Bark River.... Educate me about them....

Marion David Poff

Marion David Poff

Joined
Oct 8, 1998
Messages
5,403
OK,

Bark River seems to put a great product, lots of variety, good quality, you name it.

But, their product photos make it so that small knives look the exact same size as big knives, and it is hard to get a sense of the actual profile or shape of the knives, or maybe that is just my ADHD kicking in, because I am confronted with way too many choices....

So, tell me which models you really like.

Include images if you can, especially comparison images, with multiple knives including knives from other manufacturers, for perspective... You know, common ones, Spyderco Moran, Mora 2000, Cold Steel Finn Bear or similar.

Also, will they do custom shop type stuff? Like I really like the look of their new Loveless style drop point, but I would like it with a more acute point, will they do that?

What else do I need to know, or what do you know that the average guy doesn't know.

Thanks in advance,
Marion
 
Marion,

It depends on your purpose. But, after owning quite a few of them - I personally cannot find a better knife / pair than the Kephart FT and Kephart Companion. Gods they are nice.

The Aurora is great and the Mikro tusk would make a great pair too.

I love both pairs.

TF
 
I have only one--a Fox River Magnum that I traded for from Tony. It has a stainless blade and is sharper than hell. Finish is excellent and so is balance, weight, etc. I only have one complaint and it is minor, the handle is a tad short for my taste.
I look at them (see: drool) often on KSF, just don't have it in me to order another since I have so many great customs. (That doesn't mean I WON'T, just haven't yet).
 
I cant speak for everyone, but thier knives seem to be smaller than they look, once you get your hands on one...maybe thats just me. Bark River's big knives arent really BIG, and their small ones ARE small. I like the middle of the road knives BarkRiver makes..the Northstar, Aurora, Bravo1, and the like.
I will say that the Rogue Bowie is one of the nicest knives I have ever owned..as far as a balance of LOOKS and USEFULNESS.
 
Great knives. If you like convex, you don't have many options either. Busse, BRKT, and Fallkniven are all I can think of.

For production knives I mean.
 
Bark River is usually good about modifying individual knives to suit an owner's preferences. A while back they made me a golock with an 8" blade instead of the usuallapprox. 11 inch blade.
 
I really like the fact that their sheaths can be piggybacked. I carry the Aurora/Micro Cannadian or the Fox River/Micro Tusk set-up. Lately, I've been favoring the Fox River set but thats mostly because I haven't switched knives on my ruck in a few weeks.

knivereview008.jpg


knivereview007.jpg


brktfoxandgolok023.jpg


brktfoxandgolok026.jpg


After a good bit of battoning the Fox River still made fuzz sticks easily.

brktfoxandgolok027.jpg


I don't know which I prefer, this or the Aurora. They are my two favorites. A2 is one of my favorite steels and Bark River's heat treat is top notch.
 
The Aurora is a great blade with a very generous handle for big hands yet it's comfy for those with average hands also. Good useable blade for many tasks big and small.
 
bark rivers all the way,,:thumbup: :thumbup:

edc my mini canadian ,,and just recieved my mini creek

love em
 
Rockywolf said:
I have only one--a Fox River Magnum that I traded for from Tony. It has a stainless blade and is sharper than hell. Finish is excellent and so is balance, weight, etc. I only have one complaint and it is minor, the handle is a tad short for my taste.
I look at them (see: drool) often on KSF, just don't have it in me to order another since I have so many great customs. (That doesn't mean I WON'T, just haven't yet).
Click to expand...
The early Fox River Magnums were all a prototype. The new ones (when they come out) will have a longer handle and probably a lanyard keeper on the back like the regular Fox River. When they come out is another subject as they are so busy just trying to keep up with their current orders.
Oldman/Marty
 
I am very interested in Bark River also.
Almost every day I take a peek at the production schedule to see if the Rogue Bowie and the Lil' Canadian are closer to availability.
Nevertheless, I don't have any BRKT experience, and I am still baffled by the different handle styles.
The first BRKT that caught my attention was the Fox River. After reading a lot of hands on testimonies, I got the impression that its handle is a tad too short.
I have very few knives and if I were to classify them for handle comfort it would be:

JK custom - modified Kephart
Busse - NMFBM
Spyderco - Bill Moran Drop Point
Fallkniven A2
Cold Steel - Pendleton Mini Hunter.

