Instead of paying a fortune i decided to get a cheap belt sander. I put convex edges on everything. $50 will get you a harbor freight 1x30 another $20-30 will get you belts and a leather belt. Get a few old junk knives and the rest comes easy. It gives you the opportunity to fix production knives make them extremely useful. After you get good then you can make your own. It will absolutely change your opinion on what these companies are charging. Just a FYI.
@@Theoutdooranalyst Very true but the story is older and deeper than that. There was a VERY LONG thread on Bladeforums some years ago. Not sure it's still there but worth a read if you can find it.
I have the exact same gunny hunter. It was ordered years ago and it is flawless. I have pre/custom ordered two others in the last few years and they both were built with different material than ordered and they both have obvious flaws. Since they aren’t perfect I don’t feel so bad about using them hard. In some ways I am kinda glad they aren’t perfect. I have some great looking and great performing users.
I agree. BRK does a great job with their convex grinds. I just wish they had larger grips! I've always struggled with them being too small, not getting enough support when doing serious bush crafting. I do get that from LT Wright knives, especially the Genesis, Lagom, Bushcrafter and GNS knives. Once you've used them and felt the difference, it's hard to go back to BRK's.
YES! Mike Stewart had hands smaller than mine if I'm going by how his designs feel to my hand. Leo Espinoza of TOPS Knives has my size of hands and I can easily trust his designs.
I have 54 . Most are Bravo 1's and 1.25's , and a few 1.5's. All 3V and A2. Prices have went up too much . All Had good fit , finish and grinds. Bravo 1.25 is my favorite. I also have a few 5" Kepharts 3V I really like for slicing.
I’ve had much better luck pre-ordering Bark River knives when it comes to fit and finish. I’m probably 50/50 on in stock knives having flaws since 2020. I usually end up sanding all the sharp edges from their handles and refinishing them anyway. I haven’t seen a Bark River without a secondary bevel since about 2015 and my first use destroyed the edge of my Sahara, but I’ve only had about 50 since...
I own several dozen Bark River Knives. They're great, once you actually sharpen them. I have had several come with wholly unfinished edges. I bought my first nearly 20 years ago, a Little Creek. It's a great knife and one still use and carry often, but it arrived too dull to cut anything. The two that came sharp and useful were my Ultralight Bushcrafter and my Woodland Special. They are also my two most used and loved. That being said, i won't buy another. Mike is just cranking out knives with zero quality control at this point.
Been hearing lots of people call out their quality control over the past few years. I only have one BRK, a Bravo EDC. It’s a 1st production run in CPM M4, bought it about 5-6 years ago. It’s legit. The edge on my particular knife came perfect and has remained shaving sharp over the years. I know it’s a super steel and not their regular steel. I have not “sharpened” it, just a few touch ups. Although I don’t use it very much. It’s the best factory edge I’ve ever seen hands down so i compare every other knife I get to that edge. They are too pricey for a non-custom knife, I’d be very upset to have quality issues and send one back. Makes it hard to confidently pull the trigger on another one. I’m a fan of a good 1095/basic handle at the moment. Doesn’t rust where I live. Price point for what you get is legit, small flaws can be overlooked without buyers remorse, etc etc on 1095. It works.
@@Theoutdooranalyst ok I fogot, my ultra light field knive has a tiny bit of a chip in the desert wood handle scale. I have most of the bravo serie except the one in this video, the 1.25. Cannot find one. They are not as easy ti get here in Holland. Most of mine came from Germany. And you there in America are lucky as here in Holland most of them are are around 400 euro’s. Do the math, paid a fortune. Cannot help myself. I liked the handles better than my convex falknivens. Started with a Bravo one than wanted the lt and then the rest. Flawless knives but don’t know about the steel yet as I bought so many in a short time that I had no time yet to use them. Only the bravo lt. So don’t know if they had a good heat treatment.
