WTH bark river knife and tool

[tonym]

Im just a little mad you can keep the fox river. Sorry but my grammar sucks.
Tony did you see the little bit of blue on the tip? i think they ground it to long.

I was just messing with you Bob, I of all people should shut up when it comes to grammar and spelling:thumbup:

I did notice a lil something at the tip, but alot of my knives have a dark spot at the tip due to the leather sheaths. I really should oil them up before putting them away. I am sorry that happend to that knife, I never used that one. Feel free to send it to me and I will deal with BRKT and the offer is still there for you to borrow the Foxriver unless you want something a lil smaller in the mean time. You know my email, let me know.

 

[tonym]

Tony, I know Mike Stewart will fix it up quickly (at no charge of course).

But if you do get it back I’ll be more then happy to fix any damage and re-set that edge a little thicker.




"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

Thanks for the offer Mike, and I know you would do a great job. If Bob were to send it to me, I would just be loaning him the Foxriver till the Highland got back from BRKT. They always take care of problems, but sometimes things take lnger than expected. I just didn't want Bob to be out of a knife for too long.

 

[Big Mike]

Thanks for the offer Mike, and I know you would do a great job. If Bob were to send it to me, I would just be loaning him the Foxriver till the Highland got back from BRKT. They always take care of problems, but sometimes things take lnger than expected. I just didn't want Bob to be out of a knife for too long.

No problem my friend, :thumbup:


…I agree, it should be sent back to Bark River, its best they see the problem.




"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

 

[1Tracker]

I was boning out a turkey once with a BRKT, brand new out of the box, Bird & Trout and had the same thing happen on the edge. Good 1/8th" in from the edge. Don't have the picture to put up here, but I do have one of it on a camera card. I was stunned by how soft the edge was...just like you, I was "What the heck?!" BRKT knives are nice looking but the steel is either right or it's not, there is no inbetween if you are trusting your LIFE to a knife in the Bush IME.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

I had a similar problem once. I got taken care of with no B.S. I have never found dealing with BRK&T to be a headache at all.

The biggest problem will be if Mike decides that your whole knife needs replacing instead of the edge being reset. I doubt he has highland blanks at the moment and they are a long ways off on the schedule. In my case, I ended up with a different model because I was not willing to wait for the next run.

 

[hollowdweller]

I was boning out a turkey once with a BRKT, brand new out of the box, Bird & Trout and had the same thing happen on the edge. Good 1/8th" in from the edge. Don't have the picture to put up here, but I do have one of it on a camera card. I was stunned by how soft the edge was...just like you, I was "What the heck?!" BRKT knives are nice looking but the steel is either right or it's not, there is no inbetween if you are trusting your LIFE to a knife in the Bush IME.

They have somebody heat treat the blades and then grind them right? So I'm guessing of one of their folks gets in a hurry and gets the edge too hot you'd get something like that.

 

[1Tracker]

I agree Hollowdweller, but then it's up to Quality Control folks to do their job and reject the knife, not ship it out to a dealer. I ended up returning the knife to a dealer and was done with it after a refund. I lost confidence in the brand after that because if I'm paying decent money for a knife I want a decent knife, period. I pay for quality buying American and expect it, end of my story.

 

[benchmadebob]

I agree Hollowdweller, but then it's up to Quality Control folks to do their job and reject the knife, not ship it out to a dealer. I ended up returning the knife to a dealer and was done with it after a refund. I lost confidence in the brand after that because if I'm paying decent money for a knife I want a decent knife, period. I pay for quality buying American and expect it, end of my story.

Heack ya i dont have 100+$ to throw away for a butter knife.

 

[langston302]

i sold or traded all my barkies away...just not my style...but lets be honest here...things happen...no matter what company or individual was involved...stuff just happens...

Contact BRK&T, Mike and his crew WILL make it right, just dont mention badgers....

 

[hollowdweller]

I agree Hollowdweller, but then it's up to Quality Control folks to do their job and reject the knife, not ship it out to a dealer. I ended up returning the knife to a dealer and was done with it after a refund. I lost confidence in the brand after that because if I'm paying decent money for a knife I want a decent knife, period. I pay for quality buying American and expect it, end of my story.

I've bought a lot of different blades off of a lot of difft companies and makers and have run into a lot of difft flaws in a fair number of them. IMO most knife companies don't do much QC and just rely on replacing defective ones instead

 

[Big Mike]

Here’s what I know about the Bark River knife making process.

