brk&t b1 thoughts?

S

skitertank

Joined
Jun 12, 2009
Messages
154
hey everyone, i just joined yesterday (after reading multiple discussions off google for a long time!) anyways, i am not new to the knife world but am to the brk&t/convex grind world. i just recently got a bark river b1 in black canvas in a2 and i love it! the handle fits great, blade profile is awesome and just looks awesome! i just wanted to know from more people who own a b1 or similar bark rivers what they think. main concerns on rust problems(any a2 barkie really)and edge holding. the thumb ramp looks cool and is sometimes useful but am cosidering grinding it off. any body know of a good way to do this or if this will effect the balance or mess with the temper?also, im not crazy about the kydex sheath,although a good design i prefer leather and have considered all the leather on ksf website but cant make up my mind. i am always outdoors hunting alot,fishing, and camping. i plan on skinning, carving,cutting anything really.
thanks, josh
 
Welcome to BF bro!

You got yourself one of the best knives out there. A favorite of mine for sure!

You will find that A2 is a great steel. I am very impressed with its performance. It will rust, but heres a pic of my Gunny after a week of use on the coast. It was used wet with salt water, not cleaned, and used alot. As you can see, there was some spotting, but nothing that didnt clean right off.

000_0003.jpg


As for sheathing, look for forum member Eastr77. He makes a great kydex sheath. He made the one in the pic. Leather? The sharpshooter offerings are nice, but mtnfolkmike makes great leather as well as several other talented forum members.

You can send it to Bark River to have the thumbramp removed.
 
Welcome.. I hope you stick around. don't worry about corrosion... the museums are full of carbon steel blades from centuries ago.. it'll be fine... bravo 1 is a great knife.. it's a little beefy for me for use as a skinning knife, but thats a personal thing.. If you do your part is should be fine for anything you mentioned
 
Welcome to the forum.


The Bravo-1 is a great knife that will serve you well.


I have many A2 blades and do little other then clean and dry them after use, I’ve had no problems with corrosion.

The A2 is tough and holds a wicked edge quite well.



The thumb ramp is easily ground off using a belt sander, just don’t overheat the steel.

On the spine I would be more worried about the heat damaging the handle then ruining the temper.



You could always have BRK&T remove it for you, a re-polishing, sharpening and ramp removal will only cost you the $12 shipping and handling fee.



There are a variety of leather sheaths available for the Bravo-1, Sharpshooter has at least two vert. sheaths and one horiz., but there are others available (JRE for example).

But any of the fine leather guru’s here could make you a nice one.




Big Mike

”Scaring the tree huggers.”

Forest & Stream
 
Welcome to the forums!

I see you met Big Mike, our resident Bark River guru:thumbup:

When your done grinding off that thumb ramp the knife will be useless. Make sure you send it to me for proper disposal! :D

Seriously, I never understood the point of that ramp, I just got the rampless Gunny and love it. The Bravo 1 is a tuff sob, and as long as you keep whiping it down and sharpening it, you will have no problems with rust.

Enjoy:thumbup:
 
Last edited:
Welcome to the Forums. I know absolutely nothing about BRK&T knives, except that I held an Aurora once and liked it. Like Rescue Riley said, don't worry too much about corrosion. Regular use along with just a little love and attention will keep the rust away.
 
it's a great knife dont worry to much about rust unless you wont be able to wipe it down with oil even then it will only get some surface rust. polish it out and that will help close up the poors on the steel that will help with rust resistance:thumbup:
brky13.jpg
 
The B1 will do all the things you listed with ease. You can take the ramp off yourself, just go slow and keep it cool...not for the metal as much as the micarta...it will not have any affect on the balance. Or as mentioned, send it back to Bark River, they will be glad to help you out. I kept grinding down the ramp on mine over time and eventually just took the whole thing off, it was right where my thumb wanted to be when I used that type of grip position. It's a very versatile knife, I'm sure you will enjoy it.
 
