BRKT: Fit & Finish?

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Don't worry about spending your hard-earned money on a Bark River, you won't regret it. Every manufacturer has slips with QC from time to time. I wouldn't hesitate to buy any Bark River. Don't assume from what you've heard from some people here that you will have problems, just know that IF you have a problem, it will be taken care of very well. Try to get that out of most other manufacturers, good luck.
 
B Hess said:
I was getting ready to drop $170 on a Bravo 1, but now I'm having second thoughts.
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I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Seriously Bark River in my opinion has some of the best edges and ergonomics of any knife company.

The imperfections most of us are talking about on some of the blade mostly do not affect function and if you are not satisfied in any way you can PM Mike Stewart the owner and he will fix it to your satisfaction.

I have lots of customs that had the same imperfections and were more expensive than your stock Barkie. Go for it!

PS. Most of the people here posting about imperfections are die hard Bark River fans but notice that you are getting honest responses and nobody is attacking them because ALL brands have some imperfections.
 
I guess because they are largely hand made there are variances. On these two, for example, the Black Bravo1 was not as sharp out of the box as the white one. The handle on the black one is noticeably thicker than the white. I do, however, like the handles on both, for different reasons.

Bottom line, though, I am very pleased with both, and no, I am not related to cous..., I mean, Mr. Stewart. :D

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Doc
 
All 3 of my barkies had edge problems. The finish on all 3 were very good to excellent but..... My Lil' bird and trout had a microchipped edge along the entire blade and my mini and micro Canadian were very DULL out of the box, with flat, unfinished edges in spots- quite a shock as all that i had heard to that point were how BRKT were liked lazers, and I wanted to test the convex edge many raved about. I sharpened the Lil' Bird and trout on my Sharpmaker and it is good now, but regular grind. I sent back the Canadians for resharpening after contacting them, being first told to return it to DLT Trading, and then getting a call to return it directly to them (as it should be). After sending them in I recieved the knives, still dull, along with a bill for the sharpening. I was very disappointed with both aspects I can assure you. After calling BRKT I got them to cancel my bill as it was warranty work.

I still have a Northstar on order to match the Canadians and will pass judgement after I get it but I do not have high hopes at this point. They do make an incredible variety of knives that I would like to own, but at their price points I want better QC and edges.

On a side note- does anybody know when the next run of Northstars are up? I was told by DLT that it should have been made last June but I was informed that they do not know when it is due to come in. Sorry for the hijack but I thought some here may know.


Edit: FYI, There is an interesting thread in GB&U that some may be interested in reading- I sure was!!!!!!!
 
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They still haven't ordered the steel for the northstar yet, but they will very soon, it's second in line.


I'm pretty surprised by this thread, I wasn't aware of these many issues. I still think they're a good company and Mike Stewart is an awesome guy, he'll definitely take care of any issues. I'm hoping to get a Bravo-II or Gunny soon.
 
Edit: FYI, There is an interesting thread in GB&U that some may be interested in reading- I sure was!!!!!!!
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That sure is interesting. Read that, and more particularly some of Mike Stewarts comments about it on knifeforums, and I've got to say I'm really put off of BRKT and wont be supporting anyone who believes they can conduct business like that.


DOC, "GB&U" is the Good, bad and ugly feedback forum.


As for the original topic, I posted it at the BRKT at knifeforums, and Mike Stewart said to send it in all they'll fix it, but I want to know that I'll get a refund for the shipping.
 
I don't want to get off topic, but I had no idea about the whole mess between Mike Stewart and SnarlSlayer, crazy.

We'll see what they say about your refund for the shipping, but I hope you get it, either from BRKT or the dealer who sold it to you. No experience with BRKT, but I've never got my money refunded anytime I had to send my knife back for being defective, which I think is BS, especially if it was their (manufacture or dealer) fault for letting the product slide.
 
hollowdweller said:
I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Seriously Bark River in my opinion has some of the best edges and ergonomics of any knife company.

The imperfections most of us are talking about on some of the blade mostly do not affect function and if you are not satisfied in any way you can PM Mike Stewart the owner and he will fix it to your satisfaction.

I have lots of customs that had the same imperfections and were more expensive than your stock Barkie. Go for it!

PS. Most of the people here posting about imperfections are die hard Bark River fans but notice that you are getting honest responses and nobody is attacking them because ALL brands have some imperfections.
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Good post, and I agree. :thumbup: Function first, everything else including fit and finish, second.

I know of no knife company that doesn't have fit and finish issues. Some just have more and others less. As far as this thread is concerned, both Bark River and Fällkniven make good user knives, and both companies have less than stellar fit and finish. Hasn't stopped me from buying.

Of course, in an ideal world, customers wouldn't get shipped knives that have notable fit and finish flaws, but it's not an ideal world we live in, now is it...
 
Irezumi said:
A lot of mates in Australia have received even worse knives. I personally will steer clear of them now.
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I'd be one of those and will never by a BRKT again, I received one that was pathetic to say the least. Clearly made by an apprentice at best and no QC before it was shipped out. I've also seen a couple where the blades have chipped or rolled during use (not light use but not heavy either) and another whose tip was bent during shipping IIRC. IMO they've got serious issues and there are too many other good brands out there to bother with the lucky dip from BRKT.
 
I was wondering: does anyone have any photos of the knives with fit & finish issues they've had? Because that would help make it clear just how bad the issues are, since as I said in one of my earlier posts, some people are pretty carefree about fit and finish, and some consider even the slightest imperfection a fatal flaw.
 
