Canadian Special vs Bravo 1

M

moonshine47

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
110
Im on the fence as to which knife should be my next.

The Bravo looks like a tank, but im not fond of the skeleton handle
The Canadian Special looks like a very handy knife, but again im not to sure about that handle, with all those grooves how well could diffrent grips be used without causing undue discomfort

And hey while We are here, you guys should suggest any other good 4'' carbon knives that i may have forgotten about except RATS..nothing against them, just i dont like the feel of them.
 
I have a bravo and it is one of the thickest Bark Rivers available, the skeleton handle is absolutely nothing to worry about. The contours of the bravo is A++++, it fits like a glove, but I can't say anything about the C Special though I know its the owners go to knife.
 
I have both the CS and the Bravo... both are good knives. Have no fear of skeleton handles or finger grooves, both knives fit the hands very well.

The CS is a lighter knife, handy and very versatile. The Bravo is more of a beef-eater's knife, better suited to life-threatening ops, as it were..... ;-)

What is it you plan to do with these knives? For a camping knife, the CS is my pick.... for a survival knife, meaning I might have to kill a pig with it, the Bravo is my pick.

Silliness.....

Both are good knives.

Andy
 
moonshine47 said:
Im on the fence as to which knife should be my next.

The Bravo looks like a tank, but im not fond of the skeleton handle
The Canadian Special looks like a very handy knife, but again im not to sure about that handle, with all those grooves how well could diffrent grips be used without causing undue discomfort

And hey while We are here, you guys should suggest any other good 4'' carbon knives that i may have forgotten about except RATS..nothing against them, just i dont like the feel of them.
Click to expand...


I like the Bark River Northstar over the Bravo. But I like them for camping more.

Like Andrew says depends on what you want to use them for:thumbup:
 
I have a CS and I recently got a Bravo-1 for my son. For me, both feel good in my hand, it would be hard for me to choose which one has better ergonomics.

The CS has a more general purpose blade shape, and I think it is a better all around design for woods use. The Bravo-1 would be more suitable if you plan on really abusing it.

As Hollowdweller said, the North Star is another great woods knife. I carry the CS when car camping, and a North Star when backpacking.
 
The Bravo 1 is one of my favorite knives. There is nothing to worry about with regards to the skeletonized handle, just make the knife a little lighter. I wouldn't worry about the thickness either, this knife is still a real cutter (if you were using it as mainly a kitchen knife that would be a different story).

I havent got the Cs, but I do have the Canadian Camp and I really like the handle on this to, very comfortable and secure.

Between the two, I would go of what you think looks better, as I feel they will both perform well.
 
Hmm, uses would be general outdoor use, however, If anything were to happen i would want to be confident with what i had on my belt...you know theres no time to run home and switch knives =P
 
I think that you would be happy with either knife. Both will do whatever you need a knife to do under most conditions.

I have the NorthStar and it's a sweet knife. My next barkie will be a bravo-1.
 
Argg i need more money..now i want them both. I feel like a kid at the store who has just been told by his mother that he can only have half the goodies, its heartbreaking really.

-Eric
 
Haha, I know the feeling, I have bought my last 3 Barkies in the last 4 months. If I were you I think I would go for the B1 first, then get the CS down the track or even something else. One thing to consider is the sheath. The B1 comes with a standard kydex sheath which is well made and works, but it is not my thing. I bought the leather Bravo sheath and this is exelent.
 
I don't have any Barkies but I do like the Bravo one...I don't think you will go wrong with any of them though !!!
 
Like everyone else said, 2 different knives for 2 different uses.

There's going to be a scaled down version of the Bravo-1 coming out sometime (hopefully soon) called the Gunny. I think that is going to be my first barkie. I'm also keeping my eyes out for a used Mini Northstar and PSK.
 
I have the CS, the grooves on the handle don't seem to limit my grip options.
This is a very good woods knife. This thread needs a pic:D
 
A Canadian Camp recently arrived. It's huge, much bigger than the Canadian Special. The finger grooves don't bother me, BUT, it doesn't fit my hand near as well as the Bravo-1, which has a nice swell in the scales that makes it feel perfect in-hand. The light skeletization of the tang on the Bravo-1 shouldn;t be an issue. I feel confident that the "tank" will handle whatver is thrown at it.

Bravo-1-01.jpg
 
The Bravo-1 is stout. You really have to handle one to realize that skeletonizing the tang was a weight loss measure for balance and that you'd have to be Superman to even begin to bend the knife. The skeleton also allows for better surface area for the epoxy that holds the scales on. The Bravo is bombproof.

As I am not a fan of elliptical blades or finger grooves, I'd buy the Bravo-1 all over again. If I want a "lighter carry" I still have a Gameskeeper with green fern fibermascus that hasn't been retired.
 
I am digging the finger grooves in the CS, and not digging the thumb ramp of the Bravo1,
but of course not ownung either I can only tell you what I want.

"The contours of the bravo is A++++, it fits like a glove, but I can't say anything about the C Special though I know its the owners go to knife."

This is cool, it explains why there are 4 or 5 versions of the canadian.
I have a nebula on the way but I think I know what my next one will be.
 
The "thumb ramp" on the Bravo is a striking area for ferro rods.

One can also use the area forward of the ramp to increase leverage for notching.

bravo1-wrong.jpg


bravo1-right.jpg
 
bushline2.jpg


3 and 4th from top BRKT Auroroa and Bravo 1

Second from bottom Northstar
barks1.jpg

Fallkniven F1
Bark River Northstar
BRKT Aurora
Bravo1
Swamp Rat Howing Rat

Northstar in hand

nsinhand.jpg

Bravo in hand
bravohand.jpg

Aurora in hand
aurora.jpg

Handle contours of NS, Bravo and Aurora
nshandle.jpg

bravocontour.jpg

auroracontour.jpg
 
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