Just saw this.....Bark River is no more?

[Tritium]

It should be over for good, but is it? Unfortunately probably not. Look at all the other terrible people still succeeding in the knife industry. As a vocal member of this community, bringing awareness to the disgusting backgrounds of various knife companies, I can honestly say not enough people care. Many people don't know, but just from engaging with those who do know on this forum, many many people don't care. They like the knife, they don't give a rats ass what the owner did.

Not just the knife industry. In my experience most people won't stand up for what's right. If it doesn't affect them directly they don't care.

I remember a knifetuber going to his shop and even defending him. At the time I wasn't aware of what he was talking about. He even designed a knife (Sidekick). How have all BR knives not been pulled from all websites is beyond me. I feel bad for those that don't know better.

If I knew any of his issues I never would have purchased anything from him. Just glad it I sold all that I had years ago. I'd be pissed otherwise.

 

[Medieval Peasant]

On FB, a lot of former employees are coming out and saying they knew about the China blanks and all the issues. But their paycheck meant more to them. Funny how that works. They had no issue ripping people off when they were getting paid for it. I have little to no sympathy for them. Much like I have little to no sympathy for the dealers.

If most of us on here were familiar with Stewart’s past transgressions and screw jobs, I highly doubt the dealers didn’t know. I guess they have to maintain that plausible deniability though.

Have you ever been to Escanaba? Theres not much out there for work. The place is kind of a dump, so I’m sure that the employees were absolutely relying on those pay checks.

 

[J. Doyle]

The employees were used to seeing blanks come into the shop. No one there was ever cutting blanks from sheets of steel from what I understand. So mixing in the China made blanks probably was easy for Mike, Jim and whoever else removed the stickers.

**ABSOLUTELY NOT DEFENDING BARK RIVER**

Just for clarity, I don't know how many knives were made from blanks (of any origin) or when that started, but it wasn't always that way.

They didn't have anyone cutting out blanks at all.....that is true. But they had bars of steel, with holes in the handles for pins, already heat treated. They had templates for certain models where they would grind away all the material that didn't look like whatever particular pattern they were building.

Then they would glue on handles, shape and then grind blades with handles attached.

Now what the steel actually was, I can't say. Nor can I say how long they continued that process before someone thought pre-made blanks were cheaper, faster and easier.

They haven't always used pre made blanks.

**ABSOLUTELY NOT DEFENDING BARK RIVER**

 

[StuntDouble]

**ABSOLUTELY NOT DEFENDING BARK RIVER**

Just for clarity, I don't know how many knives were made from blanks (of any origin) or when that started, but it wasn't always that way.

They didn't have anyone cutting out blanks at all.....that is true. But they had bars of steel, with holes in the handles for pins, already heat treated. They had templates for certain models where they would grind away all the material that didn't look like whatever particular pattern they were building.

Then they would glue on handles, shape and then grind blades with handles attached.

Now what the steel actually was, I can't say. Nor can I say how long they continued that process before someone thought pre-made blanks were cheaper, faster and easier.

They haven't always used pre made blanks.

**ABSOLUTELY NOT DEFENDING BARK RIVER**

I imagine it started when Mike realized he wanted a new jet ski.

 

[shinyedges]

**ABSOLUTELY NOT DEFENDING BARK RIVER**

Just for clarity, I don't know how many knives were made from blanks (of any origin) or when that started, but it wasn't always that way.

They didn't have anyone cutting out blanks at all.....that is true. But they had bars of steel, with holes in the handles for pins, already heat treated. They had templates for certain models where they would grind away all the material that didn't look like whatever particular pattern they were building.

Then they would glue on handles, shape and then grind blades with handles attached.

Now what the steel actually was, I can't say. Nor can I say how long they continued that process before someone thought pre-made blanks were cheaper, faster and easier.

They haven't always used pre made blanks.

**ABSOLUTELY NOT DEFENDING BARK RIVER**

For the Chinese portion of their fraud, that applies. To the would mike order a2 or 1080 and sell it as 3v... well.

 

[DMG]

There are ways to go after personal finances if the owner of an LLC has committed fraud. I guarantee that Mike Stewart was paying himself handsomely.

You are correct but if the scammers know what they are doing it can be hard to peirce the corporate veil. Or not worth it because the money is gone. Or "gone"

 

[SharpBits]

**ABSOLUTELY NOT DEFENDING BARK RIVER**

Just for clarity, I don't know how many knives were made from blanks (of any origin) or when that started, but it wasn't always that way.

They didn't have anyone cutting out blanks at all.....that is true. But they had bars of steel, with holes in the handles for pins, already heat treated. They had templates for certain models where they would grind away all the material that didn't look like whatever particular pattern they were building.

Then they would glue on handles, shape and then grind blades with handles attached.

Now what the steel actually was, I can't say. Nor can I say how long they continued that process before someone thought pre-made blanks were cheaper, faster and easier.

They haven't always used pre made blanks.

**ABSOLUTELY NOT DEFENDING BARK RIVER**

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[J. Doyle]

For the Chinese portion of their fraud, that applies. To the would mike order a2 or 1080 and sell it as 3v... well.

Oh for sure all bets are off as to actual steel type. I said as much in my post. Can't trust anything about that guy from his entire history of breathing.

 

[Jdottinger]

Have you ever been to Escanaba? Theres not much out there for work. The place is kind of a dump, so I’m sure that the employees were absolutely relying on those pay checks.

Never been myself. Grew up in a pretty bad area with limited work opportunities though. Google Newport, Tn. So what level would they have stooped to if they were getting paid? It doesn’t excuse their actions. It’s a matter of principle's and morals to me.

