With so many good knife makers out there it becomes very difficult to choose the right tool for what is needed. Thank you for your reviews to help make those choices easier. Looking forward to see the rest of these knives. God bless and stay safe.
I'm glad to hear someone say the bravo can be a hunting knife. Mike Stewart told me it was a great game processing knife and I will do well with it. Mine is in m4 but I didn't know much about it. Thank you.
For anyone, looking at this vid to see whether if they need it: YES YOU NEED IT. I used to be a scandi purist, decided to get a Rampless (aka field) Bravo 1 in A2. Never looked back since.
I own three bark rivers. I had a real bad experience with a gunny which had a really thin edge which severely rolled and chipped on day one. I learned that I love bark river designs but hate how Mike Stewart treats people. He treated me so crappy I haven't bought one since. Always had a eye for a bravo. good review!
+Rprecision I hate stories like this. Well I can't speak for what happened or speak to what happened between you and Mike as I was not party to it but I would bet that there was some sort of miscommunication on 1 or both sides. Were you able to get that Gunny fixed? And thank you bud!
What happened? Mike Stewart has been nothing but extremely nice to me and their warranty covers EVERYTHING. I have a feeling there is something you might not be telling us?
+Texas Outdoors ; No its a simple story. I posted the problem I had on BRKT knifeforum outlined above asking for help. My post was deleted and I received a long rant from Mike who was pissed off I had publicly exposed a problem with one of his knifes. I ended up dealing with KSF to get it resolved as Mike wouldn't return any emails or phone calls. I have since learned that forum has a cult like following of Mike himself.
+Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors Thanks Mike. And yeah, I've been highly highly impressed. I came into these pretty bias against convex and have completely changed my mind about them. That and larger blades...
Greetings from the Coast Range of Oregon! Joe, thanks for another excellent video. Keep 'em coming! So far, BRKT and LTWK are my two favorite semi-production knife manufacturers; I just wish LT would make more convex grinds. I have a Bravo 1.5 (rampless) in 3V from Knives Ship Free and it is nearly perfect for me as a wood processor. The 5- 7/8" blade retains the full thickness of the spine right out to the tip, making it excellent for batoning. I wail away on mine without any fear of breaking the tip. And yet, at just over nine ounces, and with it's convex grind, it is easy to whittle with. It's not quite as precise at making feather sticks as my BRKT Canadian Special LT in 3V but it gets the job done. I find my Bravo 1.5 to be too light for a chopper, although using a lanyard to slightly increase the effective length of the knife probably would help. But as is, the Bravo 1.5 is good for "nicking" wood and then carving out the nicked portion. It also is good at de-limbing small branches, pencil-thickness or thinner, with a short, flicking chop stroke. I really like that you pointed out the Bravo 1.5 makes for a good all-around two-handed wood working tool although I would prefer the blade height be a little greater for use as a draw knife. A greater blade height would allow for a more secure grip when using it as a draw knife, but I wear a pair of thin, form-fitting mechanic's gloves to guard against cuts. The spine of my Bravo 1.5 makes a decent scraper for softer materials, although I wish the very slight "hump back" portion of the spine had a "sharper" edge like an LTWK spine for scraping rock-hard fatwood. Also realize, my Bravo 1.5 spine, as is, scrapes sparks off a harder ferro rod very well. As far as the BRKT ramps go, I like them on their larger knives, such as my Bravo Survivor (A2), but they seem to get in my way on the "smaller" Bravo knives. But, they can be used to strike a ferro rod without having to sacrifice the spine of the blade and the ramp tends to protect the handles (if not the baton) if one has to baton a bit on that portion of the knife. Aesthetically speaking, a "ramped" Bravo 1.5 also lends itself to a better proportioned-looking knife (overall knife height vs. knife length). IMHO, without the ramp, my Bravo 1.5 tends to look kind of long and thin. I agree the handle on my Bravo 1.5, which is the same size as the Bravo 1 and 1.25 models, is very comfortable, but I would prefer a slightly "beefier" handle for my somewhat large hands (the width of my palm is a shade under four inches). On a side note for those who don't like to hike with knives on their belts, my Bravo 1.5, in it's sheath, fits perfectly inside my Maxpedition waist pack along with a Silky Pocket Boy 170 (large teeth) and other "survival" gear and sometimes goes with me when I bike the myriad of logging roads near my house. Be well and enjoy Blade Show.
