BRK&T Aurora, Bravo 1, or something else?

tonym said:
He does curvy handles quite well, and you can ask him to put it on any blade type.
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:eek:

I think I'm in love with the one on the left. With a bit less of a spear point, that's exactly my style. Though, honestly, I'm not sure quite what my aversion to spear points stems from. Are they considered better for drilling?

Also, which model is that, the Bushcrafter or the Compact Bushcraft VII? I can't tell from the pic. Oh, and what's the grind on that blade? Thanks!
 
I highly recommend the Aurora.
It cuts like a razor, and I have batoned it through some pretty hard wood and it split the wood well, destroyed the baton and you can't tell it was ever used for such, so it's plenty tough enough.

Mike Stewart of BKRT said he spent about 2 years tweaking the Aurora design, and it shows. It feels perfect in hand, it's big enough without being too big. The spearpoint drills well, is thin enough for very fine work, but tough enough to be driven into wood. The spine even strikes some good sparks from a firesteel.
 
I believe that is called his Spooky Spear Point, due to Spooky asking him to make it first. I alterred it a lil by having Brian shape the handles. If you like another model of Brians, you can have him put this kind of handle on. Brian is an easy guy to work with. The grind I believe is full flat, with the secondary bevel convexed.
 
Another vote for the Aurora.

They’re both great knives, but for the needs you describe, the Bravo-1 is overkill.

The steel on the Aurora is plenty thick and tough, and takes chopping and baton work with ease.

And with the Bark River warrantee, you have no worries when it comes to using it hard.
 
The handle that Bryan Breeden uses on his Pathfiner style knife is among the most user friendly in my collection. He can incorporate this handle with a blade style of your choice.

Jeff
 
For BRK&T I would really suggest considering the Highland Special which has IMO a very good thickness optimized for slicing, it has that clip point and lots of belly you seem to like so much and is plenty robust for bushcraft. However, some people do complain that its handle is a bit smaller then the other models.

I'd also strongly recommend going with one of the knifemakers here on these forums. Surprisingly the costs of their knives are about 20-40% cheaper than most BKR&T's models and you get a knife with personal touch. I certainly don't doubt Mike Stewart's attention to quality, but to me there is just something about having a knife that has been produced in the numbers of 10's or 50's rather than in the 10,000's. Some great makers: koyote, Daniel Koster, Bryan Breeden, Scott Gossman, NWA knives, Bill Siegle, and others (apologies to those I missed here).

I've now ordered 4 knives from Bryan Breeden. I can attest that working with him, you can get a knife to your own specs and he is exceptional to deal with. Basically, you have your choice of models and then can customize it from there. He will change the thickness of the blade, change the length and width of the blade or handle, change the handle materials. So basically you can get the knife that is perfect for you.

Here is my kat knife and pathfinder. The kat knife has thin slabs and was built for my wife's hands. It actually makes a good necker though! The pathfinder has a 5" handle and there is lots of room. The curves on this handle are wonderfully comfortable.

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I didn't really want to post this picture (Bryan's) yet, but wanted to wait until these two models were shipped to me. But, I think you will really appreciate the shape of Bryan's latest design - the Peacemaker. It has more of a clip point shape that you seem to like. This one is in 6" blade length, but Bryan can make a smaller length and is making himself a couple of 4" knives of the same model.

Finally, my newest little Kat knife. For this one, I asked Bryan to marry the PSK handle to the Kat blade. I also really liked the wood handle and had thicker slabs and long handle length (4") built for my hands. From his picture I think the result is really pleasing and I can't wait to try them out.

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Wow kgd that PSK/Kat is very cool. :thumbup: What are the blade and handle lengths on that one? Thanks.

Jeff
 
This is going to get very expensive for our friend Kyp with all these excellent suggestions.
 
Jeff - the modified PSKK/kat has the following dimensions: 3.5" blade at 3/32" thick; 4.0" handle with 1/4" slabs in osage orange. Steel is O1.

Here is a picture of the design sketch I sent to him that I made up in powerpoint. I basically cropped out the handle of the peacemaker and resized to fit the cartoon blade of my choosing. The grid marks are 1/4". I'm super impressed at how Bryan faithfully realized the sketch!

