I've decided that I'm going to go with one of the Becker knives for my primary survival kit. They seem to be the most durable for the money.

Doug's suggestions include the Combat Utility 7 Doug's fixed blade selections This one seems a bit big for me. I wanted to go with something that was not quite as heavy and long. I was considering either the Becker Crewman Utility Knife or the Campanion each with 5" blades.

Becker specifically mentions using the Campanion for splitting wood. It's about $20 more at Spoon River Cutlery and looks like it has a more durable case. Becker Knives

Does anyone have any first hand experience with these? Is there any reason why I might want to go with the CU - 7 instead?

Thanks!

Keytree,
While I don't own either of those knives, I do have a Becker BK9 that I'm very happy with. It does a good job chopping small branches and splitting wood. The Becker line is relatively inexpensive and of good quality.

The Crewman is a great knife. I was originally looking at the Companion, but fortunately for me, Becker introduced the Crewman before I bought the BK2. I still like the looks of the Companion, but not enough to pay 50% more for it.

As far as splitting wood is concearned, Becker claims that the Companion can be used for "chopping onions for the chili and splitting out small kindling for the fire." They also claim that their new Necker (which I got for Christmas and am really excited about) can "slice an onion and with the help of a baton (big stick) split out small kindling for your fires." I'm not totally sure what that means, I just thought it was interesting. More to the point, I think the Crewman will do as much or more chopping than you can expect from a 5" blade.

While I don't own the CU-7, I've heard nothing but good things about it. I used to carry a 7" knife exclusively, but I've since converted to a 5" blade for my standard, all around/backpakcing blade. I think it's better suited for most things, and since I started to carry it, I've yet to come accross a situation where I wished I had the bigger blade.

Hope that helps,

Chris.

Chris,

That's the information I was looking for! You make a good point that the Campanion is probably not worth the extra $.

I guess they probably run all their new knives through the onion and wood splitting tests. ;-)

Thanks!

How about, instead of getting a big knife, you could think about getting a small, thinner knife and a hatchet or folding saw. This way you get two tools that perform their own tasks better than the one knife does either, and you don't put all your eggs in one basket.

This is just my own personal preference.

Pete,

You're right. Always a good idea to use the best tool for the job. I have an army folding shovel and a small Gerber hatchet I take camping sometimes. I love them both, but I often need to be thinking about weight and leave them behind.

I don't have any fixed blade knives at all (other than in the kitchen). Since it's suggested as the number one tool to have in a survival situation, I figured it was about time I picked one up. I previously just carried a Swiss Army knife and a Leatherman.

I don't plan on doing any digging with the knife unless I really need to for some reason. Cutting up small wood I will likely use the knife sometimes. I will also use it for hunting and probably bring it with me when camping too.

I'm a pilot. I fly over some uninhabited areas sometimes and this is why I'm putting a kit together. I need to be thinking about weight for this as well. I don't want the kit to be too heavy or cumbersome so that I'll think twice about bringing it along.

I have the BK2 Companion. I purchased it before the Crewman was released. I wanted a hammer, digger, prybar, cutter and wanted a knife with a 5" blade. The Companion was my answer. It has its strengths and weaknesses, for me.

It is heavy, it is very sturdy, it is indestructable. I have used it to chop wood and it does fine. I have used it to pound but the butt of the handle makes that difficult. It is not a knife for fine cutting like cutting associated with cooking. I had to use it to dig foot holds when I tumbled down an embankment. I used it once to punch through the trunk of a junked car just to see if I could get into the trunk. I could. The sheath is Kydex. Its unremarkable. I plan to have the handles sandblasted and thats it for mods. Given the above, it still looks new.

Get another knife for the finer knife tasks. The SAK/Leatherman would be just fine.

Twice the price of the Crewman and twice the metal.

I have seen the Crewman and handled it and would buy the Companion again.

I have had a crewman for about a year now. I like it. I am from the "sharpened pry-bar" school and like having a robust metal thing to abuse when needed. I have cut my way into car doors, punched holes in ammo boxes, dug holes, split wood, pried things open and in general abused it. It seems thick enough to withstand my rough treatment without the weight of a thicker knife. Weight does become an issue for me.

It has some drawbacks. It is difficult to slice veggies thin because of the thickness of the blade and its shape. It is so thick that most tough veggies (squash, carrots etc) crack rather than cut.

It is a bit clumsy when doing fine tasks because of its weight and size, but with practice, I am getting better.

People react quite negativly to it. Can't figure that one out. Must be the "height" of the blade. I have another knife just as long that never gets the comments that the crewman does.

It is an inexpensive knife so I don't mind hanging over the bow of a boat to cut a line (whoops...) or doing other things which put the knife at risk. I also carry an expensive benchmade folder which I am reluctant to abuse or risk.

I have removed the handles (keep 'em in my BOB in case I need them) and have the handle wrapped in paracord. I prefer this as it makes the knife thinner. Rides in my EDC pack easier. Paracord is easily removed to make the knife easier to clean when doing "dirty" things. (Remove the paracord before getting it "dirty" ). Then just throw the knife ( now just a metal slab) into boiling water to clean. I hate knives with fixed (riveted or othewise bonded) handles which can not be removed for good cleaning.

I have also extensivly modified the sheath to make it a "high carry" instead of as shipped. Does not get in the way so easily, but I think it poses more of a risk to my ribs and stomach in case of accident when carried that way. Still, I prefer high carry.

The edge is easy to sharpen to a very good working edge. No tricks here. A very simple wedge shape.

Works for me.

I have 2 of the becker Campanions. I bought them for the purpose of haveing a heavy duty blade that could chop, slice and be a weapon if need be that would take the abuse and keep on going. One of them I moded to house survival items in the handle like snare wire, small hooks, sparking steel. etc.

I have used it to baton through wet wood for kindling and also to cut threw a small log by using a baton and going all around the diamiter of the log while batoning and it neaver failed.

The other is new still in the box as this one was going into my wifes car but now shes my X so she didnt get it.

As far a using it to slice food thats what I use my SAK for or you could get a cheap mora that will do the job.

As for the price any of the beckers are hard to beat for the money. My next becke rwill be the becker-necker.

Rich