Opinions on Bark River Knives

On another forum, I recommended a Bark River highly as the poster was looking at a bit of an upgrade for a hunting knife from his usual stuff. He buys the knife and the grind was off a bit... complained and complained about this relative to the cost of the knife.... Even sent it back and Bark River didn't see an issue... Bark River would not give him a new knife. I felt bad for him (sort of). But he was viewing the knife much like many view a custom and they simply aren't custom knives. Another poster bought the knife from him to shut him up. That was pretty humorous actually.
 
craytab said:
Well Duh, This is just what I do!;)

I do like how this thread has devolved into opinions on all sorts of things other than actual use of said knives. Who'd a thunk it?
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I like how people call opinions different from their self-proclaimed "expert" opinions "devolved."
 
knife chop said:
unsupported chopping phenomenon.
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Different company and a few years old, but this must be what he means: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/967227-In-regards-to-failure-phenomena It's the only time I've heard that phrase used.

On the Bark Rivers, my buddy has several and I must say that they are incredible in hand. Their beauty, solidness, and ergos are hard to explain with words. He absolutely loves his and he is a hard user. I'll likely never own one, unless I steal one of his:D due to price, but color me impressed by them.
 
I own an Esee 6 and it's an outstanding knife when I'm in the high country of the Lincoln forest. I use it along with the sak farmer and for me that combo has worked well. I have a Bark River Bravo 2 on order from knifeworks just to check it out. I have my doubts if it will become a user or merely end up locked away in my safe.
 
skyhorse said:
I own an Esee 6 and it's an outstanding knife when I'm in the high country of the Lincoln forest. I use it along with the sak farmer and for me that combo has worked well. I have a Bark River Bravo 2 on order from knifeworks just to check it out. I have my doubts if it will become a user or merely end up locked away in my safe.
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Ahhhh, BRK beg to be used, but they are also beautiful . I actually love people who don't use there knives then sell them at a discounted price on the exchange.:D
 
I have a few RC/ESEE knives, including an ESEE-4 - I like to support an Alabama company (I believe the knives are made by Rowen - in Iowa.). The second of my eight Bark River knives was the Gameskeeper. I bought it in lieu of the then relatively new Bravo 1 because it didn't have a thumb ramp, was essentially the same blade (The Bravo 1 was based on the Gameskeeper!), came with a leather sheath (The man-made handled Bravo 1's came with Kydex.), and, in natural canvas Micarta, was much cheaper than the Bravo, too. I learned MS's secret early - while spalted wombeezie wood can have serious bling-appeal, Micarta and G10 handled versions have the same blades - and are far less expensive - and would be more likely to be used, too. My one BR beauty - a bocote handled Boone is a great example - it is so handsome that I seldom use it. I love all of my BR knives, but my Gameskeeper is my favorite. Great hand fit to my medium+ size hands, too - the ESEE-4 seems a teeny bit thin - but would make a great user and save you money. It's my 'B.O.B.' knife. My BRK's, like my old Marbles, Beckers, ESEE's, and other carbon steel knives are still 'patina-less' - oil after use helps. My dealings with Mike Stewart have always been top-drawer, too. JMHO.

Stainz
 
My Nomad is almost too purty to use. I have absolutely no problem with Mike Stewart or Bark River knives. I am just not that picky when it comes to production knives and the pickiness is where the warranty problems arise with Bark River.
 
I often read opinions regarding Mike Stewart's alleged "questionable past" or "questionable business practices" from people who don't know the man and are just repeating something they've read or heard.

I feel compelled to point out that slandering someone's name without first hand knowledge is a pretty shameful thing to do, and in my opinion, says more about the poster than it does about the person in question.

I cannot say whether every single person who has a gripe with Stewart is right or wrong. The guy is human and probably makes mistakes just like the rest of us.

However, I can state that I've done business with the man off and on for close to fifteen years and he has always been a solid, stand up guy.
 