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Many thanks kgd. Those are exactly the dimensions I was thinking of. I'm sending Bryan an email this AM. :D

Jeff
 
I have both the Aurora and Bravo-1. For bushcraft, I think I'd prefer the fine pointed Aurora. It is a sleek, comfortable, easy carrying knife. But the Bravo is no slouch. Both cut like crazy with that super sharp convex edge.
 
Kyp Degal said:
So I got to looking, and I really like both the Aurora and the Bravo 1. I like the look of the Bravo 1 best, but I am concerned about the thickness.
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If you like the design of the Bravo-1 but the thickness of the Aurora, you might want to take a look at the Fox River:

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Same 0.170 thickness as the Aurora, but a little closer in appearance to the Bravo-1. Personally I like designs of the Fox River and Bravo better for all around use than the more spear-point design of the Aurora.
 
I was going to reccomend the Fox River, but he like the shaped handle, so the Aurora will probably be his best bet.
 
Could anyone with an Aurora measure the width and height of the handle at the widest points? I'd appreciate it.
 
I believe these can vary a bit from knife to knife.
The max width of the Aurora's handle on mine is .840" at the palm swell.
Max height is 1.165" at the rear bulge and 1.060" at the palm swell.
Handle OAL is 4.935"
 
Kyp Degal said:
Oh, man... Some of Bryan Breeden's knives look great! The PSKK II really catches my eye, actually. However, I'd be concerned that the handle would be too thin for my hands. ...

I may have to send him an email, though, I really like his designs.
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Definitely email Bryan.:thumbup:
Bryan will design a handle any way that you want it.
He modeled one handle for me that looked just like the handle on the Aurora.
He will make you whatever you want. He is extremely talented and a great guy as well.
 
I have always liked the appearance of the spear point/bushcraft style blade (Aurora, Northstar). My hunting knives have tended to be drop point (customs). Until I came across this site I never knew that drop point was better for slicing and spear point better for bushcraft (whatever that means). Since I won't be making fire boards (drilling), I am not sure why go to a spear point unless you like narrower blades. Granted many custom knife makers on this site make a bushcraft blade that is sort of a symetrical drop point (or fat spear point). I guess they are trying to get the best of both designs. I have an Aurora that looks and feels good. I have a Bravo that looks and feels good (once I ground the thumb rest off). Both will do the job. If I had to survive forever, I would pick the Bravo as it appears to be an unbreakable do anything knife, good at wood processing, camp building. As previously mentioned the Highland Special is a good knife. Feels good even with short handle, with a thinner, 4" drop point. Maybe the Fox river with a little longer drop point and a little longer handle, but I don't have one yet.

That said there are many custom makers that tailor a knife just for you once you know what you want. I would add Stomper to the list who has several good survival designs. :thumbup:
 
a little note about the Aurora--be sure to buy one out of the last run of them.

Mike made some changes to the handle--moving the swell just a bit. They are perfect.

You will love it!
 
Whoa, I log in this afternoon and find tons more awesome posts! Have I told y'all lately how great you are? :thumbup:

Cpl Punishment, aye, that two years spent tweaking really does show.

Tony, thanks, now I'll know what to mention.

Mike, aye, I really like the Bark River warranty. Of course, it'd be just my luck that I'd wind up dropping it in a river instead of breaking it... :o

Jeff, thanks for the post!

Kgd, man, those are some nice blades! Thanks for showing 'em off!

Mdauben, thanks for the suggestion. I don't really care for the extended lanyard area on the Fox River.

Sharp Eye, already have, and just read his reply. ;) It looks like he's going to be getting my business this go-round. The rough price he quoted me can't, IMO, be beat for what he offers. I think I'm going to go with something with a handle as close to that of the Aurora as possible, and a sort of modified drop point blade somewhere between that of the Aurora and his PSKK II.

HornyToad, thank for that informative post, I appreciate it!

Without y'all, I would never have heard of Bryan Breeden, so many thanks and kudos to Sharp Eye and Tony for mentioning him! Word of mouth advertising is the best kind. Remind me to tell you guys when I start making knives... :D
 
okbohn said:
a little note about the Aurora--be sure to buy one out of the last run of them.

Mike made some changes to the handle--moving the swell just a bit. They are perfect.

You will love it!
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Now if only we had a solid, reliable, fast shipping dealer to get them from.

Oh wait that guy Derrick at Knives ship free meets that criteria, I think he posts occasionally around here as well;):D
 
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