General woods use bark river: opinions?

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trappedinthecityjh

Joined
Feb 5, 2013
Messages
22
Hey there everyone,


I figured I would start this discussion to get some info out there for anyone in the same position as myself, as well as for myself. If someone were looking for a bark river knife (or a knife similar in

price & or quality), to be used for general woods use, bushcraft, skinning, food-prep, and to be paired with a hatchet, or saw for heavy woodwork, and possibly a smaller knife for very fine working

tasks. What would be some good choices?


Also what are some opinions of blade lengths for such tasks?
 
I like their Classic Drop Point. It looks like a hunting knife, without any tactical influences. I've had to do some work on a couple of my BRKT knives in order to get the bevels clean and even and where I want them, but that wasn't really a problem. They revise their handles often enough that I think you'll need to handle the knives to evaluate how well they fit your needs. For example, I sold my Fox River because of the front taper on the handle but I've been told that the current version has good palm swell and is more comfortable.
I consider four inches to be enough blade for a general purpose woods knife.
 
Hey there everybody,


I'd like to get some opinions/information out there, that I've been looking for, and that I think would be very useful.

I was wondering if I could get some opinions on a good Bark River fixed blade or similar knife in price/quality, as a general woods use (bush-craft, skinning/dressing game, whittling, food prep etc.)

knife to be paired with a hatchet for heavy woodwork, and maybe a small knife for extremely fine work.

Also what are some opinions on blade length for this purpose? Style (Canadian, Bowie, drop point, marbles woodcraft, pukko advantages of the different styles)?

All info/opinions, on anything else that I forgot to mention above, that may relate are more than welcome.


P.S. I would like this to be a forum for comments, opinions, and the sharing of experience, with feedback, and some discussion. If we all could try to stay away from picking at what others say, and steer more towards opinion and experience sharing, especially concerning disputes between scandi vs convex, carbon vs stainless, and battles of the short, I think it would make this thread a lot less confusing and a lot more useful for some newbies. I know some guys are dead set, and believe whole-heartedly one way or the other, but I'd really appreciate it if we could keep the heavy debating for another thread.

Thanks all, Josh
 
One of my favorites has quickly become the Fallkniven F1. A well designed, well made, general purpose outdoors knife. The grind is great and the knife arrived very sharp. Its handy for general use and woodwork, the spine has sharp edge and bites well into firesteel. The laminated VG10 is very nice, resulting in a worry-free knife in wet weather. The thermorun handle is tough and perfect for cold weather use as it keeps your hand from making contact with the knifes full tang
 
Personally, I love the Bark River knives I've bought in the past. However I find new retail prices have gone up significantly. Not only have my wages not kept pace, but there are many excellent alternatives for the same money or less.

Check out the For Sale by Maker forum section. You may be surprised at the abundance of beautiful and well-made custom / handmade knives available in the same price range or less.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/754-For-Sale-Fixed-Blades

I've been impressed with the traditional fixed blade knives from Queen, Canal Street, and other factory brands. Excellent build quality, decent materials, and a nice variety of sizes and styles. I'm especially impressed with the designs and materials of the Queen Lite Hunters in D2. There are a few higher-end Scandinavian brands (Marttiini, Helle, Ahti, etc.) to check out too.

Still, if you crave a Bark River you could do much worse. :)

Your outdoor knife needs are much different than mine, so I have a difficult time recommending a particular model for you; I don't hunt, I have never needed to chop wood, and my hiking/backpacking experience steers me towards small and lightweight bladed tools.
 
Man I love Bark River. For general bush use I really enjoy the Aurora. It's a real performer and feels like it was made for my hand. If the Aurora isnt your thing, you can never go wrong with a Bravo 1. It's a knife that really defines versatility imho. As far as skinning goes, I think the knife you need is a question only you can answer based on your own skill level and technique (and animal).
 
PharaohX3 said:
Man I love Bark River. For general bush use I really enjoy the Aurora. It's a real performer and feels like it was made for my hand. If the Aurora isnt your thing, you can never go wrong with a Bravo 1. It's a knife that really defines versatility imho. As far as skinning goes, I think the knife you need is a question only you can answer based on your own skill level and technique (and animal).
Click to expand...

Ditto. And my game knife is a Gunny.
 
trappedinthecityjh said:
Hey there everyone,


I figured I would start this discussion to get some info out there for anyone in the same position as myself, as well as for myself. If someone were looking for a bark river knife (or a knife similar in

price & or quality), to be used for general woods use, bushcraft, skinning, food-prep, and to be paired with a hatchet, or saw for heavy woodwork, and possibly a smaller knife for very fine working

tasks. What would be some good choices?


Also what are some opinions of blade lengths for such tasks?
Click to expand...

