Bark river & Chris Reeve Knives (batoning and abuse)

J

JustinM

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Jun 10, 2007
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hey guys,


I've been looking at a Chris Reeve 1 piece knife, and a few Bark River Bushcraft knives. I love the simplicity of the Bark Rivers, but how do they hold up to abuse? People say good things about them on this forum, but you never hear of them getting batoned or anything like that.

Also, how to the chris Reeve knives stand up to batoning and general abuse?

Knives I'm looking at:

Bark River Fox Hunter & Aurora.

Chris Reeves Aviator or Mountaineer series.

Which ones do you think will hold up best?
 
I've batoned them (bark rivers) they do just what you'd expect from a knife of thier size...they do fine, but they are not intended for prying or chopping...If you use a gentle touch..you can batton with most anything. The idea is to split the wood, not split it in record time. I have never batoned one of my Chris Reeves, so I can't comment. Gene
 
If its for bushcraft, get the BRK&T. They are both the same steel (A2) IIRC Chris runs his a touch softer than BRK&T (might be the other way roung though) Anyway, most people find the convex ground better for bushcraft usege so its a no brainer (even more so when you factor in the cost of CRK)
 
I have not beat the crap out of mine, but I have used mine pretty well. I asked Mike Stewart about a particular model I got in trade, and if it was suitable for hard use. His response was basically, "We stand behind all of our products." And from what I've heard, you could use your blade on a cinderblock, he'd shake his head, maybe tell you thats not a good idea for a knife, and take care of you anyway.

So go nuts :D .
 
I have only used on Bark River, the Bravo 1 and it is an awesome knife. It is plenty stout enough for batoning, some prying and just about anything you can throw at it. BRKT has an unconditional guarantee, so there's not much I'm afraid to do with that knife. I have owned several of the Reeves one piece line and there again, extremely tough knives, hard to beat A2.
 
It's looking good for the Aurora. Does anybody know fi the sheath has a FireSteel pouch?
 
ALRIGHT!! I'll go beat on one or two...GEEZ..you don't have to beg..pics in an hour....
 
I have many Bark River knives but the one that has been through numerous primitive survival workshops, bushcraft courses, extended camping trips in hot and sub-zero temperatures and lengthy survival courses has been my Bark River Fox River. I've done things with that knife that make people wonder how a little 4" blade could keep up. If you get one, I can't recommend the Fox River any higher.

Chris Reeve knives are nice but they aren't nearly as good of a woods knife as a BRKT. I'm not starting a flame war here but one is better suited for carving, less hand fatigue and maximum use. The other is a great knife that I own but hardly carry out of the house for trips.
 
tknife said:
I have only used on Bark River, the Bravo 1 and it is an awesome knife. It is plenty stout enough for batoning, some prying and just about anything you can throw at it. BRKT has an unconditional guarantee, so there's not much I'm afraid to do with that knife. I have owned several of the Reeves one piece line and there again, extremely tough knives, hard to beat A2.
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Here's another vote for the Bravo 1. For it's size and intended use, I can't think of a tougher knife at that price point.

All of the CR 1 piece knives are hard to beat but they're a little more dear ($$$) that the BRK&T offerings.

good luck, all are good choices. Let us know what you decide.

Dan
 
Hehehe.... I'm standing here, with a mini-SKinner sheathed on my belt and a Bravo-1 in the shop, tapping my foot and waiting for 3:56 pm. :D

I don;t know of any BRKT sheaths with a firesteel pouch attached. Their sheaths leave alot to be desired, with or without an extra pouch. Every BRKT I have, including the Bravo-1 with its nice little Kydex, has at least one custom sheath made by *** yours truly ***

Were it me (and it aint, sadly), I'd get the Fox River. Nice belly, beautiful contours, cool little lanyard tang, less money. Not that the Aurora is anything to scoff at!
 
I wouldn't be afraid to do anything with the Bark River Blades.

