First Bark River?

Hawk45

Hawk45

Joined
Jan 28, 2005
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2,154
So I have the BRKT itch. I think I have it narrowed down to four. Which one would be best for all around outdoor/camping knife? Does one have better steel for outdoors. Will be using for all cooking/chopping/splitting tasks. Basically my go-to outdoor knife.

Bravo1
Bravo2
Fox River Magnum
Smoke Jumper

Thanks,
Hawk
 
I'm only familiar with the Bravo 1 and Bravo 2. The Bravo 1 has a 4.5 inch blade, which is probably too small for anyone to consider it a serious 'chopper'. It's more of a bushcraft or belt knife then a chopper.

I think if you need a chopper, then really you want a 7" blade or near it at the very minimum. Anything smaller then that is going to have a difficult time generating enough force to chop anything over say 3 or 4 inches effectively.

Of course, you could always take a folding saw to cut larger pieces and then use a smaller knife to baton through them.
 
I have Bravo 1 and 2 and Fox River Magnum. All three of these knives are A2 steel, I'm not certain on the smoke jumper but believe it is also A2.

Bravo 1 would be the better all round knife IMO, but the Bravo 2 would be better for chopping and batoning larger pieces but you may find it a bit large for other routine tasks.

The Fox River Magnum was my first BRKT and kind of slots in between the two Bravo's.

Any of them will be a good choice, without really knowing your individual specific tasks and expectations it is difficult to really recommend which one is "the best" choice.

Bark River's, like many brands, are addicting, you will likely end up owning all of them eventually :D:thumbup:

Kevin
 
Well right now I carry a pocket knife with me to have on hand at all times and a RAT7 in the pack for chopping. The RAT7 is too big/heavy to have on me at all times. I've been using my pocket knife for most other tasks as food prep and other smaller basic tasks. I was hoping maybe I could find some thing that will knock it down to just one knife for all tasks. So I guess I just knocked the 7" Bravo2 out of the mix.
 
I don't own either but will be buying the Fox River for just the tasks you describe.I always like a thinner blade because I don't pry with my blades.IMHO the Fox River is plenty thick for splitting anything I want to split and should slice better than the thicker blades.
 
I only have the bravo 1 of the Barks listed but for me it is the perfect outdoors knife. It is thick but still slices great due to the convex grind. It is the most comfortable knife i have ever handled. It feels soft and secure. I have widdled wood for a couple hours with it on several occasions and got no hot spots. I havent had a knife yet that could match it for this. It batons real good due to the thickness. I don't think you can go wrong with this guy. Good luck
 
I can't help on your selection, but congrats on your first Barkie...
I just pulled the trigger on my first one yesterday. A Desert Ironwood Highland.
 
I started out with a Fox River Magnum also. It is a great size for a camp knife. In my opinion, 5" blades don't get enough respect as an all around tool. I have average/medium size hands and it feels good. I have heard people with large hands say that the handle is to cramped for them.

I had a Bravo-1 for a while and sold it. The handle is one of the most comfortable out there. I have nothing negative to say about the knife. The kydex sheath it came with had sharp edges that I fixed with 400 grit wet&dry sandpaper. I sold the Bravo-1 after I got the Gunny which fills the same role for me in a scaled-down lighter package with a better sheath.

My current favorite Bark River knife in this general size range is the Canadian Special. I resisted ordering one for a long time because I thought that it looked odd with the finger grooves and flowing curves. So many people recommended it that I finally broke down and ordered one. Wow - this knife is comfortable and nimble. Based on that, I just ordered one of the new smaller Lil' Canadians in CPM-3V.

All of these knives are currently available from Derrick Bohn at www.knivesshipfree.com I also recommend that you check out www.howesknifeshop.com Jim Howe is a nice guy to deal with and he is closing out his entire inventory of Bark River and Rat Cutlery knives at some great prices. I don't work for either place - just a referral for nice people to buy from.

Phil
 
I loved everything about my Bravo 1 except for the little hump where the jimping is, just forward of the handle.
My thumb just never rested comfortably on that knife no matter how I gripped it.

Which was too bad, because other than that it was one of the best knives I've ever owned.
 
Smoke Jumper has a 50 100 B steel blade. Not too long and too thick blade to be difficult to slice with and not too short so you can even chop with it. Why dont you try Aurora ?
 
For a do any task Bark River, I would get the KSF Machete. Has a good edge for delicate tasks, and enough blade length to chop and split efficiently.
 
I wish they had a good 5" blade that wasn't a hunter/skinner model.. if they made a Bravo 3 or Fox River with a 5"-5.50" blade.. I'd be all over that.
 
Hawk45 said:
So I have the BRKT itch. I think I have it narrowed down to four. Which one would be best for all around outdoor/camping knife? Does one have better steel for outdoors. Will be using for all cooking/chopping/splitting tasks. Basically my go-to outdoor knife.

Bravo1
Bravo2
Fox River Magnum
Smoke Jumper

Thanks,
Hawk
Click to expand...
My favorite for general camping tasks, hunting and food prep are the Canadian Camp and the Gameskeeper-II. Simply awesome blades.
 
Hawk45 said:
I wish they had a good 5" blade that wasn't a hunter/skinner model.. if they made a Bravo 3 or Fox River with a 5"-5.50" blade.. I'd be all over that.
Click to expand...

i feel the same way, they should make a bravo 3 with a 5'' blade slightly less thick and a little bigger finger choil with jimping and about 3/8'' more handle and include a kydex sheath with tek lok. id buy 2 of them in a heart beat
 
trailside22 said:
Fox River or Canadian Special. I know they were not on the list. From the list, Bravo 1
Click to expand...

What he said. Especially the Canadian Special.

If you want a dedicated chopper, get the Golok or KSF Machete.

And like Outdoors Fanatic said, the Canadian Camp, if you can find one, is fantastic for a slightly larger blade.

The Canadian Camp and teh new Lil Canadian (in 3V) would be an awesome pair!
 
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