J. Doyle
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2008
- Messages
- 8,443
Bumble Bee Review
This is a review of the Bark River Bumble Bee. There are quite a few of these available at The Knife Connection. Click here.
http://the-knife-connection.com/bark-river-knives--bumble-bee.html
Dale can fix you up with one in almost any handle material. Here are the specs:
Overall Length: 5.96 Inches
Blade Length: 2.350 Inches
Cutting Edge Length: 2.250 Inches
Blade Steel: 52-100 @ 58rc
Blade Thickness: .120 Inch
Weight: 3.625 Ounces
This knife is a small knife that is perfectly suited to every day carry. It is not a specialty knife that is task-specific. Its not going to be a good camp knife, although maybe only due to its short blade. Its just a good, all around knife, perfect for those little cutting chores that arise throughout the day. This knife is a good one for the pack or pocket and caters to outdoors use and carry at the office as well. Its size is very non-threatening for public carry and yet capable of some serious cutting power and efficiency.
When I got my knife from Dale, I just held it in my hand for a while, getting a feel for it. The knife is very comfortable in the hand. Even though the overall length comes in under 6 inches, this still can be a four-finger knife. I used the knife in a couple different grips, and it worked fine all the time. Its really nice for choking up on to handle detail tasks.
The knife is supplied with a fantastic leather sheath that holds the knife well, yet is easy to get the knife in and out. The sheath is very well made and comfortable to wear on the belt. It wasnt even noticeable to carry on the belt. I wore the knife around day to day, in and out of the vehicle and around the house. Its never in the way and it never dug in or poked me in the back. It is even good to go if you choose to wear it behind a gun. The small size of the sheath also just lets you slip it in a pocket if you want to.
The Bumble Bee has a relatively thin grind to the blade, so it makes for a very efficient slicer. The knife can be honed quickly to a razor edge. I used it to cut open some packages and envelopes on the first day.
I spend most of my free time outdoors so I like a smaller knife like this for many different tasks. I used it to cut some fishing line, peel an orange, do some whittling and peeling, and some minor carving. It works great for all these tasks. The shape of the blade is designed to get maximum cutting efficiency out of the short blade. One note, when cutting larger branches, and really pressing hard, a hotspot started to develop after a while. It was right in the choil area just in front of the scales. In extended use, this may cause a blister.
When outdoors, I mostly use a small knife for getting the fire started. I find that a small blade is easy to control. It has the proper geometry to get nice fine curls of wood for the tinder stage of the fire. The spine is nice and sharp to get a good strike with the firesteel. The knife is also good for splitting small sticks to expose the drier wood inside.
Here's a grill a made out of alder for lunch.
The Bumble Bee will be a welcome addition to your daypack.
All in all, this is just a handy knife to have on your belt or in your pocket. It will be a great addition to your knife collection or a good place to start a collection. Visit Dales sight and find one you like.
This is a review of the Bark River Bumble Bee. There are quite a few of these available at The Knife Connection. Click here.
http://the-knife-connection.com/bark-river-knives--bumble-bee.html
Dale can fix you up with one in almost any handle material. Here are the specs:
Overall Length: 5.96 Inches
Blade Length: 2.350 Inches
Cutting Edge Length: 2.250 Inches
Blade Steel: 52-100 @ 58rc
Blade Thickness: .120 Inch
Weight: 3.625 Ounces
This knife is a small knife that is perfectly suited to every day carry. It is not a specialty knife that is task-specific. Its not going to be a good camp knife, although maybe only due to its short blade. Its just a good, all around knife, perfect for those little cutting chores that arise throughout the day. This knife is a good one for the pack or pocket and caters to outdoors use and carry at the office as well. Its size is very non-threatening for public carry and yet capable of some serious cutting power and efficiency.
When I got my knife from Dale, I just held it in my hand for a while, getting a feel for it. The knife is very comfortable in the hand. Even though the overall length comes in under 6 inches, this still can be a four-finger knife. I used the knife in a couple different grips, and it worked fine all the time. Its really nice for choking up on to handle detail tasks.
The knife is supplied with a fantastic leather sheath that holds the knife well, yet is easy to get the knife in and out. The sheath is very well made and comfortable to wear on the belt. It wasnt even noticeable to carry on the belt. I wore the knife around day to day, in and out of the vehicle and around the house. Its never in the way and it never dug in or poked me in the back. It is even good to go if you choose to wear it behind a gun. The small size of the sheath also just lets you slip it in a pocket if you want to.
The Bumble Bee has a relatively thin grind to the blade, so it makes for a very efficient slicer. The knife can be honed quickly to a razor edge. I used it to cut open some packages and envelopes on the first day.
I spend most of my free time outdoors so I like a smaller knife like this for many different tasks. I used it to cut some fishing line, peel an orange, do some whittling and peeling, and some minor carving. It works great for all these tasks. The shape of the blade is designed to get maximum cutting efficiency out of the short blade. One note, when cutting larger branches, and really pressing hard, a hotspot started to develop after a while. It was right in the choil area just in front of the scales. In extended use, this may cause a blister.
When outdoors, I mostly use a small knife for getting the fire started. I find that a small blade is easy to control. It has the proper geometry to get nice fine curls of wood for the tinder stage of the fire. The spine is nice and sharp to get a good strike with the firesteel. The knife is also good for splitting small sticks to expose the drier wood inside.
Here's a grill a made out of alder for lunch.
The Bumble Bee will be a welcome addition to your daypack.
All in all, this is just a handy knife to have on your belt or in your pocket. It will be a great addition to your knife collection or a good place to start a collection. Visit Dales sight and find one you like.
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