- Joined
- Feb 20, 2012
- Messages
- 1,347
I purchased my Bark River Grasso Bolo I about 8 months ago, and it has exceeded my expectations greatly. I love hatchets; however, I also love big knives, so I decided to add this one to my collection. The Grasso Bolo caught my attention because of its compact size. It offers a lot of utility in the woods for such a compact package. Here are the specs from the Bark River site.
Overall Length: 13.125 in/33.3cm
Blade Length: 7 in/17.78cm
Blade Steel: 5160
Steel Thickness: .217 in/5.5mm
Weight: 18 oz
Hardness: 57-58RC
When I camp, I use a saw for the majority of my heavy wood cutting. That means I only need a hatchet or big knife for light chopping and splitting. The Grasso Bolo excels at both. Here's a dead tree that I chopped through with relative ease.
I normally don't chop wood this large in diameter with a knife, but I wanted to show that the Grasso Bolo can do it. The knife balances at about 3/8" before the handle scales, so it is forward weighted. The balance, 18-oz weight, bolo design and convex geometry all work together to make this an impressive chopper for a knife that is only 13" in length. I recently did a chopping comparison between the Grasso Bolo and a 20-oz bowie knife with a 9" blade. It was too close to call.
I need to comment on the handle before I conclude my thoughts on chopping. It's outstanding! Bark River put a lot of thought into the design of this handle. The micarta scales are nicely contoured and provide a generous palm swell. This makes the Grasso Bolo very easy to control and very comfortable to use, even when chopping. The design of the handle also lends itself well to snap cuts.
On to splitting...
I'm located in Western Washington, which is definitely one of the wetter parts of the country. Because of this, the ability to make split-wood fires is a very helpful skill when camping. I've used the Grasso Bolo, in conjunction with a baton, to split a lot of wood. It has performed flawlessly and has never once given me a reason to doubt its toughness. I'm very reasonable in the demands that I place on my knives and typically only split wood that's less than 4" in diameter. I also do my best to avoid knots; however, I'd be a liar if I said I've never gone through one. Yet, in all the splitting I've done, the edge has never experienced anything more than the occasional ding. One time when this happened, I inspected the wood to see what caused it and discovered some light gravel imbedded in the log. No issues. A few minutes on the strop, and the ding was gone.
Well, that's chopping and splitting. As for finer work...
When it comes to finer work, I appreciate the fact that I can choke up on the handle. This provides a more neutral balance, which I feel makes it easier to perform tasks like feather-sticking. When I attempt to make feather-sticks using the normal grip, the forward weight causes my forearm to burn more quickly than I would like. However when I choke up, I can make a lot of feather-sticks before I begin to experience fatigue.
Here's how I choke up on the Grasso Bolo.
The handle also accommodates a backward grip for chest-lever cuts.
Making this peg for a tarp was a snap.
The recurved profile of the bolo design creates a shearing action when performing certain cuts. The Grasso Bolo stripped the bark off of these sticks effortlessly.
It does better at food processing than you might think.
Those tomato slices aren't pretty, but when I'm camping "pretty" is the least of my concerns. I just want to eat.
I sliced up some cardboard to test the edge retention. After making this pile, the Grasso Bolo was still able to slice newspaper easily. When the blade does start to lose its edge, the strop brings it back very quickly. Also, the recurve is fairly gentle, so I don't feel that it significantly impedes sharpening or stropping.
The sheath is a winner. It rides high on the belt, but it's open at the spine, making it very easy to remove the knife, despite the high position. The retention strap releases with a flick of the thumb and does not come in contact with the edge when removing the knife.
Well, that's my thoughts on the Bark River Grasso Bolo I. I'm sure there's more that can be said, but I'll leave it at that. As I proof read my review, I realize that I didn't say anything negative. I feel that I should, in order to keep things fair and balanced, but I really can't think of anything. After eight months of heavy use, I'm impressed. This is a great bush tool.
Thanks for reading.
Overall Length: 13.125 in/33.3cm
Blade Length: 7 in/17.78cm
Blade Steel: 5160
Steel Thickness: .217 in/5.5mm
Weight: 18 oz
Hardness: 57-58RC
When I camp, I use a saw for the majority of my heavy wood cutting. That means I only need a hatchet or big knife for light chopping and splitting. The Grasso Bolo excels at both. Here's a dead tree that I chopped through with relative ease.
I normally don't chop wood this large in diameter with a knife, but I wanted to show that the Grasso Bolo can do it. The knife balances at about 3/8" before the handle scales, so it is forward weighted. The balance, 18-oz weight, bolo design and convex geometry all work together to make this an impressive chopper for a knife that is only 13" in length. I recently did a chopping comparison between the Grasso Bolo and a 20-oz bowie knife with a 9" blade. It was too close to call.
I need to comment on the handle before I conclude my thoughts on chopping. It's outstanding! Bark River put a lot of thought into the design of this handle. The micarta scales are nicely contoured and provide a generous palm swell. This makes the Grasso Bolo very easy to control and very comfortable to use, even when chopping. The design of the handle also lends itself well to snap cuts.
On to splitting...
I'm located in Western Washington, which is definitely one of the wetter parts of the country. Because of this, the ability to make split-wood fires is a very helpful skill when camping. I've used the Grasso Bolo, in conjunction with a baton, to split a lot of wood. It has performed flawlessly and has never once given me a reason to doubt its toughness. I'm very reasonable in the demands that I place on my knives and typically only split wood that's less than 4" in diameter. I also do my best to avoid knots; however, I'd be a liar if I said I've never gone through one. Yet, in all the splitting I've done, the edge has never experienced anything more than the occasional ding. One time when this happened, I inspected the wood to see what caused it and discovered some light gravel imbedded in the log. No issues. A few minutes on the strop, and the ding was gone.
Well, that's chopping and splitting. As for finer work...
When it comes to finer work, I appreciate the fact that I can choke up on the handle. This provides a more neutral balance, which I feel makes it easier to perform tasks like feather-sticking. When I attempt to make feather-sticks using the normal grip, the forward weight causes my forearm to burn more quickly than I would like. However when I choke up, I can make a lot of feather-sticks before I begin to experience fatigue.
Here's how I choke up on the Grasso Bolo.
The handle also accommodates a backward grip for chest-lever cuts.
Making this peg for a tarp was a snap.
The recurved profile of the bolo design creates a shearing action when performing certain cuts. The Grasso Bolo stripped the bark off of these sticks effortlessly.
It does better at food processing than you might think.
Those tomato slices aren't pretty, but when I'm camping "pretty" is the least of my concerns. I just want to eat.
I sliced up some cardboard to test the edge retention. After making this pile, the Grasso Bolo was still able to slice newspaper easily. When the blade does start to lose its edge, the strop brings it back very quickly. Also, the recurve is fairly gentle, so I don't feel that it significantly impedes sharpening or stropping.
The sheath is a winner. It rides high on the belt, but it's open at the spine, making it very easy to remove the knife, despite the high position. The retention strap releases with a flick of the thumb and does not come in contact with the edge when removing the knife.
Well, that's my thoughts on the Bark River Grasso Bolo I. I'm sure there's more that can be said, but I'll leave it at that. As I proof read my review, I realize that I didn't say anything negative. I feel that I should, in order to keep things fair and balanced, but I really can't think of anything. After eight months of heavy use, I'm impressed. This is a great bush tool.
Thanks for reading.
