Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Let's see the Bark Rivers

I think that you can see that I'm a Bark River fan. I've supported them in the best way possible by buying a bunch of them and will be buying more.

I do however think it's only honest to describe them as accurately as possible. They in general have good but not great workmanship and occasionally they let a few out of the shop that IMHO they shouldn't have. Make no mistake, Mike Stewart is a stand-up honorable guy, I know this first hand. Bark River will generally bend over backwards to make something right as will Knivesshipfree for that matter. But as a prospective buyer buying a knife that can cost a few hundred dollars it's easy to get your expectations leaning towards perfection whether that's realistic or not.

I honestly think that there are a couple other brands of knives in the same price range that are made better than Bark Rivers. I DON'T think that there are any other knifes in the same price range that PERFORM better. If what you are most interested in is a perfectly made art knife Barkie's might not be your favorites. If you want a highest performing in actual use knife Barkies will be up there for you.

Anyway that's my 2cents, I hope it doesn't offend anyone..........DJ

DJ,

That description is accurate and is my experience as well.

There are some who claim a Bark River at $150 to $200 with those fit and finish issues is not as good of a value as some custom maker's hollow and flat ground knives at the same price.

The problem with that is in both knife size and blade grind they are comparing applies to oranges.

Most Bark River knives are bigger blades compared to most of the customs knives you see in the $50 to $200 price range. They are also made from much thicker blade stock and perhaps most importantly, have hand convex blade grinds which many custom makers simply will not or even cannot do.

When one considers that most custom knives of the same exact size ,handle materials and blade grind of the Bark Rivers usually sell for 50 to 100% more, then they look like the solid value they are.

And having said all that- they are getting better all the time. The handle shape issues are going away quickly because they are reshaping more and more handle scales on CNC centers before they hand fit and hafted on the blades.

Bark River made more knives in the last 12 months- over 15,000- than most fulltime custom knife makers will build in two entire lifetimes. And come very close to the overall quality of most customs in the process. Evbrything in life is a tradeoff and Bark River knives are no execption.

One thing I will say- at least Bark Rivers knives are 100% made by them in MIchigan rather than companies like Fallkniven who cannot even figure out how to build a knife without having the Japanese make them..

yea Jim62, I think that anyone who has tried to own thier own business and manage employees can sympathise and appreciate what Mike has done with Bark River. Trying to hire and manage employees to produce hand made items is it's own kind of hell dealing with quality control.

I think that Mike has done an excellent job and backs it with superb customer service if it's ever needed.

I've been buying more Bark River knives than any others, probably the next knife I buy will be one of the 3V Bravo-1's................................dj

This is my favorite Bark River for all around stuff & game. Bravo 1 w/Osage scales. Rampless! If I bought another I order same--but with the full height grind. Right this second anyway...

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Second favorite a Gameskeeper II that I really like for larger game with natural spalted maple scales that is just about too pretty to use. I don't have a pic.

Now I don't need a heavy knife to bust joints as advertised (having learned to disjoint in a cutting room with a 6" flex boning knife) but I love the look and the heft of the thick blades with some nice scales--beauty. Worth every penny.

They hold an edge and keep it. They perform to the level of skill you have...but overall would think the thinner blades would be generally easier to use for most--critter-wise. Can't speak to the bushcraft side of things.

Damn shame about Marbles for this Marbles slut...but Bark River kinda makes up for it...:)

I like the look/lines of your blade without the full grind.
Why would you choose a full grind on your next one?

Does Bark River make any handles of out Kraton or other tacky rubber material for better grip when wet? I have been entertaining the idea of a new knife for a while and I have been leaning toward the H1 from Fallkniven. I like their handles made from Thermorun. However, this discussion has got me thinking about Bark River knives, especially the Fox River. What is your opinion about the Fox River as a general all purpose hunting knife?

Thanks

By the way, thanks to Jim62 for the link on how to sharpen convex blades. Before I started reading about knives, I had no idea there were different grinds on knives and I started to get confused. The video on sharpening convex grinds helped greatly.

Just for the look of it. I like it.

And that is about 90% of buying more than 2 knives...but certainly all the impetus I need...:)

I could use it just as well as the ones I have. They are great little knives.

