Is Bark River Slipping?

PsYCHoT|K said:
"As to the overall direction of the quality of BRK knives... They keep getting better and better. I have never seen them more consistently excellent than they are right now."

Hey Derrick, did anyone ever tell you that you might be good in sales? ;) I think your vote of confidence (you made a pretty confident statement) seals the deal for me. Any word yet on how the first run of Gunny Vortex's are? They look great in the pictures!
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They look great. The longer blade is perfect for that handle. I think it makes a very slick knife.
 
Just received a Bark River Gunny in minty condition...


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How bout their grinding process? they can produce a perfect knife in terms of fit and finish, but in the end some edges are burnt from the grinding them at high speed.
 
Update of sorts: I finally went ahead and put in my order for an Aurora LT again. Good thing I waited, because it is now $40 cheaper than the last one =] I'll let you know how it looks when it arrives!
 
I can personally vouch for BR owning close to 20 of them--mostly Bravos and Gunnys and one Gameskeeper b/c I had to see what 4v was all about...Like others have said, a lemon escapes every now and again, but overall, I have found BR's quality, fit and finish to exceed most others even some so called "high end" gimmicky makers whose knives cost twice as much and have a 6 month waiting period.

BR always has a bright and uniform finish, the grinds are symmetrical and they can actually cut right from the box. Some manufacturers defend crappy sharpness with terms like "utility edge," and "factory sharp," but I consider that moronspeak. If a knife cannot cut it is worthless as far as I'm concerned. You should not have that problem with Bark River. They have a good work ethic and respect themselves and their customers enough to deliver a functional and aesthetically pleasing tool.

I'd give them another go if I was in your shoes. Also, Derrick from KSF and Eric of DLT are both excellent as I buy Bark Rivers from both.
 
UPDATE: Well, I just received my 2nd Aurora LT about 30 minutes ago. It too is a First Production Run, and I am pleased to say that I will be keeping this one. There is no rust on the tang and the handle is finished excellently. Though I can't quite put my finger on it, I still found myself being more impressed with my last few knife purchases from LT Wright, Lon Humphrey and Battle Horse Knives. I think it could possibly be due to the more "satin" blade that is on my new Aurora LT? I compared it to my Bravo 1 that I purchased about 3 years ago and the Bravo 1's blade is definitely more shiny. This is obviously cosmetic, I understand. But maybe the dullness of the blade and my desire to have it a bit more shiny combine to make it a good but not excellent purchase, in my opinion. Everyone has their own preferences, so please allow me to have mine as well =] Thanks for your input everyone.
 
I purchased one of their smaller (Pro Scalpel) knives last year. The grind was visibly uneven and the etched logo was smudged. Very disappointing considering I have had CRKT knives that cost 25% of what the BRK did which were better finished.

I don't anticipate purchasing another from them. $120 is to much to spend to gamble on whether or not I'll get a quality knife.
 
BRK has lots of sweet designs and great options on handles/scales and steel types. The beautiful storefront images on DLT and KSF probably sells lots of knives. But my experience is that unfortunately their quality control don't match the price.

Over the last year I've purchased 4 BRKs. And all of them had (minor) fit and finish issues, like uneven grinding (all of them), visible glue lines, blade/pin-scale edges you can feel. The Aurora LT I got was the worst, it had an almost "triangular" belly, and a burned edge which rolled terribly when removing bark from a birch stick on it's first outing.

In the same period I've bought many knives from other makers without any issues whatsoever.

The standard response to such experiences is that BRK has a fantastic warranty and that one should just send them back to get it fixed. But for me as an overseas customer this doesn't cut it, it's expensive to ship it and generally to much hassle. I would much prefer to get it right the first time!

As I said the issues I've had with BRKs are minor (I'm probably quite picky, and they are still good usable blades), so I've decided it's something I can live with or fix myself. But in the future I'll spend my money on other brands/makers knives...

Cheers,
Grunde
 
grunde01 said:
The Aurora LT I got was the worst, it had an almost "triangular" belly, and a burned edge which rolled terribly when removing bark from a birch stick on it's first outing.
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User error. You are not supposed to cut/carve wood/bark with an Aurora!
 
