This video just echoed all my sentiments after a week of forum searches. Channels like DBK and Virutovice need to speak out about these flaws in their Barkies and not make them out to be perfectly crafted artefacts with hand made finesse.
Take a look at some of my videos on the Bark River’s that I have. You can see slight differences in some as far as grinds. I know some bad ones get past QC as I have one but as far as the rest of my knives I don’t think I’ve just gotten lucky. 99% of them are very well ground. Maybe one of these days I’ll do a video looking at the grinds of each of them and nitpick about them
@@gravytrainoutdoors I don't know about that man. You should see the stuff on forums like bladeforums (wankers) and bushcraftusa, there are multiple and horrible reports of BR grinds although I presume this is highly biased. I generally distrust word of mouth without evidence, but if my theory that DLT shows photographs of the actual knives they sell. Most of the knives on DLT (their best dealer) have crooked grinds, I mean at least 50% of the grinds on their display knives in my searches (Gunny and Bravo) are crooked and that is just from looking at the left side where the logo is displayed. I have even found DISPLAY PICTURES on DLT where the knives had nicks on the blade and rust spots. I can send you the links if you want.
@@Jerry-uc1pn I have no doubt that there are some bad examples. I would tend to believe based on my own experience that it’s not very common. It only takes one or two people to have a bad experience to make a big scene. That being said, if my first experience with Bark River knives was the one I have with really bad grinds I’d be pretty ticked off. Other than that one knife my only other gripes are 3 or so knives that were too thick behind the edge, making them difficult with sharpen/keep sharp with a strop. There are differences in the consistency of the grinds on my knives but they are very minor and you really have to look for them.
Mike Stewart probably sends the DBK guys his best work, nowadays at least. But both Mickie and Martin seem to very good sharpeners, and so maybe they don't mind getting a knife that's in rough shape and tuning it up.
Fair comments, actually (says this owner of about 20 Barkies) --- although, yeah, your pricing is off. And no question that L.T Wright (and others) make better knives for the money, overall.
I have a dozen BRK's but like you I've experienced a lot of bad QC which has ultimately lead me away from the brand. I've got unsharpened grinds, VERY uneven grinds, a recurved messed up grind on a B1.25 that took forever for me to fix and a Gunny where the plunge line is so far over it doesn't even look like they hardly touched the opposite side of the knife. Uneven handle thickness. I got an Aurora Scandi and it's handle is super thin compared to the original Aurora which I loved. The ones that are actually good are excellent however roughly half my collection has bad QC so I've since went to LTWK and even though they're slightly cheaper every single one I've got has been perfect. I'll miss the countless handle options of BRK but I won't miss me having to fix my new blades.
I do own a lot of Bark Rivers as well. Living in Germany I bought them online, for a lot more than they cost in the US, and without handling the knifes first. My issue with them is that there is no standard. I have 4 UL Bushcrafters and the thickness of handles on all of them are different. I have a Gunny that is really uncomfortable for me and there is nothing I can do about it. I can not send it for replacing the scales or use the warranty if I need it. I like their EDC sized knives but after spending a couple thousand Euros, I don't think I will purchase another Bark River. I would still recommend the UL Bushcrafter to anyone though. :)
@PaleBlueDot fällkniven is top notch. Excellent out of the box and extremely good quality control. For me its the only brand that i completely trust. (That they dont fuck anything up etc.) In that price Range you can also go for full custom knifes. They usually have a perfect finish and crazy steel options. "Dulo knifes" and "Malanika" are very well known for that. But the waiting list is long...
If your paying a lot of money then you and the company should be paying attention to details because that’s where the quality’s is . If not your paying a lot for some one to put some steel and wood.
They overheat during the sharpening process making brittle and weak spots in the edge. These knives chip all the time. A user will post a pic of the chipped knife on Facebook and will have barely used it. Then all the Bark River cult fan boys jump all over thd guy and tell him he must have done something stupid or used it wrong (despite this never happening with Esee for example). Mike Stewart makes sure the owner knows it was "his fault" but graciously agrees to re-grind it for free. Then everyone cheers and posts "best company and customer service ever". It's ridiculous. The reason they have the no question lifetime warranty, is because that is still cheaper for them than to create them with great care. They are kicking them out in mass quantities at insane prices
I sort of disagree....the quality was outstanding back in the day. It just dropped down over the years. The overheating is only on the edge...not the full blade. You can sharpen it away. But I agree that it sucks for this price
A “perfect knife” would be made by machines... l t Wright and bark river have the same little flaws. They’re all great knives. BRK are pricey but you do get a great knife.
