Neck Knife Conundrum

the Izula is a very flat and light knife, making it a very good choice for neck carry

it is plenty large enough and stout enough to handle batoning duties (within reason- your not going to be splitting logs w/ a neck knife :) )

I'd add one more to you list to look at- Fallkniven WM1- also very flat profile, light, very good steel, convexed edge from the factory

The Bark River is very well made, and is a great knife.

I got the optional handles with mine, and also got the leather Sharpshooter sheath – very nice indeed!

None of the choices you list is bad – you're really only choosing between good knives, every one! But the workmanship and guarantee on the Bark River surpasses the rest.

You may also consider the new KA-BAR BK14 BRAT, a cross between the Izula and the Becker Necker. Here’s a picture and some info from Doug Ritter’s site (scroll down to KA-BAR): Becker BK14

A plus (AFAIK) for the Bark River knives is they have a convex blade that is very easy to field maintain (with a piece of 2000 grit sandpaper, IIRC).

Having held none of those but forced to choose, I’d go with the BRAT first and the Izula second because of the longer blade (over the Izula) and seemingly more comfortable handle (over the Necker, assuming you don’t do the para cord braid).

For my tasks (no batoning), the CRKT RSK Mk5 neck knife is nice and light, compact, and hardly anyone notices it hanging there (even in the office!), once I replaced the brightly colored cordage/handle with a piece of and old leather shoelace. It has never fallen out of it’s sheath (probably too light), and locks in place with a secure friction lock.

http://www.511tactical.com/browse/Home/Law-Enforcement/Accessories/Tactical-Knives/Sidekick-Boot-Knife/D/30100/P/1:100:10000:10900:10904/I/51023

"Please help me defeat the reason why I shouldn't buy one of my three finalists"

'Cause you don't need a knife like that at all. I've never had to baton wood to get a fire going. Just a couple of months ago we got a raging fire going in the pouring rain. And not one of the three of us said, Boy I wish I had some honking big knife to baton some wood with. Plus if you are camping somewhere were there is no kindling on the ground, don't have a fire. How's that. Try going a whole season without one. You might just find you don't need one after all. I take a Wenger Esquire, serves all my purposes.

Your Avatar and the question you asked reminded me of the classic Simpsons episode when Furious George and another monkey had a knife fight on Mr. Burns’s boat. Knife?

I carry this little Knife on a lanyard around my neck. Its cheap, hardly noticeable and it suits my backpacking needs.

None of the knives listed is close to "honkin'". The Bark River has a broad flat blade, but we're talkin' paring knife for length– same as a 111mm frame Swiss Army knife.

Bark River– the others are carbon steel and need more maintenance. You'll only buy the Bark River once unless you lose it and your grandchildren will be able to take it camping :)

Do you "need" the knife? It's not so big or expensive that it would be a huge mistake and it's a nice thing to own. I like the blade profile, size is good, and the handle is big enough to get your whole hand on. I wouldn't mind having one myself.

Size is relative.

Yes, size is relative- but these small knives do not seem to promote the Rambo-syndrome where people feel the need to chop and cut everything they see. That said, I agree that the need for batoning and fires is exaggerated.

I find that any coating on a blade inhibits cutting performance, so would not get the ESEE. Bark Rivers are nice (I have some old Blackjacks) but make sure you can sharpen a convex edge. Some people can, others (me) can't. My Blackjacks and old Marbles remain dull due to my incompetence with a strop and sandpaper.

According to USPS, my Barkie BN2 is supposed to arrive in the mail today :-) So that was the choice I came up with based on my research; but no practical experience yet. The main reason I chose the Barkie over the other options was the steel and the convex grind — both IMHO far superior to the other offerings.

Stephen: Can you tell me how much the leather sheath weighs and how its thickness compares to the stock kydex sheath? I'm thinking about that as an upgrade.

Thanks!

Thanks for all the feedback everyone (even Ken), more info than I could have hoped for. Just and FYI- I live in an arid part of California so the need to baton in order to get dry wood is rarely if ever a problem. I just figured it was a common enough activity (that everyone would understand) which I could use as a point of reference to judge the durability and utility of the various knives to perform tasks beyond cutting cheese and mole skin. I have never batoned wood before and doubt I would in my local area (for the purposes of fuel) since most dry firewood in the area is oak.

David White- Congrats on the new BN-2, when you get a chance to try it out can you let me know if it is comfortable to wear around neck?

Got the BN-2 today. What a great blade! Even smaller and lighter than I expected. I can see where it will be much more comfortable to use with scales on it, and I plan to order a set tonight. But right now I feel like I've finally found a knife with the right balance of weight, size, and usability.

Initially I hadn't planned on using it as a necker, but I'm wearing it right now and its actually quite comfortable; so I might just start that way. I can always move it to my belt later if I decide. I'm one of those folks who really don't like anything hanging from my neck.

The kydex sheath does look large in the promo photos (like a ping pong paddle), but its really quite small in "real life." Here's a photo of me wearing it to give you an idea of scale:

Right now I'm giving it an A+; but the real test will be this fall when I can get out more and test it in the field.

Well I'm glad that I could be of some help:) Just for perspective I am not anti knife by any means. I have just come to the conclusion that for backpacking I just don't need anything more than my Esquire. Though I do have a selection to choose from in case…