical use without also having a very sharp drop or clip point hunter, and a slipjoint pocket knife to boot.Bottom line: The BK3 is a (fabulous) tool which features a utility edge, but it's not really a knife with regard to our pre-conceived notion of what that description defines. It IS very heavy duty. It's a well-balanced, big chunk of carbon steel for whackin', pounding, hammering, breaking, breaching, chopping, hacking, cutting, digging, chiseling, and prying on things. That's about all I really need to say about it. The tool itself gets my five stars for its utility, its toughness, its versatility, its ergonomics and balance, and its excellent quality for the price.Bonus: It ships with an excellent sheath that is MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment ... pronounced "Molly", like a girl's name) compatible. I used the side slots in conjunction with some heavy duty 1" wide Velcro strips and firmly attached a leather sheath to the front of it which will house either my old Schrade LB7 Bear Paw folding hunter or my Gerber multi-tool, depending on what I want on hand on a given day out. (See my customer images to view this and other mods.) I also utilized the lowest two screw holes to add some leather shoelace for a leg tie-down which helps keep the entire unit from flopping about. The tool snaps into the sheath very securely, and with a satisfying CLICK and is further retained by a handle retaining loop with a snap closure. I also added a paracord loop to the belt loop which is adjustable via a slip knot, for extra security or for hanging on a nail or branch when not being worn.My applications: I'm not in the military nor am I in the professional or volunteer rescue business, but I do have many applications for the BK3. I own property with a cabin and I spend a lot of time in the woods. In addition to hunting small game and deer I also love to mushroom hunt from spring through fall, something that does require prying, digging, whacking and occasional hacking through brush. I'm on a garden tractor often, mowing lawns and trails and clearing brush. I don't have to tell you how valuable a tool it is to have on the belt for such yard work. I've got a fire pit with some forged fire irons and the notch on the BK3 makes it easy to hang a Dutch oven and remove hot cast iron lids using iron hooks. It's perfect for splitting and hacking up cooking wood and kindling, too. Finally, I try to take an annual winter weekend and do a solo, minimalist / survival winter camping adventure. A small tarp, rope, a change of socks, a .22 rifle, fire, snare wire, a tin cup, some tea bags, a few bouillon cubes, half a dozen corn dodgers, Sierra saw, a few knives, a hatchet. This year, I'm swapping my hatchet out for my BK3, and I'm certain I won't be disappointed for the decision.Other stuff: There has been a good deal of talk and opinion about the notch on the BK3. Is it a wire cutter? Is it a seatbelt cutter? Is it a paracord cutter? In my view, out of box it is not sharp enough to function efficiently in any of the three jobs. (In fact, I saw an old ad explaining the features of the tool and it stated that the notch was more designed for pulling things in toward oneself.) However, a little time with a rat-tail file and you can get it sharp enough to slice through stuff, if you like. An even finer edge can be finished off with an appropriate sized dowel and increasingly finer grits of wet/dry sandpaper.Also, please be aware that a serrated edge does not qualify as a camp saw. This tool is not designed for efficiently sawing wood or bone. An inexpensive, light-weight, folding Sierra saw is preferable for such tasks. (A welcome tool for basic bush craft in the first place.)In conclusion, big thumbs up.I absolutely love this thing even with small gripes I have with it.Picked it up to take backpacking as kind of a mini machete that I could also replace my hatchet with, that rarely gets packed in. Something I could beat the crap out of and know it's going to be just fine.First impressions are that it fits on my belt great and the size is about perfect. Doesn't jab me in the side like my kukri can at all but, still has enough force to cut vines and brush if needed. It could be a little sharper out of the box but, that's pretty common and still sharp enough to do the job. I personally don't mind the scales on this one but, I might upgrade later. It fits into the case like a glove with absolutely no rattle!Now the gripes. The belt cutter seems utterly pointless. Sure it's good if you happen to need to cut a tight blet and you don't have a smaller blade and just chop at it but, only if it's sharp(it's not) and that's almost never going to happen. It takes away from the strength of the blade too if you ever need to use it as a prybar.I would much rather have saw teeth down the spine that actually cut and could be sharpened. Then get rid of the stupid serrated edge at the bottom and this thing would be perfect!Hopefully they will come out with an slightly better version that at least gets rid of the belt cutter and serrated edge.I know this is a dream and would probably cost a small fortune but, a titanium version just for backpacking would be so amazing!I live in a suburban area and in an emergency i need my bag filled with useful tools and nothing more. I have a pocket knife for the more intricate cuts that i need to make. But if i need to bust down a door or cut some rope this will do the job. If i need to baton some wood this will work. if i need a hammer this will work. this is a jack of all trades and master of none, unless you call busting up everything in sight a trade.Consthe straight edge is not very sharp. I can sharpen it myself but i dont want to have to. This is a big deal to me after paying some good moneyit is a little more blade heavy than i would have likedProsThis can do most things well and is made to take a beatingI like the looks of it. And no one knows what it is but is in awe of itThe handle feels good in my hand. this is something that you do not want to over look when buying a knife that you are going to beat up on. because your hands are the first contact with the knifeThe is a metal butt that can be used to bust out some glass or take a mallet to it so you can chiselIt is heavy so you can let the knife do the work.overall i love the know. But when i go to walmart and by a $10 knife that is sharper than this i get annoyed. I have played with it and a hatchet would work better on wood and a machete on brush and a hammer on spikes. But that is a lot of weight to fit in your bag when i can use this when needed.Got this knife after watching a rescue crew "disassemble" a car with it. Chopping the damn doors off. and cutting out the windshield. This is advertising the way it should be done.Man sees - man buys.So I used this knife on a 3 month tour in the mediterranean sea for basically everything. As long as you can aim the knife at what you need to apply unnecessary amount of force to, you can break it. Doors and locks, crates, food cans, barbed wire - you name it.It's heavy but not unwieldy, rough but not clumsy and manly as all hell. Took it out on a 2 week vacation to Sweden, chopped wood and dug a fire pit with it. If you ever wanted a tool that is almost impossible to break and does almost everything to some extend I can recommend this chunk of steel.10/10 would buy again - but it doesn't break so I don't have to.Well made. Very thick (1/4”+) full length tang. Very sharp and hold an edge. Thoroughly happy with this purchase.Update, haven’t had it more then two months and the sheath has came apart at the seems. Very disappointing. Not true K-Bar qualityExactly what I was hoping it would be. Solid tool. I dont think of it as I knife, but it definitely has a very sharp edge all along its length. I love how thick the metal is and that it is one long piece. It is excellently made with a comfortable handle and hex bolts which can be tightened if they ever loosen. Comes with a nice sheath as well. I'm very pleased to add this to my collection of tools and knives.This thing is a beast, a bit heavy to have on a belt. Haven’t put it to use yet but I’m glad it’s in my rescue go bag just in case I need to chop, or smash through, or pry open something.excellente qualité prix utilise régulièrement en camping comme outil a tout faire extrêmement solide et durable