You live in Michigan? You should go to the factory for one of their Grind Ins. You can make your own knives so your possibilities are pretty much endless. Also, it's an awesome experience. Mike Stewart and the crew at Bark River are great people.

If making your own knife isn't your thing then I always recommend the Canadian line. The Trail Buddy is a nice option for a slightly larger blade.
 
A Michigander raised, (Hoosier born) and a grind in sounds awesome! I've never heard of that before, but I've never worked on a blade to that extent, so I may not be any good at it. But to all the other responses, Thanks a ton! I'm definitely going to check out some queen knives.
 
and a lot of the recommendations coming in are ones that I have had my eye on (trail buddy, gunny, Canadian series) What is the philosophy/reason for the odd Canadian blade shape? I've heard a lot of goo

things about it, and I've also heard that Mike Stuart caries a Canadian special, it looks like a great blade shape for general utility, but what about skinning? does anyone have experience with the style?
 
The Canadian series is the all around outdoor knife as far as I'm concerned. It does everything well for a knife of its size due to the shape of the blade and handle. I've personally never skinned with it though.

You can find out more about the Grind Ins at Bark River's website. http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/Mission.htm. I've gone to the Jerzee Devil sponsored Grind In for the past few years and I always enjoy myself. The crew at Bark River will not let you make a bad knife. Anything you make there will come out looking good and functioning well. They do them a few times a year. There's is always a dinner on Friday at the shop where you meet everyone and then you work on Saturday. In Saturday night there is another dinner (a bit more formal, but not much) where everyone who attended votes for the best knife. It is such a good time and I can not wait to go this year.

These are the knives made by the attendees of the 2012 JD sponsored Grind In. There were a lot of first timers, but you wouldn't be able to tell from the knives.
http://www.jerzeedevil.com/forums/s...12-Grind-In-Knives-Epic?p=1306088#post1306088
 
I like the bushcrafter and aurora the most of mine doe to handle size.. The northstar was a bit small for me..

17forsale.jpg


aurora
bushcrafter
northstar
northstar companion

I think the aurora blade is a little too big but you might prefer that. The bushcrafter was the best fit for me. It comes in 3V steel which is great
 
I love my Highland Special, carry it all the time. Recently, I was one of the winners of a Canadian Special and a Little Creek. I have not got them yet, but I've read good things about the Canadian Special. Mike says it's his favorite knife for use in the outdoors. It's a 4" blade, and seems in the ballpark of a what you're looking for.
 
I've tried several, including the Bravo 1, Drop Point Hunter and a couple of others and wound up selling them all. Then I scored an Aurora on the Exchange and was in love from the second I received it. Feels made for my hand, lightweight but strong as anything and laser sharp. My go-to bushcraft knife without a second thought.
 
One of my favourite knives is my Bravo 1. Maybe also look at the Fallkniven F1 or up the price range a bit the TK2 which is a phenomenal instrument for finer cutting, with that lovely distal taper, yet managing to remain very strong and extremely usable. I absolutely love it. I also love Helle laminated knives, if you want something bigger maybe a GT, insanely sharp and very practical, else a Godbit or any of their smaller range, take your pick. Or then there is the Tops BOB which whilst big and chunky is a fantastic piece of steel and you can find excellent examples around for not much outlay. Good luck on your quest and let us know what you end up with.
 
Check out the YouTube vids by Virtuovoice. He's a Japanese surgeon and hunting enthusiast who extensively reviews Bark River knives... taking them on hunts, cleaning out deer, and even x-raying them to look at the tang sometimes.
 
PharaohX3 said:
Man I love Bark River. For general bush use I really enjoy the Aurora. It's a real performer and feels like it was made for my hand. If the Aurora isnt your thing, you can never go wrong with a Bravo 1. It's a knife that really defines versatility imho. As far as skinning goes, I think the knife you need is a question only you can answer based on your own skill level and technique (and animal).
Click to expand...

Ditto, but ....

You mentioned an axe. To be honest it sounds like a gunny would do just fine for you.
 
Look at the buscrafter. I would have said auroa but you mentioned skinning and the Bushcrafter has more belly. I have both. The Gunny is also a good medium sized all arounder.
 
I really like the Aurora for a general woods knife as well, perhaps even more than the Bravo 1 but since you plan to join them with a small knife and axe or saw then something more mid-sized like the Liter Bror (3 3/4" blade length little brother to Aurora) on the Gunny (3 3/4" blade length smaller version of Bravo 1) might make sense. The Northstar and Fox River have nice blade profiles for all-around use as well but they have the same blade length (4 1/4") as the Aurora and Bravo 1. I don't have a Canadian Special (yet) but I have only heard good things about it as a general woods knife.
 
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