Crowell/Barker Competition Knife - Why no love?

jbass

jbass

Joined
Dec 26, 2009
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423
Large bladed knives have quite a few fans here but there is rarely any discussion of the Browning Crowell/Barker Competition Knife. Why the lack of love?
 
Hasn't it been out of production a while? I really liked the looks of it and kept my eyes open for one at a good deal, but never came across one. As I recall, the sheath looked kind of cheesy/leatheretteish. The Micarta handle and satin blade was nice.
 
How do you deduce, that there is no love for it.
Ive seen it mentioned on several fora and not in a bad way either.
 
I like mine very much. Really an excellent blade with good balance and very good HT. The handle is blocky, there's no question about that... but that's easy to fix. The sheath is good quality, not thin, cheap or "leatherette-ish" at all.

Kru03 said:
I really liked the looks of it and kept my eyes open for one at a good deal, but never came across one.
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Good grief, how good of a deal do you want on a 5/16" thick 10" blade, with full distal tapers on both the tang and the blade? MSRP is only $183 according to the Browning website, retailers are listing it at around $130, and I just saw one on Amazon for $102 with free shipping. Come to think of it, at that price I may go ahead and buy another just for fun...
 
I just did a quick search and it looks like they are still available at some pretty decent prices. There are some good reviews out there also.

I'm a fairly light user myself, but I have one and like it quite at a bit. In my opinion, it is well designed and well put together - and does chop well. Nice distal taper in the blade and tang - not something one sees in many production knives. The handle is comfortable with nice rounded corners. The handles could be a touch more rounded instead of somewhat rectangular (though still ergonomic) to fit my medium sized hands a bit better (to cut down on potential fatigue if chopping a lot or wearing gloves - handle may be a touch large for me).

The knife is advertised as having high carbon steel, which, if I remember correctly, a reviewer said was 1085. These days, many folks are using/experimenting with a number of the more technical steels like CPM-3V for their choppers - but they cost more also.

Given the price and design of this knife, I think it is a pretty good deal. Mike
 
gooeytek said:
Never heard of it.
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A collaboration by two winners of the American Bladesmith ABS World Cutting Championship. 10" blade of 1085C steel, 1/4" width, full flat grind, RC 57-59, 5" micarta handle, full tang, convex grind.
 
james terrio said:
I like mine very much. Really an excellent blade with good balance and very good HT. The handle is blocky, there's no question about that... but that's easy to fix. The sheath is good quality, not thin, cheap or "leatherette-ish" at all.



Good grief, how good of a deal do you want on a 5/16" thick 10" blade, with full distal tapers on both the tang and the blade? MSRP is only $183 according to the Browning website, retailers are listing it at around $130, and I just saw one on Amazon for $102 with free shipping. Come to think of it, at that price I may go ahead and buy another just for fun...
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Didn't mean to insult a knife and sheath so dear to your heart. When I said I kept my eyes open for one, I meant just that. I was causally looking for it.
 
The Crowell/Barker did have very extremely positive reviews when it came out, both here and in other media. It just sorta died down because of old age, and no new variations being offered. It happens with most knives. Also as an aside, you'll see that happen with gun company knives quite a bit, most really just don't market themselves to buyers very well.
 
BladeScout said:
How do you deduce, that there is no love for it.
Ive seen it mentioned on several fora and not in a bad way either.
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"no love for it" is just another way to get a conversation started regarding a pet knife or subject that has not been mentioned lately.
 
Mannlicher said:
"no love for it" is just another way to get a conversation started regarding a pet knife or subject that has not been mentioned lately.
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Or simply confirmation of the fact that, except for a few pet brands, tastes are fickle. Browning doesn't have much prestige value among BF members and as Andre Agassi used to say, "image is everything". So a well-made, low-cost Browning chopper like the Crowell/Barker Comp knife will show up for a little while, gather some accolades among folks who know value when they see it, then drop off the first page and sink to the bottom until someone like jbass comes along and says . . . "hey, do any of you guys remember thus and so knife?" The Browning Crowell/Barker isn't the first knife that's happened to nor will it be the last.

Out of sight, out of mind.
 
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Kru03 said:
Didn't mean to insult a knife and sheath so dear to your heart.
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No offense taken :) Just sayin', they're out there so if you're at all interested, go ahead and snag one. It's a helluva lotta knife for $100-$130.
 
Uhhh...

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Mannlicher said:
"no love for it" is just another way to get a conversation started regarding a pet knife or subject that has not been mentioned lately.
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I plead guilty. It's not my pet knife but it was given good reviews and seems to have fallen off the radar. And yes, I have suggested it once in a while (along with the BK 9, Esse Junglas, etc.) to someone asking for a camp knife/chopper. My thanks to everyone who took the time to comment.
 
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