Bark River Little Carver or Lon Humphrey Whitetail?

S

spycycle

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Dec 15, 2014
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I know the fixed blade talk is slim around here, but do any of you have hands-on experience with either of these knives? The Little Carver has had my attention for some time now, but I just can't get enough of Lon's 'brute de forge' styling! They both seem relatively thick for pocket-able traditional fixed blades, just hoping someone might be able to comment on how they actually perform...

Thanks!
 
I was sold on the looks and style of the Humphrey Whitetail. I bought two. After some time I wished the handle was a half inch longer and the steel was thinner. The Whitetail is a thick little beast. At the same time Im not that fond of Bark River. Ive owned several and while they are nice I think they are over priced and iffy quality. I would rather look else where such as Fiddleback Forge or LT Wright. If youre stuck just on these two I would find a used carver for half the cost a new one.
 
I have a Humphrey Whitetail. It's one of the earlier versions which is a bit larger than some of the current ones. It does everything I need it to. Fantastic small fixed blade! I rotate between it and one of my small JK knives. Also excellent knives you should check out. John has a hosted Bladeforums, sub-forum.
 
I have the little carver in 3v, and I love it. I normally carry it in the inside pocket of my jacket, but have carried it in back pocket of jeans, and never really noticed it.
I have only held the whitetail, but it did seem thicker than the little carver.
 
Thanks for the input so far, guys. I'm going to pair this knife with a small slipjoint for hikes and occasional urban EDC. I have a Bark River Highland Special that I use as a heavier duty camp knife, looking to add a fixed blade for more 'regular' tasks. Part of me likes the idea of branching out from Bark River for this knife (it'll only be my 2nd fixed blade), and the other part thinks that a semi-matched pair would be pretty cool.
 
I am cheap with fixed blades, I really like my Condor mini bushlore!
I will have to get one of those JK knives sometime, since we have the same initials!
Handling LT Wright knives at the Blade show, they are very nice!
 
I have the Whitetail, but not the Little Carver. The Whitetail appealed to me because of its rustic forged blade and integrated finger guard. But I found that the shape of the handle, with its truncated end, is not so comfortable in the hand. I got an L.T. Wright Patriot and its handle (also 3-finger) feels much better. Plus, the fit in the sheath is more snug without the integrated guard. Also, the blade of the Whitetail is quite a bit thicker, and on a small knife is much more a wedge.

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Thanks, Bob. Those are two gorgeous little knives! Are there any tasks in particular that leave something to be desired because of the Whitetail's geometry, or is it just a little clunky overall?
 
spycycle said:
Thanks, Bob. Those are two gorgeous little knives! Are there any tasks in particular that leave something to be desired because of the Whitetail's geometry, or is it just a little clunky overall?
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Just cutting tasks in general. I haven't used them much, but do have a strong impression of the difference in feel. The Whitetail handle seems more of a cone shape, while the Patriot's flatter handle is nicely contoured and doesn't have the sharp edge on the butt which is uncomfortable for the pinkie.
 
Oh, I meant blade geometry/thickness. I can definitely see how the LT handle might be a little poke-y though.

edit: The Whitetail I had my eye on seems to have just sold :(
 
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