Bark River Aurora or Fehrman Shadow Scout?

T

The_Guide

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Feb 1, 2009
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Well, its time to buy a smaller utility blade to go along with my new chopper, and I am looking at these two blades. They both work out to about the same price with shipping, so I was just looking for any opinions you guys might have.

Specs:
Fehrman Peacemaker:
Blade Size : 4" x 1.25" x .19"
Overall Length : 8.5"
Steel : CPM-3V
Hardness : 57-59 Rc
Handle : Linen Micarta
Extra feature: Firebow bearing in handle (cool!)

Bark River Aurora
Blade Size: 4.5" x .160" thick
Overall Length: 9.5"
Steel: A2
Hardness: 58-59 rc
Handle: Linen Micarta
Convex blade

The debate in my head is whether I want a convex or a flat beveled edge...

Just managed to score a Busse FFBM as well (brand new in box!!) so I want to keep this knife buying spree going with a smaller utility blade.

Whatcha think?

The_Guide :cool:

EDIT: Changed from Shadow Scout to Peacemaker, need a more dexterous blade than 6" can offer
 
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I like the Aurora, but always end up with my TOPS mohawk hunter when I hike or play in woods
 
Two different knives here. The Aurora is a good bushcraft knife that could be used for finer woodwork, carving and camp kitchen duties. The Shadow Scout is fairly heavy duty, a light chopper and camp knife. A better comparison to the Aurora would be the
Fehrman Peacemaker.

I would have to give the nod to Fehrman as I like 3V steel and the Fehrman ergonomics.
 
Holding a measuring tape in my hand (the way I visualize the size of a knife), the Shadow scout is actually quite large. I want to have some dexterity with the tip, and the peacemaker looks like it would fit the bill. Plus if I got the Covex blade, I'd have to get a whole new sharpening setup.

It just keeps coming back to the Peacemaker.

The_Guide
 
I have the Shadow Scout and have handled an Aurora many times (have several other barkies to). These are two very different knifes. The Shadow scout is a great knife but more of a do all survival style knife than the Aurora. I honestly think if this knife is to be paired with a big blade, go with the Aurora hands down.

One problem I have with the SS is the handle, I do not have big hands and I find the handle on the small side. The SS is still a great knife, and one of my favorites.
 
two completely different beasts.

like bcornelis said, ones more of a bushcrafter while the other is geared towards survival knives.

my personal choice would be the aurora, especially if you've got that busse on the way. i used to be a big fan of tactical style knives but have grown more towards traditional looking knives. the shadow scout seems a tad big at 6 inches for a small chores knife. the shadow scout combined with a folding saw would make one heckuva combo though.

the peacemaker seems more reasonable.

my favorite outdoors set right now is a bark river golok, fox river, and a mikro canadian II.

i pack a pocket chainsaw or a folding bahco saw along with me if i'm camping.

my other setup is carrying a gransfor bruks small forest axe and a bark river bravo 2 with a bahco folding saw.

also, convex knives arent all that difficult to sharpen nor do they need a new extensive setup. a mousepad some thumb tacks and different grits of sand paper are all you really need. my setup is far lighter then carrying a sharpening stone in the woods.

you can baton a board to sharpen on and when you're done you simply burn up the board as fire wood as you move onto your next camp.

besides i'm not a fan of coated knives. bare steel is it for me :)

good luck on your decision

JC
 
jca21 said:
also, convex knives arent all that difficult to sharpen nor do they need a new extensive setup. a mousepad some thumb tacks and different grits of sand paper are all you really need. my setup is far lighter then carrying a sharpening stone in the woods.
Click to expand...

For field sharpening I have a fallkniven DC4 stone which is quite amazing. Redarding the convex sharpening setup, I would probably just make a 4 sided leather strop using a 2x2 for home use with compounds (black, green, white, plain), and a 2 sider for the field (using a paint stir stick or something)

Could you elaborate a bit on this:

you can baton a board to sharpen on and when you're done you simply burn up the board as fire wood as you move onto your next camp.
Click to expand...

How does that work?

Thanks!

The_Guide :cool:
 
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since you need a flat surface area to place the mousepad on to do the convex sharpening you can baton a board and use it for sharpening. i guess what i'm saying is that you dont necessarily need to carry a strop or a paint stick in the field as you can make one when your out there.
 
jca21 said:
since you need a flat surface area to place the mousepad on to do the convex sharpening you can baton a board and use it for sharpening. i guess what i'm saying is that you dont necessarily need to carry a strop or a paint stick in the field as you can make one when your out there.
Click to expand...

Oh I getcha. I read that to mean using the wood itself as a sharpener. :p

The_Guide :cool:
 
Well, I just bought the Aurora with a green canvas micarta handle (matches the Busse Handle perfectly) and picked up the green and black compounds as well.

As far as the Peacemaker is concerned, I really like it. I also want a Satin Final Judgement so I figure I will wait a couple of months, and order them both together.

Excellent, my camp knife set is done. Using a Victorinox Rucksack, Bark River Aurora, and a Busse Fat Fusion Batle Mistress. Woohoo!! :D

When I am to be in the woods for longer (3 weeks+), I carry a collapsible bow saw, and an Iltis Double bit felling axe as well. Those two tools make fire wood a snap for longer stays.

The_Guide :cool::thumbup:
 
sounds like a great knife set ya got goin there. i wish my wallet was as big as yours :)

just curious why you would need the iltis double bit if you have the busse? i know axes have their place but will you be felling alot of trees when your out and about?

i figure with the busse the aurora and your sak most things should be manageable with the added collabsible saw as an extra item of luxury.
 
jca21 said:
sounds like a great knife set ya got goin there. i wish my wallet was as big as yours :)

just curious why you would need the iltis double bit if you have the busse? i know axes have their place but will you be felling alot of trees when your out and about?

i figure with the busse the aurora and your sak most things should be manageable with the added collabsible saw as an extra item of luxury.
Click to expand...

The axe stays at basecamp. I tend to settle into one particular location for my longer stays, and an axe is infinitely better at chopping than ANY knife.

When I get bored, I just look for some standing deadwood and chop down a few trees. I saw them into foot long sections, and proceed to chop away. I love nothing more than splitting firewood when in the bush, and building up a huge pile (a day or twos worth of constant burning) takes most of the day with the axe.

When I plan on being more mobile the axe and collapsible saw stay home. If I know I am going to be camped out for a while, I really dont mind hauling in the extra 6 pounds.

The_Guide :cool:
 
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Bump time....

You know, if you're a bit handy with a belt grinder, you can always convex the Peacemaker. Personally, I think that the BRK Golok + Peacemaker would pretty much cover all bases.
 
I think you will be very happy with that BRK Aurora. :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:



I find it's the perfect field tool when combined with a serious chopper.




Big Mike
 
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