I bought a Bushcrafter II with full height grind that KnivesShipFree had. I wanted to try a regular belt knife but with a different design of handle. I'm glad I did. I know grinds can be trippy: S grinds, asymmetrical grinds and compound grinds. These make a difference more than what alloy it'sade from. One could argue for only wanting toughness and corrosion resistance if one doesn't use a knife enough that edge holding won't get one behind schedule.
I’ve got 5 BRKs, all 3V. Aurora, UL Bushcrafter, Gunny, Bravo 1 LT & Bravo 1.5. All are micarta scales except Aurora which is wood. All purchased on secondary market $180-$250. Very well pleased with the knives. Some/most of the sheaths, meeehhhh 😔. Good realistic, fair video. 👍
I've got 25 Bark River knives, maybe more and all of them are special to me! I think they get more scratched from me playing with them than using them! LOL
I agree that a convex grind is the best all around grind. However BRK runs their steel too soft and too thin leading to significant edge problems. One of the problems currently with the production fixed blade market is that for the price of a BRK bravo 1 I could get a custom made for the same price or nearly the same price. I know going to a small custom maker I’ll get a better knife than BRK could ever make.
I love the bark river knives I have but I recently got the ultra light bushcrafter and was disappointed to see how badly the grind was done. The sure touch scales were very uneven, one side mostly shaped and rounded off ok, the other had so many sharp angles. There was also a gap between the scale and tang big enough to slide paper through. I’m very disappointed, I have a bravo EDC on the way so hopefully will see it’s done right, if not I don’t think I’ll be buying again anytime soon.
I love Bark River Knives, and of the (I guess fifty-seven... or so) that I've owned [and still own] for many-many... many years, I still wear one [upside down in a Yellow Hawk Custom Kydex sheath every day]. Mr Doug Wilson really does first-class work on his sheaths, and I have several of his extremely functional sheaths on my different knives, and have been wearing this one (large) Bark River knife upside down for many years now... with no issues at all. I wear very baggy clothes and have at least three good-sized blades on my person daily... with no printing. After many years of doing this, all of my tools are just part of my clothes at this point. So, every day (although I've never smoked), I have at least one custom zippo on me, at least one high lumen flashlight, one tiny whistle, my Leatherman Surge in a Deadskin leather sheath, and some other tools every single day. I wear these tools in the exact same place all over my body, so everything is exactly where it is supposed to be (in its own special spot daily), so I never have to guess where it is. Clearly, I have my little system dailed in after all of these many years. I got off on a different tangent, but I think the point that I am trying to make is that I believe that Bark River has been making quality tools for a very-very long time now. Over the many years that I have been trying out different tools, I have found some favorites that never seem to fail me. Obviously, the ones that have failed me were taken out of rotation, but as I've mentioned earlier, I'm pretty sure that I've got my little system dialed in after all of these many-many years. I guess a quick list of tools that I use (and that have passed my durability tests) are: Bark River Knives, Cold Steel, Busse Combat Knives, Battle Horse Knives (Dutchman), Zippo Armor lighters with butane inserts, Leatherman multi-tools (especially the Surge), and several others. I truly believe that tools just make life easier, and that is what they are supposed to do. 🤔
Instead of paying a fortune i decided to get a cheap belt sander. I put convex edges on everything.
$50 will get you a harbor freight 1x30 another $20-30 will get you belts and a leather belt.
Get a few old junk knives and the rest comes easy.
It gives you the opportunity to fix production knives make them extremely useful.
After you get good then you can make your own. It will absolutely change your opinion on what these companies are charging.
Just a FYI.
@@richardhenry1969 hell yeah!!!!
I own more than a couple Barkies and have watched the quality control erode over time. For the price you pay you should always get a good one.
I don't buy BRK knives. Mike Stewrat has screwed way too many people imo.
@@Limicola1 I can’t really disagree with you. Cheers!
He’s a grub
What’s the story with this statement?
@@n_conway7571 Bark River has very bad Quality Control and Mike Stewart does not care.
@@Theoutdooranalyst Very true but the story is older and deeper than that. There was a VERY LONG thread on Bladeforums some years ago. Not sure it's still there but worth a read if you can find it.
