Bark River Bravo question

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Bdcody01

Joined
Nov 2, 2014
Messages
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Hello all,

I have been lurking this forum for some time now. It has been a great tool for gathering information on knives.

I am currently looking at getting a "do all/camping" fixed blade knife. Bark River knives seem to fit the quality / athetics / price point I'm looking for. Problem now is Bravo 1 or 1.5? Im a big guy with big hands so I'm leaning to the 1.5 and I already have a ZT folder with a 3' 3/4" blade. Any suggestions?

I'm also torn on blade steel. Is S35VN better than A2 to justify the slight price increase? 3V vs A2? Maybe in a newb, but I just haven't heard other knife manufactures using A2..

Thank you for your help!
 
My 'go to' fixed blade for more than a year was the S35VN Bravo 1. It is worth the price difference. I've used mine from the humid Midwest to the swamps of Florida, canoeing and kayaking and swimming and camping and hiking and whatever else I was doing outdoors and have yet to see a hint of corrosion. It also stays sharp and cuts well.

I'm a big guy with XL glove sized hands and the Bravo 1 is plenty of knife for everything from opening mail to splitting firewood. I stick with the '1 because I don't need anymore blade hanging down my leg to get caught on stuff while out in the woods or on the water. The Bravo 1 is an extremely efficient design, strong enough for anything but small enough to take up minimal space on a belt or a chest rig or however you carry it.

I intend to buy a Bravo 1.5 soon, but only because I will be sending it back to the factory to be ground down to a spearpoint so it won't be quite as long.
 
I love my Bark River knives. I have both the Bravo 1 S35VN and the Bravo 1.5 3V. As far as whether to go with the longer or shorter knife, and which blade material...I look at it like this:

Assuming you will really be using this for "camping" and not backpacking or wilderness trekking....the question is, will you use this knife to baton and chop wood for large kindling or not?

If yes..the longer Bravo 1.5 in 3V is a great choice. The bade length is very helpful and the 3V is a tougher steel that can take the beating much better.
If no...the smaller Bravo 1 in S35VN is a great choice. The stainless provides corrosion resistance, and it will hold an edge considerably longer, while still being plenty tough enough for reasonably hard use.
 
I am actually not a fan of the Bravo series at all, would recommend a different knife altogether even a different BRKT ... but I wanted to see if you'd considered the "LT" version of the Bravo1 as it is thinner=better cutter while still sufficiently strong - one of my complaints about the Bravo 1 was how fat it is for such a short knife, the LT solves that. As to the steel choice, know that S35VN is more corrosion-resistant as well as more wear-resistant than 3V which is better than A2 in that regard, so if you prefer stainless... That said, 3V resists corrosion very well and is very tough. If you don't care about corrosion, A2 is cheaper - it won't hold an edge as well as the other two, but it sharpens easily and, depending on how you use it, you may never notice a difference in that regard. As to the size preference, I think your ZT should be able to handle the tasks you might put the more compact Bravo 1 to anyway, that extra length on the 1.5 gives it more heft for light chopping and better for batonning as well. My $0.02
 
You should check out the 1.25. For now it still only comes in A2 and 3V. I am sure that will change though.
 
I recommend the Bravo 1 LT as well. It is thinner, but still quite beefy at .156 ( 5/32 ). I just think the standard Bravo is too much of a tank for a good all around camping knife. Here is a shot of mine so you can see that it is still a nice, heavy duty blade. Plus, it only comes in 3V, so you don't have to sweat that decision!

 
Thank you all for the great feedback. I've been researching the different steels and couldn't come up with pros and cons. I feel much better with moving forward on my decision. (Bravo 1 or 1.25)
 
Zuchus said:
I recommend the Bravo 1 LT as well. It is thinner, but still quite beefy at .156 ( 5/32 ). I just think the standard Bravo is too much of a tank for a good all around camping knife. Here is a shot of mine so you can see that it is still a nice, heavy duty blade. Plus, it only comes in 3V, so you don't have to sweat that decision!

Click to expand...

Lol, it does make it an easier choice!
 
The only thing I caution people about on Bark River Knives concerns two things about the handles:

Be sure it will be comfortable for you in extended work sessions without being fatiguing or causing cramping in the hand. For me the handles are a bit too small on average. (I usually take an XL-XXL glove.)

Also the ones I have used left a bit to be desired in that they've been a bit slick when wet.

If you're OK with the handles they are wonderful knives as most people know. Among the best.
 
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