Bark River STS-3

J,
That's a slick looking knife, I love barkies. It reminds me a lot of Andy's bushcrafter.
Iz
 
I have one of the STS-3's. It is in concept an "improved, i.e. stainless" RC-3. It is a perfect skinning knife/hunting knife, etc. No wasted length in it, i.e. no choil, minimal (but adequate) handle. Stout (0.187") without being a sharpened prybar. I have 30+ barkies. It is the sharpest of any I have. In its kydex horizontal sheath it disappears on my belt. Of the some 220+ knives I have aquired in the last four years, it is tied with my Brian Andrews, 5/32", D2, Scandi, bushcrafter as my favborite. For hunting it ranks #1. Ahead of my Barkie Gameskeeper only because I hunt in the rainforests of Washington and the A2 gameskeeper rusts and pits before I get back to the car.
I particularly like the depth of the blade and its shape. Did I mention it is really sharp.
 
bindlestitch said:
J,
That's a slick looking knife, I love barkies. It reminds me a lot of Andy's bushcrafter.
Iz
Click to expand...

Thats what I was thinkin Iz. Ive never been disapointed with a Barkie.

Ron Athay said:
I have one of the STS-3's. It is in concept an "improved, i.e. stainless" RC-3. It is a perfect skinning knife/hunting knife, etc. No wasted length in it, i.e. no choil, minimal (but adequate) handle. Stout (0.187") without being a sharpened prybar. I have 30+ barkies. It is the sharpest of any I have. In its kydex horizontal sheath it disappears on my belt. Of the some 220+ knives I have aquired in the last four years, it is tied with my Brian Andrews, 5/32", D2, Scandi, bushcrafter as my favborite. For hunting it ranks #1. Ahead of my Barkie Gameskeeper only because I hunt in the rainforests of Washington and the A2 gameskeeper rusts and pits before I get back to the car.
I particularly like the depth of the blade and its shape. Did I mention it is really sharp.
Click to expand...

Thats it!! A choiless RC3. I totally agree. I think having owned alot of Barkies and a couple RC3s, I have an idea of how this one feels.

Dangit. Just when I thought I was free of knives. :eek:

Think I might have to order one of these. I might strip that half coating off though. Ater all, its 154CM.
 
Similar design to an RC-3, though without a choil. Nice looking knife. I prefer it without the false top edge. Keep in mind it'll be quite a bit thicker than an RC-3 though.
 
Was looking at these a while ago. I'm a little choked about this thread, I want one now:(
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:D
 
Here's a brief review I did a few months back:



I've been using the Bark River STS-3 for about a week now,

...I must report that it's a very user friendly EDC knife.








Here are the specs:

Overall Length: 8.125 Inches
Blade Length: 3.85 Inches
Blade Steel: 154CM @ 58rc
Blade Thickness: .1875 Inch
Weight: 6.5 Ounces




This is the one of the new powder coated blades that Bark River has recently started to produce.

Unlike many powder coated blades, Bark River removes the powder coating from the bevels, this gives the user the kind of cutting performance expected from Bark River products.








The blade is crafted from Crucible's 154CM. In my opinion, this is one of the better stainless steels. I have a Bark River DPH in this steel, and find it to be a step up in edge retention from some of the more familiar stainless steels.


The fit and finish on this knife is not quite as good as I've come to expect to from Bark River, but some of that is the nature of the powder coated knife. Typical of this style of knife construction; the fit of the tang to CNC machined, bolt on scales can never be as good as the more traditional glued-up handle finished as one piece. As you might see in my photos; the powder coating at the grind lines is not as crisp as I've seen in the photos, especially the reverse side, but I believe that's the result of this knife going back to the shop for the Spa Treatment and not an example of a NIB knife.


The sheath is a very serviceable Kydex unit. The fit is very good, though the knife is a bit hard to draw (even rocking it a bit), I expect that it will loosen up a bit with use.









When I first got my hands on this knife I gave it the "Chairborne Commando" work out and quickly declared the handle too small. Once I started using it in the kitchen, and later taking it out into the woods, I forgot that the handle was too small; like Reid likes to remind us, the human hand is very adaptable.

The only issue I had with the handle was not its length. In prolonged use (like whittling) I found the top of the handle towards the ricasso to be a bit narrow to be comfortable in my large meaty hand. Other then that, the handle worked quite well for me.


For size reference here it is with the Bravo-1 and the Woodland Special.













Big Mike
 
I used the knife for several days in the kitchen and found it to work very well, it's only limitation was it's length. It's amazing how well these thick spined convex blades work when slicing meat and vegetables.


Same deal in the woods. This blade performed like a Bravo-1 when pushed into field use; notching, slicing, baton work where all handed with ease.


On the job site this knife worked well cutting cardboard, cordage and rubber hoses.


Here are a few photos of the knife during field testing.


























I would have no problem recommending this knife to a friend as an EDC or a small field blade.



Big Mike
 
j williams said:
Anyone got one of these and put it through its paces? Got any in use pics? The tactical guy in me digs it, but I dont recall ever hearing of it.

http://www.knivesshipfree.com/STS-3
Click to expand...

I'm with ya on that one. :) I have looked over the STS as well as the RC-3 many times. I like that fact that it has 154-CM steel. I can attest to Tops 154-CM as I own the Pasayten. It takes a WICKED edge easily, and holds it for a very respectable amount of time. I'm sure Bark River does a proper heat treat on it.

I like that it doesn't have a coil, and again, the stainless option. Nothing wrong with the 1095 on the RC-3 of course.......
 
Do you feel the lanyard loop if you push down on the end of the handle with the "meat" of your hand? Is that an issue in prolonged use?
 
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