New Bark River Necker Knife

Mike Stewart makes the steel perform much better than 440a or 420hc (though that is generally a good comparison). It has a little less edge holding ability than Mike's A2, but not much. It is fine grained and takes a wicked edge.
 
I have the BRKT Rivers Edge in 12C27 and it takes a great edge. There probably is a durability advantage to the A2, but it is slight enough that I can't tell the difference from my A2 BRKTs.
 
Barkies are known for their stainless steels as performing almost as good as carbon steels. I think this offering opens a new niche. Refreshing to see a very long handle on this one. I bet its comfy.

Derick - any chance of a side by side shot with the professional soldier? <--- now there is a pricey necker, but from what I've read and heard from friends well worth it. At $70 this is very reasonable. Consider the kaalo came out at $100 price point when it was first released and then dropped down afterword.

Judging from the this and the kaola - if I had my choice the between the Buck and the Barkie....I'm pretty darn toot'n sure I'd be buying the barkie.

Looks like a great little necker. Hey more choice is more choice. Why are folks against that?

Edit (removed statement due to error).
 
Great necker, i hope the skeletonized handle feels as good as it looks. Good to see it dosent look like the BK11's funky handle.

I think its too pricey though, but that wont hold me back from getting one though at that pricepoint it better be a flawless in terms of perfomance, ergonomics plus fit and finish.

LOVE the fact that there's so many different blade/handle color combo's to choose from.
 
One of the things that's always put me off getting RAT is their use of 1095 and the coating on the blade. I am in a hot, high humidity area and everything made out of carbon steel (I mean everything) rusts unless it's really well coated in protective oil - not something I can guarantee in the field. The Sandvik steel is a reasonable compromise and BRKT's heat treat something special. KSF has close associations with Mike Stewart and Jeff Randall and carries and promotes both their lines. If he's excited about the new neck knife it'll be for good reason.

I've been focussing on customs from local makers but this baby has my interest.
 
What a fantastic looking little knife,the options are KILLER!I don't have any Barkies,one of those will be my first.
 
No worries with Sandvik stainless... It's definitely the toughest stainless I've used. Baton the heck out it no worries. And holds a wicked edge...
 
Gah! It's Sandvik? Didn't even put two and two together, just saw the 13C27 and didn't even think of Sandvik. Own a Kershaw RAM and think it's worth every penny I spent on it. Takes an insane edge and is pretty easy to touch up. Looks like this lil guy is back on my radar :p
 
kgd said:
Derick - any chance of a side by side shot with the professional soldier? <--- now there is a pricey necker, but from what I've read and heard from friends well worth it. At $70 this is very reasonable. Consider the kaalo came out at $100 price point when it was first released and then dropped down afterword..
Click to expand...

I will try to remember to get one as soon as they arrive.
 
But it comes with a Kydex sheath doesn't it? The leather is another offering to buy on top as well if you choose right?
 
I'd love to try one, and would probably pull the trigger if there was some sort of "package discount deal" for ordering a knife and a handle kit together. I don't mean to sound like a cheap bastid, but it is pricey for s skeletonized knife.
 
Just out of curiousity, are there any real advantages to using 12C27 over a similarly priced (cheap) but better performing steel?

I mean, if he can squeeze good performance out of 12C27, wouldnt it be advantageous to see great performance from a different, better steel?


(Not to say that 12C27 is a "bad" steel..)
 
Tripton said:
Just out of curiousity, are there any real advantages to using 12C27 over a similarly priced (cheap) but better performing steel?

I mean, if he can squeeze good performance out of 12C27, wouldnt it be advantageous to see great performance from a different, better steel?


(Not to say that 12C27 is a "bad" steel..)
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I think 12C27 is a very good choice for this knife. BRKT's 12C27 is said to behave a lot like their A2, with the added benefit of it being corrosion resistant. Most of the 'high performance stainlesses' would chip where 12C27 should not. For a 'hard use' stainless, 12C27 is hard to beat (not counting H-1)!
 
Bark River's 12C27 is excellent. It does perform similar to their A2 and can take a wicked fine edge. I use this steel in my Bark River Chef's knife.
 
Looks great and I think it's a great price for a Bark River knife shipped to my house.

Ordered one this morning with the green and black slabs and a firesteel to go into the sheath.
 
The well-thought-out handle shape definatly puts it above the Izula and the Becker Necker, which both have handle shapes that really limit your grip versatility.
 
BarberFobic1992 said:
The well-thought-out handle shape definatly puts it above the Izula and the Becker Necker, which both have handle shapes that really limit your grip versatility.
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The Becker I could somewhat agree, but the Izula?? They have really good ergonomics to me.
 
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