bark river

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
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was considering picking up a a barkriver knife I'm looking for a small and (stainless) fixed blade to partner up with my sak and machete I was thinking about either the PSK or the mikro canadian 2. I'm conerened that the mikro blade might be a bit too small but I'm not sure...just wanted some opinions from people who might own one thanks.
 
Just MHO but I feel a partner to a machete and a SAK should have a blade about 4-5" !!!!
 
in general I prefer a smaller knife...but I have been eyeing up the falkniven for a while. I am not familiar with the attributes of vg-10.. (in regards to edge retention and corrosion resistance my understanding is that the convex grind (which is present on all of the knives mentioned so far) is really easy on edge maintenace as stropping seems to be able to keep it good and sharp, howeve I don't know if this true, however I keep hearing great things about the fallkniven and it is rouoghly the same price as the bark rivers.
 
I just got another Slither from bark river, I really love the swept edge. But I wanted something more "woodscraft" and bought a Northstar- with Orange G-10 handle. I love this thing, and I use my Barkrivers, they hold an edge very well, and a few swipes on the strop after use really does work, in fact they sharpen so easy I think mine are sharper now then when I got them. Gene
 
Thanks alot great read... guess I got to sit down and think about how small a knife I'm comfortable with. I feel most chores I encounter can be tackled with my sak and machete but for some things, and for easy access it's nice to have a fixed blade....or maybe I'm just looking for reasons to feed the addiction
 
Yeah I don't think you are really thinking it through mate.If you have a SAK why have a little fixed the same size ? George ( Nessmuk ) Sears did not just happen by his set up....he realized that an axe,small folder and a mid sized fixed was the perfect combo for outdoor survival !
Look at ray mears , cody lundin, mors kotchanski etc they all recommend a mid sized fixed blade.
You could maybe replace your SAK with the Bark River !!!
 
all sound advice....I'll probably stick with the sak for the versatility, and just stickwith my current setup till i find something that blows my mind...My wife thanks you for helping me save money.... ALways a pleasure Pit. I'll probaby go BRKT when I can wrap my mind around dropping over a 100 bucks on a blade..(not that I think it's unreasonable) just it's more than I've ever spent on one.
 
You could try adding a Mora to the setup, see if you find the 4" blade useful, and if so, then add a BRKT Fox River/Northstar/Nebula/Aurora/etc...

I have a Fox River & Northstar - both very nice knives.
 
Thanks, My curent setup uses a stainless mora clipper to fill the gap between the sak and the machete It is a real handy knife and I have no complaints with it....I'm just an addict i got slow down a little.....But hose bark rivers are really nice to look at
 
I have a Bark River Highland Special. Really nice, but for the sheath. Four inches, but it handles like a smaller knife. Best of both worlds to me, I'd rather carry this than a RAT-3, for example.

Enjoy the suffering that comes with trying to figure out "what next?" :)
 
If you're drawn to Bark River knives, you really have a lot of chices in the 4-5" range.

The Canadian Special is in there - especially if you like the finger groove handle of the Canadian series. It's an all-round knife, easily fills the gap between SAK and machete.

The Fox River and Northstar also fit in there. The Fox River is more of a hunting knife, the Northstar more of a bushcrafty knife. The Aurora or Nebula are dedicated bushcraft knives - the Aurora is carbon (A2), and the Nebula stainless (12C27).

The toughest thing with Barkies is just deciding which one you want! It helps to be able to handle them - if you live anywhere near SoCal, send me a PM and we'll get together. I've got a few Barkies! (You can't own just one!)

**Just noticed that you're in NYC - bummer! Maybe next time you're on the left coast?
 
A Mini or Mikro Canadian is great as a fixed blade pocket knife for edc, and I'd feel fine with it as my only fixed blade during light camping, but I'd want something a little bigger to complement a SAK and machete for rougher camping. A knife this size would be a great substitute for your Woodswalker, though.

As for sharpening, my BR Mini Canadian's edge is easy to touch up by stropping. If I strop it a little after each session of use, it doesn't really need "real" sharpening. I usually strop it on its own sheath (Russell Woodswalker sheath), belt, or a chunk of cardboard.

Last week, however, I accidentally banged the edge on a stone hearth a couple of times while whittling up some slivers to start a fire. It is still sharp but I can feel a rough spot where I struck it. I'll need to sharpen it for real to take care of that. Does anyone know where to get 1000 and 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper? I struck out at Home Depot.
 
there are a lot of really cool BRKT knives these days.....:D i think it's time you give them a try.....

i really like the mikro and mini canadian's... also the fox river, highland and northstar are both excellent choices for a stout fixed blade..... :thumbup: i tend to like their smaller fixed blades......

my next buy is going to be an IMP or a little creek....:)
 
Foilist said:
.....
Last week, however, I accidentally banged the edge on a stone hearth a couple of times while whittling up some slivers to start a fire. It is still sharp but I can feel a rough spot where I struck it. I'll need to sharpen it for real to take care of that. Does anyone know where to get 1000 and 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper? I struck out at Home Depot.
Click to expand...

Hey Foilist,
Try your auto parts store, especially if they sell paint and body supplies. They'll have a full compliment of wet/dry. I don;t use 1000 anymore. I start with 1500 and end with 2000. Be careful though, even 1500 will scratch your blade if you strop at the wrong angle.

By the way, I curled part of the edge on my mini-Skinner. 1500, 2000, then green stropping compound brought it right back.

RescueRiley,

Check out DLT Trading. They have Bark River's new BRAVO model. It's a beautifully profiled "survival" model and, while expensive, they're going fast. In the end though, my vote for replacing your SAK is the mini-Skinner.
 
StretchNM said:
Check out DLT Trading. They have Bark River's new BRAVO model. It's a beautifully profiled "survival" model and, while expensive, they're going fast. In the end though, my vote for replacing your SAK is the mini-Skinner.
Click to expand...

As much as I like Bark River knives, I really can't take to the Bravo-1. Unless I could grind off that thumb ramp. Then it would be fine and I would have to add it to my "Really want this Now!" list.

I will stick with my Fox River for now.

Any Bark River knife is well worth the money. I like Busse for my big blades, and Barkies for my smaller blades.

Rick.
 
Riley. Check out the Wolf River. Its my favorite Barkie. Its stainless, thin bladed, and a tried and true cutter. Very Nessmukish too! A+ design.
 
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