BRKT Ultra Light Bushcraft

[Cliff Nieporte]

Hi everyone.

Just got the Ultra Light Bushcraft knife from Bark River & I thought I'd share my early impressions of it.
First of all,as advertised,it's a very lightweight knife weighing in at 2.37 ounces.
This one has a natural micarta handle with hollow brass pins.
The steel is "Hobsons Choice" & while the folks at Bark River have done a good job at explaining what it is & where it comes from,I'm not really sure what to compare it to.
Bark River steel hasn't done me wrong so far,so I gotta trust them on this one.
O.A.L is 7.5 inches with a 3.55 inch blade length.
Mortised tang construction.
Thickness of the blade is .070 inches.
I like this one...a lot.
Here are some pics for you:
With an Aurora:

Spine & length shot:

Handle compared to the Aurora:

The handle is a good size for me although compared to the Aurora it looks small. I can get all four fingers on it.

Handle & pins:

In the sheath:

I hope to do an actual review soon.

Cliff

 

[IUKE12]

Nice comparison between the two models, I'm looking forward to your user review:thumbup:

 

[HoB]

It is so refreshing to see BRKT going against the trend and promoting far more practical styles for bushcraft than the ubiquitous combat-knife-derivatives. If it is done right, the ultralight will probably perform much better in bushcraft than the CKDs and still hold up to the use, despite the relatively thin blade. I think I need to get me one of those ultralights!

 

[Cliff Nieporte]

Had some time to use the ULB today for some of the things that I think a knife like this might be used for:

It easily shaved some dried Maple:

No problem doing some light batonning:

Notching:

It's a good size for me too. Not one of the little mini sized grips:

The edge held up fine. Still shaves what little arm hair that I have left.

This is a very easy to use knife & the Bark River quality is certainly evident.
Sometimes it's nice to carry a smaller knife with you instead of a big,bad survival knife.
I think it's a good choice for when you're just takin' a hike or walkin' around town.
I like all of my Bark Rivers & use them all,but this one is going to get some serious woods time.
Cliff

 

[JD Mandrell]

Great review, that looks like an extremely handy tool!

 

[mmmotorcycle]

That looks like an incredibly useful knife. Nice review and is it a production model or custom? (where can i get one? )

 

[Cliff Nieporte]

That looks like an incredibly useful knife. Nice review and is it a production model or custom? (where can i get one? )

Its a limited run.
I got that one from Knivesshipfree.com.

The most surprising thing to me about this knife is that although it has a fairly thin blade (.070 inches),there was no noticable flexing in use.

I can see this being a real useful tool.
Cliff

 

[abiggs]

How is the spine for striking a firesteel?

Is the spine too thin to push on with your thumb? Is is uncomfortable?

 

[jds1]

Very nice review and photos. I got mine yesterday and was also very impressed. The contoured handle is very comfortable, weight is minimal and it comes with a good quality sheath.

Jeff

 

[Franco G]

Its a limited run.
I got that one from Knivesshipfree.com.

The most surprising thing to me about this knife is that although it has a fairly thin blade (.070 inches),there was no noticable flexing in use.

I can see this being a real useful tool.
Cliff

Cliff, could you tell us more about the Hobson's choice. I understand that it means 'no choice at all' but what does it say about a steel used? To make clear: was the steel A-2, 12C27, or something else. This is not an unimportant issue.

If you have a link to the Bark River's explanation - I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Franco

 

[Cliff Nieporte]

Cliff, could you tell us more about the Hobson's choice. I understand that it means 'no choice at all' but what does it say about a steel used? To make clear: was the steel A-2, 12C27, or something else. This is not an unimportant issue.

If you have a link to the Bark River's explanation - I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Franco

Franco:

It's :Something else:.
There's a good rundown on this steel over on the KFC website in the Bark River forum.
They break it down way better than I can.

Cliff

 

[Cliff Nieporte]

How is the spine for striking a firesteel?

Is the spine too thin to push on with your thumb? Is is uncomfortable?

Don't really know about how it'll work with a firesteel.
I use a separate striker for that.
With the exception of the Bravo 1, I've actually never use a knife to strike a fero rod.

As far as the blade thickness goes,it hasn't been uncomfortable so far it the limited use that I've put it through.
Here's a couple of pics that might give you an idea of it's thickness compared to a Vic Hiker:

I'm in no way comparing these two knives,just a comparison of the 2 thicknesses.
Both are right at .070 inches.

Cliff

 

[abiggs]

I just got mine in the mail and, HOLY CRAP, this is by FAR the sharpest knife that I have ever handled.

One thing is confusing me a bit. It seems like it has a scandi grind with a VERY slight convexed edge. Cliff, what's your take on this?

 

[Cliff Nieporte]

I just got mine in the mail and, HOLY CRAP, this is by FAR the sharpest knife that I have ever handled.

One thing is confusing me a bit. It seems like it has a scandi grind with a VERY slight convexed edge. Cliff, what's your take on this?

I compared it to my Nebula & Wet Environment Recon & they all appear to be ground the same,or at least they're very similar.
Instead of having a flat bevel like a Scandi,it looks like a convex that isn't ground as high towards the spine as my other convex blades.

It's easier to see on the wider blades.

Cliff

 

[Grampa]

Mike calls it a "half height convex grind".

 

[okbohn]

Still shaves what little arm hair that I have left.

ain't that the truth!


As to the type of steel--Bark River doesn't know. They bought blades and tested them to make sure they worked well and they do. Mike heat treated it up to his standards and says, "Hobson's choice"

It is stainless--and that is all we know for sure!