new brkt golok chipped in 30min.

Knife = cut. Ax = chop. Use the right tool for the job. And kudos to Mike Stewart & Bark River for honoring their warranty -- despite ill use.
 
From the BRKT website:


The Bark River Golok has it's Roots in the Traditional Tools of the Region of Indonesia. This Type of Tool has been used for Centuries and has proven to be one of the most useful for Bushcraft. The Golok is light, compact and is easy to carry for a large knife. It Excels at Trail Clearing, Chopping, Shelter Building, Notching and Splitting Firewood.

The large knife will take Batoning without a Complaint and it great for use as a Draw Knife for Stripping Bark or Creating a Flat Area of a log. We feel it is one of the Best Bushcraft Tools available on Today's Market.

You will find the New Golok to be one of the single most usable large knives in Your Field Kit.

Chopping--Clearing Trail--Opening a campsite--Drawing Bark
You name it, This knife will do it with ease.

It sounds like they expect you to use the tool.
 
Sounds like the grind is too thin too me. BRKT is kind of a handmade product. And with large amounts of handmade products coming from one source that makes it possible for a bad egg to come out.....kind of a friday afternoon grind if you will.

It sucks but it's the nature of the company.

That said from everyone I've heard....if you get a good one you get a GREAT one.
 
alberta ed said:
knife = cut. Ax = chop. Use the right tool for the job. And kudos to mike stewart & bark river for honoring their warranty -- despite ill use.
Click to expand...

the golok is not a compitition knife that is used under staged conditions.

The golok is a monster that will be mis-used more than used.
Click to expand...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
I agree, it was ground too thin most likely. I've see a few reports from other users that had similar problems over the years with the larger Bark River knives.
 
Ground too thin and run too hard. Typical BRKT problem. They make good stuff but when they err, that's the side they do it on.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Ground too thin and run too hard. Typical BRKT problem. They make good stuff but when they err, that's the side they do it on.
Click to expand...

Ground too thin, yes I agree here.
Run too hard?
RC 58 isn't harder than my Fällkniven NL's at RC 59 and they don't chip or roll, but they are thicker in the edge.
My Golok doesn't chip or roll with the new geometry and I have used it continously for hours of chopping Maple.
No I don't agree that it should be to hard.

Regards
Mikael
 
They may have their RC listed with a specific number, but that number can vary. I don't care what they proclaim as the intended RC, they can end up too hard.

I'm curious as to how you were removing the blade as you chopped. I'm not accusing here, just asking. I've seen plenty of guys twist a blade side to side to get it loose, when they should be rocking it up and down. Just saying...

I've only used my Golok a bit, but never had a problem from any of my Barkies. My PSK, Golok, Bravo 1, and Mountain Man are all ground thin. None of them have had any issues, but I don't baton any of them nor expect them to chop the hardest woods.
 
I like my Bravo 1s, but after ruining one of them using it for non knife chores (they made it right, thanks BRKT!) I went shopping for a small axe and ended up with a Gransfors Bruks wildlife hatchet. My life is easier now.

028-1.jpg


Machetes and Goloks and other big knives are great, but they're more common in areas full of bamboo and vines for a reason...
 
I would have to say, and thankfully, I avoided the Barkie golok mostly due to the price. I was a fan of the project back when they made them from Ontarioachete's.

You should have got the condor golok. I have two now. Condor replaced the one that failed much like yours did. Impact tools should not shatter, its common sense iny opinion.
 
foxx said:
They may have their RC listed with a specific number, but that number can vary. I don't care what they proclaim as the intended RC, they can end up too hard.

I'm curious as to how you were removing the blade as you chopped. I'm not accusing here, just asking. I've seen plenty of guys twist a blade side to side to get it loose, when they should be rocking it up and down. Just saying...


I've only used my Golok a bit, but never had a problem from any of my Barkies. My PSK, Golok, Bravo 1, and Mountain Man are all ground thin. None of them have had any issues, but I don't baton any of them nor expect them to chop the hardest woods.
Click to expand...

I can understand Your curiousity, but the blade wasn't stuck in the wood at all and it was a continous flow of chops.
They were indeed very hard and the wood was hard peartree.
I think that the tree itself swayed away under the impact of the chop and bent the steel enough to chip.
This isn't as easy as it was in this case, if the edge is set for chopping.
Look at the geometry of an axe, even a small ax like a Gränsfors Mini has a thicker geometry than most chopping knives.
However,the problem was solved under the Bark River warranty and my Golok has not chipped or rolled since then.

I do have pics of the tree with the chip in it, but the only one I have showed them for, is Mike Stewart and I intend to keep it that way.

Regards
Mikael
 
Mikael W said:
Ground too thin, yes I agree here.
Run too hard?
RC 58 isn't harder than my Fällkniven NL's at RC 59 and they don't chip or roll, but they are thicker in the edge.
My Golok doesn't chip or roll with the new geometry and I have used it continously for hours of chopping Maple.
No I don't agree that it should be to hard.