Mike Steward mentioned that the thumb should be place in front of the guard, so one can put maximum force into the straight cutting edge, eg during notching. The jimping im sure is there for “defensive” reason, given that it was developed in part with force recon, youd expect it to fill that role as well.
Excellent review. The ramp on the Bravo is designed so that your thumb rests on the front (smooth) side of the ramp for additional pressure for notching etc... The jimping side is actually for a ferro rod and not designed as a thumb ramp. That doesn't mean it can't be used as such of course. Thank you again for the video. I look forward to future videos.
+David Major It just doesn't work for me that way. Maybe with a bit more practice. I don't know, I just found it very awkward that way. That said, it is impossible to make a knife that fits everyone's hand. Thanks David!
David, I go through the same thing, but I always order with the ramp, because a knife in my bug out bag also has to be used for self defense, God forbid, if need be.
Being in the Marines myself, I can attest to the punishment that Forced Recon probably put each knife through. Much like the Ka-Bar 1217,which is synonymous with the Marines, this knife looks like they conveyed their ideas very well. Great video again Joe. And thanks for a little history lesson.
I asked Mike Stewart personally on facebook why the Marines went with such a small blade compared to the well know 7" kabar. He said they did not want a fighting knife, they wanted a heavy duty bushcraft/field knife. He also said, they told him they fight with guns, not knives, LOL.
I'm with you, this is the first knife that after of year of tying to like it, I sold it. Not a fan, dulled way too easy, and tarnished really badly. Bought the Benchmade Bushcrafter after the Bravo, and ended up loving it.
Thanks for this review, I wasn't aware of how good of a knife this was. I did know of the story behind the development, and it was an interesting story.
I have several other Bark River knives, and some had to be ordered with a ramp. I simply used a flipped over belt sander and 80 grit to knock them off cleanly in minutes. I did quench each knife a few times, but it never got to hot to touch. A2 is WAY easier to grind than S35, but that just needed a bit more time, and definitely a close watch on temp (mostly because I didn't want to get the micarta too hot).
Great video. Bark River Knives are TOP NOTCH! You made it look easy making that bow drill set! I have a cpl Bark River knives...I guess I will have to get me a Bravo!
Hey Joe, the reason convex does so good is, convex is the ORIGINAL Scandy edge. Look it up. Also, if you want to see someone that knows more about Bark River knives than Bark River even knows, just look for virtuavoice on RU-vid. Thanks for the video!!!
+mister smith Yep, there is a loooonnng history there with convex, knife tech through the ages, etc, etc. I purposefully didn't broach that for several reasons (mostly being time constraints). I am a sub of virtuavoice but thanks for the reference Sir! By the way, every time I see your name on here, I always have flashes of The Matrix in my head lol
+Larry Norris I would highly recommend trying it out. Everybody being different and having different uses, they are obviously not going to be for everyone but I do certainly enjoy them. Thanks for watching Larry!
Nice review. Loved it. I have a Bravo 1 A2 FHG rampless and I love the knife. You mentioned A2 to be corrosive resistent. That's not true. You need to protect it, but the upside is that it takes a very good edge. I have put the sheath through olive oil bath. This smoothens the leather, makes it weather proof and protects the blade very well from getting rusty. It also protects the edge much better. Hope this helps
It's been a long time since I filmed this so I don't remember exactly how I phrased it but my intent was as compared to the "normal" carbon steels such as 1095 or O1. It has far better corrosion resistance then either of those. Thanks for the tips Rob!
Great video, knife looks awesome. Just thought you might want to know I searched for Bushcraft on RU-vid and this video shows up 4th!!! That's pretty cool. Have a nice day, subscribed.
I love my BR knife, as well as my Tops BOB. They are my first choices when deciding what to take (out of 20 or more knives), so I usually take them both. I hope you will periodically show us how you hone/sharpen your Bravo One. I have only had to strop mine, but you probably use yours a lot more than I use mine.
