Bark River

[JessC]

This is 100% the "ugly." BARK RIVER.
I just recently got into these. Nice blades and "mostly" good people on their FB page. They look good and appear to have a good warranty. But don't question any of that. Including asymmetrical grinds or even ask a simple question regarding ordering a sheath. The owner, Mike Stewart, will personally attack you. These clowns are off the hook. If you buy one (I bought 5) and have a question about the quality...
Don't say you haven't been warned. All I asked about was ordering a sheath and the attached are the responses I got from him. Spend your money elsewhere. Jerry Busse doesn't treat people like sh*t. This grumpy old fk and his cronies are absolute shit. Spend your money elsewhere.

 

[JessC]

This is 100% the "ugly." BARK RIVER.
I just recently got into these. They look good and appear to have a good warranty. But don't question any of that. Including asymmetrical grinds or even ask a simple question regarding ordering a sheath. The owner, Mike Stewart, will personally attack you. These clowns are off the hook. If you buy one (I bought 5) don't say you haven't been warned. All I asked about was ordering a sheath and the attached are the responses I got from him. Spend your money elsewhere. Jerry Busse doesn't treat people like sh*t.

 

[JessC]

Mike is an ASSHOLE
This is your customer service. Don't complain. Don't ask questions. Don't spend your hard earned $ on his crap.

 

[AdamFuzzyballs]

This is well known. It’s a shame because I love the knives Mike Stewart made for Marbles. But I’ve seen multiple times where he’ll straight up insult you for questioning him and the legions of fan boys with roast you over the fire for doubting Stewart’s “godlike power over heat treat”.

Of course, heat treat doesn’t matter when you get a knife with mystery steel.

 

[Triton]

Bark River band its owner is a known quantity to many who would never order from them. Sorry you found out the hard way.

 

[AriesTheCam]

I have a V-44 Bowie my wife bought me for our anniversary a few years ago. I used to chop a few branches. The edge chipped on me and the liner under the elder burl scales broke and came out so now the handle is janky and moves.

I only used it that one time and I'm kinda sketched out about sending it in for their "UNLIMITED Lifetime Warranty
Our Warranty covers Anything & Everything" because of all the things I've seen about them since she bought it..

I've been sitting on that damaged knife for almost 2 years because of this. I'm worried he'll just make up an excuse not to honor it and I'll just be out the shipping. I've been debating fixing it myself. Sorry you got treated like that from that dude. You're right about the Busse part.

I've seen Jerry fix knives people video taped themselves destroying with a statement as simple as (paraphrased) "Our knives weren't made to chop other knives in half.. send it in and we'll fix it. Let's drink!" type shit. He also fixed one a guy ran over with his lawnmower. Their warranty really can't be touched

 

[Will Power]

Many years ago I bought a No. of Bark Rivers, 10 or 11 mostly satisfied on receipt (some weird grinds and attachment of scales) but after a short while of moderate use I began to find some of them to be less than durable: scales warping and peeling away, pins on handles falling out, edges chipping from very light whittling. Sheathes were not practical either.

In those days, there was another Knife forum now defunct and BR had a section there moderated if you can call it that, by the owner of the firm plus a collection of unbelievable lickspittles, fawning over him displaying no self-respect. Skunks to be accurate. I politely asked about the legendary warranty as I was extremely dissatisfied with the quality of scales on a recent knife. This was greeted with hoots of derision, "cannot be true" "who needs warranty on the greatest of knives??" Plus some VERY offensive remarks about me being European. Eventually the Big Man himself said send it in if you must... So I did, waited weeks, 3 months then asked after it, no response then it was returned with totally different scales, no explanation and nearly all of the gimping ground off crudely from the spine thus making it un sellable. I still have a few of these mainly useless over hyped knives, worst purchases ever bar one or two.

Seems a Leopard does not change its spots and still surrounds itself with Hyenas....

 

[King of the Cheese]

Here we go again.. Mike Stewart is known far and wide to be a sassy old man. He has no filter. None of this phases him, so it’s all just screaming into the void unless you get some distributors to go after him on issues.

 

[bax229]

He also deletes any criticism of Bark River’s quality off the FB page. I sold off all my Bark Rivers after reading his comments and reactions toward customers with actual quality issues. There’s better knives out there.

 

[JessC]

Here we go again.. Mike Stewart is known far and wide to be a sassy old man. He has no filter. None of this phases him, so it’s all just screaming into the void unless you get some distributors to go after him on issues.

Sassy? THIS old man would have slapped the taste out of THAT old man's mouth if he "sassed" me like that to my face.

 

[King of the Cheese]

Sassy? THIS old man would have slapped the taste out of THAT old man's mouth if he "sassed" me like that to my face.

No you wouldn’t because you’d be going to jail for assault because a guy told you he doesn’t work on Saturday.. and that isn’t very bright.

 

[JessC]

Many years ago I bought a No. of Bark Rivers, 10 or 11 mostly satisfied on receipt (some weird grinds and attachment of scales) but after a short while of moderate use I began to find some of them to be less than durable: scales warping and peeling away, pins on handles falling out, edges chipping from very light whittling. Sheathes were not practical either.