I guess I've been lucky. I have never bought a Bark River that wasn't perfectly made and sharpened. They are definitely better made than the majority of custom knives I have seen - here, at gun shows, and in knife stores. My B R K&T experience dates back to post Christmas '07. Since that time, I have bought six of them - and only the last one wasn't bought as the least expensive version, like black/green/natural Micarta, of the model I bought that I could find anywhere. I bought users - until #6 - a bocote handled Boone - on closeout and a few bucks over the cheapest available then. As I feared, it's 'too pretty'... it resides in a display. They all came as shavers, too.

My Buck experiences have been univerally great, too - never a disappointment - and always shaver-sharp. Some of their Mexican-made leather (composite?) sheaths are real stinkers, however. Kershaws are similar - only my Damascus Leek had too tight of a clip screw - they sent me their pocket tool and spare screws and another clip. My two Wally World purchased (By my wife - over a year apart!) Spyderco S30V Natives, my only examples from that brand, were also perfect.

My greatest disappointment, knife-wise, were the two new Benchmades I bought almost five years apart. The 551 Grip (440C) came, like last Christmas' 201 Activator + (D2), dull enough to barely cut butter. That's 0 for 2 - not good.

Yeah, the only thing that keeps me from buying another Barkie right now is what keeps me from anything else... money is short. Sadly, there are some deals out there, too. I wouldn't hesitate a moment if I really wanted a Bravo 1 - just remember, a man-made handle means a Kydex sheath - natural handles have leather - and they are $200+.

Stainz

PS That BM 201 never had a chance... it arrived the same day as my first, and smallest, Bark River - a black Micarta 'Huntsman'. Barely cut butter vs pop arm hairs...
 
My first five Bark Rivers - and the BM 201. L-R: BM 201, Huntsman, Fox River, Gameskeeper, '07 LE North Star, and T.U.S.K..

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And, Barkie #6 here - bocote handled Boone, shown with my older son's Fathers Day gift to me, a Gerber LMFII:


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Stainz

PS All of my carbon steel knives, like my Barkies, have a coating of mineral oil on them... and a few cat hairs (... and my forearm hairs!) - no scratches, however, - just looks like they are. Cats!
 
I bought an Aurora with a natural handle material..it came from a distributor with a crack in the handle..I contacted MIke and sent it in..it took a while, but the knife was rehandled, and came out great. The whole deal sucks when you get a knife in the mail and it is boogered...but "thems the breaks'..you can buy a NEW car and drive it 500 miles...it could SH%T the bed....there are NO gaurantees in life! Overall, IMO, BRK&T knives are really fantastic values..and anything to the contrary is opinion.
I dont see to many knives on the market that are close to my Bark Rivers in quality and performance. Fallkniven is the only company that comes to mind as far as the overall "FEEL" and performance...in fact..they could be top dog?
For function..there are many companies that provide quality products..but the "LOOK" is all Barkies. Very nice...
 
B Hess said:
I was getting ready to drop $170 on a Bravo 1, but now I'm having second thoughts.
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Seriously, I wouldn't think twice about it. If you want the Bravo, get the Bravo. I seriously doubt there will be any problem with it, I think you will be more than happy with the fit and finish.

But it's good to know that you are buying from a company that will take care of any, I repeat; ANY problem with the knife, regardless of cause, unless the problem was caused by a badger.

Bark River stands 100% behind their products, and will bend over backwards to make sure you are treated right.

:thumbup:

Andy
 
This is amazing.
Not calling anyone a liar, but not oo long ago when I was thinking of buying an Aurora, the word on the 'net was ALL positive for BRKT. I mean all positive, that's one of the reasons I laid down the cash for it. The only things I heard them getting sent back for is sharpening (by guys not skilled at sharpening convex edges), and those wanting a slightly different profile to the convex.

Thing is, with good customer service (which is all I've read about from BRKT), things get made right (haven't read the GB&U thread yet).

Every maker puts out turds now and then. My RAT RC-3 has perfect fit & finish, yet they had turds go out, and they fixed them, no problems. One of my favorites, HI has turds go out, and Yangdu fixes it. Even some of our custom makers here have had turds. If you don't want to buy something because a maker has put out some bad product at some time, it's your money, but you'll have a real short list to shop from.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Every maker puts out turds now and then. My RAT RC-3 has perfect fit & finish, yet they had turds go out, and they fixed them, no problems. One of my favorites, HI has turds go out, and Yangdu fixes it. Even some of our custom makers here have had turds. If you don't want to buy something because a maker has put out some bad product at some time, it's your money, but you'll have a real short list to shop from.
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I think folks should remember what kind of a producer Bark River is. They aren't a factory; and they aren't a full custom shop; and they don't produce cookie cutter knives.

They have a set product line, but a great number of the knives they make are one-offs or a custom line. And all of their knives are hand ground and finished.

If Bark River put total custom time into each knife, they would produce far fewer knives per year, and the cost per knife would go way up. Few people would be able to buy them, at that rate.

What Mike and company offer are hand finished, semi-custom knives with a personal touch, at a reasonable price. They use very high quality materials, and it is one of the very few companies where if you have a problem, you can deal directly with the owner/manager to take care of it.

I personally don't want to give anybody the idea that BR is a poor company to deal with; it isn't, and their products and warranty are worth every penny and more.

Andy
 
Elen said:
I was wondering: does anyone have any photos of the knives with fit & finish issues they've had? Because that would help make it clear just how bad the issues are, since as I said in one of my earlier posts, some people are pretty carefree about fit and finish, and some consider even the slightest imperfection a fatal flaw.
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I still have a few online. This was a first production run and was intended to be part of my collection.

Gap around blade, step between handle scales:
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Who needs a proper fit when you have glue:
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Uneven guard:
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Not only is the grind line not horizontal but there's deep scratching on the right as well:
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Suppose you can't expect too much for around $200
 
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