The JK fits my hand so well it seems to be made specially for it. "On the other hand", the fallkniven handle is very short and causes blisters if used for a long time, not confortable at all (as a matter of fact, If I were to chose a knife less likely to cause blisters, the A2 would be the last option by far, surpassed even by the minute Pendleton Mini Hunter).

My hands are medium sized and my palms are large, but not flat.

If some of you had the same experience with JK's, could you suggest some BRKT as confortable as this one?

Kind Regards.
 
Well,

This thread has certainly given me some food for thought, thank you.

I guess handle size is kind of important to me, as I have large hands, not as large as I have seen, but larger than average.

For instance, I had a Beretta Loveless Drop Point, and the handle was just a smidgeon too small.

I am interested in the outdoor useful models, same as you all would be interested in....

In general, after perusing the site Big Mike listed, and the collector association site, these are the models I am mostly interested in....

Fox River
Fox River Magnum
Highland Special
Aurora
Nebula
Little Creek
North Star
mini North Star
Woodland Special
Highland Special

The in-hand shots that Big Mike mentioned were helpful, the best I have seen so far.

I like the idea that they will customize for you, but how long does that take? And you have to order direct from them at full bore?

I think I am still looking for some comparison shots against knives from other companies, for perspective.

Right now, it is just a curiosity to me, as I am not in any position to buy one, but I see them, and they catch my eye, but I have yet to feel like I have a sense of them.

Marion
 
I've had problems with some of the Barkies in regards to handle size, I have big paws. For the most part, they offer larger versions of a lot of models, and all of the full tang models have lanyard holes, (I put square knot lanyards on to give a little bit of length to the handle).
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I've had problems with some of the Barkies in regards to handle size, I have big paws. For the most part, they offer larger versions of a lot of models, and all of the full tang models have lanyard holes, (I put square knot lanyards on to give a little bit of length to the handle).
Click to expand...

I did the same thing to my Pendleton Mini Hunter and this improved greatly its comfort, my pinky finally had a place to rest.

What are your favorite Bark River knives, handle wise?

Could anybody tell me how comfortable Rogue's coffin handle is?

Kind Regards
 
Marion David Poff said:
I guess handle size is kind of important to me, as I have large hands, not as large as I have seen, but larger than average.

In general, after perusing the site Big Mike listed, and the collector association site, these are the models I am mostly interested in....

Fox River
Fox River Magnum
Highland Special
Aurora
Nebula
Little Creek
North Star
mini North Star
Woodland Special
Highland Special
Click to expand...

If large handles are paramount there are Bark River models too meet your needs.

For example, a knife like the Gameskeeper (or guardless Montana Guide) is a good alternative to some if the smaller handled knives like the Fox River, Fox River Magnum, Highland Special or Woodland Special. Also when the FR Magnum goes into regular production it will have a bigger handle.

For more a Bushcraft design, the Aurora is the way to go when compared to Northstar.



I like the idea that they will customize for you, but how long does that take? And you have to order direct from them at full bore?
Click to expand...


Knives can be sent back to the Bark River shop for mods like ramp removal or point re-shaping, but these can also be done during production if you make arrangements in your pre-order. On some models, like the Fox River, longer handle slabs can also be installed.



Big Mike

”Scaring the tree huggers.”

Forest & Stream
 
highanddry said:
What are your favorite Bark River knives, handle wise?
Click to expand...


The Gameskeeper, GK II, and Bay de Noc series of knives work well in my large hand.

As does the Canadian Camp Knife, the Rogue Bowie, the new Smoke Jumper, and the Big-Sky Knives.

Also, all of the Custom Bowie’s have large handles; generally there is a run or two of these each year.

Let me also add that the knives like the Highland/Woodland/Fox River where designed as hunting knives, and for them the shorter handles are generally an asset; the camp knives/choppers have bigger handles.



Could anybody tell me how comfortable Rogue's coffin handle is?
Click to expand...


Personally I like the Rogue Bowie’s handle and find it very comfortable in extended use.

Another knife in this size range is the Big-Sky Camp Knife; its large fully contoured handle is one of the best handles I have ever used.




Photo: Gameskeeper II (modded), Smoke Jumper, Big-Sky Camp Knife.




Big Mike

”Scaring the tree huggers.”

Forest & Stream
 
Last edited:
Big Mike said:
Personally I like the Rogue Bowie’s handle and find it very comfortable in extended use.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot man!

I think the Rogue Bowie is one of the best looking knives ever made, your statement about its comfort during extended use made me want one (or two) even more!

Kind Regards
 
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