Are Bark River and Tops going to crush everyone?

I'd rather have a Buck fixed blade than a tops or bark river

shinyedges said:
Brk is perfect for people who aren't bogged down with meaningless details like is their 3v knife actually 3v, as long as it cuts they are happy. I don't trust brk use the steel they claim, I don't like supporting Mike Stewart. Read up on him here. Not a good person.
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just dont pester Mike on Saturday.

back on topic all the way.....bark rivers I own haven't impressed me. I have little interest in owning anymore. as they aren't great for the money. sloppy made and heat treat isn't great in the ones I own and over priced for what ya get compared to the competition.

tops are okay...but I feel other brands bring more to the table and for less money.

that's my thoughts on it for the op.
 
And then there is this dude who beat the Tops Tom Brown Tracker #1 to destruction. It held up well. [Even though the “test” is a little over the top.]
 
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I'm done with Bark River. Ive never seen a company be more proud of bad grinds and order mistakes. I have owned many of their knives and I have never received terrible grinds from any other brand. Bark River are the only knives Ive returned because bad grinds. I still have a few. when done well they're beautiful. For the most part I would only buy a BR on the used market when I can see pics of actual knife.
 
Tops El Pionero - new one - don't think it's a slicer. It is something, but if you try to cut and apple with it, it wobbles back and forth and you're likely to slice your giblets off.

I guess it is for the street ninja and not to be used as a utility knife. Kind of like a karambit, but you're not as likely to poke yourself in the forearm spinning it... I hate those things.. When I was a kid is was the butterfly knife - and nunchucks. Every generation has its ridiculous.

I'll report back if I find a use for it.
 
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ephsea said:
What @Quiet says right up there. I had an interaction with Mike, have witnessed plenty others, and it goes just like that every time. He *always* has to be right, and will outright make things up and go into bully mode if others don't agree with him. It leaves a sour taste and makes me believe all the bad stories (from good people) about his integrity. Their QC is a joke, I don't think they inspect knives before they ship. The "Spa" is always available if you want, they'll grind a knife down for free which is a service some enjoy. I sent my favorite one in to have the tip repaired (dropped it) with a note to please not touch the handle. So they ground that handle way down for me, slimmed it out and ruined the contours, left a gouge where the sander belt caught it.
I've had a couple dozen BRK's and still have/enjoy using a few. I do like a lot of their handle ergonomics. Shady characters can still do good design sometimes 🤷‍♂️ The steel is *usually* fine (Peters heat treat these days) I had some that just couldn't hold an edge in use for whatever reason. And they do often need a sharpening to get past the edge steel that's had its heat treat ruined by the heat of the dry belt grind. In all fairness, I've only ever bought one new knife that shipped with an edge I found acceptable so I'll be sharpening everything anyhow. So, two dozen BRK knives and 4 real duds. A one in six chance of some BS.
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I have a strong suspicion that if you have a BRK that isn’t performing “right” that they sent it to be heat-treated labeled as the wrong steel.
 
I had a mini sere operator from tops in 154cm once. Then sold it, regretted it and realized it became highly sought after and I'm like " I guess I'll never find it again"
 
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I get spooked easily, so multiple reports of intentionally mislabeled steel, and I'll never ever feel comfortable buying from BRK. Same with ebay, if a seller gets accused of never sending item just once I will most likely not buy from them ever
 
ShaiHulud said:
I get spooked easily, so multiple reports of intentionally mislabeled steel, and I'll never ever feel comfortable buying from BRK. Same with ebay, if a seller gets accused of never sending item just once I will most likely not buy from them ever
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I'd stay away from crk and cpk! If you see me buying them it's because I'm a risk taker
 
coolbreezy37 said:
Best knife they make!
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Nice. Looks great for the price, but for me .156in is quite thick.(for the 5.5) My Gunny Scandi at .142in is too thick for me. I would think .19in (for the 6.5) in 3V is thick. How does it slice for skinning?

I forget how thick the Chris Reeve Yarborough is (says online .22) but that thing is like slinging a piece of leaf spring. Might as well go for the Hukari. (just measured - it's .20in) By comparison, an Estwing crowbar is .17in thick.

Maybe grind it down to .125in or Tops could make one in 3V that thin?
https://imgur.com/a/w8D0M
 
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