bark river??

G

grobe

Joined
Aug 18, 2005
Messages
228
what do you guys think of the bark river 'northstar' as a general purpose bushcraft blade?? what are the arguments for or against micarta vs. wood for the handle?? for some reason i like the turquoise micarta version :o

any other knives of similair type/price i should look at.

thanks
 
Bark Rivers are top notch. They are very sharp and well made. The NS was designed with bushcraft in mind. I like micarta much better than wood, it is very tough and looks good as well. I have a Fox River and Mini Canadian. The edges are also convex which is a plus in my book. You can't go wrong with any of the Bark Rivers. They also have an unconditional warranty, well except for badgers ;-)
 
I have a Northstar. Great blade, full convex is easy to sharpen and holds an edge very well. Compared to other blade grinds, the convex grind is probably one of the strongest, if not the strongest, but in bushcraft, a Mora works great, so it's all in how you plan on using the knife. The canvas micarta is tough and looks great. Mine came in the antique ivory. I've used the heck out of mine and it shows little wear. If I were going to change one thing about the knife, it would be the handle. It's OK, but I'd prefer it to be larger. I think the more recent knives have a larger handle, but I'm not sure. You'll have to check with Mike Stewart at BRKT on that one.
 
i have a mora clipper that i've used and am looking for a quality blade in this style. i think i'll go with the micarta if i choose this blade.
 
You don't get much better than bark river. You probably won't hear any complaint on this thread methinks.
 
just found some info on the 'soon to be released' aurora. maybe i should hold out for a bit, and see what this blade looks like.
 
Mike Stewart the owner is a real knife nut, which is refreshing. He is very receptive to comments and takes critique of his designes very well if they are presented in a professional manner. When the NS first came available there was a review on British Blades, there were some down sides IIRC this was mentioned to Mike but overall I think it got the thumbs up. IIRC the biggest gripe was the size, which for the tester was a tad small and a little dissapointing.

The Highland Special is a superb knife for Bushcraft and has been discontinued, you should be able to find in at a reasonable price.
 
I have a Fox River that I"ve been playing with. Haven't been camping since I got it, so I've just been going around the yard and batoning it through everything I can find :) Handles beautifully, holds an edge beautifully, and really well-produced.

Joe
 
Joe do you have a Deerhunter or similar, I would be interested to see how it compares to a thin flat ground blade with an efficient edge profile on a variety of wood types.

-Cliff
 
Joe Talmadge said:
I have a Fox River that I"ve been playing with. Haven't been camping since I got it, so I've just been going around the yard and batoning it through everything I can find :) Handles beautifully, holds an edge beautifully, and really well-produced.

Joe
Click to expand...

I've got one of these on order for a mate who will be using it as his primary feild dressing knife. He's very hard on his knives and tends to chip a lot of edges - how do reckon it will hold up Joe?
 
Cliff, I'll give it a go with a Deerhunter. I don't know how many wood types I have around here, but I know I have some seasoned firewood, pretty sure I have some pine stakes and some hardwood to play with.

Ming, I haven't ruggedness-tested the knife at all. Beyond the fact that I've batoned it through a few types of wood, including a knot or two, without it even losing shaving sharpness, I can't say much. It's A2 ... certainly you can't expect 5160 toughness, but if your friend is used to ATS-34 or something, my guess would be that he'd be very pleased. Just a guess though, the proof is in the testing.
 
the fox river is another that i've been considering. form what i undertand, it's the same as the northstar, just a drop-point instead of the spearpoint.
 
I have a Woodland Special, Northstar, and Mini Canadian. Great knives for bushcraft.
 
I have a Mini North Star, and a Sutter Creek. The knives are awesome, one of the best deals in the business, excellent heat treat, and the greatest variety of handle selections around. M. Stewart is a good guy also

Thanks
D
 
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