In your case grunde, I would deal with a retailer that will open up the knife and check for issues you're concerned about.
KSF has done it for me a couple times. USAmadeblade will also check for you.
Just a suggestion brother.
Joe
 
They definitely can be a bit or a miss. I have been using my Golok HARD for almost a month now and have had zero issues cutting up hard woods, vines, splitting through knots, and even chopping some trees to clear trails.

Was I lucky? Maybe but I have more need for larger tools these days so it might just be that BRKT treats their larger knives differently. If you are thinking of your first Bark River check out all the other options first, I only got mine on a sale.
 
palonej said:
In your case grunde, I would deal with a retailer that will open up the knife and check for issues you're concerned about.
KSF has done it for me a couple times. USAmadeblade will also check for you.
Just a suggestion brother.
Joe
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Good tip, but it should really not be necessary for a $250+ knife. Also if the edge is burned it's hard for the shop to detect (BRK is known to have this issue, which I found out after I got my knives).
 
I've had a couple BR's with some issues, but most have been in very good shape. I would be very careful about which dealer you choose to go with, find out their policy before you order from them. I had trouble with one who tried to get out of his responsibility, going so far as to accuse me of wanting to just "rent" the knife and then get my money back. This was a dealer with whom I have spent a lot of money, rest assured that was the last transaction I'll ever have with him. They are always your best friend when the transaction goes smoothly...

It also might be less of a hassle to deal with BR if it's an issue that you want fixed, but would like to keep the knife.
 
I have two BR knives, one fox river and one bravo edc elmax. I was waiting for bravo edc in elmax for long time so i preordered it. When i received i was more than happy. But after the first use in kitchen, all that shine on dark curly maple handle disappeared :D it became natural maple :) as a overseas customer, it is big hassle to send it back so i sanded handle and put a few coats of tru-oil than sharpened.. Now she is my knife :rolleyes:
But i agree that they are a bit expensive..
 
I bought my first Bark River last year, a birthday present to myself. I had always loved the old bowie design and when I saw the Teddy II, I fell in love. I like bigger knives in the bush and always carry something like that since I live in the Canadian north. I found the Bark River knife itself to surpass any I'd ever had before and it is my first choice in the woods these days. In my limited experience, I would say I am very happy and impressed. I actually spoke with someone at Bark River once (don't know if it was Mike), and he said: Hey, if you're ever not happy with a knife's finish, send it back and we'll make it right. I haven't had to take them up on it but you can't beat that. The only thing I would have changed on the Teddy II, btw, is the sheath. The quality is great but the leather snap should have been fitted to the spine side of the knife so there was no chance the blade would cut it when being drawn. Mike, if you see this, please consider that.

Anyway, I'm terribly happy with Bark River knives. Today I plan to order a Bravo Vortex. Just from looking at it, I can tell it would be about the perfect all around bush knife for my needs. Combined with a hatchet, it will make a fairly complete set of woodsman's tools. But just because I like what I see in BRKT so much, I plan to order an Aurora in 3V in a few months, too.

BTW: I envy the prices you folk down in the States get on Bark River knives. Here in Canada, we pay through the nose for them.
 
I can't even guess at how many BRKT's I've had at one time or another. But it's probably 30+. I have found a few imperfections from time to time, but nothing that has ever bugged me enough to send it back. I understand that some people are pickier and that is your absolute right to be so. For the most part mine get used hard so they are going to end up with imperfections anyways. I can only recall one instance where I had an issue and that was on a Bravo 1. Edge must have lost heat treat in the grinding process and it chipped with very light usage and I sent it in twice for re-grind before it was just flat out replaced. As people have said, bad ones are going to slip out from time to time but I'll continue to buy them. If I want a perfectly pretty safe queen to look at I'll go with one of the smaller volume custom makers, but for a user knife that I know if anything happens it will be covered by warranty I'll be sticking with my barkies.
 
Dangerously said:
I have had Bark River knives with all the issues you mention. I think you'll find that Bark River has had lemons get out there for any time period you research, so it's good to use a retailer that will let you exchange it if you're not satisfied.

You are not going to determine from a forum thread whether this is a trend or not, as there are many flaws in this approach (low n, sample bias, no reliable time sequence, self-reported, confirmation bias, etc).
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^yep this. use a dealer who will take the time and effort to make sure you get a good one. that Derrick guys shop seems to do a real good job on customer satisfaction. sure the other dealer do a good job too, but i've dealt with knivesshipfree before and they always make good.
 
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