I have just had the B-1 for a short time so far. I see why many consider it the perfect all around knife, Enough heft to chop and small enough for skinning and some precision work. IMO it is a bit to thich to be a great slicer and a bit heavy for back packing but it can do it all in a pinch.mBy dealer does not stock the Gunny or the B-2 but they are on my short list to try out. That said, I really have no need for any more knives of any kind. Good thing that need has nothing to do with it.
 
Welcome, big barkie fan here. The Bravo is a great knife, wouldn't worry too much about the rust issue. A2 and convex rocks.
 
I use my A2 Fox River all the time. I never oil it. I store it in the sheath. I just dry it off and put it away.

Never a spot of rust. Just the normal darkening and some dark spots.

I say don't worry and just use it. :)
 
thanks to all for the great replies and welcoming. i just got back in a bit ago from a short hike by the local river for some plinking, a little fishing and a good camp fire. i always like to test every piece of gear i get before i take it some where where its crucial it doesn't fail on me.
im loving my b1 more and more every time i use it! i did some carving, cut some paracord, and made some tinder shavings for a fire and the thing still shaves hair! i also used the spine to bust a stick in half(just because) and the edge of the spine to get shavings off a stick(also just because).this thing passes every test i put it through big or small with flying colors,amazing. i have however decided that the ramp is useless to me and plan on grinding it off. i think it will give the knife a better feel and look. i tried striking my firesteel with the grooved part of the ramp, which is what that parts for, and it only worked mediocre to poorly(which im ok with). i also used the thumb side to notch a stick and i kept wanting to put my thumb right on top off the ramp. thanks again for all the info, i will be sending it back to have them grind and polish and have them send me a nice new leather sheath and firesteel back with it! i will let every one know what i think after i get it back.
 
Wow ...sounds like you really like that B1.

You'll like it even more when you get it back from BRKT without the ramp thing;

001-Copy25-2.jpg


011-Copy5.jpg


The difference makes a very good knife even better.

Cliff
 
thoughts......

THIS KNIFE RULEZ!

its a great knife with good design....thumb ramp no thumb ramp.....its all good!
 
It's a great knife...I originally thought it was too thick, but the convex grind really makes the difference and it's quite easy to maintain the edge (recommend getting a JRE pack-strop!). The hump doesn't bother me too much and it's a retention point for my RainWalker sheath:D

Firesteel-5.jpg


Firesteel-2.jpg


The Bravo-1 has been pretty much my standard EDC blade when outdoors...it's not a perfect skinner, best chopper or most effective bushcrafter, but does all remarkably well, it's hell-for-stout, fits my hand well and cuts like a demon:D

ROCK6
 
I’m glad to hear the Bravo-1 is working out so well for you, :thumbup:

...not that I’m surprised, the Bravo-1 is their best selling model for a reason
(though I have predicted that the Gunny will give it a run up the sales charts).



skitertank said:
...i will be sending it back to have them grind and polish and have them send me a nice new leather sheath and firesteel back with it!
Click to expand...


Just a quick note about the sheath and firesteel.

Though the Crew at Bark River will be happy to do the work on your Bravo-1, Bark River does not sell directly to the public.

You will have to order the sheath and firesteel form a Bark River Dealer.




Big Mike

”Scaring the tree huggers.”

Forest & Stream
 
i didnt think of that big mike, i got the knife off knivesshipfree.com, which is where i plan on getting the sheath and firesteel. i guess just send it back to the factory? or just ship it to escanaba and hope for the best:D
 
Welcome to BF and WSS.

skitertank said:
i didnt think of that big mike, i got the knife off knivesshipfree.com, which is where i plan on getting the sheath and firesteel. i guess just send it back to the factory? or just ship it to escanaba and hope for the best:D
Click to expand...

If you want an off the shelf sheath I'd spend a little extra and get a JRE. I've had both Sharpshooter and JRE sheaths and IMO there's a world of difference in the quality of the two.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top