The Bravo IS really stout and I have one but I like the Northstar better as far as size for using. The Aurora might be better for batoning because it is much longer, but I think the Northstar is better for all around use.

The only drawback on the Northstar IMO is that the handle slopes toward the blade and it polished and you have to be careful if your hand is wet it doesn't slip forward. I'd love to see a run of contoured handled northstars or ones with a rougher finish to the handle. The Bravo and Aurora have contoured handles so the slipping thing isn't as much of a problem.
 
I know you only listed two BRKTs that your considering, but I would also say that, for camping and hunting, the Montana Guide looks like a sweetheart (so does the Hunstman, but I kindly dislike bolster guards and tend to shy away from them).
 
Barkies are certainly tough knives. The Classic Lite Hunter was subjected to a lot of abuse in a vice by a large man (see another forum) and sustained no damage.

The Nebula or Aurora will both make good wilderness bushcraft knives. The Woodland I have is an incredibly tough and useful small knife :thumbup:

The sheathes all have a firesteel provision but frankly, they don't match the quality of the knife, time for a custom:thumbup:
 
JustinM said:
hey guys,
and a few Bark River Bushcraft knives. I love the simplicity of the Bark Rivers,
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I really love Bark Rivers many beautiful choices of handles, and models. I just wish Mike would make a line of full tang scandi ground blades. Have you seen there new FireSteels? All the handle choices that their knives have. Pretty Cool. :thumbup:

Ron
 
Myakka said:
I really love Bark Rivers many beautiful choices of handles, and models. I just wish Mike would make a line of full tang scandi ground blades. Have you seen there new FireSteels? All the handle choices that their knives have. Pretty Cool. :thumbup:

Ron
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Me too. I've mentioned that several times.:thumbup:
 
Myakka said:
I really love Bark Rivers many beautiful choices of handles, and models. I just wish Mike would make a line of full tang scandi ground blades. Have you seen there new FireSteels? All the handle choices that their knives have. Pretty Cool. :thumbup:

Ron
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I have a Nebula (Scandi grind), and it's got a full tang, it's just not exposed.
 
I don't have any Chris Reeve knives, so Iwon't comment there.

I have a number of Bark River knives, and have no complaints. They are made to be knives (cutting instruments); they are not made to be sharpened pry bars like some of the Busse/Swamp Rat lines.

That said, you can certainly baton with them. Over the weekend, my daughter and son-in-law were camping. Forgot the machete. So my son-in-law used his BRKT Mini-Canadian to baton firewood. The Mini-C is a very small knife.

If you've never heard of BRKT knives being batoned, go to the "other" forum, and check out the BRKT page. It shouldn't take you too long to find all you want there!

Cheers!
 
My only Bark River is my beloved Mini Canadian, which I use as an edc, fixed blade pocket knife. I have never batoned it, but it is a very stout knife and durable. I did chew up the edge by banging it accidentally on a stone really hard though, and it sharpened right back up effortlessly.

I intend to get another Bark River before too long, in the 4" blade length range. Oh- and I think the 2007 sheaths have firesteel loops for a number of models.
 
The new version of the Snowy River GL (guardless) has a Scandi grind, but also is an internal 3/4 tang, not full.

As for batonning, you can download a PDF on it at the Bark River collector's website, http://www.brkca.com/, lower right column. Apparently there has been some dispute whether angling the blade as the article suggests matters, but clearly batonning isn't "outside the parameters" of the BRKT designs. It's routinely mentioned matter-of-factly at the BRKT board on Knifeforums, oftentimes with pics, Sandvik 12C27 as well as A2, 52100, etc. At the collector's site above you can even see pics of the teeny PSK with <0.1" stock 12C27 blade being used w/a baton.
 
Grampa said:
go to the "other" forum, and check out the BRKT page. It shouldn't take you too long to find all you want there!

Cheers!
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????????????

What is this "other forum"???
 
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