Bark River Bravo 1 on going review.

A2 is a very old steel, does well, but has been surpassed. Get the 3V version and never look back.
 
DeadboxHero said:
I'll update with progress
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Shawn,
I did the same thinning out to my BR Bravo Necker 2 in 12c steel, only a little smaller than the Bravo. While not the same steel, a similar result when it saw a bit of lateral stress. Will hold up great anyway but only if I'm real careful with how I use it. I'm slowly thickening it up with each touch-up, am trying to keep it as acute as possible but build up lateral strength. I only want to make it just thick enough - it cuts so well when thinned out.
 
AmosPaul said:
I use A2 steel frequenly when woodworking. I have A2 plane irons and chisels. I too got the same chipping out and had to resharpen at higher angles. That did fix it, but my conclusion was that A2 is not ideal for a good thin knife edge. I will never buy a knife in A2.
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black mamba said:
A2 is a very old steel, does well, but has been surpassed. Get the 3V version and never look back.
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This seems to be a geometry issue more then a steel issue.
I don't have the tools to measure how thin behind the edge I've sharpened to, but its been sharpened very, very thin.

It's good to find that performance line. Sometimes you have to pass it to find it.

A2 steel seems to be very overshadowed in the Bark River line up.

But this is one of the easiest steels to sharpen and takes a great edge with ease and gets very very Sharp.

The wear resistance is very close to 1095

I can only imagine the suffering of grinding 3v this thin.





HeavyHanded said:
Shawn,
I did the same thinning out to my BR Bravo Necker 2 in 12c steel, only a little smaller than the Bravo. While not the same steel, a similar result when it saw a bit of lateral stress. Will hold up great anyway but only if I'm real careful with how I use it. I'm slowly thickening it up with each touch-up, am trying to keep it as acute as possible but build up lateral strength. I only want to make it just thick enough - it cuts so well when thinned out.
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I'm with ya Heavy, Now I just have to find that geometry that gives me the sharpest edge with just the right amount of durability for how I use the knife.
 
Resharpened with a ~15 ° secondary bevel

Grit progression.

220 grit diamond
1000 grit ceramic
Bark River White compound.
1.0 CBN
0.5 CBN.



Results


Cuts paper towel.

I'll test it on some carving later.
 
You might find that a very small micro bevel will give it the strength that you are looking for. It works well with D2.
 
The stock geometry had a micro bevel.

I wasn't satisfied.

It just wasn't able to get hair popping sharp.

I'm obsessed with performance, yet strength.
 
Hi thanks for a great review. What is the blade width from edge to spine please?
 
fielder said:
Hi thanks for a great review. What is the blade width from edge to spine please?
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Hahaha sorry bro, I just don't have the tools to measure. A micrometer would be nice. I just know its too thin for a zero grind. It's a very swallow convex.

When the knife has the stock geometry it can be laid almost flat on a stone, versus a Fallknivens A1 being more bulbous.

Perhaps sharpening with an exaggerated rocking motion may help. But its a gamble for rounding off the apex.

It would be better to do a series of terreces and then blend all the shoulders together.

Currently I don't have the urge to do this.

Just grinding to a zero then raising the angle slightly steeper to ~15° secondary seems to have solved all issues.

Now it cuts like a demon!



Imz
Monster feathersticking



Here's a close up, can you see the secondary?
I'll eventually clean this up and blend then shouldler into the primary.

After all the carving



Still way sharp!

Outstanding, almost like a Japanese carbon steel.

I can't translate how while Bark Rivers A2 sharpens and grinds.
If you like to sharpen, this is your steel.

The sr101/52100 is more wear resistant takes a tad longer to sharpen.
 
Sorry to veer off course a little, could someone tell me please how wide a Bravo 1 blade is from edge to spine? Metric if possible, but no worries if not.
 
fielder said:
Sorry to veer off course a little, could someone tell me please how wide a Bravo 1 blade is from edge to spine? Metric if possible, but no worries if not.
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Just a heads up, the 3v Bravo 1s are thicker then the A2 steel versions, un less its a Bravo LT,

Good luck
 
I mean blade width, not thickness. The measurement from the spine to the cutting edge.
 
Awe, I see. Semantics. I've known that as height, 1.11" on a Bravo 1

I thought you were asking something more detailed :P
 
Thanks for sharing your journey. It's good that your thread has both great technical details and nice personal/preference tidbits. An enjoyable and worthwhile read.
 
Gabrielcr78 said:
which one you like better? tne 1.5 or the 1.25?
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Gabriel, this is an almost 3 year old post... Granted theJman might still have the knives but if you would like to know which of those knives perform better, you should start a new thread.

And wellcome to Bladeforums!
 
Mikel_24 said:
Gabriel, this is an almost 3 year old post... Granted theJman might still have the knives but if you would like to know which of those knives perform better, you should start a new thread.
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I only have the 1.25 now, the 1.5 turned out to be a bit larger than I wanted. Ironically I prefer the S35VN of the 1.5 over the 3V of the 1.25, so it was a choice between a blade length that worked or a steel that did. I ultimately went with the length that worked better, but neither is a bad choice; BR makes very solid knives, it's just a matter of what works best for you.
 
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