- Joined
- Mar 26, 2002
- Messages
- 2,845
I'm finally joining the Bark River club. They've always gotten great reviews and put out practical-looking designs, so I had to try one "in the steel" as it were. I had the good fortune of being gifted a Little Creek with matching fire steel.
First some questions, and then a mini-review:
This is a "Limited Edition" knife. The handle is black G10 with gold liner, and the blade is marked "first production run". I tried to dig up some information on the other various Bark River sites/forums out there, but didn't find some basic answers:
1. How "limited" is limited in this case? I know BRKT makes some handle versions in very, very small numbers (I think Mike Stewart mentioned only 5 of a particular pattern in ghost green G10) but I'd think the "limited" handles would be produced in reasonably collectible numbers.
2. Are all patterns made in the limited black/gold handle?
3. Most of the black/gold handles I saw were marked "Limited Edition" rather than "First production Run". Are the limited made once and then never again, or do they make a certain number of each run in the limited black/gold handle pattern?
4. How collectible is the "limited" pattern? Are more people looking for these? Are they rarer/more expensive on the resale market?
This one is going to be a user. It's a great looking little knife and I might try to acquire more with similar handles. However, I'm not sure I'd want to beat on ultra-rare collectible users. I could easily plain black handles or some other material, so collectors don't cry when they see my scarred, patina-ed, sharpened down nubs.
Now for some useful information:
First impression was "This knife is TINY!" This pattern is similar to the Fox River/Highland Special, and is perfectly scaled down from those blades. There's no sense of proportion in the online photos I looked at, and I was expecting something more like the Busse Game Warden - short blade, but relatively wide with a normal handle. The size isn't bad, but it was a little funny because the firesteel is almost as large and heavy as the knife!
The handle comfortably fits three fingers, and the butt is well-shaped to nestle into the pinky. Spine is straight and the steel is fairly thick (9/64 inches by my ruler, about 1/8") so it's easy to press your thumb into the spine. The knife showed up very shiny, with a thin coat of oil on the blade and polished handles. The G10 is very black, though faint stripes of navy blue show up in bright sunlight. The gold-colored liners are very thin, and add a nice bit of detail. Brass pins are also a bit different.
Sharpness was pretty good. Hair shaving was OK, paper slicing was OK. The convex geometry is good for paper slicing, but the thick spine and relatively narrow(short) blade are drawbacks - the paper binds just a bit more than with very thin knives. A few swipes on a chromium-oxide (green) leather strop improved both shaving and paper cutting. I think the edge geometry, handle ergonomics, and level of blade control will make this one a good whittler.
The sheath is black leather of medium thickness. It's pouch-type. The knife did not fit in at first - I checked several times to make sure there was nothing inside, and no loose nubs for the knife to hang up on. It turns out that the fit is just very tight. Now that the knife has sat in there and stretched things out, it fits nicely. The belt loop may also have to be stretched the first two times - it fits tightly on my belt, which is good because it keeps the knife from shifting around. There are two grommets on the stitched side of the pouch. It may be possible to use these to rig a neck sheath or piggy back rig, but it would be nice to have some attachment points on the other side.
The firesteel is huge - approximately the same size as the knife. The handle matches the knife handle - black G10 with a thin strip of gold. The ferro handle is thicker and less polished than the knife. I'll probably get a pocket sheath that holds both the steel and knife together.
Overall, first impressions of this one are good. Now time to put it to work and see what happens!
First some questions, and then a mini-review:
This is a "Limited Edition" knife. The handle is black G10 with gold liner, and the blade is marked "first production run". I tried to dig up some information on the other various Bark River sites/forums out there, but didn't find some basic answers:
1. How "limited" is limited in this case? I know BRKT makes some handle versions in very, very small numbers (I think Mike Stewart mentioned only 5 of a particular pattern in ghost green G10) but I'd think the "limited" handles would be produced in reasonably collectible numbers.
2. Are all patterns made in the limited black/gold handle?
3. Most of the black/gold handles I saw were marked "Limited Edition" rather than "First production Run". Are the limited made once and then never again, or do they make a certain number of each run in the limited black/gold handle pattern?
4. How collectible is the "limited" pattern? Are more people looking for these? Are they rarer/more expensive on the resale market?
This one is going to be a user. It's a great looking little knife and I might try to acquire more with similar handles. However, I'm not sure I'd want to beat on ultra-rare collectible users. I could easily plain black handles or some other material, so collectors don't cry when they see my scarred, patina-ed, sharpened down nubs.
Now for some useful information:
First impression was "This knife is TINY!" This pattern is similar to the Fox River/Highland Special, and is perfectly scaled down from those blades. There's no sense of proportion in the online photos I looked at, and I was expecting something more like the Busse Game Warden - short blade, but relatively wide with a normal handle. The size isn't bad, but it was a little funny because the firesteel is almost as large and heavy as the knife!
The handle comfortably fits three fingers, and the butt is well-shaped to nestle into the pinky. Spine is straight and the steel is fairly thick (9/64 inches by my ruler, about 1/8") so it's easy to press your thumb into the spine. The knife showed up very shiny, with a thin coat of oil on the blade and polished handles. The G10 is very black, though faint stripes of navy blue show up in bright sunlight. The gold-colored liners are very thin, and add a nice bit of detail. Brass pins are also a bit different.
Sharpness was pretty good. Hair shaving was OK, paper slicing was OK. The convex geometry is good for paper slicing, but the thick spine and relatively narrow(short) blade are drawbacks - the paper binds just a bit more than with very thin knives. A few swipes on a chromium-oxide (green) leather strop improved both shaving and paper cutting. I think the edge geometry, handle ergonomics, and level of blade control will make this one a good whittler.
The sheath is black leather of medium thickness. It's pouch-type. The knife did not fit in at first - I checked several times to make sure there was nothing inside, and no loose nubs for the knife to hang up on. It turns out that the fit is just very tight. Now that the knife has sat in there and stretched things out, it fits nicely. The belt loop may also have to be stretched the first two times - it fits tightly on my belt, which is good because it keeps the knife from shifting around. There are two grommets on the stitched side of the pouch. It may be possible to use these to rig a neck sheath or piggy back rig, but it would be nice to have some attachment points on the other side.
The firesteel is huge - approximately the same size as the knife. The handle matches the knife handle - black G10 with a thin strip of gold. The ferro handle is thicker and less polished than the knife. I'll probably get a pocket sheath that holds both the steel and knife together.
Overall, first impressions of this one are good. Now time to put it to work and see what happens!
