Who has rough used a Bravo-1 in CPM154?

So is Bark River carrying their brand name and the Bravo's legacy on this one or is there some other justifiable reason as to why they cost so much? I mean, this thing doesn't even have scales resale, other than grind there's no "fit and finish" to even consider. I've handled Bark Rivers before, I've never owned one and they are obviously high quality blades, it just kinda baffles me...
 
udtjim said:
I both agree and disagree. Sometimes you are paying for the name, just as when using 1095, price a Mora and a Tops both using the same steel. Add the ESEE in 1095 and compare the prices. It often has nothing to do with the Material being used. I would take the Paklite for 15.00 over the 80.00 version of pretty much the same thing. CPM and 12c27 are both good blade steels that vary greatly in price across brand names.
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Great post Udtjim!
 
PayetteRucker said:
So is Bark River carrying their brand name and the Bravo's legacy on this one or is there some other justifiable reason as to why they cost so much? I mean, this thing doesn't even have scales resale, other than grind there's no "fit and finish" to even consider. I've handled Bark Rivers before, I've never owned one and they are obviously high quality blades, it just kinda baffles me...
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Knives cost what the market is willing to bear. Why beat yourself up about it? Barkies makes some fine blades. Look at BigMike, he's got all the customs and a tonne of Barkies. I've not collected any of them yet, but they sure look good to me. When and if I do decide to invest in one, it will because I want THAT knife in THAT handle. Why do fallkniven northern lights cost $300 for essentially the same blades as their survival series but having stacked leather instead of checkered plastic? I mean its not like stacked leather, whether its made out of ox or not, is expensive? However, I like those too and want one. If I want it bad enough, I'll shell out the price.

Lots of choices in the knife world and cost usually has little to do with anything. I won't buy a mora even if they are cheap.
 
PayetteRucker said:
So is Bark River carrying their brand name and the Bravo's legacy on this one or is there some other justifiable reason as to why they cost so much? I mean, this thing doesn't even have scales resale, other than grind there's no "fit and finish" to even consider. I've handled Bark Rivers before, I've never owned one and they are obviously high quality blades, it just kinda baffles me...
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As for the Bravo necker, part of the cost justification has to be the fabulous full convex grind. It out slices every knife I own period. I know it would take a lot of work to get a similar knife like the Izula convexed to perform similarly. Of course BRKT is probably also charging more since it fills the niche of a skeletonized fixed blade with full scales available. There may be other knives like it but I can't think of any off hand.
 
A2 is great, never had much issue with rust on it. Never had intention to chop with a Bravo either, but I did, and it worked as well as a knife that size can. The geometry is very stout.

If I saw another Bark River pattern that caught my eye I would get it. Yes they seem a tad pricey but each is so highly finished and that is a lot of work. So many handles and options paired with stellar edge preparation.:thumbup:
 
I've got a list 10 blades long of designs I'd love to own from Bark River but right now I'm making no money and have all the slicing and chopping ability a guy could reasonably ask for. I have a Condor Bolo that has a factory hair splitting full convex grind and it costed me 12 dollars. The Izula and BK11 both have available factory scales.
 
PayetteRucker said:
I've got a list 10 blades long of designs I'd love to own from Bark River but right now I'm making no money and have all the slicing and chopping ability a guy could reasonably ask for. I have a Condor Bolo that has a factory hair splitting full convex grind and it costed me 12 dollars. The Izula and BK11 both have available factory scales.
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True but the Izula scales just aren't for me, the BK11 scales might be better.
Sorry for the thread hijack Abchopper. I just realized what we did.
Back to the Bravo-1 steal comparison!!!!
 
kgd said:
Knives cost what the market is willing to bear. Why beat yourself up about it? Barkies makes some fine blades. Look at BigMike, he's got all the customs and a tonne of Barkies. I've not collected any of them yet, but they sure look good to me. When and if I do decide to invest in one, it will because I want THAT knife in THAT handle. Why do fallkniven northern lights cost $300 for essentially the same blades as their survival series but having stacked leather instead of checkered plastic? I mean its not like stacked leather, whether its made out of ox or not, is expensive? However, I like those too and want one. If I want it bad enough, I'll shell out the price.

Lots of choices in the knife world and cost usually has little to do with anything. I won't buy a mora even if they are cheap.
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Exactly. If thats what you want, you pay what it costs. I know I've spent money on knives that I don't need, and could get by most the time with a cheaper knife. Put it in perspective though; think how much a nice dinner at a good restaurant costs. More than what you'd pay for said BRKT necker.
 
hoopster said:
True but the Izula scales just aren't for me, the BK11 scales might be better.
Sorry for the thread hijack Abchopper. I just realized what we did.
Back to the Bravo-1 steal comparison!!!!
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We dang sure hijacked it!! I have nothing to add to the discussion of CPM 154 Bravos!!
 
I pay 1.48 a pound for petite sirloins and well marbled chuck roasts, thinly slice them, marinate them for two days, bake a potato, eat them with a 50 cent beer on the front porch of my appartment in the foothills of the Payette River Mountains and say screw the 'nice dinner' at a good restaraunt.
 
Yeah, with so many knives to buy out there, who wants to spent money on a expensive dinner in a fancy restaurant?
(except for my wife.....:foot:
Back to the Bravo 1. In Mike Stewart's own words, 154cpm with their heat treatment is almost as tough as A2.
So there you have it.....that's why I had to get both.....
Good luck choosing one.
 
I have a lot of knives but when it comes time to grab one to use and abuse it will almost always be a Mora or JK. I never worry about loosing or hurting the Mora's.
 
Horn Dog, GrinderMcgee, you guys have got be thinking about the A2 version again. Thanks again for the great input.
 
Sharp_newbie said:
not to jack this thread, but how similar is CMP154 to 154CM? could one expect them to handle the same?
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They're essentially the same alloy/chemistry. The difference is the Crucible Particle Metallurgy process they use to produce CPM154 and others. It results in finer, more evenly-distributed carbides throughout the steel. This is good for corrosion resistance, edge-holding and toughness.

You can expect better performance across the board from a CPM version of an already very good steel. Crucible also makes CPMD2, for instance.
 
Another benefit of the CPM process when applied to stainless steels is the smaller carbide grain size. This results in a finer toothier edge, as well as greater ease of sharpening and maintenace of the edge in the field. It is a pricey process which produces very fine grained material.
 
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