Bark River Trailmate

CVamberbonehead

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Hi everyone, I have a question that I cant seem to find much on. Is the Bark River Trailmate any good? I bought one online (a2 steel and bocote wood), but it hasnt yet shipped. I was wondering if anyone has had any good or bad experience with these knives? There isnt much info on the internet it seems, just a lot of talk about the owner of BRK, Mike Stewart. I have no experience with him, so I cant speak to that. I just want to know how the community feels about the knives themselves, specifically the Trailmate.
Also, does Bark River use stabilized wood? I have never had or heard of bocote wood, and I want something durable. I am a hunter and angler, and general outdside kind of guy, so I dont want a knife that I have to baby. The Trailmate seems like a good design and I like the materials on paper, but this knife will work for a living so it needs to be a good one.
It just seems like I cant get the straight scoop here online. Just lots of drama. I really dont want any drama in this thread please so lets all stay civil and keep the focus where it belongs, on the product. Im sorry if this seems like a silly question, its just tough to wade through all the b.s. here online, so Im asking directly.
 
As far as the knives go. I've heard a ton of good about them. I'm sure someone with personal experience will chime in shortly but FWIW I've seen great reviews of Bark River by several in the know knife knuts. I think you made a good choice. :thumbsup::D
 
...Is the Bark River Trailmate any good? I bought one online (a2 steel and bocote wood), but it hasnt yet shipped. I was wondering if anyone has had any good or bad experience with these knives?...
It's a bit late to ask. Having said that, let us know what you think after using it for a while.
 
Bocote has about the same durability as hard maple. I don't know whether or not they stabilize it. I've had several Bark's in A2, and it takes a wicked edge, with moderate edge-holding (similar to 440C). It does oxidize quickly and tends toward spotting, so I recommend forcing a patina before outdoor use, and wipe it down with a little oil when finished using it.
 
I own several BRK's,two of them in A2 and they're outstanding! BRK uses stabilized wood and has an excellent warranty, the A2 blade steel gets scary sharp using a strop with black & green compound. They have a huge following on FB and will answer anything you want to know there. Congrats on your new knife.:thumbsup:
 
A little bit of context to add here. I own a Blackjack 125, and its great. I know theyre made by Bark River, but I have been wondering if maybe theyre like the economy line of Bark River. Like an Epiphone instead of a Gibson guitar. So Im curious about how BRKs are, whether theyre good or not. Like I said before, theres a lot of iffy information out there. Especially regarding Blackjack knives, they seem less popular. So thats why I ask. And yes, once I get the knife I will post my thoughts and a comparison with the Blackjack. If this post isnt making much sense, Im sorry, its really late as Im writing this.
 
I've had several BR knives, but I would not buy more. A Colonial Patch knife I had in Bocote soon started warping after very light use, I had it re-handled due to poor experience of their much acclaimed warranty service. They took back another knife with defective burl handles-very reluctantly and snidely I might add, took a very long time to fix it and replaced the wood with a completely different material and ground half of the gimping off from the spine, awful job. I've had micarta warp from the tang of another knife and pins fall out from others. They may look good but I question their actual durability.

My experiences could be isolated and I hope the OP is satisfied with his knife in the long run. I am fond of the PSK knife and an original Pro-Scalpel but overall not smitten.
 
Congratulations on your first Bark River! They can be addicting. Bark River makes a great knife. I own two Trailmates in A-2. Micarta and G10 handles though. I don't buy wood handled knives. Bark River has a life time warranty so use it, that's what they're made for. As far as the drama that you mentioned, this board is full of it.
 
I love my BR Mini Fox River in African Blackwood/A2. It is very similar to the Trailmate in design and overall size. I'll be surprised if you don't like it.

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Can't speak on the knife itself but I have used lots of bocote on lots of different knives for lots of different uses. It's a great wood and makes a great knife handle. One of those tropical hardwoods where the finish is in the wood not something you apply. I've never heard of it being stabilized. It comes from the Yucatan in Mexico.

A2 heat treated correctly can make you the knife of your dreams. Done poorly its just average.
 
I love my BR Mini Fox River in African Blackwood/A2. It is very similar to the Trailmate in design and overall size. I'll be surprised if you don't like it.

YTkrrdL.jpg
Thats a great picture of a gorgeous knife!
 
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Congratulations on your first Bark River! They can be addicting. Bark River makes a great knife. I own two Trailmates in A-2. Micarta and G10 handles though. I don't buy wood handled knives. Bark River has a life time warranty so use it, that's what they're made for. As far as the drama that you mentioned, this board is full of it.
I almost got it with black micarta, but I was getting a good deal so I paid extra in the hopes of getting nice wood. How do you like your 2 trailmates?
 
I've purchased 8-9 BR fixed blades since around 2005-2010 and most of them wore stag covers. A few were black micarta so I cannot speak to the wood, although I would trust what Will Power Will Power says in post #8 as he has proved himself to be a reliable source in here.. What I can speak to is the fact that the BR knives that I have used had A2 steel with a good heat treat and a phenomenal convex grind that is very hard to beat. The blade took and kept an edge for a very long duration of time out in the field after repeated use.
 
I have 2 bark rivers and love them. Great designs, beautiful designs, and very good quality. I have one heavy user hunting knife that I got in micarta purely for durability. The second is a smaller light use knife in desert ironwood, but I have definitely put that knife through it’s paces. The handle has held up well.

While I enjoy the convex grind, it’s worth noting that for me, it took some learning to get it from dinged up and dull to razor sharp. There’s tons of different methods on how to sharpen convex and info is easily found online. A solid strop is definitely a necessity
 
Well, I got the knife today! (I also got a Great Eastern Cutlery H20818 fixed hunter, clip point in natural canvas micarta, woo!) It seems pretty great so far. Pretty decent fit and finish on it, the pins are a little proud of the wood but other than that its good. The wood could have better figure for sure. The sheath also came really dry but a few coats of neatsfoot oil solved that. Great retention on it. Anyway, the knife is a little bit smaller than I thought it would be. I knew it would be small but I was still surprised. I can get a 4 finger grip on it, its actually very comfortable. Plus it came insanely sharp. I think me and this trailmate will get along just fine. :)
 
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