Bark River or Similar

simple6

simple6

Joined
Oct 6, 2002
Messages
458
Im starting to lust after the Bravo 1 ramped. But Im a bit leery as I remember BR having heat treat issues. Is their steel ok? What other makes/models should I be looking at? Whatever I get, gotta have a leather sheath.
 
I really wouldn't worry about bark rivers heat treat but if you are, try LT Wright.

The GNS, Genisis and Outback and fairly close in size to the bravo.
 
I’ve never had a problem with the few Bark Rivers I’ve owned.

My only L.T. Wright is a rough little knife (Frontier First) with really bad grinds. The Micarta handle is mostly nice, but the blade must’ve been ground on a Friday afternoon at 4:45 PM. I reprofiled it and added a sharpening choil and it’s okay now. The blade satin still looks poorly executed, but the heat treat is good and it cuts. The grind marks on the tang around the perimeter of the handle are rough and inconsistent. Honestly, the knife looks cheap and was overpriced considering the poor fit and finish. I won’t be buying another.
 
I would not hesitate to purchase a Bark River knife if one appealed to me. They apparently have the occasional problem but I would not let that nudge me away from one I liked. Been very pleased with my Wilderness Explorer model in Cruwear. The sheaths are excellent.
 
I really like their new sheaths that you can wear horizontal or vertical. Of course, I have only carried vertical, but it's there as an option.
 
Based on my experience with Mike Stewart's blades (Marbles Campcraft and Fieldcraft in 52100; Bark River in A2) I wouldn't worry about his heat treat. I believe he worked with Lynn Thompson to develop the heat treat for Carbon V. Recent negative comments about his knives come close to urban legends, IMHO.
 
If you get a bark river, make sure you get it from a retailer that takes them back, just in case. If you get one that has an overground edge, or is marked as a stainless steel but behaves like A2, send it back. It seems to be a small risk, but it is a pretty well documented risk.

I won’t spend more money on a bark river given what I’ve seen happen in threads here. I bought mine years ago, and they’re, fine, I suppose. But the same money buys custom fixed blades, from good makers here, so that’s what I do now.
 
You're warned about BR, if you want one of they knives, go for A2 so you're sure that your inox knife won't rust.
Also make sure to don't get a new model made with perfectly legally owned 16 000 dollars.

Never read anything bad from LT's and people can't stop recommanding them.

Fanboys i'm yours

Misslabelled lol
 
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NiceNife said:
I wouldn’t buy a Bark River. I made a whole thread about my experience here:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/issues-with-brand-new-bark-river-gunny-cpm-3v.1584777/

I would buy a LT Wright, Carothers, or Survive GSO if they made convex grinds, but they don’t, so I’m still looking. If you’re good with a flat grind, check those out.
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If you get a survive make sure you buy it second hand. There are a ton of people still waiting on knives that were supposed to be delivered to them years ago.
There's a good chance if you ordered directly from them now the company would go under long before you ever saw your knife.
 
The Bravo 1 is a very thick blade. I personally believe the thickness is excessive unless your sole point of evaluation is batoning. The thickness displaces more material and consequently requires more force. The thinner Bravo 1 LT or Gunny are better all around knives compared to the regular Bravo 1 IMO.

Bark River uses a third party to do their heat treats. The only issues with heat treating I have heard about were the goloks that kept breaking. That issue had more to do with Mike Stewart's specifications. The solution was to lower the hardness to improve toughness. The heat treat vendor(s) that Bark River has used were consistent to the specifications given them.

Bark River has shipped mislabeled knives in the past. I have yet to see proof of anything other than isolated incidents of knives getting mislabeled. The owner of Bark River, Mike Stewart, is somewhat infamous for being unscrupulous when it suits him. Overall I think they have better QC than they used to have and are overpriced. The first few years Bark River made knives they had a lot of minor defects like asymmetric grinds or poor fit and finish. Their particular gimmick is the use of a wide array of handle materials and to a lesser degree steel types. A lot of people like hating on Bark River mostly because of Mike Stewart, but the knives are generally alright, these days.

I believe he worked with Lynn Thompson to develop the heat treat for Carbon V.
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Carbon V is brand name for any carbon steel used by Cold Steel. Carbon V has been several different types of carbon steels over the years. Mike Stewart helping Lynn Thompson do a heat treat for Carbon V is incredibly vague.
 
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Go here and browse: https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/for-sale-fixed-blades.754/

So much awesome all in one place :cool:

For example, this one is a bit smaller than the Bravo1 but nice and simple and from a reputable maker, and only $120 (does this count as "deal-spotting"?):
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/drop-point.1589708/

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Bark River makes some beautiful knives. There have been issues from time to time which folks have made you aware of. The Bravo 1 is their top selling knife model based on the KSF website. I personally would go with one with a little thinner blade steel, perhaps the LT versions.

I started out buying essentially 1/4" blade stock knives (like 25 years ago) and have learned that I really don't need that thickness or the weight associated with it. You might consider that if you buy a Bark River knife. But we all have to learn over time as to what we like.

I think the pricing on Bark River knives push the envelop a little. They seem to know the market pretty darn well in terms of what the buying public will take. That is just good business.

There are many knives just as good as the Bravo 1 available from other makers. But I know how it is once you set your mind to a particular model. If you buy, I hope you are really pleased. Most are.
 
I own a Bravo 1and a few other Bark Rivers. No problems at all.
I will be getting another BR in the future.
The Bravo 1 fits my hand very well and I have not had any issues with the blade.

Lateck,
 
Everything is said.

They do nice looking knives.

They do some mistakes.

Still you have lots of chances to recieve a nice knife.

The issue to me is Mike, more than everything.

Take all in account and make your choice, tons of people are happy with they BR.
 
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