+csh 62 I have it filmed I just need to get that edited and I'll post it. By in large, I just strop it. As long as you keep them maintained, both A2 and V3 rarely need anything more then a strop in my experience. Thanks!
11:51 "mimosa" ? I thought that was a drink, LOL! Just kidding, Joe. Great video as always. I've always loved the design of the Bravo 1, but after hearing that backstory I'm even more of a fan. (I have several friends and family who are either active duty or prior service military, most of them from the Marine Corps. I would've enlisted if I could have. They wouldn't take me because of health problems. Oh well. Semper Fi.)
+kpw528 LOL! Yep, it's a tree. One of the prettiest trees in late spring/early summer here and one of the best for friction fire too. (as a side note, making a tea out of it's inner bark does a pretty good job as a prevention for insomnia too.) Anyway, I didn't enlist either but for other reasons. To this day it is probably my largest regret.
Nice review! I have a Bravo 2 in 3V that I use for larger stuff and really like it. I just picked up a Bark River Kephart in 3V and will be taking it out this weekend to try. It has a very thin blade but with 3V it should be very strong and the thin blade makes it quite a slicer.
Just got back from a 4 day AT hike and it performed fantastic. Took a little to get the feather stick angle down but slices really nice and batoned like a champ with 3 inch and under stock.
I've got a Bravo 1 and an Aurora. Love them both. My Aurora is probably my favorite knife I own (though I do have a Triple J Knives blade that swaps places with it for favorite sometimes lol). I felt same as you about the thumb ramp. I thought it looked really cool aesthetically, but functionally wasn't sure about it. I wound up liking it though. Still the ramp isn't for everyone.
+Atro785 The Aurora is still my favorite Bark River. Unfortunately I don't have it anymore but it is a great great blade. Honestly, I find when I use the Bravo for a while and then move to a knife without a ramp, it feels strange lol
+Brenguier Alexandre Brenguier I bet that did cost a pretty penny both for the knife and to get it over there and through customs! And I agree, it'd all be worth it. Thanks for chiming in! That is a testament to this blade for sure.
Good vid, but this is the first knife that after of year of trying to like it, I sold it. Not a fan, dulled way too easy, and tarnished really badly. Bought the Benchmade Bushcrafter after the Bravo, and ended up loving it.
+Christian Cork LOL Christian. Knowing you as I think I do, I bet you'll end up with the 1.25. Function wise there isn't really any downside to going with the 1.25. You can process larger wood with it and have a longer cutting edge for slicing etc. The only possible negatives is the added bit of weight and difference in balance. Both of which are personal preference.
great review! I was wondering how you liked the swedge up there? for once, I don't have to add a knife to my wish list after watching because I have one! whoo! this video didn't make me hungry either ha-ha. thanks for the background story and the steel info as well!
Hey there, As a fellow jumbo-handed guy, I appreciate your handle commentary in your reviews. How does this fit your mitt? I feel like it might lack meat in the pointer finger. Thanks!
Okay, so first off...amazing...not just the knife but more your skill on primitive fire. I really want to try this but I am absolutely dumb when it comes to trees identification (even though I've been in the woods my whole life. I live in Iowa and have a lot of hard woods in my area. What type of wood did you use and what would you recommend trying in Iowa and is there an abundance of that wood available in Iowa? Any thoughts is greatly appreciated.
Interesting, never heard about convex on cheap Chinese knives. It’s actually the most difficult grind for mass production and needs some skills to be done properly. Scandy on other hand can is much easier to achieve with proper tools. Because of tat all those noobie knive makers push scandy as the best grind for bushcraft and everything else. In reality - convex is much stronger and better in almost any task and just a tiny bit behind of scandy in some fine aspects of wood carving. “Scandivex” in the golden middle. The question is Fallkniven or Bark River :)
Hey Joe, I'm not sure if you've been asked this question before, but if you could only choose one knife out of the Bark River Bravo lineup, which one would it be? Thanks for all the great content, and keep it up!