After the blades are cut-out and heat treated to Mike Stewart's specifications, they are hand ground by one of a very few well trained employees, this is a job done by only the most skilled workers.

The desired profile is set by Mike on any given run of knives, and the crew does all the knives in a batch over a short period of time.

QC of the final blade geometry consists of hacking at one of the hardwood 4 by 4 post in the shop, the blade is then checked for rolls or chips.

Blades that pass muster are then finished and sent to the distributors.

There are no seconds from Bark River.

The knives are fully backed by a no questions asked warrantee; if you damage it, they will fix it.



Now obviously different knives have different edge geometries, some set thinner for better slicing, some set thicker to take more abuse.


The bottom line is that if you choose to take a hunting knife like the Highland Special and use it like a camp chopper, any damage you do will still be covered; in fact they will even set an edge a little thicker or thinner on an undamaged knife, anything to meet your needs.


I know of no company that takes care of its customers the way Bark River does.



As for not trusting a Bark River when the chips are down?


Anybody that does not test their tools for the task they intend to use them for is not fully prepared to face the worse case scenario.

If we learn anything from this forum it should be the value of testing your gear as you hone your skills; anybody who thinks that their high dollar hunting knife is going to “cut” it for building shelters in a hardwood forest when the SHTF is not being realistic.

My advice is to thoroughly test all your gear all the time, knowing how it works and what you can expect of it is the key to being prepared.

If I damage a knife in the field, I look at it as a lesson learned, not as a fatal flaw in the product;
I need fine edged knives for serious slicing as much as I need tough chopping tools.



"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

 

[LeeCQC]

I just got a BRKT Mikro Tusk and I must say it's fantastic. No problems out of any of my Barkies. :thumbup:

 

[stilldointime]

I( wood really like to say something about this but that is why i sold my hole collection of bark rivers of corse to quote mike stewert i have very little problems with my knives
of corse i have got all the bad ones or everybody else buys them and leaves them in the box and never takes them out

 

[VANCE]

i( wood really like to say something about this but that is why i sold my hole collection of bark rivers of corse to quote mike stewert i have very little problems with my knives
of corse i have got all the bad ones or everybody else buys them and leaves them in the box and never takes them out

whiskey
tango
foxtrot


over

 

[Grampa]

Don't bother with email - just give Bark River a call.

You'll probably get Donna, but odds are high you'll get Mike. Either one will take care of you just fine.

 

[1Tracker]

I've bought a lot of different blades off of a lot of difft companies and makers and have run into a lot of difft flaws in a fair number of them. IMO most knife companies don't do much QC and just rely on replacing defective ones instead

My point is, if we 'the American buying public' are to bring American manufacturing off it's knees, then American Companies need to step up their Quality Control. I don't know about you, but every day it seems it's harder for me to earn my dollars; which I then have to turn around and decide what I will 'invest them in'. Unless I feel as if I am going to be buying a Quality product from ANY company selling widgets, I take my business elsewhere until I am satisfied with the quality for the price. Lots of knife companies put out fancy scaled knives today, but it's the steel that I ultimately place my trust in not the beauty of the beast. I understand not every single item produced is always perfect and mistakes happen. But using 'warranties' to offset poor Quality Control is'nt my idea of good company practices IMO. Quality is something hard to argue with in something as valuable as a knife to an outdoorsman. You either trust your knife or you don't plain and simple. And I don't mean by handing it to a 17yr old bozo that thinks every knife is meant to chop cinder blocks either. I mean in the sense that it will always be up to the field tasks you demand of it as it was designed to deal with.

To BRKT's credit the dealer involved accepted the return with no hassles. I hate to see dealers of anything, be it cars or knives, have to deal with the grief but not the glory end of things. You never see a dealer being lauded at a racetrack when their brand wins, but the manufacturer gets all the kudos. BRKT has some very nice designs and the products seem to be popular.

 

[jca21]

i bought my first barkie, a bravo-2 not too long ago. i was out in the bush and forgot to pack a spork so i ended up fashioning a set of chopsticks. i accidently swung the knife into a boulder that i was sitting on and the curved area near the front of the blade made contact with the rocks. i was shitting bricks wondering how badly i'd chipped the thing but upon inspection the blade was relatively fine. a few "micro" sized nicks in the blade which were only visible by looking at it very closely. it did not effect the over all performance of the knife.

i'm sorry to hear that your having problems with your knife bob. hopefully things will get resolved for you in a manner which is best for you. i have a golok, mikro canadian II and a fox river which havent been thoroughly tested but from the times i've used them they seem to be good.

tony, it is very generous of you to offer lending your fox river while the other knife is away for repairs.

again i hope things work out for ya bob.

cheers

 

[1Tracker]

Big Mike, I agree with your post's statements for the most part. But I am pretty confident in my gear that I have used for 30yrs in the outdoors, knives included.

