Recommendation? Bark River Knives for Big Hands

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IaccidentlyCutmyThumb

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My girlfriend's boss is a super nice guy and has been really supportive for her and her coworkers in recent months. He's been like a dad, and very supportive. He is also very sad because of some unfortunate circumstances. My gf and her coworker want to get him something nice, and I know he's an outdoorsman sort of person. He also has a very, very well paying job in O&G and could get anything he wanted for himself for less than a day's pay at his level. So we want what he gets to be nice by any metric, but still practical, useable, and durable (I have no idea if he's a knife guy who knows how to take care of things, or an outdoorsman where the knife is a tool for whatever job he has at hand).

Enter Bark River. I've been thinking about one of their offerings in 3V and with a nice cool handle material. But I'm unfamiliar with specifics because I've never actually held one in person. I'm 6'3 and he's even taller than me and has bigger hands. He's a big dude. What models would you suggest to fit someone with larger hands? Aurora? Bravo? Whatever it is, it has to be rampless. I won't be caught dead giving away a knife with a ramp.

Use would be general outdoors stuff. Probably whatever you can do with a knife. Hence 3V lol.
 
Anything will work probably, aside from maybe the smaller EDC models like the Bravo Necker, Bravo EDC, City Knife, etc. I own a Gunny in 3V and I am 6’2” and wear XL to XXL gloves depending on the brand. The Gunny is a relatively small BRK offering and it fits in my hand very well. I bought a scout carry Kydex sheath and carry it probably once a week.
 
Maybe a big knife for a big guy? But I would ask him, because there are so many variations.
My larger favorites:
- Bravo 1.25 or 1.5 - I suggest LT only
- Aurora 2 (good all-arounder),
- Tundra (robust, almost survival grade),
- Kephart (very thin, very slicy).
 
I wear XXL gloves and they are still tight. The only Bark River I own is a green micarta 3V Canadian. Handle seems fine to me and the knife is a real dandy. But I don't care for the sheath BRK supplies with that knife, it seems made more for a Bravo or Gunny style blade. Had another sheath made and now I'm happy.

If I could buy a 3V Aurora II I would.
 
I also wear XXL gloves and I own an older BR Bravo 1.25 in A2. I like it.

I will say this tho. I have handled a White River Ursus 45 (in 3v) and I found it to maybe be a tad more comfortable in hand for me. The BR has a bigger palm swell which may or may not be ideal. The BR did have better fit n finish tho.

I should also add I have long fingers and not a *meaty* hand per se.

White River and Bradford are also made in America and offer 3v steel.
 
I have several BRKs. They are very nice. Their Bravo line has many different "models". Their larger knives aren't in production too much anymore. Shame as some of their larger models were just VERY nice, for that price range. Nothing wrong with the thumb ramps. As for their current lineup, the Squad Leader 2 usually have wider handles, which make a good fit for large hands.

You mention getting a knife big hands. I think you might want to see if you can get a SURVIVE knife. I have a couple and the handles are larger than any Barkie I have. The BRKs are nicer, the SURVIVE is verging on impossible to get. To buy a new one is years. Or on the secondhand market, high price mark up there. Their business model leaves much to be desired.

Busse has larger handles, and a beast of a knife too. Better and easier to get than SURVIVE knives in my opinion.
 
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