Bark River- who’s fault?

[Zuluninja]

I fell for their designs, handle, materials, etc a while ago. They look good on screen. Had the same problem with a TrailBuddy 3, rolls after some light chopping. They go very thin on their convex grinds, but this knife is .20" thick and advertised as a camp chopper...I slowly ground off the rolls, sharpened and got rid of it. Also got rid of a Tope Vidarr collab, beautiful knife with a mortised handle and bolster; the bolster shifted after some light hacking; emphasis on "light", as this is a 6" blade not meant for any serious chopping.

 

[Sharpoholic]

Imo brk showed their true colors back when they knowingly sent out knives with inferior steel that wasn’t as advertised. The way the owner handled that was incredibly shady. I wouldn’t trust a single knife they make with him in charge.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Depends. A more obtuse edge might not have rolled; that grind looks pretty acute. I have several knives from Mike Stewart's shops in 52100 and A2 and have never had any issue with chipping. IMHO, he does some of the best heat treating you can find. I'd just sharpen that blade out and use it for cutting stuff, not chopping.

 

[Rupestris]

If the blade warps, then it wasn't designed for chopping.

Specifications:
Knife Type	Fixed Blade		Blade Style	Straight Back
Brand	Bark River		Blade Edge	Plain
Product Name	Edwin Forrest Bowie		Blade Grind	Flat
Model #	08-315M-NC		Blade Finish	Satin
Overall Length	17.00"		Handle Material	Canvas Micarta
Blade Length	12.5"		Handle Color	Natural
Handle Length	4.75"		Sheath Material	Leather
Cutting Edge	12.00"		Sheath Color	Brown
Blade Thickness	0.18"		Weight	18.6 oz
Blade Material	A-2 Tool Steel		Origin	USA
Blade Hardness	60 HRC		Designer	Bark River

The blade length, thickness, hardness, and grind tell me it's a delicate blade. I don't think it's good for a lot of chopping work.

The knife in the OP's video doesn't look flat ground to me.

 

[ferider]

Whoever has been saying it's not for chopping .... it's a > 12" blade, not exactly made for peeling apples.

A2 @ 60HRC should not behave like that on a > $300 knife. And BRK goes out and about about how all important their convex grinds are.

My first real fixed blade was a BRK Bravo in "Cruwear". I switched brands after using it for a couple of days. Certainly behaved differently than other Cruwear knives I have.

 

[Rupestris]

Whoever has been saying it's not for chopping .... it's a > 12" blade, not exactly made for peeling apples.

A2 @ 60HRC should not behave like that on a > $300 knife. And BRK goes out and about about how all important their convex grinds are.

My first real fixed blade was a BRK Bravo in "Cruwear". I switched brands after using it for a couple of days. Certainly behaved differently than other Cruwear knives I have.

Etching "A2" on an AUS-6 blade doesn't make it behave like A2 either.

 

[OrangeBlueOrangeBlue]

If the blade warps, then it wasn't designed for chopping.

Specifications:
Knife Type	Fixed Blade		Blade Style	Straight Back
Brand	Bark River		Blade Edge	Plain
Product Name	Edwin Forrest Bowie		Blade Grind	Flat
Model #	08-315M-NC		Blade Finish	Satin
Overall Length	17.00"		Handle Material	Canvas Micarta
Blade Length	12.5"		Handle Color	Natural
Handle Length	4.75"		Sheath Material	Leather
Cutting Edge	12.00"		Sheath Color	Brown
Blade Thickness	0.18"		Weight	18.6 oz
Blade Material	A-2 Tool Steel		Origin	USA
Blade Hardness	60 HRC		Designer	Bark River

The blade length, thickness, hardness, and grind tell me it's a delicate blade. I don't think it's good for a lot of chopping work.

It's a fighting knife, based on a knife that could be the mythical Sandbar Bowie. It's modeled after a knife supposedly given by Jim Bowie to his friend, Edwin Forrest, a period actor, which was later found by Forrest's descendants.

 

[Jonah Shorter]

It's a fighting knife, based on a knife that could be the mythical Sandbar Bowie. It's modeled after a knife supposedly given by Jim Bowie to his friend, Edwin Forrest, a period actor, which was later found by Forrest's descendants.

