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Tell me about the Bark River Bravo II

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JTR357

JTR357

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Sep 10, 2007
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Deer hunting season is coming up fast & I'm looking for an "all around" camp knife.I pack extremely light,so I won't be carrying an axe or hatchet.
I'm looking for a 7"+ knife to procure firewood,& everything else you would use a large-ish knife for.
I'll also have a 3"-4" bladed knife for the finer stuff(cleaning/skinning/eating).

So,what are your thoughts about the Bravo II for camping/hunting?


Thanks,:)
 
JTR357 said:
Deer hunting season is coming up fast & I'm looking for an "all around" camp knife.I pack extremely light,so I won't be carrying an axe or hatchet.
I'm looking for a 7"+ knife to procure firewood,& everything else you would use a large-ish knife for.
I'll also have a 3"-4" bladed knife for the finer stuff(cleaning/skinning/eating).

So,what are your thoughts about the Bravo II for camping/hunting?


Thanks,:)
Click to expand...
Just go ahead and buy one! :thumbup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjdgYRHuwIc

I can't think of any stock knife better than the Bravo-II (Or the Canadian Camp and Gameskeeper-II). It has replaced my Busse Skinny ASH-1 as my main camping/hunting blade.
 
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Thanks for the vid.Well,It looks like it slices well.Will it chop as well as it slices?How are the ergos?Any hot spots?
 
The Bravo II is a great knife, but also consider a Busse SAR8. They are awesome! It will be all that and then some.
 
It is not the knife to choose when you plan to do a lot of chopping.

It's more of a fighter in weight than chopper.

It's a VERY well made knife--but I would advise you to hold one first before you buy one.
 
WILLIAM.M said:
It is not the knife to choose when you plan to do a lot of chopping.

It's more of a fighter in weight than chopper.

It's a VERY well made knife--but I would advise you to hold one first before you buy one.
Click to expand...

I'll be batoning with it more than chopping.
Unfortunately,I can't hold one first.I'll be buying online.Most likely from knivesshipfree.

Outdoors Fanatic said:
The SAR-8 was sold out in less than one hour... And it was 478.00 dollars with no sheath.
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I'm sure Busses are great,but they're not one of my options for now.
 
WILLIAM.M said:
It is not the knife to choose when you plan to do a lot of chopping.

It's more of a fighter in weight than chopper.

It's a VERY well made knife--but I would advise you to hold one first before you buy one.
Click to expand...
I'd say the Bravo-II is a lightweight knife with plenty of length which will chop pretty well when it's needed... Of course, it is not a dedicate chopper like a Busse Battle Mistress, but it's the perfect all-around blade with the right size/weight to carry around even on long hikes.
 
my bravo-2 actually chops pretty well and batons even better. i use it as my dedicated camp knife (out and about camp). it handles chores like minor clearing very well and i use it in the camp kitchen alot as well.

the edge geometry is pretty good. i think the bravo-1's thickness and edge geometry was meant to be for the bravo-2 but someone at the shop just decided to cut a few inches off the front :D


its definetly a nice knife that you cant go wrong with. razor sharp and balanced very nicely. the sheath is also a winner.


if you can you should try to find one without the thumbramp IMO. mine has a thumb ramp and i think i'll eventually grind it off.


cheers

JC
 
Outdoors Fanatic said:
I'd say the Bravo-II is a lightweight knife with plenty of length which will chop pretty well when it's needed... Of course, it is not a dedicate chopper like a Busse Battle Mistress, but it's the perfect all-around blade with the right size/weight to carry around even on long hikes.
Click to expand...

That's the kind of description I thought about it too.Thanks for confirming it.

Pitdog,I really like JK's knives too,but I'm kinda getting this one in a hurry & on a budget.Thanks for the tip.
 
JTR357 said:
I'll be batoning with it more than chopping.
Unfortunately,I can't hold one first.I'll be buying online.Most likely from knivesshipfree.



I'm sure Busses are great,but they're not one of my options for now.
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JTR357 WROTE:
I'll be batoning with it more than chopping.
Click to expand...

It will be perfect for batonig through any type of wood you might enconter, it is a VERY tough knife and pretty darn sharp to boot. The convex edge is a bless to work with.
 
OK,I'm convinced,Thanks!:D

One(or two) more question(s)-
How's the sheath carry?Is it comfortable?The sheath has often been the "deal breaker" with past FB purchases.

Will the A2 work well with the firesteel?I've never used A2 in the field(usually 1095),this'll be a first.
 
The Bravo II is one of my favorite knives. It's awesome. It's basically a beefed up, modernized version of the Ka-Bar- if you set one on top of the other, they are almost identical. They baton GREAT. The handle is super comfortable for extended use, they come with a killer convex edge, and they chop as well as can be expected for that kind of knife. The A2 steel is great- it holds a super edge for a long while, is crazy tough, and doesn't want to rust very badly. The spine on mine is slightly rounded, so you can't spark a firesteel on it, except with the edge. You could flatten out the spine pretty easily if you needed to. The sheath is great- rides comfortably, and is very high-quality. It rides low- so you'll probably want to use a leg strap with it.

Overall, it's an excellent knife.
 
sheath is extremely well made and rides nicely. i can even wear a pack with it and be fine. for running around in the woods i put some rope through the bottom holes and tie around the ol' leg.
 
I have the Bravo one but my dealer who does layaways, does not have a Bravo two. If he ever gets one, I will have one.

I second the JK's Big time, Price wise you will be in the same ball park. I Think.:) You might want to check out the BK-2 as well if you are on a budget.
 
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And Bravo-1 with Bravo-2.

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Big Mike

”Scaring the tree huggers.”

Forest & Stream
 
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Another option you may like is Falkniven A2 -this is very light - around 370g knife with a 8 inch blade of pure furry ): I like it more than Busse SAR 8 and I think this says a lot. Furthermore, you will have no problems to chop or baton with it. I also would like to buy Bravo, but so may knives so little time. Whatever, you choose I hope you enjoy it.
 
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