Bravo 1.25 or Reiff F5?

B

BigW

Joined
Apr 22, 2025
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I'm looking for a field / bushcraft knife with a 5" blade, 3V steel, no fancy shape or tactical features. I narrowed it down to the Bravo 1.25 LT 3V (the rampless version), the normal version with 5.51 mm / 0.217" thick blade and the Reiff F5 ..... and now I just can't make up my mind.

The knife will be used as an all-rounder for Australian hard wood (I'm from down under) .... which is pretty tough. I really like the look of the Bravo(s), but I prefer the handle bolts of the Reiff (allows for easy removal of the scales, e.g. for sharpening, or if I have to replace them....). The thickness (I mentioned the tough Australian hardwood) of the Reiff (4.57 mm / 0.18" - similar to the Architect FB 6.5 I already own) sits between the 5.51 mm / 0.217" and 3.96 mm / 0.156" of the Bravos ..... I already have a nice leather sheath that would fit the Bravos well (I don't think I like the one that comes with the Bravo), the Reiff ordered with the leather sheath cost approx. 10% more than the Bravo(s).

Any thoughts that could help me with the decision making? ....(no, buying all of them isn't an option 😎)
 
There are no Australian makers who make 3V knives? I found one, but they are out of stock, Maranoa Knives. I know nothing about them, but their knives look good.
 
thanks for the feedback!
wrt Maranoa knives (Aussie knife maker): while the craftsmanship seems to be very good, they have nothing available with a 5" blade and in 3V; plus there are no reviews available demonstrating the performance and capability of a particular knife made from 3V.
wrt costs: I found a "Bravo 1.25 LT 3V Black Canvas Micarta - Rampless" for US$ 199 on DLT - shipping is approx. US$ 45 to down under. I put it in the cart to keep the pondering going. I wonder why it is nearly US$ 100 cheaper than all the other ones??????....the Reiff F5 with the leather sheath would cost me approx. US$ 125 more....buy once ....cry once ...?
wrt quality and warranty: I found the usual critical comments for both of the knife makers. I assume that due to the significant smaller portfolio of Reiff it should be easier for them to overlook their quality management, but I found 2 sources where customer complaint about some (minor) quality issues too.
The reviews for the F5, e.g. from Dutch Bushcraft knives, are pretty impressive wrt their performance - the F5 seems to be a real work horse (and I'm looking for a work horse). While both makers offer "lifelong warranties" (again, I read about the worrying comments from some disappointed BR customers), the issue for international buyers are the shipping costs: if something would be wrong with the knife, I would have to send it in on my own costs and would likely also have to pay for the shipping of a hopefully new knife back to me .... and shipping is expensive today....

ETA: forgot to ask: does someone here has real life experience with the F5?
 
I've heard some real dodgy things about bark river. I'd personally never buy one. I've heard nothing but great things about Reiff; about both them as a company and the knives themselves.

After what i've read and watched of Reiff, i'd personally get one without hesistation.
 
XtianAus said:
I've heard some real dodgy things about bark river. I'd personally never buy one. I've heard nothing but great things about Reiff; about both them as a company and the knives themselves.

After what i've read and watched of Reiff, i'd personally get one without hesistation.
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....I also wouldn't hesitate to buy the F5 if I wouldn't have "financial restrictions" ....on the other hand I heard that buying such a knife can help to cope with the phytotoxic effects of wife's menopause thus helping me to stay somehow sane without getting divorced.... which might cost even more .....
 
BigW said:
....I also wouldn't hesitate to buy the F5 if I wouldn't have "financial restrictions" ....on the other hand I heard that buying such a knife can help to cope with the phytotoxic effects of wife's menopause thus helping me to stay somehow sane without getting divorced.... which might cost even more .....
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Haha, never jeopardize your marriage friend! But if you can afford it, the reiff is the way ti go.
 
Definitely Reiff.

Unless you like wonky grind lines, questionable HT (if any), questionable steel (I remember them selling A2 as 3V, Elmax and whatnot), and rude customer service and cocky owner. If you like that - then by all means go Bark River.
 
Reiff. I have 4 of them (F4, F3, Circadian) All are well designed and well made. I also have several EDC sized Bark River knives. None of them are well made. My only criticism of Reiff is that they are terrible at stocking sheaths for their knives.
 
mrinella said:
Reiff. I have 4 of them (F4, F3, Circadian) All are well designed and well made. I also have several EDC sized Bark River knives. None of them are well made. My only criticism of Reiff is that they are terrible at stocking sheaths for their knives.
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...hmm.... I guess you have to be at least a "Gold" member if you can afford to buy 4 of them ....😀

someone knows who does the HT for Reiff? .... and wrt the acid stonewashed finish of the F5: does the treatment has a purpose other than masking signs of usage / scratches? ..... on the pics it looks like as they would have been "galvanized" (I'm not a fan of any fancy coatings - just showing my age here 😏)

the Bravo 1.25 reminds me of an old Ducati with desmodromic (beautiful on paper, but a pain to keep on the road) while the Reiff seems to be more like an old BMW (reliable work horse) .... again I'm showing my age here 😀....
 
I like the lines of the Bravo better, definitely a sexier knife imo. But for my money I'd rather have the Reiff.

I've experienced the bad QC from Bark River before, while I've had nothing but a great experience with the couple Reiff's I've owned at this point..
 
I sent an email to Reiff to the email address mentioned under "Contact" on their website - still waiting for a response. Does someone know whether this email address is still valid and how long it usually takes till they respond?
 
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