HELP! Trying to decide on two BRKT knives!

[oftheees0ul]

Hey Guys,

I am a bit overwhelmed with the selection of knives Bark River has to offer. From what I have read they are great but all seem to have a specific purpose.

I spend a lot of times in the outdoors whether it be hunting, fishing, backpacking, harvesting mushrooms, etc. So for the first knife, I want something that can do it all. A trusty companion, if you will. I have been looking into the Bravo-1 as well as the Gunny and Gamekeeper in A2 steel.

The second knife, I want a little smaller so it can "piggyback" on the larger knife. I would like this knife to excel in field-dressing and skinning large game (I prefer a smaller, thinner knife here). I have been looking at the Woodland and Highland Special.

What I am looking for here are two knives that will complement each other in the field and put me in a position to tackle any task I am presented with. Can some of you with more expertise and owners point me in the right direction! I can't really find anyone in WA that carries these knives so I can get the feel of them. Plus, I am a newbie when it comes to knives ...

ALSO, which grips are nice? I like the look of some of the hardwoods .. but how do they handle in the field when bloodied up?

 

[MatthewSB]

I spend a lot of times in the outdoors whether it be hunting, fishing, backpacking, harvesting mushrooms, etc. So for the first knife, I want something that can do it all. A trusty companion, if you will. I have been looking into the Bravo-1 as well as the Gunny and Gamekeeper in A2 steel.

The Bravo 1 is a great knife. Thanks to the convex edge, you can do both fine and heavy chores with the .020" thick blade. I've used mine for everything, delicate stuff and splitting logs for the fire when an axe wasn't handy. The handle is amazing, very very comfortable with no hotspots to wear your hand down after use.

The Bravo 1 has been my Go To fixed blade for the last few years because I haven't found anything better. That said, it's pretty heavy and the blade is very thick. I'm about to buy my first Gunny to see how it feels. It's 25% thinner, and only a half inch or so less blade length.

Unless you plan on beating on the knife, hard, I'd start with the Gunny.

The second knife, I want a little smaller so it can "piggyback" on the larger knife. I would like this knife to excel in field-dressing and skinning large game (I prefer a smaller, thinner knife here). I have been looking at the Woodland and Highland Special.

BRKT knives are all different, the only way to tell what will work for you is to hold them all in your hand.

Not sure where in the "Pacific Northwest" you are, but KSF has oodles of BRKT knives in stock:

We are not some nameless, faceless company--we are a family owned and operated business located in the Pacific Northwest. If you want, you can even come by our shop and say, "Hi." We are located just outside of Portland. http://www.knivesshipfree.com/

ALSO, which grips are nice? I like the look of some of the hardwoods .. but how do they handle in the field when bloodied up?

BRKT's micarta is different from others because, unless you order it with a 'matte' finish, they polish it until it's smooth and shiny. This isn't a problem though, because the handles on the Bravo 1 and Gunny are designed to grip using the shape instead of the texture so it works the same wet or dry. The smooth handles also make it comfortable to use for hours, there's nothing to create friction on your hand and wear you down.

The hardwoods, bone, etc. are beautiful but I prefer BRKT's micarta for a user knfie. Here's one with red linen micarta, and one with black canvas micarta with red liners:

 

[ozgooner]

A mate and I went out shooting goats last weekend and bagged four big nannies. We did the bulk of the field work with my BRKT Aurora which is a great all-round bushcraft knife. Lighter than the Bravo 1 (which I don't like personally), but strong, sharp and super comfortable to use. Back home we dressed the meat down with my mate's newly acquired Fox River, and although it had at first appeared to be a bit on the small size for my large mitts, it excelled in game dressing and I plan to add one to my hunting pack as soon as funds allow.

 

[Sulaco]

I am a bit overwhelmed with the selection of knives Bark River has to offer. From what I have read they are great but all seem to have a specific purpose.

Yep, and basically you need to determine which blade style works best for your intended purposes. Two of the do it all knives I like from Bark River are the Gunny and the Aurora. Just decide if you need something with more belly or more point. Also, the ergo's on the Aurora are designed for various grips whereas the Gunny is best in the standard grip (but also works fine in others, maybe just not quite as well as the Aurora).

I spend a lot of times in the outdoors whether it be hunting, fishing, backpacking, harvesting mushrooms, etc. So for the first knife, I want something that can do it all. A trusty companion, if you will. I have been looking into the Bravo-1 as well as the Gunny and Gamekeeper in A2 steel.

The Gamekeeper is probably not going to be the best do it all knife, but the other two would. The Bravo-1 has the best grip design of any knife I own and it's awesome, but it's also quite stout and might not be the best choice for the lighter stuff like backpacking, mushrooming, etc.

The second knife, I want a little smaller so it can "piggyback" on the larger knife. I would like this knife to excel in field-dressing and skinning large game (I prefer a smaller, thinner knife here). I have been looking at the Woodland and Highland Special.

The Woodland is a great little knife with lots of belly, but the grip is more squared off and not nearly as comfortable (to me anyway) as the "ergo" like like the Bravo series, Gunny, Aurora, etc. One which I like is the Northstar EDC. It has an ergo grip but is smaller overall. It may not be good for skinning or cleaning game though because it's pretty pointy with not much belly. If you have normal sized or smaller hands, the Woodland might be fine. My hands are big.

What I am looking for here are two knives that will complement each other in the field and put me in a position to tackle any task I am presented with. Can some of you with more expertise and owners point me in the right direction! I can't really find anyone in WA that carries these knives so I can get the feel of them. Plus, I am a newbie when it comes to knives ...

ALSO, which grips are nice? I like the look of some of the hardwoods .. but how do they handle in the field when bloodied up?

Like I said before, just decide what blade style suits you and then start narrowing it down. Just split it all up between blade style and size. Consider grip style as well. Like someone else said, the polished scales are nice with the ergo grips because the grip style keeps the knife steady, not the grippiness of the material. Lignum Vitae is a good wood which is almost tacky feeling if you like that.

 

[oftheees0ul]

Thanks for all the info guys! I was shopping on KSP and even know they were in OR. I am from Seattle, but can justify a 3 hour trip down there to if it will allow me to handle the knife first! Plus no sales tax wont hurt. The Gunny blade style is one that really sticks out at me, but the Bravo is so hard to beat. We shall see after I drive down there.