Northstar vs. Aurora

F

Foilist

Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Messages
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All these recent threads aout the Bark River Aurora have got me looking at my Northstar and scratching my head. I like the knife, but I have always been slightly unsatisfied with the handle. It doesn't cause a problem, but I am always "aware" of it, if you know what I mean. A good handle should be unnoticed.

Who has both knives, and how do they measure up to each other? I'm considering trying to swap my Northstar for an Aurora on the Exchange, but I'd like to hear from owners of both first.
 
Foilist, I have both and there are some differences. The Aurora is bigger plus has a much larger handle. If I had to choose between the two, I would go with the Aurora. I still like the Northstar as a minimalist packing knife...it's lighter and small all-around. The handle is a tad short...if barely just fits me and I have medium sized hands. If you have larger paws, the Aurora is definitly the choice. My biggest issue with the Northstar is the butt of the handle. It drops a little too much and is uncomfortable for some bushcraft handling methods. For more bushcrafting work, the Aurora is much better designed. For a light backpacking knife, the Northstar would still be superb.

ROCK6
 
Foilist, I am in the same boat as you, feel your pain and completely agree about the Northstar handle - which SUCKS. I love the blade - HATE the handle. If I had been able to handle one before buying it - I never would have. Few things have ticked me off as much - gear-wise - as trying to comprehend why any intelligent person would have purposely designed this handle.

I have no other piece of kit that was so just plain stupidly designed. The ergonomics of it feel like it is "pushing" my hand right ONTO the blade edge.

I believe that it was here that I read that someone had exactly that happen in a cold weather scenario and they suffered an accident from it.

When I called BRKT awhile back and asked how much it would be to rehandle my NS with a "NORMAL" handle - I was told $50.

FIFTY dollars?
When I think about how many great knives $50 can buy - I shake my head. It kind of reminds of GM/Chrysler.... Why not build it normal/intelligent/functional the FIRST TIME?

If anyone has serious suggestions on how to remedy this, I too, would like to hear them. Thanks and good luck.
 
sawgrass7 said:
Foilist, I am in the same boat as you, feel your pain and completely agree about the Northstar handle - which SUCKS. I love the blade - HATE the handle. If I had been able to handle one before buying it - I never would have. Few things have ticked me off as much - gear-wise - as trying to comprehend why any intelligent person would have purposely designed this handle.

I have no other piece of kit that was so just plain stupidly designed. The ergonomics of it feel like it is "pushing" my hand right ONTO the blade edge.

I believe that it was here that I read that someone had exactly that happen in a cold weather scenario and they suffered an accident from it.

When I called BRKT awhile back and asked how much it would be to rehandle my NS with a "NORMAL" handle - I was told $50.

FIFTY dollars?
When I think about how many great knives $50 can buy - I shake my head. It kind of reminds of GM/Chrysler.... Why not build it normal/intelligent/functional the FIRST TIME?

If anyone has serious suggestions on how to remedy this, I too, would like to hear them. Thanks and good luck.
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Spend the fifty dollars.

I guess having an actual U.S. craftsman take your knife apart by hand and then reinstall handles by hand, glue and pin them by hand, shape them and polish them by hand should come at chinese wages huh? Also, how many American (or any other world wide) company would actually consider doing that for you in the first place?

Back to the original question, I traded my Aurora because I felt the handle was a little too big. I wear a size 10 glove also so my hands are fairly big. I also own a Northstar, which, by design, shares the exact same handle as the Fox River. I cannot recall a time when I heard someone mention that they disliked the Fox River handle, but I am sure there is a comment out there regarding it. The Aurora is a large knife. I did not see or have a purpose for a knife that big. I have the Canadian Special and FT Kephart as well...both smaller than the Aurora and prefer that size knife.

If you intend to hold the Northstar in a hammer grip, (which in real world use is completely asinine) the handle will not suffice. I have used my Northstar quite a bit. I have never had any issues with the knife. It is designed to pack light and carry easily while still having a large working blade for most camp tasks.:thumbup:

The limited edition NS comes with contoured handles. It may be a better choice.
 
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Unless you have a large chopper in your hand, when do you grip a small camp knife like you hold a hammer? When do you hold a knife like a hammer cleaning game? Whittling? making fuzz sticks? Notching? I get a full grip for batoning, but that is just a SMALL SMALL portion of what I actually use a knife for. :thumbup:
 
I took a Northstar on a trade a couple of months ago and I'll agree the handle isn't great. I'm not real fond of the shape as a whole and as Rock said the butt is the worst part. Since it was used I decided to go for it and took some sandpaper to the handle....that made a huge difference. It's about 500% better now than it was when I got it yet I'm still not sure if I want to keep it. The Aurora handle looks a lot better to my eyes, but not having held one that's only a guess.
 
I have the Nebula which is the hidden tang version of the Aurora I believe.

This debate of Northstar v Aurora is governed simply by the size and shape of your hands.I have long thin fingers and not very large hands and I find the Northstar really good and useful, it has finger notches on the top of the blade which helps with control. The Nebula/Aurora is a very different thing for me:far too much handle hanging out of the end of my hand, can't use it as I like etc. must trade the bebulas I have...both are good knives but it's the size of your mitt that's important in my view.
 
TwinBlade said:
Unless you have a large chopper in your hand, when do you grip a small camp knife like you hold a hammer? When do you hold a knife like a hammer cleaning game? Whittling? making fuzz sticks? Notching? I get a full grip for batoning, but that is just a SMALL SMALL portion of what I actually use a knife for. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I use a large variety of grips when in the bush, but the one I use most by far is a 'hammer' grip. It's got the most strength, stability, and control behind it. Batoning, fuzz sticks for sure, notching, carving, sectioning branches. I think most major bushcrafty instructors teach this, as well.

