Bravo-1, wood handle strong enough???

D

DrBobK

Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
24
I am ready to pull the trigger on my first Barkie, that being the Bravo-1 (and probably a bravo necker too). That being said, I really love the look of the natural wood handles over the synthetic micarta or g10 plus I want the leather sheath instead of kydex.

My only concern is will the wood handles hold up to heavy use like chopping and batoning? It would be a shame to have such a heavy duty knife but be afraid of really using it for fear of the handle scales cracking or breaking.

any input here will be appreciated.



Then I guess I have to figure out if I want A2 or cpm154..... but that is a whole other worry i guess:confused:
 
Are you scared because of the spyderco bush knife thread a while back? I have a fully wood handled knife with fully tang and have no fear of it breaking. If anything itll just get dented if hit with something hard enough. The reason the spydie cracked was because of the cracks/holes/thinness of and in the wood.
 
Most Barkie warranty issues are with Spalted and Burl woods. Also pinless handles can be a problem. If you stick with woods like Desert Ironwood, Bocote, African Blackwood, Lignum Vitae, IPE, Osage Orange, Curly Maple and so on, you will have a better chance of not having a problem. Some of the woods that are not oily or stabilized might have some shrinkage. The Bravos' use Corby bolts and epoxy so they are pretty tough.
 
The answer is yes, absolutely, with few exceptions.

Most wood used for knife handles is stabilized with resin, making them as robust as any synthetic. A few woods are dense enough they don't benefit from stabilization. Desrt Ironwood (a favorite of mine) is one I know of, but there are a few others as well.

Mike Stewart of BRKT has said that one exception to the rule is Spalted Maple. He has suggested it may not be the best choice for an extreme hard use knife. He also stated that spalted maple is still fully covered under warranty, so if there is a problem, it's covered.

I'm not sure if other spalted woods should be considered with some caution as well??

Bottom line, buy any Bark River and use the he** out of it with confidence.

Kevin
 
I have a couple Desert Ironwood Barkies and they are great users.

I wouldn't hesitate buying a Bravo 1 in one of the better woods, but I would personally not buy one in anything spaulted.
 
IIRC, Mike Stewart had mentioned that the spalted woods have a 25% failure rate, but they plan for that so they order lots of extra for warranty service.
 
Have no worries. I prefer woods over synthetics myself. I've had no problems with any wood handled Barkie I've used. A user will get the dings and scratches on the wood, but any hard use knife wood do the same. Buy one and have fun. And, as others mentioned, if there is a problem, BR has a good warranty program.
 
If you are worried about it get one that has stabilized wood. The wood has a synthetic resin that is forced into the grain and basically turns the wood into a synthetic material and should be quite tough.

Spalted wood looks good but it is caused from the wood basically starting to rot. As the wood starts to break down and decay a fungus starts moving through the wood making black lines. So I would make sure if it is spalted wood that it has been stabilized or stay away from it if you plan on using it hard.
 
to me this is a really silly question (no offense at all to the thread op) because honestly, no matter what kind of wood the handle was made out of, your hand is going to give up way before the handle on the knife will.

I have a bravo 1 and a bravo 2 with black micarta, both are strong enough to take much more punishment than my girly blister catching hands can.


-Freq
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
If you are worried about it get one that has stabilized wood. The wood has a synthetic resin that is forced into the grain and basically turns the wood into a synthetic material and should be quite tough.

Spalted wood looks good but it is caused from the wood basically starting to rot. As the wood starts to break down and decay a fungus starts moving through the wood making black lines. So I would make sure if it is spalted wood that it has been stabilized or stay away from it if you plan on using it hard.
Click to expand...

Cetainly no disagreement with what you have said, but just a bit of additional info.

BRKT uses stabilized spalted woods, but Mike still cautions it may not be a "best" choice for hard use knives.

As you stated, spalted woods have started to decay, so I assume because the base wood is not as strong, the stabilized product is also not as strong as a "solid" wood base would provide.

Kevin
 
Take a look at bamboo if you like wood. It may not be as pretty as some of the other woods but its extremely tough and durable. Light too. I know Bark River offers bamboo as a handle option although I havent seen a Bravo-1 with it. So yours might be the first. ;)
 
DrBobK said:
I am ready to pull the trigger on my first Barkie, that being the Bravo-1 (and probably a bravo necker too). That being said, I really love the look of the natural wood handles over the synthetic micarta or g10 plus I want the leather sheath instead of kydex.

My only concern is will the wood handles hold up to heavy use like chopping and batoning? It would be a shame to have such a heavy duty knife but be afraid of really using it for fear of the handle scales cracking or breaking.

any input here will be appreciated.




Then I guess I have to figure out if I want A2 or cpm154..... but that is a whole other worry i guess:confused:
Click to expand...

As long as you don't beat on the handle you will be fine. A2 is the way to go. I love carbon steel.:D I have a couple Barkies in A2 and zero problems.
 
I have a Bravo-1 in Lignum Vitae and have used it hard, with no problems whatsoever. The wood seems PLENTY tough- the stuff is like solid steel. It looks and feels fantastic, too.
 
Hi everyone! I am a noob to posting on this forum - although I have been lurking for a long time!

I just bought a new Barvo 1 with the black micarta scales, and was wondering if anyone has replaced the scales themselves, and if so, how?
I have done a search for that info, but can't find anything available.

I am fairly proficient with metal ad wood working skills, so am not afraid to tackle the job, just not sure if it is possible, and the best way to so it if it is.

Thanks for your help!

Roger
 
reodds said:
I ...was wondering if anyone has replaced the scales...
Click to expand...



It's done all the time.


A heat gun can be used to soften the epoxy.


Just realize that the Bravo-1 pins are really bolts, they will have to be drilled or ground out.



Good luck.






Big Mike
 
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