Regards
Mikael
Click to expand...

A thicker geometry and/or edge angle can compensate for high hardness, but I find that 55 RC is pretty much ideal for long, thin choppers. I think they run the blades dangerously hard for their intended work, and that's the reason why there have been so many threads identical to this one in the past several years. The new geometry you now have is fine for the hardness--the original geometry is not. Ground to thin for the hardness or run too hard for the thickness--they're equivalent terms. It all depends on what geometry you're shooting for. :)
 
No machete should cost $200+ The first guy who charged that much and got away with it should be taken out back and beat.

Sorry to hear your bad luck, but I'm sure this will lead you to the right tool...and I'll bet you will have money left over for other nice stuff as well.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
A thicker geometry and/or edge angle can compensate for high hardness, but I find that 55 RC is pretty much ideal for long, thin choppers. I think they run the blades dangerously hard for their intended work, and that's the reason why there have been so many threads identical to this one in the past several years. The new geometry you now have is fine for the hardness--the original geometry is not. Ground to thin for the hardness or run too hard for the thickness--they're equivalent terms. It all depends on what geometry you're shooting for. :)
Click to expand...

Yes I agree with You, the heat-treatment, geometry and the steel has to be on the right level for the intended use.
Many tools are made with RC 55 in order to not fail, but in a chopper that also is designed to work as a knife, RC 55 is very low.
For a Machete which is teamed with a smaller beltknife, RC 55 should work perfect.

Regards
Mikael
 
Remember though, these have very nice leather sheaths, at least a $50 value if not more. Plus, the handles are made like nice knife handles, G-10, or micarta, corby bolts, they have great contours and f&f. The blade is 1/4" thick at the spine, and full flat grind(more work than a flat machete with an edge).

There's more work and materials involved with a Golok than a typical machete. OTOH, Condor makes a larger Golok, with a good leather sheath all for about $50.
 
Mikael W said:
Yes I agree with You, the heat-treatment, geometry and the steel has to be on the right level for the intended use.
Many tools are made with RC 55 in order to not fail, but in a chopper that also is designed to work as a knife, RC 55 is very low.
For a Machete which is teamed with a smaller beltknife, RC 55 should work perfect.

Regards
Mikael
Click to expand...

Just curious--have you ever had a circumstance where a RC 55 small knife proved too soft? I have a number of them, including short machetes, and have never had an issue cutting anything I've chanced to encounter in the woods. I agree that in a small knife 58 is definitely better--however, I've never had an issue using a machete for small work, nor using softer small knives. SAKs are only 56 RC and do just fine and dandy. :)
 
Condor does have a lifetime warranty.

Ontario has a lifetime warranty.

Ka-Bar has a lifetime warranty.

They are NOT a no questions asked warranty. Really though, for a $20-40 machete, i think the warranty is impressive. I am just sayin.' Still waiting for my BK-6 Patrol Machete to be re-released at some point in time.
 
My most used RC in a beltknife is 60 like in a Mora knife, but I also use knives up to 62.
RC 58 works for me and lower too, but I think 60 is what I would prefer if I can choose.

Regards
Mikael
 
Now we are getting into an all too common practice here on BF: people talking down on a product they have never actually owned or even used. I think the Barkie Golok is awesome, I own it, I've used it extensively. People who own it should be the ones mostly weighing in here imho, be it positively or negatively. Theorizing about an item you have never actually touched isn't going to help the OP or anyone else.

I'm also seeing alot of people bagging on the price, comparing Bark River to machetes made south of the border, this is of course also a mistake (don't get me wrong, I love machetes!)

Just want to remind everyone how pricing in the knife industry (and almost every other) works:
Better and pricier materials, price goes up.
More materials, price goes up.
Made in the USA, price goes up.
Craftsman of higher skill, price goes up.
Better overall fit and finish, price goes up.
More aesthetically pleasing, price goes up.
Well known and respected brand, price goes up.
Customization options, price goes up.
Item more scarce, price goes up.
And on and on...

Try to keep factors like these in mind guys. And remember, just because an item isn't produced by your favorite brand, in your price range, doesn't always mean it's somehow inferior or a waste of money. Besides, if you don't like nicer, higher quality knives you are on the wrong forum anyways :)
 
Last edited:
Alberta Ed said:
Knife = cut. Ax = chop. Use the right tool for the job. And kudos to Mike Stewart & Bark River for honoring their warranty -- despite ill use.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's really good of them to honour the warranty. After all, he did use the knife for its explicitly advertised purpose - what was he thinking? :eek: Chopping with a chopper? What is the world coming to these days?

If he were chopping a log with a pocket knife or something, yeah, you would be right - that would be misuse. Since Bark River explicitly tell their customers that this knife should be used for batoning and chopping, you're totally out to lunch, man.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top