I’m sure not every single worker knew about the Chinese blanks. But enough knew that the word would’ve made it around the shop. The ones that did know had 0 issue cashing checks while actively ripping others off for their hard earned money.

 

[ShaiHulud]

Even if there was a time where BR made a knife in the correct steel with the proper HT because of all this i feel their entire history should be scrutinized and everything they made fall into question

 

[shinyedges]

Oh for sure all bets are off as to actual steel type. I said as much in my post. Can't trust anything about that guy from his entire history of breathing.

Oh I know where you stand and what you meant, I don't think you needed to put the bits about not defending them. I was just pointing out for the on lookers that the steel issue relies on integrity which we know he had none of.

 

[mtice1]

We know that Bark River has now gone under but the real question that remains to be seen is will KSF and DLT also go under due to having too much capital tied up in Bark River knives that will largely have to be dumped with severe discounts or go unsold, and the possibility other manufacturers discontinue selling through KSF and DLT due them continue to sell defunct Bark River Knives.

 

[Jdottinger]

We know that Bark River has now gone under but the real question that remains to be seen is will KSF and DLT also go under due to having too much capital tied up in Bark River knives that will largely have to be dumped with severe discounts or go unsold.

Owner of DLT said it won’t kill them but will definitely hurt them. I believe KSF is a smaller operation and will possibly feel it harder. They should be able to offload them at cost and recoup most of their lost revenue. They made the decision to get into business with Mikey and Jimbo.

If I were investing millions into a company, I think I’d do my due diligence. They made their bed, they can lie in it.

 

[ShaiHulud]

We know that Bark River has now gone under but the real question that remains to be seen is will KSF and DLT also go under due to having too much capital tied up in Bark River

Not likely

 

[somber]

I don’t know about KSF, but DLT is well capitalized.

 

[Mistwalker]

Just saw this on Facebook!

There is a funny storry behind how this knife, the Strike Force 2, came to exist. It goes back to July of 2016.

I made a post about it in my own group on Facebook in May of last year.

Two things to bear in mind about Mike, he tends to play on egos, but he apparently doesn't know as much about the people he approaches as he lets on.

In the spring of 2016 when he approached me with all sorts of compliments about my work, I thought he must have been following my work. And I had definitely been following his history.

So when I sent him this rendering from Morgan Taylor of Schrade. I had no intentions of giving him any info on new designs I had drwan out.
...

....

Which I originally drew out as a knife to be made by TOPS

As a much larger version of the Tibo design TOPS had been making since the spring of 2012

Which Taylor didn't have the tooling to do, and it turned out like this

So, I assumed when he sent me this rendering back he understood the dark area was the flat and the lighter area was the grind. There was nothing there to denote a fuller of any kind to my thinking.
.....

........

And the conversation went on from the spring of 2016 through the spring of 2017

And then nothing else was said through 2017, I assumed he decided the old design wasn't something he was interested in and wrote it off. I wasn't interested in working with his anyway. I had just sent him the drawings to see what he would do with them.

Then on Feb 14 of 2018 I was sent a link to this by a friend who knew what I had done.

And when I saw the depth and design of the fuller he put in it, I had never in my life been so glad that someone didn't give me any credit for a design idea they got from me

Because apparently it's not selling very well....

......

 

[shinyedges]

Owner of DLT said it won’t kill them but will definitely hurt them. I believe KSF is a smaller operation and will possibly feel it harder. They should be able to offload them at cost and recoup most of their lost revenue. They made the decision to get into business with Mikey and Jimbo.

If I were investing millions into a company, I think I’d do my due diligence. They made their bed, they can lie in it.

Someone mentioned earlier that they exist basically because of brk, so by default they were tied to Mike from the beginning. That doesn't mean they themselves were bad people, but it does have the curious question of why they overlooked Mike/Jim being lying, thieving, pervy, vindictive scumbags. If I was a dealer, and 15 years ago I had customers telling me blade steels are not behaving correctly, and I took those blades in to examine and saw they were indeed not the correct steel, it's time to do something about that.

I'm guessing the money was good enough to overlook the transgressions. But yea, it wasn't an industry secret.

 

[Danny Linguini]

Never been myself. Grew up in a pretty bad area with limited work opportunities though. Google Newport, Tn. So what level would they have stooped to if they were getting paid? It doesn’t excuse their actions. It’s a matter of principle's and morals to me.

I’m sure not every single worker knew about the Chinese blanks. But enough knew that the word would’ve made it around the shop. The ones that did know had 0 issue cashing checks while actively ripping others off for their hard earned money.

When you’re being manipulated by a master con artist, things aren’t as black and white as they would be otherwise. Judgment becomes clouded, and decent, smart-thinking people end up doing things that will have you and me scratching our heads. That’s why Mike’s friends and people who have met him face to face (as long as they weren’t complaining about a defect on one of his knives) all think he’s a great guy, and these transgressions were just a minor lapse in judgment. The guy is probably a real sweet talker to your face and an expert in telling people what they want to hear to gain their trust. That’s what con artists do with pretty much everybody. You can’t blame those employees who’ve been working under that kind of influence. Not all of them, anyway.

 

[donnord]

So Jim Sterwart, the Production and Operations Manager, claims he did not know what was going on with the Chinese blade blank fraud in his shop? The shop that he manages the operation of and production in. That shop. OK, yeah right, sure he didn't, he was blissfully unaware.

The lack of honesty and integrity with the Stewart's is unreal.

It makes no sense that the son was oblivious. I worked in a family run machine shop for a while. My family had a fabrication and erecting business for 30+ years. Dads and sons know everything that goes in the buisness as they talk about it over Sunday dinner, driving to work ect...

 

[cut it out]

It’s all just sad!!! In every way. For everybody.