- Joined
- Nov 5, 2004
- Messages
- 534
Camp/Hunting/Survival Type
I have had this knife since my birthday in 07 but I am just now getting around to writing up my thoughts on it. I like to break my reviews up into a few different topics to show as well as I can the full capabilities of a knife. First I like to show the specs on the blade I am reviewing to give you an idea of what I am working with. I normally include pics as well to show what I am doing to give you a better idea of the performance of the tool and they will fallow at the end.
Here are the specs:
Overall Length: 9-5/8(9.125 Inches)
Blade Length:5 long with a cutting edge of 4-7/16
Blade Thickness: 3/16(.187)
Weight: 6.4 Ounces
A little about the blade. At first glance you cant mistake the look of the blade. All you Ka-bar Marine fighting knife fans will see the resemblance right away but that is where the similarities end. Anyway I will tell you just what Bark River says about the balance point being right at your first finger is right on the money. Blade Steel is 52-100 @ 58 rc That is basically what ball bearings are made from. Very tough and has very good edge holding characteristics. The blade itself is 1-1/8 at its widest and is 5 long with a cutting edge of 4-7/16. The blade is convex ground and the grind basically starts from the back of the blade but it is more evident from the fuller onwards. The handle, including the guard, is 4-5/8 long therefore giving a 9-5/8(9.125) Over All Length. My handle is stacked leather with white, red and black spacers.
Wood Work
So far I will tell you I am very impressed with this knife and the work that could be done with it seeing as it only has a 5 blade. I have in fact used it to chop thru a few three to five inch trees with respectable success. And yes I have the pics to prove it. I have also used it to baton thru a few in the same size range to gauge it time wise. It was very easy to control in either respect.
I took a fresh holly tree down so I could use the wood for a few things.
As a side note I should say I only take live trees if I am going to use most of the wood for a project or if there is an over abundance of them in an area I am going to be returning to for other things like day trips or camp outs. Anyway this holly was right in the middle of my new camp site and I took most of it down to a level where I can still use it as a ridge pool for a shelter. I took a twelve inch piece about two and a half inches wide or so and I am going to fashion a spoon from it. I have already started to rough it out and will add the pics along with this post. I removed the bark and roughed the shape at the sight. Figured it was easier when the wood was still wet. One thing about wood carving I have learned is always wait for the wood to dry for a few weeks so that it doesnt crack and ruin your project. Anyway the knife performed all these tasks perfectly. Made some nice curls of bark all over at my feet and I was saddened by the fact I had to stop. This isnt the first spoon I have made with this knife but I dont have any pics of the first one. I created two walking staffs and also made a few tent stakes. So building something like a lean to or another type of survival shelter and a fire will be an easy chore for this knife. (Note: It is a much smaller knife then I would recommend for any real heavy work like this but I did it with this small knife and it did all I asked without much difficulty.) I would recommend a larger knife of about 7 inches or more for a survival knife when used by itself as opposed to a combo of a small knife, medium knife like my Boone 2 plus an hatchet or axe.
In the kitchen
I used the Boone 2 for some easy kitchen work as seen in the fallowing pics and the short cutting demo. I sliced some onions and a bunch of potatoes for the dinner pot as well as slicing up some beef and chicken on another occasion . I have used it in the kitchen for to show that it is a very good choice for a camp knife and can handle the duties of preparing meals. The knife cuts, slices and chops perfectly. Onions were sliced thin enough without any control issues at all. It chopped through the potatoes with ease and it did both these tasks even though the knife is 3/16 thick at the spine. Meat and chicken was no trouble what so ever as well. It was a pleasure to use. Final Thoughts. Pros and Cons
The fit and finish of the knife is just what I would expect from any Bark River Product. It was just a beautiful knife and felt perfect in the hand. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a camp, hunting or even a small survival knife. It is a superb cutting tool and I will in fact be using it for many years to come.
Pros
Like I said above it came to me in perfect shape and ready to hit the woods and fill and job it needed to. 52-100 has to be one of my favorite steals that they use in knife making today. It holds a very good edge and the convex grind is perfectly suited for any wood work you may partake in as well as doing food prep in the camp kitchen. So from fire wood to getting the days catch ready for the pot this knife can do it all.
Cons
Earlier in the review I stated how this knife gets its good looks from the USMC Ka-bar knife. It also shares its handle configuration. Double guards as well as leather handles arent the best in my opinion. Unless you are going to keep it dry and oiled with mink oil every time you use it then I recommend Canvas Micarta as it has good gripping characteristics and wont ever crack or peal. The double guard may get in the way of some wood working projects. Bark River also makes the Boone that has only the guard at the bottom of the knife handle. Still neither of these attributes bothered me to much which is surprising cause I am very picky.
I would also like to add that the leather sheath that came with this knife is outstanding as well.
