Bark River Knives

[kobold]

Good stuff, love the uniformity.

[kennethsime]

Well, the NC EDC carves fatwood feathers pretty darn well.

The more I use it, the more I think it's both 1) too big for EDC, and 2) too small for my hands. I think I like my Gunny Hunter LT significantly better - much more comfortable handle (well, more accommodating of my meathooks), thinner blade stock, and overall lighter weight. But the NC EDC does have a more negative blade angle and a great belly. Maybe I'll try a NC EDC II at some point.

[kennethsime]

I recommended a Bark River to a guy on reddit who was looking for something a bit more premium.

He responded something along the lines of:

Yea, Bark Rivers look nice, but man I've heard mixed reviews about both their quality and their business practices.

When pressed, he admitted that he wasn't actually sure what was wrong with Bark River Knives, or what precisely was wrong with Mike's business practices, simply that he had heard some stuff.

Ever since I've started caring for Bark River, I've heard stuff like this: random strangers on the internet repeating rumors that they heard from random strangers on the internet.

So, I went looking. Here's what I found:

• Blackjack knives went bankrupt and some investors got burned. The former Bladeforums owner/admin publicized this event, and is perhaps the origin of the whole "I'm not going to tell you anything specifically objectionable, but I am going to infer that there is a thing you might find objectionable" stance.
• The knives are handmade, and some customers have pointed out hand-made flaws like uneven primary grinds. Said customers apparently are unaware of the lifetime warranty.
• Cliff Stamp (RIP) thought that you can't grind 3V with Norton sanding belts without ruining the steel.
• Folks don't like that Mike refuses to suffer fools gladly (i.e. he's kind of an ******* sometimes).
• There's also a rumor that some A2 knives went out labeled as 3V (or another higher-end steel) at one point, but I haven't been able to find any sort of documentation or explanation on this. I guess there's a reason that CRK only uses on steel at a time in the workshop.

I think that's it - so far, at least.

Speaking of rumors, I heard the origin rumor of Bark River. Mike worked for Marbles running their Gladstone, MI factory in the 2000s. Marbles said they were moving all production overseas, Mike said "the **** you are," Marbles fired him (and the rest of the production team). Mike founds Bark River the next day in order to keep his employees working.

Another rumor, this one I heard straight from the horse's mouth: the lanyard holes on the recent Aurora run were slightly smaller than normal because they couldn't get American steel tubing that was thin enough. They could've gotten Chinese tubing, but refused. As a result, you've got to use 275 Paracord instead of 550 Paracord to make your lanyards.

Personally, I think that I can forgive Mike & the gang for all of this and more so long as they keep pumping out beautiful handmade American knives for a (somewhat) reasonable price point.

[kobold]

It seems like people like working there and the knives reflect that.

[Paraguy]

I recommended a Bark River to a guy on reddit who was looking for something a bit more premium.

He responded something along the lines of:

Yea, Bark Rivers look nice, but man I've heard mixed reviews about both their quality and their business practices.

When pressed, he admitted that he wasn't actually sure what was wrong with Bark River Knives, or what precisely was wrong with Mike's business practices, simply that he had heard some stuff.

Ever since I've started caring for Bark River, I've heard stuff like this: random strangers on the internet repeating rumors that they heard from random strangers on the internet.

So, I went looking. Here's what I found:

• Blackjack knives went bankrupt and some investors got burned. The former Bladeforums owner/admin publicized this event, and is perhaps the origin of the whole "I'm not going to tell you anything specifically objectionable, but I am going to infer that there is a thing you might find objectionable" stance.
• The knives are handmade, and some customers have pointed out hand-made flaws like uneven primary grinds. Said customers apparently are unaware of the lifetime warranty.
• Cliff Stamp (RIP) thought that you can't grind 3V with Norton sanding belts without ruining the steel.
• Folks don't like that Mike refuses to suffer fools gladly (i.e. he's kind of an ******* sometimes).
• There's also a rumor that some A2 knives went out labeled as 3V (or another higher-end steel) at one point, but I haven't been able to find any sort of documentation or explanation on this. I guess there's a reason that CRK only uses on steel at a time in the workshop.

I think that's it - so far, at least.

