Bark River or Blind Horse Knives?

L

lightskyam

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Mar 14, 2013
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Which company would you prefer to have in a fixed blade? Also if anyone has a knife from both companies, which knife gives you less problems, or seems more solid?
 
I have a BHK Bushcrafter, I do not have any Barkies. Everytime I consider buying one I'm put off by the droves of negative feedback, although there is a lot of equally good feedback. Kind of a toss up, one thing I do know is that Mike Stewart has a douchebag attitude. He posts a lot over on other forums about how his knives are the best and anyone that doesn't produce exclusively convex grinds is doing it wrong, makes me not want to support him. Then again you can't always base your knife choice on the company owner, the blind horse guys come off as very Christian and I'm very atheist, still love my bushcrafter. Im sure this hasn't helped, enjoy the search.
 
Every Bark River I have bought I sold. They are nice knives don't get me wrong but I do not think they are worth the price. Blind Horse Knives are better quality IMO and you can configure it any way you want ( liners, handle material, blade steel, grind, sheath). They are less expensive and come with better sheaths. I have owned four BHKs and sold one which I regret. They will have more of my business in the future.
 
HardTripper said:
Kind of a toss up, one thing I do know is that Mike Stewart has a douchebag attitude. He posts a lot over on other forums about how his knives are the best and anyone that doesn't produce exclusively convex grinds is doing it wrong, makes me not want to support him. Then again you can't always base your knife choice on the company owner, the blind horse guys come off as very Christian and I'm very atheist, still love my bushcrafter. Im sure this hasn't helped, enjoy the search.
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I agree with everything here (incidentally, that last point is one I have a problem with Saddleback Leather too - it's fine if you are a Christian, don't put prayer sheets in your product packaging though). I don't think you can really go wrong with either company. Both make some great knives. Blind Horse, to me, looks like the better value though.
 
I have several Barkies in different steels and sizes. I love them. And yes, Stewart is a doorknob. If you have reservations about buying one from them, giving a guy like him money, etc., buy one used. I have never handled a Blind Horse knife but they certainly look like they'd be on par with BRKT.
 
I have at least a dozen BRKT and at least 5 BHK knives.

I think they are different knives and can't really be compared easily in just a single post. You have to use both and decide for yourself. BRKT knives come in dozens of profiles, steels and materials while BHK doesn't have anywhere near the variety.

If you have a specific need, BRKT probably has a specialized knife for it, BHK knives are more "generalist" in nature.

Just choose whichever ones catches your eyes and fancy. Both brands make good quality usin' blades.
 
The sharpest knife I have ever held was a Bravo-1 convexed by M1Marty. It was an awesome blade, but all in all I don't think A2 is all that special. Also, I don't dig the Bark River handles so much. I loved my BHK bushcrafter. Handle was super comfy, until the fiddleback maple scales shrank, then it wasn't so comfy. If you go with BHK, I'd recommend the micarta.
 
I had a couple from both. Keep in mind I don't use fixed blades much so it's more of a speculation.

BHK have a thinner stock and seem to be suited for bushcraft or wood carving.

Bark river knives have a thicker stock, convex edge, come in a variety of great steels. So they would be suited for a beater or a camp knife. I also like their warranty and customer service.

If I had to pick one, I would go with the Bark river for their warranty and 3v steel and wide choice of handle materials.
 
lightskyam said:
Bark River or Blind Horse Knives?
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Both great companies that make great knives. :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:


Obviously Bark River offers more choices in models and materials,

...but, if you find a Blind Horse model that calls to you, you can't go wrong with there value.




Big Mike
 
Which company would you prefer to have in a fixed blade? Also if anyone has a knife from both companies, which knife gives you less problems, or seems more solid?
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Neither will give you problems, and if you do have any both companies will go way out of their way to make it right. Seriously, get both. Whichever you don't want to keep will sell fast. Buy used, and you can probably make money when it's time to move one along.

I met LT and Dan at a Primitive Skills class, they were very knowledgable, polite, and helpful. I'll get a BHK someday soon, but it's not at the top of my list because I like BRKT's designs more.

I've had 9 or so Bark River knives. I currently own 4. I sold the others because I wanted something new, but they've all been fantastic knives. I had a minor problem with one knife, I mailed it in and it showed up 5 days later, razor sharp and shining like new. I bought a used Bravo 1 in 3V, it arrived all beat up and used. I sent it in and it came back 5 days later, razor sharp and shining like new so I could put my own marks on it.

They really prove that you can have a tool that is functional and beautiful.

The Golok I just got:

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My Bravo 1 and Golok handles:

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raindog101 said:
I loved my BHK bushcrafter. Handle was super comfy, until the fiddleback maple scales shrank, then it wasn't so comfy. If you go with BHK, I'd recommend the micarta.
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Any natural handle material can shrink, some worse than others. It's why I won't buy a wood handled user.

Between BRKT and BHK, both make extremely nice micarta handles. They polish them more, so they're very smooth, and the fibers aren't as exposed as softer micarta from other companies. It's nice because the high polished micarta doesn't absorb sweat and whatever and get all gross as you use it.
 
Both brands are great for bushcrafting. Both brands are also very good in their fit and finish. I love them both, but I give bark river the edge due to a bigger variety.
 
I don't have a brkt but I did get the chance to play around with a bravo 1 for a little bit.
I do own a bhk and my consensus is that they both make quality products.
 
I own knives from both. You can't go wrong with either one. Heck, don't make a choice and get one from each. If you don't like one then sell it.
 
Wow. All sorts of wild conjecture and incorrect information in this post.

I have owned both and now only own Bark River products.

To me the O1 steel Blind Horse uses is very prone to rust and soft. I much prefer the heat treat Mike Stewart uses on his A2 at Bark River. While A2 isn't a whole lot less rust resistant than O1, it's enough to keep me from worrying as much about it (I live in a very humid and sometimes salty environment).

I think fit and finish is about the same. Since they are both hand-made, there are going to be slight imperfections one might not be used to with something from a large manufacturer that uses expensive machines to make parts.

I like the sheaths Bark River used to use (Sharpshooter) much better than the ones they now seem to be using. They were made from thicker leather and seemed more durable to me.

I also think Blind Horse could stand to thin some of their blades up some. I had a Boattail Scandi I liked a lot, but the blade thickness and low Scandi grind made it not much use so I sold it.

Just my two cents. Worth exactly what you paid for it. ;)
 
I had a BH Bushcrafter and really liked it, but the handle was about 3/4" to short. And I have small hands. Wonder if you could order one with the handles a little longer? The blade came razor sharp and stayed that way.
 
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