Of course, a secondary problem is that not only is the northstar handle not amenable to the 'hammer' grip, it's not comfortable in side grips or reverse grips. The same was true of the canadian special, IME. Just designed for a 'thumb up' grip, with the thumb riding the spine.
 
For the record, I have medium hands with long, slender fingers. The butt of the Northstar handle digs into my hand a bit, and I feel like it is pushing my hand onto the blade, but this hasn't happened in practice. Like I originally said, it's not awful - just vaguely unsatisfactory.

Is the Aurora really that much bigger? It doesn't seem like it in pictures or from its specs. It seems like almost the same knife but with a bigger handle. Maybe I ought to look into the Canadian Special as well.
 
I didn't like the Aurora grip so I traded it. I prefer the Northstar. I'm not sure of the specs of the two knives but to me the Aurora seems MUCH larger. Much more handle. I don't know if it makes a difference but the NS I have is an LE version with the contoured handles. Is this different than most NS handles? Also the previous owner ground off the lanyard loop which is nice.
 
What sort of scales and pins does your Northstar have?

I have an Aurora with green micarta scales and red liners I might trade you if your Northstar is one of the originals w/ the tapered tang and it has decent scales.

I like the NS way better than the Aurora. For me the Aurora is really long and thin and the palm swell is too far back. The NS is also mor compact. The Aurora feels clumsy to me.

I agree the NS handle is not as good as one that is contoured but IMO it's better for extended work than any of Charlie May's handles and his knives seem to are about twice as expensive as a NS and the handles never seem to be criticized by people here. :rolleyes: Poor Northstar! ;)
 
Here's the specs:

Northstar:
Overall Length: 8.5"
Blade Length: 4.250"
Cutting Edge: 4+"
Blade Thickness: .170"
Blade Steel: A-2
Hardness: 59-60rc
Weight: 4.5 Ounces.

Aurora:
Overall Length: 9.5 Inches
Blade Length: 4.5 Inches
Blade Steel: A-2
Hardness: 58-59 rc
Blade Thickness: .170 Inch
Weight:6 Ounces

Somehow .25" if blade and .75" of handle and a whopping 1.5 ounce difference makes the Aurora "huge" to some folks and the Northstar "small".

Maybe I'm really, really strong, but 6 ounces feels like nothing. Couple that with the fact that the Aurora balances just behind the first finger, making it handle heavy, it's a very nimble blade. I don't know where the Northstar balances.

I personally, think the Northstar looks nicer, but the Aurora feels perfect. I remember asking Mike Stewart about the difference on the "other" forum, and he said they spent 2 years working on the Aurora, getting it "just right", and jokes with Reid (of Sharpshooter sheaths) that the Aurora was made for actual hands.

That being said, with all the reviews I've read of both, chances are, if you don't like one, you'll love the other. People who love the Aurora generally don't like the Northstar and vice-versa. Honestly, the shape and size of the blades is so close I can't see there being any performance difference between the two. If you already don't like one, you probably will like the other, and can probably find someone to trade with. It really comes down to personal preference.
 
Not the best picture, but a quick show of the differences...

BarkRivers.jpg


Top to Bottom:
Wet Enviro
Nebula
Aurora
Bravo-1
Fox River
North Star
Charlie May Skifa-Scandi

ROCK6
 
Foilist said:
The butt of the Northstar handle digs into my hand a bit, and I feel like it is pushing my hand onto the blade, but this hasn't happened in practice. Like I originally said, it's not awful - just vaguely unsatisfactory.
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Exactly. It felt like someone was poking a sharp stick into my palm. A little time and sandpaper made a huge difference. :thumbup: I also rounded off the sharp points on the tang near the butt.

aa1a10db5fafd0b5477439638d35575e6g.jpg


bfacf45ab1b659997d08f925331f1a1a6g.jpg


c7e469b21ae2558ad9db06d14c2767d16g.jpg
 
The 2 knives in stats are less different then feel and appearance. A Northstar carries small and also feels small because of how copact it is. there are larger folders that people EDC than the Northstar. I have several bushcraft knives and the Northstar is the easiest carried. Compared to the Aurora, it is a different knife in feel altogether.

AuroraNSFR001.jpg


AuroraNSFR002.jpg
 
hollowdweller said:
What sort of scales and pins does your Northstar have?

I have an Aurora with green micarta scales and red liners I might trade you if your Northstar is one of the originals w/ the tapered tang and it has decent scales.
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My Northstar is one of the recent ones (2007?) without the tapered tang. It has the skeletonized tang, which makes it super light. Mine is curly maple with red liners and solid pins.

I'll consider your trade suggestion, but I've decided to try and maybe get my mits on one first and handle one beforehand.
 
Doesn't the Northstar have a tapered handle anymore? I have a First Production Run and the scales are a lot thicker at the back than the front, and it has a very tapered handle so the thing on the back for the lanyard is really thin compared to these photos. Must've changed the design some. I think the Northstar handle is really small, too.
 
Foilist said:
My Northstar is one of the recent ones (2007?) without the tapered tang. It has the skeletonized tang, which makes it super light. Mine is curly maple with red liners and solid pins.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a very good looking knife. the Curly Maple and red liners combo is very visually appealing. :thumbup:
 
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