Bark River SS Bravo1

[Horn Dog]

As some of you know, I collect "survival" knives. In all honesty, nowadays I am seldom out in the bush long enough to really need one, but I do have over three acres of natural property that affords me a place to check them out. So on this warm Spring-like day, let's see how the new Bravo-1 SS performs.

I brought a little bag o' knives to show a few other knives that are in this general category of small stainless steel survival knives for size comparison.

Top to bottom are the Mora 2000, Bravo-1 SS, Ritter Mk 3,
Fosters Survival, Bear Grylls by Bayley, and the Fallkniven F1.

As you can see, the Bravo is the thickest blade here.
Specs:

Overall Length:9.065 Inches
Blade Length:4.250 Inches
Blade Steel:CPM 154 @ 58 rc
Blade Thickness:.215 Inch
Weight:7.9 Ounces

Next up, some cutting.

 

[Horn Dog]

First off, this knife has a nice contoured micarta handle that allows plenty of room for my large hand. It feels and handles exactly like the A2 steel version, but seems just a bit heavier.

The knife came very sharp with a convex high saber grind down to a zero edge. There is no secondary bevel. I did my pathetic version of a fuzz stick with this piece of hard maple. The knife slices well.

It also notches well. The edge comes right up to near the grips allowing good leverage for notching.

I was able to slash this palmetto frond in one stroke and skinned and smoothed it to make a skewer.

Bending a pine sapling over, I was able to easily chop it down and buck the small branches.

Next, some drilling and splitting.

 

[Horn Dog]

I took this piece of maple and drilled a hole in it using the Barkie. The butt of the handle has some sharp edges, and my hands are not as tough as Marine Recon hands that the knife was designed for. It did the job, but the rounded butt of the Ritter is more comfortable for this task.

After making my little sail boat, I moved on to splitting some tough knarly maple, using my beat up baton.

The thick blade made the Bravo a real perfomer as a splitter when compared to the thinner blades on the other survival knives. I like the full tang (actually skeletonized to put the balance on the first finger). I can pound on the butt of the knife to drive the point into wood, if necessary, without much damage to the handle.

After all this, I checked the edge, and it would still shave the hair off my arm. This CPM 154 seems to hold an edge very well, but I admit, this wasn't enough use to really test that.

The knife came with a kydex sheath, but I ordered this optional Sharpshooter Loveless design pouch sheath. It offers good retention and carries well.

In summary, this is at the top of the list for my small survival knives. At over $200, some may consider it too expensive, but I am glad I got it. The knife is solid and tough, like previous Bravos, but has the added benefit of the corrosion resistance of a fine super stainless steel. I like it.

 

[KuRUpTD]

Nicely done Horndog ... I thoroughly enjoyed the review and pics :thumbup:
I've had my eye on a few BRKT knives and this post is giving me an itch

What's your opinion of the Bear Knife ???

 

[Horn Dog]

Nicely done Horndog ... I thoroughly enjoyed the review and pics :thumbup:
I've had my eye on a few BRKT knives and this post is giving me an itch

What's your opinion of the Bear Knife ???

Don't buy one unless you want to be called a fool by a few dozen posters. Or keep it a secret. It's a fine little knife. The steel is RWL Swedish powdered super duper steel of some kind. Rockwell is 60, so it is a bit hard to sharpen without a diamond hone. I like the Bravo better. Also, the Bayley is way overpriced, IMO. At the current exchange rates it is still at least $500.

 

[Big Mike]

Nicely done Vic, …good stuff. :thumbup: :thumbup:

And that leather sheath does look great. :thumbup:



The Bravo-1 might not be my favorite knife in day to day use,

…but in a survival situation I could not ask for a more capable tool.






"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

WOW, thats a great review..I love my carbon..and have been thinking of reasons that I need a stainless!

 

[Horn Dog]

Thank you. I've been meaning to give this Barkie a little workout, and my schedule and the weather made today a good day to do it. I have many knives in this size, but my real survival combo is a big bowie, kukri, or machete and a SAK OHT. But I just like to collect these smaller knives. It's good to know that they are truly useful. The A2 steel Bravo-1 was my first Barkie, and it amazed me with its out of the box sharpness and cutting performance. The stainless model works just as well.

 

[Rockywolf]

Great review! I like your pics...I have had a desire for one of these for years, even though I have sooo many other knives of approx. the same size. Something about them is very appealing. I even like the thumb ramp!

 

[Thalestin]

I love the bravo I. It is a fun little fixed blade. It fits me just right. I havent had the chance to test it out to much yet as I am very busy with school. Looking forward to taking it for some real testing

I have the a2 version but the SS version looks like a real treat as well. I am always suprised how thick it is yet such a great cutter

 

[Gramps]

That's a VERY NICE review, Horn Dog.......thanks for the thorough write-up !

You certainly have a great selection of exceptional fixed blades to take with you into the outdoors. Have you reviewed the others ?

- regards

 

[Horn Dog]

That's a VERY NICE review, Horn Dog.......thanks for the thorough write-up !

You certainly have a great selection of exceptional fixed blades to take with you into the outdoors. Have you reviewed the others ?

- regards

I think I reviewed the Ritter and the Mora 2000 on this forum some time ago. They both performed very well.

 

[Aubrey]

Hi Horn Dog

Great review but I have a few questions .....

1 - How does the A2 version stack up to the 154 version? Both edge holding and resisting stains.
2 - You mentioned a weight differenace ..... how does this affect the balance between the A2 and 154 version? More forward/backward?
3 - How wel does A2 vs 154 spark a firesteel?

Thanx in advance.

Regards

Aubrey

 

[Horn Dog]

Hi Horn Dog

Great review but I have a few questions .....

1 - How does the A2 version stack up to the 154 version? Both edge holding and resisting stains.
2 - You mentioned a weight differenace ..... how does this affect the balance between the A2 and 154 version? More forward/backward?
3 - How wel does A2 vs 154 spark a firesteel?

Thanx in advance.

Regards

Aubrey

1 The CPM 154 seems to have at least the edge holding of A2, if not better. But I have not done a comparison test for that. It is a stainless, so I would anticipate superior stain and corrosion resistance to A2, but I have not tested for that, either.

2 Balance point is the same on both knives, on the first finger. The actual weight difference is only about .4 oz on my scale.

3 I have not used a fire steel with either knife. My fire steel has an attached striker. I used it on my larger Bravo-2 and it dented the spine quite a bit, so I decided to use the striker. I don't know if CPM 154 will make sparks or not. A2 will.

 

[These_Nutz]

Not been on the net in a while.
What happened to that other forum?.
Also anyone got any news on the Gunny?.

 

[Horn Dog]

You mean KF? They're still around. Last I heard, Mike was working on the Gunny. It should be coming out very soon.

 

[These_Nutz]

Yeah KF weird when i google it nothing comes up just blade forum and british blades.
I knew the gunny wouldnt be out by xmass to much to hope for that.
Have they decided on the type of sheath yet?.

 

[Horn Dog]

I'm not sure.

 

[HikingMano]

GREAT review Horn Dog! :thumbup: I just bought a SS Bravo-1 a while ago too, but haven't really put it to use yet as I've still been carrying my A2 around. Thanks for a thorough write-up, and I look forward to using my SS B1

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Great Review

YOU ROCK VIC!!

THANKS