Krav said:
Ahhhh, BRK beg to be used, but they are also beautiful . I actually love people who don't use there knives then sell them at a discounted price on the exchange.:D
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Lol,it's possible mostly because that Esee does such a great job on pinion pine.Had to see what a convex grind knife was all about. Got the Bark on knifeworks inventory clearance for not much more than the Esee. :)
 
This is a beneficial discussion. The varied opinion and perspective help the OP and other less experienced knife users a great deal, even the more acerbic bents. Primarily because it lends to the strengths and weaknesses of each brand along with potential issues with the company. That being stated , it appears the BR owner can be a bit of a polarizing personality, which is not necessarily a deal breaker. That aspect simply casts a pale on the product and just creates enemies among potential users.

What I find interesting most of all about BR , beauty aside is the perspective on the versatility , or lack thereof the blade material. The questions are how well do they stand up to heavy use? In other words is the steel strong enough and purposeful enough t hold a keen edge?

Second would be it's longevity.

Rust propagation appears to be a big problem, which for me that is a Major Issue. Why? From a practical perspective, I do not simply buy a tool because it is pretty. That is a peripheral benefit, nothing more. I buy it for it's usefulness for a given task, it's effectiveness and it's durability. A knife that rusts and or does not hold it's edge is almost as bad to me as a firearm that is not accurate. To expand on this thought, when I am in a back-country situation, I do not always carry oil or cleaning materials to clean my tools, nor will I for several reasons. Many times I have gutted and or skinned out an animal , wiped the blade down as best I could then sheathed it , in leather , nylon or Kydex for several days, only to see it with rust or corrosive blemishes on it. That is a big problem and one of the reasons I quit buying brands like Knives of Alaska- which frankly offered a fairly good product.

Ultimately If the primary material used in a knife is prone to rust ,corrosion or failure of any kind, and requires diligent maintenance, it is flawed. While knives can be used for precise tasks it is not a precision instrument per se'. THat is my perspective on the matter. So I am open to varying opinion which may help change my perspective.
 
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22-rimfire said:
On another forum, I recommended a Bark River highly as the poster was looking at a bit of an upgrade for a hunting knife from his usual stuff. He buys the knife and the grind was off a bit... complained and complained about this relative to the cost of the knife.... Even sent it back and Bark River didn't see an issue... Bark River would not give him a new knife. I felt bad for him (sort of). But he was viewing the knife much like many view a custom and they simply aren't custom knives. Another poster bought the knife from him to shut him up. That was pretty humorous actually.
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If that was our friend in Japan it was hilarious,imho the funnest video since Seinfeld ! :D I felt bad that he was disappointed but at the same time fell off my chair in laughter at his rant. I like the guy but that video floored me.:)
 
Naah, this guy was from PA. His problem if you want to call it a problem was that $150-$175 was a huge amount of money to spend on a knife. I can understand the cost issue as it has taken me a while to build up to pay that much for folders even when they are highly regarded. You see I'm a Dozier guy and that kind of price on a well made fixed blade is not a big deal assuming you want the knife.

Waveone, I have never had a big problem with rust on A-2, or D-2 for that matter. But if I were going to be out in the woods for days, I'd probably take along a little RemOil wipe just in case. But that is me. Bark River does build knives with S30V and so forth now that are more rust resistant than A-2.
 
waveone said:
This is a beneficial discussion. The varied opinion and perspective help the OP and other less experienced knife users a great deal, even the more acerbic bents. Primarily because it lends to the strengths and weaknesses of each brand along with potential issues with the company. That being stated , it appears the BR owner can be a bit of a polarizing personality, which is not necessarily a deal breaker. That aspect simply casts a pale on the product and just creates enemies among potential users.

What I find interesting most of all about BR , beauty aside is the perspective on the versatility , or lack thereof the blade material. The questions are how well do they stand up to heavy use? In other words is the steel strong enough and purposeful enough t hold a keen edge?

Second would be it's longevity.

