What is the deal with Bark River knives being so small?

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kgriggs8

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I have bought several Bark Rivers and they are all great quality and well designed. I think they are great values except for the fact that many of them seem like they are not quite built to ful scale. I end up buying some knives before I can handle them so it is partly my fault I guess but many of the Bark Rivers just seem a little to small in the handle.

I have normal to small hands so I am not some lumberjack with big meat hooks here. Take the Northstar for example, it is one of the larger BRs yet the handle is about an inch short of being actually comfortable. The Blackwater boot knife is another one that I can't imagine anyone really feels like it fits their hand.

Am I crazy or do others notice this? I have not really seen anyone complain about this before so maybe I am in the minority.
 
I've bought two of their hunting knives to give away as gifts. Don't recall the exact models, Higland Special perhaps, but they fit my grip OK. I've also handled the Mountaineer and it was nearly perfect.

My own Bark River Tantos have odd handles, plenty long enough but very slender. I guess that's an effect of the knife style.
The other Bark River knife I have is the Forager, and it has plenty of ~extra~ handle length.

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
I had a Highland or Woodland (forgot which) and that one was fine. The handle was a little short but that was the design of the knife. I also had a Snowy River that was fine for length but was too thin in the handle.

It just seems that they are either too short or too thin. I just don't get why they don't add a bit more length or girth to most of their handles and have a really great product.
 
The first time I got a BRKT knife, I thought the same thing. BUT after I started using it, I fell in love. They are just right now.

They make some really large knives, but I prefer the more compact ones now.
 
I find the Professional Bark River series one of the most ergonomic designs I've ever found in knives. The small size of the Woodland is a great advantage when you're carrying your house on your back.
 
I purchased a northstar last year and found the same thing, Bark river had so many complaints they came out with the arora ,it has a longer handle .
 
It seems that most Bark River models have small handles, so you should really pay attention. There are some good sized ones though. You should look into picking up a Rogue, it's an excellent knife. If you want a guard, you can get a Teddy, it also has a full-sized handle.
 
I have a Northstar and the handle is completely adequate. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
 
The Gameskeeper and Montana guide have very large handles--the Montana Guide is HUGE--but with BRKT designs, size isn't everything.

;)
 
I'll have to remember that if I ever order one of their knives, I was looking at them the other day and I liked a few of the designs.
 
Most dealers list the blade, handle and overall size on their sites.

How wide is your hand?

Bark River makes some very large knives as well. You don't have to buy the smaller ones if you prefer larger knives.
 
My regular sized Barks are great---but the sheaths suck.

I have a micro something or other thats just a worthless POS---too small to do anything with---a waste of money---and the sheath sucks to boot. Bought off fleabay---so never handled one in person---they gave specs but I didn't realize it would be so small---a waste of $45. My other Barks were so nice I figured this would be too.
 
Grampa said:
Most dealers list the blade, handle and overall size on their sites.

How wide is your hand?

Bark River makes some very large knives as well. You don't have to buy the smaller ones if you prefer larger knives.
Click to expand...

Some of these knives can be pretty expensive - so I make a cardboard cutout based on the dimensions given on the web site. It's not a lot of work and it makes it easier for me to visualize the final product.
 
j22knife said:
I make a cardboard cutout based on the dimensions given on the web site. It's not a lot of work and it makes it easier for me to visualize the final product.
Click to expand...

I thought I was the only one! :)

I've been doing about the same for years. My hands are pretty broad so I always liked to sketch a new knife life-size on paper and wrap my hand around the drawing.

Some of the Barkies are small but I tend to find them easy to manipulate, like the Highland Special. That's just big enough for my paw but sometimes I find placing the butt between my ring and little fingers gives me perfect control and shoves the point forward when I want to also.

You definitely have to look before you leap, because they have a minimalist philosophy that's supported by excellent design.
 
I have handled quite a few of the Bark River knives, and I have found the handles to be a bit on the small side as well. There are exceptions of course. I really enjoy the handles on my clip point hunter, gameskeeper, and Aurora. I really would like a TUSK, but 4-1/8" just isn't enough handle. I seem to need at least 4-1/2" to feel comfortable. The Rat-3 from Ontario would be a super knife with another half inch of handle as well. Just my two cents worth. Like was said earlier....different strokes for different folks.
 
omaha-beenglockin said:
My regular sized Barks are great---but the sheaths suck.

I have a micro something or other thats just a worthless POS---too small to do anything with---a waste of money---and the sheath sucks to boot. Bought off fleabay---so never handled one in person---they gave specs but I didn't realize it would be so small---a waste of $45. My other Barks were so nice I figured this would be too.
Click to expand...

Heck, if it's that bad, I'll trade ya for it. ;)
 
I have a barkie Wolf River and now that you mention it, the handle does seem a bit small. Not unlike my Benchmade Mini-grip, same thing, a handle just a little short of perfect, usable yes, just could have been a wee bit longer.
 
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