Speaking of rumors, I heard the origin rumor of Bark River. Mike worked for Marbles running their Gladstone, MI factory in the 2000s. Marbles said they were moving all production overseas, Mike said "the **** you are," Marbles fired him (and the rest of the production team). Mike founds Bark River the next day in order to keep his employees working.

Another rumor, this one I heard straight from the horse's mouth: the lanyard holes on the recent Aurora run were slightly smaller than normal because they couldn't get American steel tubing that was thin enough. They could've gotten Chinese tubing, but refused. As a result, you've got to use 275 Paracord instead of 550 Paracord to make your lanyards.

Personally, I think that I can forgive Mike & the gang for all of this and more so long as they keep pumping out beautiful handmade American knives for a (somewhat) reasonable price point.

Thanks for looking into this. someone needed to do it. Has Sal ever met Mike Stewart? I've heard people who know Mike personally say great things about him.

[Woodpuppy]

There was also a detailed post about a knife reseller who worked with BRK to bring a Kephart to market. The vendor plunked down something like $16K to get things going; Mike decided this vendor didn’t have the means to market and distribute these knives, and sold the batch through a different vendor and wouldn’t reimburse the original vendor’s investment until the knives sold. The post about it was on either Blade Forum or Knife Forum, which seems to be defunct now. I thought I had it bookmarked but I can’t find it without searching. Add this to a long list of allegedly shady business practices.

He does make nice looking knives, in the US, with an American workforce. I have a Bravo in A2, and it is a nice knife, though too heavy and thick. I haven’t used it since I got a Mora Kansbol.

[kobold]

^ I remember the post also.

[Manixguy@1994]

I have also read negative comments in the past about BRK . I have a friend who has a few and after handling them I feel they are a quality knife . I did gift a chute knife to a friend’s son during the early stages of Afghanistan who was in. Marine Recon . Thankfully he made it home along with the BRK . My use for fixed blades are limited compared to folders . Having two Randall’s and a Beauchamp along with others in my collection really do not see a need for a BRK . I would have no problem recommending one if they were looking for a fixed blade . MG2

[kennethsime]

There was also a detailed post about a knife reseller who worked with BRK to bring a Kephart to market. The vendor plunked down something like $16K to get things going; Mike decided this vendor didn’t have the means to market and distribute these knives, and sold the batch through a different vendor and wouldn’t reimburse the original vendor’s investment until the knives sold. The post about it was on either Blade Forum or Knife Forum, which seems to be defunct now. I thought I had it bookmarked but I can’t find it without searching. Add this to a long list of allegedly shady business practices.

He does make nice looking knives, in the US, with an American workforce. I have a Bravo in A2, and it is a nice knife, though too heavy and thick. I haven’t used it since I got a Mora Kansbol.

Yea, that sounds like a **** move for sure. I wonder if there are two sides to that?

The thickness of BRKs is my #1 complaint - I usually go for the LT models whenever possible. 1/8" is about as thick as I ever need.

[Woodpuppy]

There usually are, but sometimes someone was an A-hole. Sometimes more than one.

[Naperville]

From DLT, I just paid for an ordered Bravo Machete 1V Black Canvas Micarta, Red Liners, and Hollow Pins.

I've been wanting this knife for 2 years. Broke down and did a pre-order for this one. I hope it is as good as the reviews say.

Is should be faster in the hand than the Moro Barong that I have. I bought this knife based on my Filipino martial arts training.

[prndltech]

There was also a detailed post about a knife reseller who worked with BRK to bring a Kephart to market. The vendor plunked down something like $16K to get things going; Mike decided this vendor didn’t have the means to market and distribute these knives, and sold the batch through a different vendor and wouldn’t reimburse the original vendor’s investment until the knives sold. The post about it was on either Blade Forum or Knife Forum, which seems to be defunct now. I thought I had it bookmarked but I can’t find it without searching. Add this to a long list of allegedly shady business practices.

He does make nice looking knives, in the US, with an American workforce. I have a Bravo in A2, and it is a nice knife, though too heavy and thick. I haven’t used it since I got a Mora Kansbol.

Yea, that sounds like a **** move for sure. I wonder if there are two sides to that?

The thickness of BRKs is my #1 complaint - I usually go for the LT models whenever possible. 1/8" is about as thick as I ever need.

can't go wrong with a LT Wright, I love my 3v saber grind GNS. I don't get to use it as much as id like!