Rust propagation appears to be a big problem, which for me that is a Major Issue. Why? From a practical perspective, I do not simply buy a tool because it is pretty. That is a peripheral benefit, nothing more. I buy it for it's usefulness for a given task, it's effectiveness and it's durability. A knife that rusts and or does not hold it's edge is almost as bad to me as a firearm that is not accurate. To expand on this thought, when I am in a back-country situation country, I do not always carry oil or cleaning materials to clean my tools, nor will I for several reasons. Many times I have gutted and or skinned out an animal , wiped the blade down as best I could then sheathed it , in leather , nylon or Kydex for several days, only to se it with rust or corrosive blemishes on it. That is a big problem and one of the reasons I quit buying brands like Knives of Alaska- which frankly offered a fairly good product.

Ultimately If the primary material used in a knife is prone to rust ,corrosion or failure of any kind, and requires diligent maintenance, it is flawed. While knives can be used for precise tasks it is not a precision instrument per se'. THat is my perspective on the matter. So I am open to varying opinion which may help change my perspective.
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It seems like You are a hunter in need of stainless knives!
Why not try one of the many hunting knives in stainless, that Bark River also makes?

Suggestions:
Classic Drop-Point Hunter in CPM 154
Bird & Trout in CPM S35V
Sperati Point in 12c27

I have the Sperati Point and it has endured a lot of hard work and beg for more!

Ghi2XM.jpg


zk4sjM.jpg


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Anyway, the best thing must be to wipe Your tools dry before sheating them.
I have used the Woodland Special in A2, for a wet week onboard my boat.
I cleaned and wiped it dry after use everyday and no signs of rust whatsoever!


Regards
Mikael
 
craytab said:
I am no expert on anything really. That's the funny part. Just a knife user:D
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Ah...so you must be one of those "wannabe experts" you took a shot at earlier in the thread...

craytab said:
Nothing like an Esee or BRKT thread to bring out the honks for each company or any other company. And then we have the wannabe experts...meh.
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Bottom line is that the issues that have been discussed have affected many, many knife users' decisions on whether or not to buy Bark Rivers products. If they didn't affect yours...then whoopee for you. But if you don't want to see them in this thread, there is a simple way for you to avoid them.
 
waveone said:
Rust propagation appears to be a big problem
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How? I found an old carbon steel knife in a field, covered in rust. A wire wheel took the rust off, it sharpened beautifully and was used for several years afterwards.

"In the field", rust isn't any more of an issue than sweaty underwear, it happens. The rust won't affect the edge if the knife is being used, and really not even if it isn't because most people aren't "out" for more than a few days. It takes a long time for steel to rust to the point where a blade is rendered any sort of useless.

Mikael W said:
Ghi2XM.jpg
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Stunning!

The lighting really makes that wood 'pop'. The Blackjack (made by Bark River) Model 125 is similar, and they do small runs of natural material handles from time to time.
 
MatthewSB said:
How? I found an old carbon steel knife in a field, covered in rust. A wire wheel took the rust off, it sharpened beautifully and was used for several years afterwards.

"In the field", rust isn't any more of an issue than sweaty underwear, it happens. The rust won't affect the edge if the knife is being used, and really not even if it isn't because most people aren't "out" for more than a few days. It takes a long time for steel to rust to the point where a blade is rendered any sort of useless.



Stunning!

The lighting really makes that wood 'pop'. The Blackjack (made by Bark River) Model 125 is similar, and they do small runs of natural material handles from time to time.
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How? Simple actually. Rust is damaging and left untreated or taken off further damages the blade, so yes it does, or can affect the edge- if left untreated. I like many will not baby a knife and do not have the tools or time to treat the issuer or send it off to have it treated every time rust pops up on the blade. In any case I'm not looking to resolve an issue just in the field, nor am I looking for reasons to buy a particular tool just because it is pretty or certain people have an inclination toward a particular brand and think it is worthwhile.

If you are out of doors in back country for several days to a week or two , rust can be an issue.

Michael W- beautiful knife. Yes , I am a hunter/conservationist(" like most hunters)/woodsman. While I do have a couple SS blades I do not find them to be as hearty as the other knife steels. I am looking for the best solution for what I need and SS does not seem to be. If I am missing something, then I am open to hearing the flaw in my thinking.
 
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