I’d hate to have to use it for a fighting knife. What about when you hit a bone and it folds the tip like paper.

 

[ferider]

CPK Light Chopper, .188” thick at ricasso, 10" blade, bending test by Nathan.

Before:

After:

Mar 2016, $340 without sheath when released. Just saying.

Roland.

 

[unwisefool]

Go get a Busse/Swamp Rat/Scrapyard or a Carothers knife. Two of the toughest brands of fixed blades I've used.

 

[TC]

I happen to have that knife. For all its size it is on the delicate side - especially the tip. Very thin grind. I'm not going to weigh in on any fault discussion, but personally I would not use it for chopping. Wouldn't use it for fighting either, actually, don't trust the purchase on the rather short handle. Would make a decent carving knife (sunday roast, not wood), I suppose. Got it cheap, so I don't really care that much.

 

[kafolarbear]

That looks like a heat treating issue, I've never used A2 steel, but for me, their knives in 3V have never warped like that even with some pretty intense chopping through some very hard wood. I'd be interesting to know what HRC that knife is, because I feel like a knife at ~60hrc just wouldn't warp like that.

 

[scdub]

Introducing:
The Edwin Forest Bowie!!





(not for forest use)

 

[Murphjd25]

May I talk to you about this magical stuff called Delta 3V?

 

[Jsega51]

CPK Light Chopper, .188” thick at ricasso, 10" blade, bending test by Nathan.

Mar 2016, $340 without sheath when released. Just saying.

Roland.

Current CPK choppers being listed in the exchange for $1k isn’t so appetizing for lots of people and that’s the only way to get an LC. I love CPK as much as the next but it’s not always the best alternative due to scarce quantities available.

The OP shouldn’t have had this issue for his money spent.

 

[ferider]

I was just giving a pricing example and that yes - .18“ can be used for chopping …. Lots of SYKCOs available in the OPs price range, or he could try one of our custom makers.

 

[ShitsInaBush]

I used to have a few Bark River Knives , still have a pretty looking Bravo 1.25 in 3v.... But the rest are gone. I like Dawson Knives, CPK and CPE are great companies too, but Dawson is doing MagnaCut runs right now, otherwise they use 3v. I would say Dawson's are more suited for hard used compared to BRK.

 

[Dav1]

I don't have any knives in A2 but many of my chisels and plane blades are A2 (carpenter). I know the bevel/grind is different although I trust Lie Neilsen and Veritas/Lee Valley to get their heat treat right.

Needless to say A2 if properly heat treated shouldn't do this, I've used mine from day to day heavily in soft and very hard woods and would certainly not expect that steel to behave as this. Definitely a problem there.

 

[scdub]

I used to lurk on here a lot. Haven’t been on here in a while, and never really had anything to post about until now.
I have a BRK Edwin Forrest Bowie. Long story short I cut a 1-2 inch limb and the blade behind the edge bent in three spots. It most likely bent because I didn’t pull it exactly straight out of the limb; however, I didn’t just grab the handle and torque it sideways either. It was just a slight wiggle to loosen the blade from the limb. Compared to their other knives in A2 this seems uncharacteristic. This is beyond edge damage; this is actual blade deformation behind the edge. In Bark Rivers description of this knife it states “whether you use it or collect it— this is an all business knife.” I don’t think what I did would be considered abuse, but I would like to hear your opinions. Not entirely sure how to add pictures so I’ll include a link to a video of it.

To answer your question - I believe you should try to get a refund for this knife, or a replacement if not (that you can immediately sell).

That knife, in “A2?”, or really ANY quality steel should not have bent so severely just doing what I’d consider light chopping.

My Siegle has a ~.025” wide bevel, and the thickness behind the edge (so .025” from the edge) is ~.020”. Zero edge deformation after maybe 3-5 hours total chopping various wood (including dry).

If your knife was ground substantially thinner than that, they made it too thin and it’s their fault. If the knife is ground properly for its size, and it rolled like that, then either the HT is bad (likely imho) or the steel is junk (also sadly possible given the history). (Also their fault).

 

[Blues]

I'd comment but...