I have the exact same gunny hunter. It was ordered years ago and it is flawless. I have pre/custom ordered two others in the last few years and they both were built with different material than ordered and they both have obvious flaws. Since they aren’t perfect I don’t feel so bad about using them hard. In some ways I am kinda glad they aren’t perfect. I have some great looking and great performing users.
I agree. BRK does a great job with their convex grinds. I just wish they had larger grips! I've always struggled with them being too small, not getting enough support when doing serious bush crafting. I do get that from LT Wright knives, especially the Genesis, Lagom, Bushcrafter and GNS knives. Once you've used them and felt the difference, it's hard to go back to BRK's.
@@tomkeller6982 thanks for the info! I would agree, for serious bushcraft work LT wright pretty much takes the cake!
YES! Mike Stewart had hands smaller than mine if I'm going by how his designs feel to my hand. Leo Espinoza of TOPS Knives has my size of hands and I can easily trust his designs.
I have 24 barkies. Not all are perfect for sure, but I do love them, they just feel good in hand and cut beautifully.
I have 54 . Most are Bravo 1's and 1.25's , and a few 1.5's. All 3V and A2. Prices have went up too much . All Had good fit , finish and grinds. Bravo 1.25 is my favorite. I also have a few 5" Kepharts 3V I really like for slicing.
You ever consider selling, I’d be willing to make you a fair offer on a 1.25” or a 1.5” Just a thought. Cheers
I wish they would make the scout without jimping I would buy it
Good general review of the Bark River Knife line, liked and subscribed
I’ve had much better luck pre-ordering Bark River knives when it comes to fit and finish. I’m probably 50/50 on in stock knives having flaws since 2020. I usually end up sanding all the sharp edges from their handles and refinishing them anyway. I haven’t seen a Bark River without a secondary bevel since about 2015 and my first use destroyed the edge of my Sahara, but I’ve only had about 50 since...
@@dlrmon1 great info! Thanks for sharing!
I own several dozen Bark River Knives. They're great, once you actually sharpen them. I have had several come with wholly unfinished edges.
I bought my first nearly 20 years ago, a Little Creek. It's a great knife and one still use and carry often, but it arrived too dull to cut anything.
The two that came sharp and useful were my Ultralight Bushcrafter and my Woodland Special. They are also my two most used and loved.
That being said, i won't buy another. Mike is just cranking out knives with zero quality control at this point.
@@BoxcutterBushcraft I have heard of this happening but never had one arrive dull myself. That is just wild! I don’t blame you at all. cheers!
Been hearing lots of people call out their quality control over the past few years. I only have one BRK, a Bravo EDC. It’s a 1st production run in CPM M4, bought it about 5-6 years ago. It’s legit. The edge on my particular knife came perfect and has remained shaving sharp over the years. I know it’s a super steel and not their regular steel. I have not “sharpened” it, just a few touch ups. Although I don’t use it very much. It’s the best factory edge I’ve ever seen hands down so i compare every other knife I get to that edge. They are too pricey for a non-custom knife, I’d be very upset to have quality issues and send one back. Makes it hard to confidently pull the trigger on another one. I’m a fan of a good 1095/basic handle at the moment. Doesn’t rust where I live. Price point for what you get is legit, small flaws can be overlooked without buyers remorse, etc etc on 1095. It works.
@@andrewkeeton3627 can’t go wrong with 1095 honestly. It works!
Never had a bark river, bought 10 of them this year, all flawless. Reading this, lucky I guess.
@@nicolaasvoois2311 congrats!
@@Theoutdooranalyst ok I fogot, my ultra light field knive has a tiny bit of a chip in the desert wood handle scale. I have most of the bravo serie except the one in this video, the 1.25. Cannot find one. They are not as easy ti get here in Holland. Most of mine came from Germany. And you there in America are lucky as here in Holland most of them are are around 400 euro’s. Do the math, paid a fortune. Cannot help myself. I liked the handles better than my convex falknivens. Started with a Bravo one than wanted the lt and then the rest. Flawless knives but don’t know about the steel yet as I bought so many in a short time that I had no time yet to use them. Only the bravo lt. So don’t know if they had a good heat treatment.
