Bark River Golok? Should I buy one?

KiljoyKutlery

KiljoyKutlery

KILJOY KutLery, hand made in Luling Texas
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jun 9, 2006
Messages
5,525
OK..I think that I am going to buy one(a golok)...If you dont like them, speak up now. I am thinking that this could be a great tool. Let me know what you think. Gene
 
You will not be dissapointed, I dispatched a holly bush last night with mine. It cuts like a laser.
 
I had an old one and got a LOT of good use out of it, then gave it to my brother. He's whacking away at the brush with it right now!

Couldn't do without it, so I just got a new one. Just as nice as the first, but with one flaw I guess I should report. Looking at the spine, I see that the blade bends noticeably to the right -- maybe 3 mm bend at the top. Possibly a bit of a heat treat problem, definitely a QC mistake. I'm still thinking whether it's worth bothering Mike Stewart about it.

Don't let a little issue like this dissuade you. The BRKT goloks are excellent tools. And I know that Mr. Stewart would solve my little problem ... if I even decide to bring it to him.

So ... thumbs up to the BRKT golok.:thumbup:
 
I just got one and intent to give it a workout this weekend. The small amount of limb trimming I have done so far, it has been awesome.

Dave.
 
OldPhysics said:
I had an old one and got a LOT of good use out of it, then gave it to my brother. He's whacking away at the brush with it right now!

Couldn't do without it, so I just got a new one. Just as nice as the first, but with one flaw I guess I should report. Looking at the spine, I see that the blade bends noticeably to the right -- maybe 3 mm bend at the top. Possibly a bit of a heat treat problem, definitely a QC mistake. I'm still thinking whether it's worth bothering Mike Stewart about it.

Don't let a little issue like this dissuade you. The BRKT goloks are excellent tools. And I know that Mr. Stewart would solve my little problem ... if I even decide to bring it to him.

So ... thumbs up to the BRKT golok.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Interesting, that isnt the first BarkRiver that I know of with that bend..a friend of mine has a Bravo1 with a pretty good curve to it. I cant stand that type of thing..drives me crazy. Gene
 
Very nice knife. I would get the matte finish canvas micarta if available as the linen is a bit slick. You could also use some 400 grit sandpaper to rough up the finish for a better grip.
 
VoxHog said:
Very nice knife. I would get the matte finish canvas micarta if available as the linen is a bit slick. You could also use some 400 grit sandpaper to rough up the finish for a better grip.
Click to expand...

One of the older and wiser Members advised me to just use warm water and dish soap. One quick, simple cleaning later and the handle was much grippier. Turns out Mr. Stewart puts a nice waxen coating on the handle. It's quite simple to remove without even resorting to sandpaper.
 
I ordered a Golok and a Slither today. My Aurora should be here anyday- gonna find out first hand what the fuss is all about... :)

2Door
 
Almost all Barkies have some bend. It is most noticeable in the longer versions. When questioned about it MIke responded;

None were rejected for not being Perfectly Flat.

None of them are actually perfectly Flat.

You will find that most of our knives are Slightly Bent or Warped a little.

We do not use the Atmospheric Foil Wrapped Heat Treat Thingys.

To get the performance and the toughness we want--the blades are likely to have a little twist in them.

Let me Explain further.

We go through a very Complicated Heat Treat to get the blades the way we want them.(For Performance)

The blades are-At a minumum- Double Quenched and Triple Tempered plus more stress relieving steps.(Not in a Hot Furnace)

The longer the blade--the more likely to have it warp a little.

Now..........

How do You straighten a Blade ?

You have to heat it up.

I'm not going to undo all of that careful heat treat and temper process to have a purely cosmetic issue addressed.

We do take some--if not all of it-- out in Grinding but if you actually look carefully--You will find that most of our blades--from the smallest to the largest have a little bend in them.

I'm always happy to try to please a customer so if someone has one that they feel is too warped or bent--we will exchange it for one that is straighter.

We will NOT heat it up and straighten it.

It does not effect performance to have a little warp in the blade.

It will effect performance to Heat it Up and Straighten it.

The bottom line is that it is not a QC Issue. It is the Reality of the Way we do our heat treat and temper.

If someone has a real issue with one--let me know and I'll try to satisfy you.

Mike..............
Click to expand...
 
OldPhysics said:
One of the older and wiser Members advised me to just use warm water and dish soap. One quick, simple cleaning later and the handle was much grippier. Turns out Mr. Stewart puts a nice waxen coating on the handle. It's quite simple to remove without even resorting to sandpaper.
Click to expand...

Great tip OP. Thanks. :thumbup:
 
Hey -- thank you, Riddleofsteel. That makes perfect sense to me. I was inspired to trot her out to the SE 40 and slash away. :thumbup:

It's a keeper. I won't be bothering Mr. Stewart. I don't notice any imbalance when swinging it, and it is (if anything) a better tool than the one I passed on to my brother. I'm a happy consumer.

Oh ... and you're welcome, Bill. No reason to keep such wise words to ourselves, eh? :D
 
This is a response I got from Mike Stewart n regards to his slab materials as related to tactile traction when wet:

"I prefer Smooth handles for everything and all of Our handles are polished Smooth.

You can specify a matte finish on any knife and it will feel more Grippy if that is waht you want.

If you already have one that is smooth--all you need is some 400 grit sandpaper and you can do the same thing to the handle.

As far as material--no difference.

Mike............ "


I will definitely use the dishwasher liquid trick before abrading the slabs but neat to hear that each material will hold traction well and still be stabilized. I have taped up the blade and had a local garage give my canvas micarta knives a light beadblast(or sandblast depending on what was loaded). Just a few bucks for a nice matte finish that sticks to your hand.

2Door
 
Gene.

You need a BRKT Golok, its really just that simple:thumbup: I've had mine for a couple of weeks, used it a fair amount, and I am already thinking of buying another (maybe they will do LE model on A2)....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top