Bark River Bravo III? WOW!

I saw a picture of one without a ramp. Looks much better.

b3nr_camo_can__94342.1389309344.1280.1280.jpg
 
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marcinek said:
And who is the one saying they will have a top quality sheath? Wouldn't be their sheathmaker, would it? :D Their Bravo sheath issues have been well documented.

Though, give credit where credit is due to their customer service, when something comes out of there screwy, they do replace or fix it. Though, to me, better customer service is getting right first.
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Just so you know BRKT have changed the sheath maker after a fiasco on one of the runs
 
chiral.grolim said:
Y'know, the choil was the least ridiculous thing to my mind as I find them quite useful on larger knives such as the GSO-10 from Survive! Knives:

[video=youtube;ZvAq4H7ktSk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvAq4H7ktSk[/video]

With the shorter distance between spine and groove, and the reduce amount of ricasso in the groove, the BravoIII might have been more comfortable than the GSO-10 in 'choked' grip... except for the ridiculous stock-thickness and the devastating "thumb ramp". You will be holding a 0.275" rectangular slab of steel with a large spine or a bunch of teeth trying to chew through your hand. No thank you.

Add to that the already poor handle design, prone to slipping and twisting, with no spinal curvature to accommodate the human hand, and the massive amount of weight in the blade...
Regarding the balance, i doubt ANY thought went into where it falls, but I would guess >3" ahead of the scales.

My biggest question: The swedge and thumb-ramp, designed to improve thrusting force and tip penetration, make sense on such a thick, blade-heavy chopper? *shrug*

The GSO-10 is priced at $350 with superior design and an excellent sheath as well (though waiting sucks), so my guess is that this will be >$400.
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I have pre-ordered both B-III and GSO-10

1. Bravo III is up for about $320 on KSF and DLT now so no waiting and no upfront payments
2. Handle on B_III is same as on b-II (ie excellent and hand filling and never twisting) but curved more to accommodate chopping motions
3. the blade on B-III is larger the stock is thicker and the edge is thicker whereas Guy have said that the edge on upcoming run of GSO-10 will be thinner
4. same company heat treats steel for both makers
4. B-III is satin which will fight corrosion better (we all remember how badly your GSO 10 had corroded in a day or so)
5. B-III can be ordered without thumb ramp (I hate it may self) in fact I preordered mine as with no ramp, with full height convex grind with no swedge and with mate finish scales. I did not have to pay upfront BTW.
6. I expect to have both knives within a week or so (I preordered GSO10 in April and paid upfront) I am sure I will love both of them
 
ridnovir said:
I have pre-ordered both B-III and GSO-10

1. Bravo III is up for about $320 on KSF and DLT now so no waiting and no upfront payments
2. Handle on B_III is same as on b-II (ie excellent and hand filling and never twisting) but curved more to accommodate chopping motions
3. the blade on B-III is larger the stock is thicker and the edge is thicker whereas Guy have said that the edge on upcoming run of GSO-10 will be thinner
4. same company heat treats steel for both makers
4. B-III is satin which will fight corrosion better (we all remember how badly your GSO 10 had corroded in a day or so)
5. B-III can be ordered without thumb ramp (I hate it may self) in fact I preordered mine as with no ramp, with full height convex grind with no swedge and with mate finish scales. I did not have to pay upfront BTW.
6. I expect to have both knives within a week or so (I preordered GSO10 in April and paid upfront) I am sure I will love both of them
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Please post comparison pics if not a video when you have both in hand?
1) great price from DLT as usual, and I'm glad they were able to keep the price down - I suppose they have to with the competition on the market. Note the non-sale price is >$400 as I predicted. So BRKT already filled their pre-orders and you have yours? How long was the wait? No up-front payment is MUCH easier to do for a larger company and MS being in the business since, what, the 80's? I look forward to the day that Survive! (around since Guy started this project as a 1 man show only a few years ago) is as large.

2) Still too straight, too slick, too round - all bad things for a heavy chopper... but if the scales are roughed up, it may indeed turn out more comfortable than the GSO-10 handle if the curve is sufficient...

3) Yup, all good things for the GSO-10. Even the Junglas (1095 spring steel) is lighter and thinner for better cutting performance. This is indeed a smasher. I hope this BRKT chopper doesn't suffer the issues we've seen in some of their others. The added length should at least provide increased momentum for the smash. If you bring down the edge thickness, chopping performance could be quite good though it is still a pretty heavy blade.

4) Could you please post where a BRKT rep states that? I've only read insinuations of it, never an outright statement of where they get their HT'd steel ... which they then potentially 'burn' during the grinding before sale...
If they DO use the same HT, I wonder if they use some of the same other facilities and so compete for scheduling?

5) I'd like to see how well their 'satin' fairs against the stonewash. Most of that corrosion scrubbed out with #0000 steel wool - wasn't an issue. Here is satin-finish CPM-3V @ 59 Rc from james terrio:
SK3Vprotoabused.jpg


6) :thumbup: your short-sword will perform much better - good choices.

7) How long ago was the BRKT pre-order?

Honestly, I am not sure that you'll want to keep both, but perhaps you collect large blades like these? The GSO-10 looks stranger (esp the handle) and is lighter, thinner, shorter - a heavy machete. The BRKT is a heavy short-sword like the Busse Battle Mistress! I would love to see the two compared and an honest assessment given of each. Congratulations on both, btw. :thumbup:
 
marcinek said:
Though, fot that bashing context....something about that choil worries me. It seems to be at a real stress point.
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The choil doesn't bother me a bit, from a strength standpoint. It's not sharply cut (which is basically the definition of a stress riser), and there's a whole lot of solid steel in the ricasso above it.