Well everyone here are all the pics I took during my evaluation of this knife. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them for you.
I have had this knife since my birthday in 07 but I am just now getting around to writing up my thoughts on it. I like to break my reviews up into a few different topics to show as well as I can the full capabilities of a knife. First I like to show the specs on the blade I am reviewing to give you an idea of what I am working with. I normally include pics as well to show what I am doing to give you a better idea of the performance of the tool and they will fallow at the end.
Here are the specs:
Overall Length: 9-5/8(9.125 Inches)
Blade Length:5 long with a cutting edge of 4-7/16
Blade Thickness: 3/16(.187)
Weight: 6.4 Ounces
A little about the blade. At first glance you cant mistake the look of the blade. All you Ka-bar Marine fighting knife fans will see the resemblance right away but that is where the similarities end. Anyway I will tell you just what Bark River says about the balance point being right at your first finger is right on the money. Blade Steel is 52-100 @ 58 rc That is basically what ball bearings are made from. Very tough and has very good edge holding characteristics. The blade itself is 1-1/8 at its widest and is 5 long with a cutting edge of 4-7/16. The blade is convex ground and the grind basically starts from the back of the blade but it is more evident from the fuller onwards. The handle, including the guard, is 4-5/8 long therefore giving a 9-5/8(9.125) Over All Length. My handle is stacked leather with white, red and black spacers.
Wood Work
So far I will tell you I am very impressed with this knife and the work that could be done with it seeing as it only has a 5 blade. I have in fact used it to chop thru a few three to five inch trees with respectable success. And yes I have the pics to prove it. I have also used it to baton thru a few in the same size range to gauge it time wise. It was very easy to control in either respect.
I took a fresh holly tree down so I could use the wood for a few things.
As a side note I should say I only take live trees if I am going to use most of the wood for a project or if there is an over abundance of them in an area I am going to be returning to for other things like day trips or camp outs. Anyway this holly was right in the middle of my new camp site and I took most of it down to a level where I can still use it as a ridge pool for a shelter. I took a twelve inch piece about two and a half inches wide or so and I am going to fashion a spoon from it. I have already started to rough it out and will add the pics along with this post. I removed the bark and roughed the shape at the sight. Figured it was easier when the wood was still wet. One thing about wood carving I have learned is always wait for the wood to dry for a few weeks so that it doesnt crack and ruin your project. Anyway the knife performed all these tasks perfectly. Made some nice curls of bark all over at my feet and I was saddened by the fact I had to stop. This isnt the first spoon I have made with this knife but I dont have any pics of the first one. I created two walking staffs and also made a few tent stakes. So building something like a lean to or another type of survival shelter and a fire will be an easy chore for this knife. (Note: It is a much smaller knife then I would recommend for any real heavy work like this but I did it with this small knife and it did all I asked without much difficulty.) I would recommend a larger knife of about 7 inches or more for a survival knife when used by itself as opposed to a combo of a small knife, medium knife like my Boone 2 plus an hatchet or axe.
In the kitchen
I used the Boone 2 for some easy kitchen work as seen in the fallowing pics and the short cutting demo. I sliced some onions and a bunch of potatoes for the dinner pot as well as slicing up some beef and chicken on another occasion . I have used it in the kitchen for to show that it is a very good choice for a camp knife and can handle the duties of preparing meals. The knife cuts, slices and chops perfectly. Onions were sliced thin enough without any control issues at all. It chopped through the potatoes with ease and it did both these tasks even though the knife is 3/16 thick at the spine. Meat and chicken was no trouble what so ever as well. It was a pleasure to use. Final Thoughts. Pros and Cons
The fit and finish of the knife is just what I would expect from any Bark River Product. It was just a beautiful knife and felt perfect in the hand. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a camp, hunting or even a small survival knife. It is a superb cutting tool and I will in fact be using it for many years to come.
Pros
Like I said above it came to me in perfect shape and ready to hit the woods and fill and job it needed to. 52-100 has to be one of my favorite steals that they use in knife making today. It holds a very good edge and the convex grind is perfectly suited for any wood work you may partake in as well as doing food prep in the camp kitchen. So from fire wood to getting the days catch ready for the pot this knife can do it all.
Cons
Earlier in the review I stated how this knife gets its good looks from the USMC Ka-bar knife. It also shares its handle configuration. Double guards as well as leather handles arent the best in my opinion. Unless you are going to keep it dry and oiled with mink oil every time you use it then I recommend Canvas Micarta as it has good gripping characteristics and wont ever crack or peal. The double guard may get in the way of some wood working projects. Bark River also makes the Boone that has only the guard at the bottom of the knife handle. Still neither of these attributes bothered me to much which is surprising cause I am very picky.
I would also like to add that the leather sheath that came with this knife is outstanding as well.
Well everyone here are all the pics I took during my evaluation of this knife. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them for you.
:thumbup:
