Bark River Screw Pommel Disappointment?

[tltt]

Another guy with a loose pommel - https://www.facebook.com/groups/45724117881/posts/10158221460812882/ .

So you don't bugger your nuts - https://www.dlttrading.com/marbles-knife-tang-nut-tool .

 

[jeepin]

I hate shrinkage

 

[EngrSorenson]

But at least it's the right steel.

Well it certainly wasn’t a steal.

 

[scdub]

Hey, now that you mention it, it could well have been a Buck factory film where they showed the technique. The handle assembly is compressed by the tiniest amount to allow the pin to pass through, and then everything is right and tight.

Bingo! Found it (process starts at 0:38). And it wasn't even "decades old"...

Wow that’s a lot of hand work going on. How much is a Buck 119 again?? Gonna have to get a fixed Buck one of these days…

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Wow that’s a lot of hand work going on. How much is a Buck 119 again?? Gonna have to get a fixed Buck one of these days…

Yes, and I like how Buck uses epoxy between each of the stacked on items making up the handle

I wish more companies would do this, especially those using stacked leather handles with pinned pommels.

As for the Bark River Knives, I only have one example of knife that was made by them. I had some turn off about it after I noticed something I hadn't noticed when I first obtained it... it's lack of having quality grinds.
It's a BlackJack branded knife that BRK makes for that brand under contract. As a matter of fact, while one side of the blade is marked with a small BlackJack logo, the other side has a made by Bark River Knife marking on it's ricasso.

Anyhow, a few months after I added it into my collection, I was giving it a routine maintenance wipe down, and that's when I noticed that the grinds on one side were way off from the other side of the blade. That was something that I sort of expected on some of my way less than $100 Ontario Knife Company SP Series knives, but was turned off to see it on my Blackjack/Bark River Knife that cost me around $270.



Although I did spend a lot more to acquire my Randall Model #1, ($600), I know that the BlackJack line of knives are mostly patterned after the Randall line. So, I found myself going over every inch of my Randall specimen in hopes that I wouldn't find a similar situation with it as with the Blackjack/BRK.
Well, there was nothing to worry about. Although the Randall is an even more handmade/labor intensive knife, the grinds were totally spot on all the way around



I, of course, still keep my BlackJack knife in my collection, it representing the Blackjack and BRK companies all in one, but... I surely don't hold it in as high of regard as I first did.

Since my noticing that about my Blackjack/BRK knife, I have since read a lot more common lack of quality issues concerning BRK made knives. It seems that their grinds being way off from one side to the other on their blades, is not a rare occurrence at all.
Imo, they are too highly priced for they being known for so many inconsistencies.

 

[not2sharp]

I was a proud owner of a Bark River Quartermaster.
It was an almost perfect all rounder (sexy looking) knife up until I read that many people have been disappointed by the screw pommel construction which loosened with use.

I understand the whole wrong tool for the wrong job thing about batoning with knives
but it bummed me out to find 2 separate Youtube videos where they both have the same issue with the pommel loosening
plus it seemed that the screws gave way much earlier in the knife's 'usage lifetime'

BR Quartermaster EDC pommel issue:

BR Quartermaster ORIGINAL pommel issue

Was planning to use the QM as my survival knife, like a thinner Fallkniven S1, but at this point Im afraid it might fail on me.

Anyone experienced the same with BR screw pommels? i.e: with the Boone series, Teddys, etc...?

Should I even be concerned about the screw pommels?
(oh boy dont want to hear about the potential stress riser breakages from 90deg tangs either)

I don’t understand the complaint. Clearly, it is a screw pommel, and yes they can get loose over time. So you tighten it up and use thread locker and you are good to go. It comes in handy when you find yourself with damaged leather washers. Leather can shrink or break over time and the screw on pommel allows for a simple repair. You can always add a plastic or leather spacer to correct the pommel position. There is nothing to cry about here. It is just a routine maintenance issue inherent with these kinds of handles.

n2s

 

[eveled]

The original quartermaster knife had a fascinating 3 piece pommel system. The knife has a reputation as being practically indestructible.

They took a good knife, took away what made it good and sold it using the good reputation of the original.

Still if something comes loose, just tighten it.

 

[LimpCroissant]

Wow that’s a lot of hand work going on. How much is a Buck 119 again?? Gonna have to get a fixed Buck one of these days…

It always amazes me when I see a video like that. That sure IS a lot of hand work! It definitely brings a new way of looking at the 119. I watched a super long 3 part youtube video about how CRK makes their knives. It was absolutely incredible how much hand work went on. I'm always afraid that it will become less and less quickly as time goes on.

 

[lzhryan]

That's because they're not.


I don't really have the energy today to play the whole Bark River "hate" game, but will share this...

The clown in the second video above couldn't stand the rough/unfinished look of the pommel design on the Barky Q. So, he went looking for a problem and found it. If I remember correctly, there was a vid that pre-dated the one above where he was mentioning his dislike of the aesthetics of the pommel. (*or something to that effect) I have no doubt that he started screwing-around with it, in the hopes of cleaning it up a bit, and created the above problem.

I have several Barky Q's, with two in particular that I have beaten-on pretty hard...with ZERO issues. They are, without a doubt, one of the most robust hidden-tang designs that I have ever used...

Appreciate all the insights everyone has contributed with

Wow okay this gave me some hope for the Quartermaster.
Really no issue with either of the 2 QMs after all your use?
No guard loosening, pommel shifting/loosening, etc... nothing?

 

[Alone]

Appreciate all the insights everyone has contributed with

Wow okay this gave me some hope for the Quartermaster.
Really no issue with either of the 2 QMs after all your use?
No guard loosening, pommel shifting/loosening, etc... nothing?

Nothing.


What you need to understand, if you don't already, is that the internet is a "glass half empty" place. It's like being a Supervisor or Manager somewhere. You always hear the bad and rarely hear the good, and (*most of the time) with very little context. You seem to be worried about one, two, three (*or even five) vids. However, what you should also understand is that for those five vids, there are tens to hundreds of folks who (*like me) have used those knives with zero issues...with some of those folks showing their knives very little quarter.

I have some relatively expensive knives from a renowned and well-respected Manufacturer on this forum. Of the 12 to 15 I have, two have gone back for warranty work and one that should've gone back I corrected on my own. If we're going by percentages, that's a pretty terrible record. Did I get on YouTube and whine? No. One of the reasons I chose that particular Manufacturer is his outstanding warranty. So, I sent them back and "Voila!", my brand new/used knives came back to me looking and functioning even better than they did when I first bought 'em.

Not trying to be rude, but quit worrying about internet nonsense. You bought a great knife. Now, go USE it. If it fails (*which I doubt it will, unless you get completely stupid with it), get it back to Bark River and give them the courtesy of addressing the issue. If they screw you over, then you can get on the internet and share your experience(s) with others.

I've posted this before. From my usage of the Barky Q, it is without a doubt the most robust hidden tang knife I have ever used. With the exception of my 5160 Buck 119, I don't think I'd try anything near what I've done to the my Q's using another hidden tang knife.


Seriously, USE MORE and WORRY LESS.