The ramp may be a different story... but more from a standpoint of comfort than raw strength.

It's entirely possible that a person could chip off the very back of the edge, but that's true of any dropped edge with a square corner profile, whether the knife has a choil or not.

chiral.grolim said:
5) I'd like to see how well their 'satin' fairs against the stonewash. Most of that corrosion scrubbed out with #0000 steel wool - wasn't an issue. Here is satin-finish CPM-3V @ 59 Rc from james terrio:
SK3Vprotoabused.jpg
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That knife was purposely abused and neglected for weeks to make that happen. It cleaned up easily. Full thread here. I love how that "before" picture pops up now and then, but never the "after" picture :D

SK3Vproto.jpg


I still carry and use that same knife on a regular basis, but I usually remember to wipe it off every few days. No further issues with corrosion :)
 
Talked to Jason at DLT today. The B-III's are coming in to them today and will start shipping out right away.

Also, my GS0-10 came in last night. It is one of the factory 2nd ones, but the only thing wrong with it was that the very corner of the "V" on "3V" is covered by the micarta. This knife is is pure brutality waiting to be unleashed.

I put in an order for a 20th Battle Mistress last week. When I have them all, there will be a comparison review.
 
I just got off the phone with KSF a day ago and talked with the rep, and its seems they were waiting on BRKT to ship them out, as I see on my UPS tracking online my rampless Bravo 3 will at my bunker on tuesday, I have swamp rats, and scrapyards, cold steel san mai trail master, esse junglas...but this... this is on a whole diff level..cant wait.
 
Oh.. and Skrap...thats the exact same one Im getting from KSF, and.. I think the B3 will out preform the GSO10 in chopping, due to convexed edge, but only testing will prove that, and against Cypher's coming Busse..it shall will be a great chop off.
 
Wow, they finally came out with the "Bravo 3".

The original sketch for this knife was much different than the one for sale. (I wanted to order the original design the minute I saw it). However, price was slated to be much higher as well. The story I heard was that the original version was finally going to be offered @ DLT last year. DLT and another shop got very few hits on the original pre-orders due to the price.

BR really waited too long to offer this knife in the original pattern. The price of 3V went way up, (as did all premium steels), during the decision process. Had they gotten on the ball and actually made these 4 years ago, when they first announced them, they would have been able to offer the first design for a relatively good price.

However, the final offering will probably be a good knife. 3V is the toughest steel I've ever used, and, it holds an edge better than INFI.
 
I just bought mine - BCM with liner and EEP treated sheath - for $307 delivered. I am also interested to see what the handle and balance feel like, but on paper the Brave-3 certainly makes it hard for me to justify shelling out for a Busse ASHBM.

Not sure why it seems to be described as Bark River's biggest knife, though - not when compared to the Grasso Bolo III, Brush knife and Clax.
 
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GSO-10 is still just a mean, beastly cleaver in my hand.

B-3 comes in today...

and... I just got the e-mail from Busse that my ASHBM order has reached the production floor. The head to head to head showdown is going to be awesome.

I will probably toss in my SYKCO 1311, Junglas, Trail Masters, and BK-9, just for fun.
 
The chopping momentum on the B-3 is very strong- much stronger than the GSO-10 and my other long choppers thus far. I got the matte canvas micarta version and I'm glad I did with that FAT slab of 3V. I would also recommend using gloves when using it for an extended time while chopping. I do not regret getting it at all, but some individuals might find this knife to be too much for them. Not me though, this thing leaves me with a mile-wide, maniacal grin.
 
Well...I got my B3 in yesterday and lined all the family of choppers up with her and tried to upload pics but its not working, so hopefully soon. The B3 is longer, heavier, and sharper than any knife Ive ever owned. I couldn't believe how end heavy this blade is, I have no doubts the B3 would cleave with through an arm or thigh bone. It just begs to chop away. The finish is beautiful, and the sheath is sharpshooter quality, but its a locally produced sheath from great lakes leather works I think, sheath is not at the desk right now. I got the rampless, green and black camo handle, there are no rough or un-finished spots on it, smooth as silk. Its just a hair longer than my Rinaldi Armmagedon, and just a little thinner than my CS Trail Master in San Mai. If I can get away from work and out of the house, I'll be taking the B3 out for some testing.
 
This made me wonder, besides Busse, are there any other companies that make 0.3" inch, and thicker, knives on a regular basis/majority of production line consists of 0.3" or thicker blades?

And is Busse well respected among veteran collectors?
 
jac_solar said:
This made me wonder, besides Busse, are there any other companies that make 0.3" inch, and thicker, knives on a regular basis/majority of production line consists of 0.3" or thicker blades?

And is Busse well respected among veteran collectors?
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I would say yes
 
I received my Bravo 3 yesterday. Wow, what a beefer! It is definitely the biggest chunk of steel that I have handled in a knife in regards to blade thickness and weight. I have included some shots with it next to my Survive GSO10 and ESEE Junglas. The blade is so heavy that I would say the handle is just barely big enough to give a secure grip. In fact, I would probably want a lanyard and gloves on before chopping. I got the natural canvas micarta handles in matte finish, and it is none too grippy. I can imagine it would be even less so with the non-matte finish. Overall pretty cool though. Not sure how much I plan to use it, as I'm reallymore of a smaller thinner blade and hatchet/axe guy. I mainly just collect a few big knives for the fun of it. I will probably give it a try sometime soon though.


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