That is an impossibly hard question to answer LOL. At this time, probably a rampless Bravo 1.25 that has had a spa treatment and ground down to a spear point. Probably. My opinion changes though lol Thanks!
Both of my parents were Sergeants in the Corps, so that is a neat story....but yikes, I just cannot get over that insanely hideous thumb ramp. It makes me wish I hadn't been born every time I accidentally gaze upon it, it's like my own personal Medusa. OK, I'm being dramatic & yes, it can be ground off....but not for one second am I buying that you would, or even may, choose to order a Bravo1 WITH the ramp/jimping. You would order it without, because you're a good man & a wise person. Ohhhh, man, I need to shower now and scrub away this thick film of crappiness that the Bravo 1's ramp/jimping has coated my soul with. Seriously, I love your vids, even this one...you're that good my man!
+scott sherman LOL!!!! Man, you had me chuckling all through that haha! Honestly, it has grown on me and several other commenters have said that it's actually not for your thumb but for a ferro rod. Your thumb is supposedly supposed to go above it. I tried it...didn't seem to work but if it works for them, cool. Thanks for the chuckle and kind words Scott, I am grateful. Oh...and you caught me...You're right, I didn't order this one (of course I didn't say I did, I just said if I were to ;) ) But seriously, it has grown on me. To the point, I'd have to try them side by side to compare. Thanks again!
Say Heah. Yesssss, Yesssss, One of my Fav's. Yeah Surrr, I have a Ghost Green Jade G-10 Bravo 1, I also got the Woodland Special, Bravo 2 and the Golok, all afe in A2 and the same handle coler. My 3V are with the Black G-10. Yeah I'm liking the 3V, But A2 is a pretty good steel on its own. They say it's better than O1., Oh and I luv the ramp, I got the ramp on all of them except tge Woodland Special and the Golok, The Golok reminds me of a large Butter Knife, They use to say a good bushcraft blade size should beable to touch the bottom.of a peanut better gar, Well the Golok is like a Butter Knife on steriods. But cutting close to the ground is where it shines, You don't bury tge tip into the ground, because there's no tip, it's like a butter knife. I luv it.
+paulie 4x Currently A2 is my favorite steel but I am thinking 3V may be taking that title. I am not sure yet but it just might. The Golok has been peaking my interest here of late. I will have to try one at some point. Thanks Paulie!
Great video and I love that knife. I plan on getting a bravo edc and was wondering what your thoughts are on Elmax steel?? Most of my knives are in s30v and idk much at all bout Elmax. Any advice would be appreciated
+Jeff Holmes Quality/durability wise they are the same in my opinion. They are obviously different styles altogether so it boils down to what you prefer. Most BR's have a convex on them, but as stated their convex performs an awful lot like a scandi. Not exactly mind you but pretty close.
Awesome video! Cannot wait to get my hands on one of these. But I do have a question that is very important to me: I will be getting a Bravo 1 in the near future, but I am COMPLETELY torn between the version in Elmax steel, and CPM-3V steel. I simply cannot decide. I too will be using the knife for bushcrafting and camping. I want a blade that is tough enough for me to be able to baton it through a log without chipping or snapping, but I do not want to have to constantly sharpen the knife either. Also, Elmax being virtually stainless is a big turn on to me. If only it were in YXR7... Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Oh man that is a hard one. I have no experience with Elmax on a full size knife. All mine in Elmax are small fixed blades. I've beat the snot out of CPM 3V on larger bravo's and they did just fine. If I were in your shoes, I'd give Elmax a try. I love it's qualities in the smaller blades and am itching to try it in a larger size. Just remember though...if you do manage to break the blade with whichever steal, Bark River will fix it if they can and replace it if they can't. That being said, I'd say pull the trigger on whichever calls your name the most and start tearing up some wood! Thanks for watching and please do let me know which you pick and how you like it :)
Pull the trigger.... I like it! :-D That is some damn good advice. I think I will go with my gut and give the Elmax a shot. After some good use with it, I will let you know my opinions on the blade. Honestly Bark River is probably one of the best in the game for working with Elmax, so I doubt I have much reason NOT to trust it and give it a try. Just subscribed to your channel and am looking forward to watching more of your videos! Thanks again man!
