Originally Posted by Mighty
I wanted a high quality fixed blade as my hunting knife for upland bird, coyote, deer, and small game. I hunt an average of 30 to 40 days each winter here in Kansas and plan on carrying and using this knife a lot. I choose a Highland Special in Antique Stag Bone.
When I opened up the knife I loved the look of the handle, the over all length, shape, and feel of the knife. Then the disappointments.
1. I felt the blade, didn't feel sharp, so I tried shaving some hair, it wouldn't shave. I tried shaving with both sides of the blade and it would only shave in a small area right at the upsweep of the blade. (Not a huge deal, I was able to get it shaving sharp with a few minutes on my strop, but I was looking forward to the famous factory sharp edge I've heard so much about.)
2. There was a very small burr at the top of the choil where the blade begins. The burr was not prominent enough to see but I could definitly feel it. (Again, not a huge deal I was able to stone it off with little effort.)
3. One of the Stag scales was noticeably thicker than the other. I hope you will be able to tell from the pictures. Is this normal? Would you be satisfied with it?
I called BRKT and they were very nice about the situation and told me they would do whatever it takes to make me happy, even if they have to replace the handle.
I really don't want to be a pain in the ass, overly picky customer. So I would like to know what you BRKT lovers out there would do?
Please don't hate me for posting something negative about BRKT. I'm not trying to run anyone down, just posting about my experience.


I partially understand where you are coming from. It's is always disapointing to get something you expect near perfection from only to have QC issues. That being said, Bark Rivers are mostly built by hand. All of the areas that affect final fit and finish are done by human beings and they are fallible.


The only thing Mike Stewart gets upset about is when folks do pretty much exactly what you are doing here. Unless Bark River has the knife in hand to address those issues directly, they really cannot help you. To me, that is common sense and common courtesy.

Send it to them with as complete of a rundown of the problems as you have listed here. They will do whatever is humanly possible to make it right.





Last edited by jim62; 01/07/12.
To all gunmaker critics-
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.."- Teddy Roosevelt