- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,443
I was fortunate enough to buy a Liten Bror gently used for an AWESOME price on another board. It was not necessarily in the color I wanted - but it had double liners - so I thought it would fit my hand better than stock - so I picked it up.
Specs:
Blade Length: 3.665
Edge Length: 3.575
Handle Length: 4.425
Overall All Length: 8.090
Blade Height: 0.832
Grind Height: 0.450
Blade Thickness 0.155
Blade Type: CPM 3V
Grind Type: Convex Scandi (High Sabre Ground Convex)
Handle Width at Palm Swell (with double liners) 0.850 (it is reported to be the same with or without liners)
Initial Impressions:
I have noticed that Bark River pictures are always deceiving. I wish they had some standard scale next to their pictures so that you could know what you were getting a little more. The Liten Bror is no different, the overall length is smaller that I thought, the blade is thicker than I thought, and the handle scales are (or would be - if it were stock) thinner than I thought.
With all of that said, the knife is a very capable, nimble, and fun to use.
Blade:
The steel is very hard, and although not as easy to sharpen as D2 isn't difficult to sharpen, and takes a very sharp edge. The finish is a lot smoother and more polished than the other knives I have from Bark River. The grind is very slightly convexed so it cuts more like a scandi than other convex blades I have, and has a durable shoulder behind the edge to prevent wear. However, I still prefer scandi edges when using primarily on wood.
The spear point is a drilling machine and it makes small holes QUICKLY in wood.
The blade is not as tall as I would like it, and when I hold the knife in the chest lever, or other holds where my thumb in on the blade - I fear I will get part of my thumb on the edge itself.
The blade is also not as long as I would like it - 3.5 inches is just a fine length - but I prefer a bushcrafting blade closer to 4 inches if possible.
Liten Bror next to Hiking and Camping Forum Knife and Koster Bushcrafter.
Handle:
I am very glad that Ifound one with double liners. I think with my hand size (glove size L) that I would think it was FAR too thin. It is okay in the hand filling department, but the gunny seemed about right for the size of the blade (which is very similar to the Liten Bror).
The hande is also a little too short for me as well, the Gunny was just a bit longer and was far more comfortable, the Aurora almost being too big.
With all of this said, it is nimble in the hand, very comfortable in long term use, and for someone with slightly smaller hands would be very good. I would, however, get at least one set of liners unless you have midget hands. If you have huge paws - probably best to bump to the Aurora.
General Comments:
I do not know why Bark River struggles so deeply with making a bushcrafting knife that has a spear point, wider blade that is about four inches long, unless it is a special order.
The Aurora is a bit too larger for my tastes, and it is not legal to carry in most states measuring in at 4.5 inches. The liten Bror is 3.5 inches - and thus seems to waste the .5 inches it could have and still be legal.
Because of the choice to make a knife at 3.5 inches, everything else scales down in kind. The handle isn't quite tall enough, the blade isn't quite tall enough and thus you are left with a very capable, but small, knife.
What I would like is essentially a Gunny with a spear point. An Aurora put in shrinky dink machine and made .5 inches smaller at the blade and .5 inches smaller at the handle.
Bark river seems, at times, to be VERY close to making the perfect blade, but instead makes 100 different blades that are close to being perfect. The Liten Bror is no different for me.
Using the Liten Bror:
The Liten Bror is very nice to use. It makes THIN curls when making feather sticks, yet because it is more like a scandi can dig deeper than most. The edge geometry and steel choice is great. It holds a very sharp edge for a very long time and is a very capable cutter. Because the steel is a little on the thick side, it does not slice in the kitchen very well, but is no slouch either - it is like using a pairing knife on steroids.
Making a bow drill kit with it was very simple, and it did what I wanted it to with very few compromises. Because my knife has double liners it does not 'choke up' very comfortably, but I think the stock knife would do so with ease and comfort.
Sheath:
The ubiquitous Sharpshooter sheath almost goes without notice any more with me. I take it out of the sheath, put the sheath away, and make my own. The sheaths are always very nice (if on the thin side) and would serve an end user well for years.
However, this one is odd. I don't think Sharpshooter had time to make a proper length sheath for this one, and pressed another sheath design into service, leaving the handle hanging WAY out of the sheath.
In my opinion, bushcrafting sheaths are supposed to be deep pouch sheaths so that you do not loose your blade. On a Bark River knife I don't like to see the middle rivet hanging out of the sheath at all - and I terminate my sheaths in between the middle rivet and the lanyard tube.
As you can see from the picture above - the knife is a bit too far out of this sheath - making it look awkward, making the carry odd, and leaving your knife less secure than it could be.
This means nothing to me, because I would make my own sheath rather than use this one - however for users that do not have this option - they might find the sheath frustrating.
Overall Impressions:
With all of this said, this knife is a great knife. It's execution is excellent. If someone took away all my blades and handed me the Liten Bror to use in the bush, I would not bat an eye.
For those wanting a smaller bushcrafting blade - you should take a look at the Liten Bror.
TF
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