I bought a Bushcrafter II with full height grind that KnivesShipFree had. I wanted to try a regular belt knife but with a different design of handle. I'm glad I did. I know grinds can be trippy: S grinds, asymmetrical grinds and compound grinds. These make a difference more than what alloy it'sade from. One could argue for only wanting toughness and corrosion resistance if one doesn't use a knife enough that edge holding won't get one behind schedule.
I’ve got 5 BRKs, all 3V. Aurora, UL Bushcrafter, Gunny, Bravo 1 LT & Bravo 1.5. All are micarta scales except Aurora which is wood. All purchased on secondary market $180-$250. Very well pleased with the knives. Some/most of the sheaths, meeehhhh 😔. Good realistic, fair video. 👍
I've got 25 Bark River knives, maybe more and all of them are special to me! I think they get more scratched from me playing with them than using them! LOL
I agree that a convex grind is the best all around grind. However BRK runs their steel too soft and too thin leading to significant edge problems.
One of the problems currently with the production fixed blade market is that for the price of a BRK bravo 1 I could get a custom made for the same price or nearly the same price. I know going to a small custom maker I’ll get a better knife than BRK could ever make.
@@TheScrawnyLumberjack great info, I also completely agree on getting a custom knife for the same price!
I'd love to have more custom makers on my radar. I'm sure it's more bang for your buck.
@@JosephOlson-ui2pg Primitive Bear Knives, Jim Coffee and Cross Knives are a few real good ones.
Ive seen 1095 do some crazy shit and that's not even a tough steel. With the steels they use now, those knives better be thin as hell.
And never have issues or someone is lying about the stats on these steels. Or blowing it on the heat treat
I love the bark river knives I have but I recently got the ultra light bushcrafter and was disappointed to see how badly the grind was done. The sure touch scales were very uneven, one side mostly shaped and rounded off ok, the other had so many sharp angles. There was also a gap between the scale and tang big enough to slide paper through. I’m very disappointed, I have a bravo EDC on the way so hopefully will see it’s done right, if not I don’t think I’ll be buying again anytime soon.
@@LittleBear1Alpha that’s rough. Hope your bravo edc turns out to be a good one!
I love Bark River Knives, and of the (I guess fifty-seven... or so) that I've owned [and still own] for many-many... many years, I still wear one [upside down in a Yellow Hawk Custom Kydex sheath every day]. Mr Doug Wilson really does first-class work on his sheaths, and I have several of his extremely functional sheaths on my different knives, and have been wearing this one (large) Bark River knife upside down for many years now... with no issues at all. I wear very baggy clothes and have at least three good-sized blades on my person daily... with no printing. After many years of doing this, all of my tools are just part of my clothes at this point. So, every day (although I've never smoked), I have at least one custom zippo on me, at least one high lumen flashlight, one tiny whistle, my Leatherman Surge in a Deadskin leather sheath, and some other tools every single day. I wear these tools in the exact same place all over my body, so everything is exactly where it is supposed to be (in its own special spot daily), so I never have to guess where it is. Clearly, I have my little system dailed in after all of these many years. I got off on a different tangent, but I think the point that I am trying to make is that I believe that Bark River has been making quality tools for a very-very long time now. Over the many years that I have been trying out different tools, I have found some favorites that never seem to fail me. Obviously, the ones that have failed me were taken out of rotation, but as I've mentioned earlier, I'm pretty sure that I've got my little system dialed in after all of these many-many years. I guess a quick list of tools that I use (and that have passed my durability tests) are: Bark River Knives, Cold Steel, Busse Combat Knives, Battle Horse Knives (Dutchman), Zippo Armor lighters with butane inserts, Leatherman multi-tools (especially the Surge), and several others. I truly believe that tools just make life easier, and that is what they are supposed to do. 🤔