In those days, there was another Knife forum now defunct and BR had a section there moderated if you can call it that, by the owner of the firm plus a collection of unbelievable lickspittles, fawning over him displaying no self-respect. Skunks to be accurate. I politely asked about the legendary warranty as I was extremely dissatisfied with the quality of scales on a recent knife. This was greeted with hoots of derision, "cannot be true" "who needs warranty on the greatest of knives??" Plus some VERY offensive remarks about me being European. Eventually the Big Man himself said send it in if you must... So I did, waited weeks, 3 months then asked after it, no response then it was returned with totally different scales, no explanation and nearly all of the gimping ground off crudely from the spine thus making it un sellable. I still have a few of these mainly useless over hyped knives, worst purchases ever bar one or two.

Seems a Leopard does not change its spots and still surrounds itself with Hyenas....

Indeed. Wish I had known what a bi polar old prick he is. Now I'm seeing numerous complaints about the heat treat, warranty, customer "dis" service. Some guy alleging he robbed him of $16K in a sour business deal and even distributors discovering false advertising of selling 3V steel that was not 3V. WTF? How does he continue to get away with this shit?

 

[JessC]

No you wouldn’t because you’d be going to jail for assault because a guy told you he doesn’t work on Saturday.. and that isn’t very bright.

Ah right. Fanboy I guess. You have no idea who I am or what I'd do. Get off my post.

 

[King of the Cheese]

Ah right. Fanboy I guess. You have no idea who I am or what I'd do. Get off my post.

You’re the one threatening to physically attack a man because he told you he doesn’t work on Saturday. I’m no “fanboy”.. but if “It’s Saturday” is enough to make you risk going to jail over, maybe stay home and avoid all human interaction.

 

[JessC]

I have a V-44 Bowie my wife bought me for our anniversary a few years ago. I used to chop a few branches. The edge chipped on me and the liner under the elder burl scales broke and came out so now the handle is janky and moves.

I only used it that one time and I'm kinda sketched out about sending it in for their "UNLIMITED Lifetime Warranty
Our Warranty covers Anything & Everything" because of all the things I've seen about them since she bought it..

I've been sitting on that damaged knife for almost 2 years because of this. I'm worried he'll just make up an excuse not to honor it and I'll just be out the shipping. I've been debating fixing it myself. Sorry you got treated like that from that dude. You're right about the Busse part.

I've seen Jerry fix knives people video taped themselves destroying with a statement as simple as (paraphrased) "Our knives weren't made to chop other knives in half.. send it in and we'll fix it. Let's drink!" type shit. He also fixed one a guy ran over with his lawnmower. Their warranty really can't be touched

Yesterday, before the old goat and his ball lickers booted me, another member posted a blade w a huge chip missing. He was batonning and it chipped. The ball lickers immediately pounced howling about using the right tool for the job, that shit will sharpen out, yada yada horseshit. I'm just absolutely stunned how many blind cult followers he has.

 

[JessC]

He also deletes any criticism of Bark River’s quality off the FB page. I sold off all my Bark Rivers after reading his comments and reactions toward customers with actual quality issues. There’s better knives out there.

I will be taking the whole pile to a local knife shop and trading them for whatever. A nice fork. One left shoe. Don't matter.
Nah, I'm getting some $ for them. Never again. If they were the last knife maker in the world I'd sharpen a stick. Absolute trash.

 

[King of the Cheese]

I will be taking the whole pile to a local knife shop and trading them for whatever. A nice fork. One left shoe. Don't matter.
Nah, I'm getting some $ for them. Never again. If they were the last knife maker in the world I'd sharpen a stick. Absolute trash.

You might have caught a few from the anti-Mike fan club and you all might be having fun cheering each other on over what amounts to an old man getting sassy with you, but going scorched earth on businesses because they don’t grovel before you in order to fulfill your every wish and desire seems to be trending this weekend.

 

[jbmonkey]

im no fan of Mike Stewart...
but are ya mad cause you were basically told its Saturday? that doesn't seem like an attack to me. did ya leave off some other screenshots with the attack parts?

or are ya just mad he booted ya from the facebook club or whatever you were a part of? im not really getting where he attacked ya, from what ya showed us so far or why you're so mad?

 

[John Phillips]

If I send an email or a message to a company or owner on the weekend when they are closed, I don’t give a fiddlers fuck if they are closed. I would fully expect and be ok if I got a response on Monday or Tuesday when they’re open, no issue with that at all. I like sending emails when something is present in my mind since I might forget once the craziness of the week starts. The last thing I would ever want is for that owner to sarcastically remind me what day it is like as absolute asshole.

Hey Mike, here’s a quick tip, if you don’t work on Saturdays, DON’T FUCKING WORK ON SATURDAY and answer an email, simply/politely reply once you get back to work dumbass. This is clearly someone who has acquired fuck you money and doesn’t care anything about individual customers. I own MANY BRKs and have enjoyed them but this is a bullshit, asshole way to communicate. Here’s an acceptable response that took me 10 seconds to write.

“Hi there, we are closed on the weekends and someone will be more than HAPPY to help you on Monday when we are open, THANK YOU for your business and support”.

Or like I mentioned, just wait until Monday to reply instead of sending a middle finger response.

 

[King of the Cheese]

Unfortunately it seems much of the conversation seems to be left out. What is the post Mike S. is referring to? It isn’t DLT’s, is it? What came before that?