I also am pretty well versed thanks to BF on knife edge geometries, uses, and the like. I would hasten to say that if one wants a fine slicing knife then one need not go further than their local chef supply store. If kitchen knives are designed for slicing then that is what I carry to do that field task, when I'm carrying multiple knives. Their price point is much more affordable due to purpose first, beauty second design IME.

If you can't depend upon your 'hunting knife' to be your mainstay alongside your hatchet or ax, then you need another knife IMO. A knife's functions in camp is so demanding that nothing but the best one can afford should be worn IMO. Why venture into the woods with a knife if it cannot fulfill it's tasks it is designed to? I'm not a fan of 'chopping' with anything other than a machete in the Bush. Others find joy or usefulness in large chopper type knives and that's their perogative. I carry a midsized knive, a small hatchet, and a simple saw for camp tasks. I'm not heading into the woods to rewrite any of the Masterworks, rather I go there to relax and spend time out. The last thing on my mind should be "can my knife handle this task?" IMO.

Again, no abuse was involved in my knife handling, the edge was'nt set enough to handle the task it was designed for. It can happen with any brand; and this is my point about Quality Control during manufacturing before it gets to your customer. I want nothing more than to support fellow Americans by buying American, so if I see a design I like down the road I'd like to feel confident in my purchase is all.

 

[Big Mike]

If you can't depend upon your 'hunting knife' to be your mainstay alongside your hatchet or ax, then you need another knife IMO.

I totally agree.

My hunting knives have very thin edges and high hardness.

They are designed to process game; slicing ability and edge retention are the properties that are important to me.

But these knifes will not take the abuse I give a camp knife.

They would handle the cutting chores without a problem; it’s the chopping, prying and batoning that would damage the fragile cutting edge.

In fact the maker of my hunting knives (a well respected custom knife maker) would consider these tasks abuse and clearly warns user to avoid using his blades in such a manor.

A knife's functions in camp is so demanding that nothing but the best one can afford should be worn IMO.

Most of my knives fall into this category, and I demand a tough blade, but I still like sharp edge and good edge retention.

These are the knives I really put to the test (read “beat on”).

To me, part of the attraction to Bark River Knife & Tool is the fact that I can get an American made knife a decent price and beat on it without fear, knowing that if I do damage the edge or break the handle the knifemaker will repair or replace the knife.

In fact Mike Stewart invites you to chop and baton with his knifes, and that’s not only true of is heavy duty camp knives, he stands behind all his knives even if your beating on a thin edged slicer.

Before I discovered Bark River I took it easy on my High Dollar knives for fear on ruining my investment, with Bark River knives I am more comfortable in pushing my knives to the limit during testing knowing that my knife can be made like new again and that my investment is secure.

The fact that Bark River will refurbish any of their knives back to like new condition just for the price of shipping and handling is icing on the cake.

Don’t get me wrong, I have and use knives by many makers, including knives I have made myself, but when it comes to pushing knives to the limit it’s the Bark Rivers I reach for.




"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

 

[theonew]

With each new knife I get, I seek to find the balance between cutting/slicing ability and toughness. What I have generally been doing with my regular user blades is thin the edge with each sharpening, test it, and based on the results either thin it some more, leave as is, or thicken it back up. For any given blade geometry and steel I want to find the sweet spot for MY intended uses of the knife.

When I got my first Barkie, an Aurora, I put a 15 degree per side edge on it and took it out to the woods and batoned the crap out of it, cross-grain batoning on seasoned wood using a 2 inch diameter baton, no edge problems and fantastic edge retention. I also will semi-gently slam the edge against a rock, knowing there will be some damage, but just want to get a sense of how much and of what kind. If everything looks kosher with a 15 degree edge I'll take it down to 12 on my next sharpening and repeat the above. And so on and so, until their is an unacceptable level of damage, and then I bring it back to the previous level and leave it there. For my Aurora the sweet spot seems to be about 9 degrees per side and for my Busse SJTAC its about 17 degrees per side. But when the process is finished I feel I have an excellent sense of the knife and steel and feel very comfortable that I know its performance parameters.