My vote is cpm 3v. I have both. I asked that same question on bark rivers facebook page. Almost all of the Barkoholics on there said, go with elmax for EDC and 3v for hard use woods knife. I hope this helps a little. If your on facebook, those guys on there are an awesome resource to ask your questions.
Man I wish I could find the perfect lobbed that would make both pieces in 3 minutes you cut to times and had a heart board perfect didn't even need to shape it... Try that with mosquito
+Zio Azalin OUCH! That would set one back a little bit for sure. I've got some budget stuff coming up right around the corner. I think folks might be a bit surprised about some of it. Thanks!
The sound came across just fine on my computer speakers. I really dig your videos; they're very informative and straight forward. I appreciate your insight and I look forward to many more videos to come. Nice work on the fire, by the way.
hey good video thanks! How do you sharpen your Bark River Knives? Is CPM 3v really so hard to sharpen, what i can read/hear? Convex sharpening seems like harder on the field
Hi Stef. I have a play list on how I sharpen knives of various grinds and profiles (see below) but the short version is, I primarily use a strop. If it gets really dull then I use a ceramic rod, then a strop to finish it up and smooth out the minor flats created by the rod. 3v requires a bit more patience then say O1 or A2 but it's not terribly bad as long as you have the proper tools. Thanks! ru-vid.com/group/PL6F6mSN42hTLTOmfouPlvY9yOeJRXL2dB
HI, a convex blade seems like on the field without strop unsharpenable right? a flat or scandi grind is always able to sharpen on a riverstone or on something else. Convex is here not sharpenable..? is that thought right?
@@stefan-D You could get it done, but you are right, it's not as easy as a scandi would be. A flat grind typically (not all) has a convexed secondary on it so you might be in the same boat as the full convex. That being said, some food for thought. How often do you have the need to sharpen your knife out in the field? Also, remember that you can use many things to strop with. A leather belt, wallet, even denim will work (albeit, slowly).
Thanks for the question Brian. I am probably not the best person to answer that question as I have no experience with any of the knives you mention there. My recommendation will always be "whichever knife lines up with your typical preferences the most" though.
+Onix Pyro Oh it's no stainless steel for sure (sorry if I gave that impression) but it is far more corrosion resistant then O1. Abuse it and give it no maintanence and sure, it will rust but it's far easier to prevent. Watch Alone Season 2 coming out and you'll see A2 vs O1 up close and personal. Thanks bud!
+Feral Woodcraft Greetings from the Coast Range of Oregon! Great review and one-stick fire, Joe; your skills are impressive. I have a Bravo 1.5 rampless in 3V and a rampless Gunny in 3V. Both are exceptional knives. I also have several Barkies in A2 which definitely are much more corrosion resistant than any knife I've used in 1095. (I don't have any O1 knives so I can't speak to that steel.) I didn't know the rest of you Gauntlet guys had the inside scoop on Alone 2...
+Feral Woodcraft I was just asking what you think of a convex grind but then I watched your video and understand that you don't like convex grind I have an ice maker that's making me a knife and he recommend convex grind
+penny parker I actually do like convex grinds. If I gave that impression in this video then I did something wrong. Bark River absolutely nailed the convex on this blade.
Mike, I agree. I have ordered all of my Bravo's with the ramp. Does it get in the way sometimes? Yes, but I'm a prepper type person and all of my outdoor knives have to fit one very important category. They must all be capable of self defense, God forbid if ever need be. Plus, it just looks fricken cool with the ramp :-)
You were using your bow drill on your blanket. How dumb is that! Let's put holes in the blanket... mostly though why don't people take a lighter with them when they go in the woods and make it easier on themselves? I never understood that. Yes, your lighter will eventually run out, but will you be able to survive that long in a real case scenario if you were stuck somewhere? How do you get food? Most people will die from dehydration or lack of food. Theyres not enough videos showing wild edibles and making shelters. There are only knife reviews on that particular knife. Just because you have a great knife..... doesn't mean you will live through a disaster. Hone all your skills. That's what people need to see