[kennethsime]

From DLT, I just paid for an ordered Bravo Machete 1V Black Canvas Micarta, Red Liners, and Hollow Pins.

I've been wanting this knife for 2 years. Broke down and did a pre-order for this one. I hope it is as good as the reviews say.

Is should be faster in the hand than the Moro Barong that I have. I bought this knife based on my Filipino martial arts training.

I’ve heard they are absolutely fantastic, but they are machetes - not choppers. In other words, I wouldn’t expect to baton much with it. 1V is supposed to be crazy tough.

[kennethsime]

can't go wrong with a LT Wright, I love my 3v saber grind GNS. I don't get to use it as much as id like!

Oh I love my LTs too, but I meant LT Barkies. Two of mine are LTs: the Bravo 1.25 LT and Guny Hunter LT. The LTs are just thinner bladestock than the standard models.

I’ve got a couple of smaller LT Wrights though, and I’d love to get a Gen 5 Scandi or Convex sometime!

[Naperville]

From DLT, I just paid for an ordered Bravo Machete 1V Black Canvas Micarta, Red Liners, and Hollow Pins.

I've been wanting this knife for 2 years. Broke down and did a pre-order for this one. I hope it is as good as the reviews say.

Is should be faster in the hand than the Moro Barong that I have. I bought this knife based on my Filipino martial arts training.

I’ve heard they are absolutely fantastic, but they are machetes - not choppers. In other words, I wouldn’t expect to baton much with it. 1V is supposed to be crazy tough.

Thank you!

[Manixguy@1994]

From DLT, I just paid for an ordered Bravo Machete 1V Black Canvas Micarta, Red Liners, and Hollow Pins.

I've been wanting this knife for 2 years. Broke down and did a pre-order for this one. I hope it is as good as the reviews say.

Is should be faster in the hand than the Moro Barong that I have. I bought this knife based on my Filipino martial arts training.

I’ve heard they are absolutely fantastic, but they are machetes - not choppers. In other words, I wouldn’t expect to baton much with it. 1V is supposed to be crazy tough.

Thank you!

Hope you show it to us, sounds impressive . MG2

[Naperville]

From DLT, I just paid for an ordered Bravo Machete 1V Black Canvas Micarta, Red Liners, and Hollow Pins.

I've been wanting this knife for 2 years. Broke down and did a pre-order for this one. I hope it is as good as the reviews say.

Is should be faster in the hand than the Moro Barong that I have. I bought this knife based on my Filipino martial arts training.

I’ve heard they are absolutely fantastic, but they are machetes - not choppers. In other words, I wouldn’t expect to baton much with it. 1V is supposed to be crazy tough.

Thank you!

Hope you show it to us, sounds impressive . MG2

Thank you for the reply!

Should be here in a few days. I ordered it a long time ago, but raw materials and manufacturing with COVID had me wait around 6+ months. (I'd swear it was more like 9 months.) I had forgotten about it. Then I received the email that is was in stock and waiting for me to pickup!!!

[Naperville]

The machete arrived! I'll try to get some pics up, but there are many pics on the DLT website, in case I don't.

The outer box is huge. The knife sits in a smaller Bark River Knives box, and when you finally pull the knife out you feel like you've been playing with a Russian Doll Set.

The specifications accurately tell it all. It feels very nimble. There is no weight to the machete. I guess that some would chalk it up to proper balance but most of the weight is in the blade. The sheath is huge looking! I thought that the machete would be longer and heavier, and I'm glad that it is not. I have not been practicing Filipino Martial Arts for years and a heavy blade would not be good for me.

Specs:
Overall Length: 17"
Blade Length: 11.75"
Blade Thickness: .120"
Handle Thickness: .92"
Tang: Full
Blade Steel: 1V
Weight: 16oz
Country of Origin: USA

All in all, I'm happy. I've been after one of these for years and then preordered to get one. The wait for the machete was pretty long, I'm guessing 6+ months.

If you're interested DLT has some pretty nice ones available right now.

https://www.dlttrading.com/bark-river-bravo-machete

[kennethsime]

Very excited to hear more, Naperville. I don’t think I’m getting one this year, but would love to own one eventually.

[Naperville]

I'm closer now to being Danny Trejo as Machete! I just need one more machete ....