Fox River

Learned as a pup to use longer knives with the pointy end up, however, and although I tried real hard this year to get by with the beauty 4" blade Tim Olt (michiganroadkill) made me, it just wasn't quite the same...:)

Early on we worked in some wet greasy conditions all day using smooth wood handled Russell and Olsens, (i.e. cheap), and got by OK. The injuries you worry about are more to the offhand from the knife-hand or to the torso/upper leg if you really screw up. Just hang on to it--they might as well be pretty-- otherwise just buy a cheap commercial SS with a rubber/plastic handle and try to wear it out on game...:)

Lightly sanded canvas Micarta is pretty grippy when wet. Maybe not to the same degree as thermorun but it works pretty well............dj

Tomk, If you like the Bravo but prefer a little bit thinner blade you might think about a Gunny. Slightly smaller than the Bravo-1 but the same basic profile and thinner blade. Here's one compared to a Fallkniven F-1:



lots of nice choices though. :-)

I received this Woodland Special the other day. I'd read a bunch about the Bark Rivers and wanted to try one. I gotta say I was underwhelmed when I opened the package. The fit and finish is decent,but its not nearly as sharp as I would expect it to be. Somebody wasn't paying attention when they sharpened this one. I do like the knife,its a perfect length and I think it will be a great knife once I get it sharp.

And FWIW here's the width's of a Bravo-1, Fox River and Gunny compared:




.....................dj

No, DJ I was just recommending the thinner blades for others on game.

I like the 1/4" stuff and my right hand cares less what is in it. Left hand needs a little more manageable knife...:)

D,

First, as to the traction issue- as DJ said, the Canvas Micarta is nice and grippy when it is rough sanded. Bark River is now offering a Matte option blade and handle finish. The blade grind is still polished, but the balance of the blade and handle are a matte sandblast finish. It looks great and improves the traction of both Micarta and G-10 scales. A Green or Black Canvas Micarta in matte finish would be about ideal for a working knife handle.

As to the Convex blade video link, you are most welcome!
I do encourage you and anyone else here who likes those vids to go to knivesshipfree.com and send them an email to thank them.

Derrick Bon who owns that site is a very staunch supporter of Bark River and a lot of other quality knife brands/makers. His wife Wendy was just diagnosed with a brain tumor a few weeks ago. She was the office manager and his right arm. While she is in treatment the next few months I am sure those folks will appreciate all the support they can get during this time. A kind word via email would be great.

The world needs more knife dealers like knivesshipfree IMHO. They are not perfect, but they do their best. And Bark River Knife and Tool would a less successful company without their support during the last 5 years.

jim,

Can you explain the difference between the canvas micarta matte and the G10 matte? My problem is I have a hard enough time deciding what knife to buy when spending this kind of money. Throw in the fact that I am trying to decide by looking at pictures only just makes it harder.

Thanks

It's really all about the fabric weave.

Most G-10s are rather finely woven fiberglass cloth layers. About the same size weaver as linen based Micarta. The Canvas Micarta on the other hand has a more open weave which is a bit nubby even when polished and waxed. With a rough sanded or blasted finished Canvas Micarta is the "grippiest" of the synthetic materials and is very popular for Combat/hard use knives..

I think you will be very pleased with a matte finished Micarta handle. About the only downside to the Canvas Micarta is the color ranges are rather limited. Bark River only usually stocks 3 to 4 colors of Canavas Micarta.

The more I look at the Bark Rivers, the more I like them. The two cons of the Fallkniven H1 (the lack of a finger guard and the thickness of the blade, which is .2 in and some people say is too thick) can be addressed by some of the Bark River models. The pros of the H1 (price, it is cheaper the BR, and the material of the handle) aren't as critical when compared to the canvas micarta material. Which leads me to my first question. What does the matte finish do to the knife? Does it give the whole knife a dull finish or does it apply to only the handle? If it applies to only the handle, what is its purpose? Also, is the matte finish a fairly new option as I am having a hard time finding any with it?
Second question is an opinion question. BR makes so many models it is tough to pick one. I will be using my new knife for skinning and cutting up mostly deer. I have narrowed down the field to the Lite Hunter and the Highland Special. Would one of those knives serve me well or would you have another recomendation?

Thanks

It would of course be best if you could handle both and see which feels best in your hand before purchasing if not? Either would work just find for deer. The Highland Special is a bit more popular than the Lite Hunter so it might be fair to say that more people have prefered it. The Lite hunter is a thinner more narrow knife which might be your preference.

My first choice for a deer knife would be a Gunny. The way the handles are contoured fit my hand particularly well and I like the blade contour...............dj

I agree that handling the knives would be the best but as of yet I cannot find a dealer to get my hands on them.

Thanks

I didn't care for the highland special and sent it back. I recomend the gunny too and that is the next BR I would buy for deer tasks.