After almost 30 Bark Rivers and similar path (many Fallknivens here) I can say that I agree with you. Except on the thickness of the stock. In reality, BRKT makes some of the thickest blade stocks in the businesses. I love the designs, handle material options are almost irresistible but man, those grind fails are just unacceptable at current price points. I don't mind unevenly ground handles, really. But uneven blade grinds are just irritating. Not worth the money they are asking, that is for sure. LT Wright puts much, much better product at lower price levels. Also semi custom, designs are great, Peters does their heat treat, handle material options are more than fine. Heck, LT Wright handle designs are more comfortable, to me at least. I am no hater of Bark River, really. Just got dissapointed way too many times. Sadly, I will not buy another Bark River.
You are 100% spot on. I feel exactly the same way. LT Wright fit, finish, and overall quality is light years ahead of bark River. I love Bark River designs and convex grinds, but the fit and finish issues at their price range are absolutely unacceptable
I’m looking for a hunting knife, not a bush-crafter!! I need a knife for skinning and processing western big game. The majority of the time the animals have to broken down in quarters and packed out. What quality knife $50-$200 range do you recommend??
For 300 to 400 hundred dollars...This is not acceptable at al!...Recently purchased a Wirzt Made Falcon and the fit and Finnish is abousluty perfection 👌!...Full costume fixed blade total I paid with shipping 311 dollars!...It's really sad that Bark River does not take more pride in there craftsmanship! 😢...
Thanks a lot for this video. I am thinking to get a general use outdoor knife and was seriously looking at BRK - and saw tons of videos already. And I really appreciate your very cool and objective view.
BRK does work on the ‘pretty’ more than the function simply because that’s what a majority of their customer base wants. Pretty handles, colorful liners, & fancy pins are what keeps the shelves of their retailers empty. I agree about their being few hard users among their customers. That’s reflected in their sheaths which are mostly hit & miss on the quality and design favoring heavily on the miss. I do like their smaller models like the Essential & PSK EDC which are nice general purpose users which can be carried discreetly. The following can be cult-like at times. Pretty much true of every brand to varying degrees.
@✿PennsyltuckystanBooj✿ I’m sure you’ll be fine with any quartermaster you choose. I haven’t heard of any complaints with that run of knives. Mine was exceptionally well done.
@@dispmonk Yea, they'll fix them for now. Mike Stewart has a pretty shady history though. Why exactly do you keep buying knives from a company with such trash quality control? You must really like them.
@@profd65 Mike is a great guy., nothing remotely shady about him. My opinion is the quality issues were Covid chaos related. I have never had any other issues. I have more than a dozen bark rivers plus other brands. They are the best form fit and function for my purposes. As I said they take care of any issues for the life of the blade...... they’ve been doing it since the beginning....
@@dispmonksend it in? Bro I’m in Australia, I’m not spending 150 to get an already overpriced and faulty to the state it should’ve been in the first place
Awesome channel and content ,you speak well and seem to have a lot of experience. I’m getting into knives / survival / bush craft and your information is excellent. Thanks mate from Australia 🫡
Bark River has a goal of 1,000 knives per week I would imagine it is hard to find skilled enough employees in a small town to do perfection and still put out that kind of production.
@@outdooranalyst8697 I have the luxury of living near a Bark River distributor so I can look at several of the same model and pick the best one. I have the Michigan Bowie, Marauder and Recondo and they are excellent. They sale them as fast as they can make them so lowering the price would be foolish I can see the cost that goes into them.
I've heard a lot of quality control issues coming from BRK. I don't own any so have no idea. However, if your spending good money for a product it should be damn near perfect. You shouldn't send out something with imperfections on it. It'll turn a name sour doing that kind of business
Just to balance the conversation, I didn't mind the camera work. I was enjoying a high quality and free education on fixed blade knives. Why don't you make a video like this, but with proper 2021 camera work. I look forward to seeing how it's done! Don't be ungrateful, the poster didn't have to make it.
I agree that they are over-priced. The final product often has flaws, but realistically, in a fixed blade, it doesn't affect performance. BR's blade stock tends too be too thick for them to be effective knives. Their handle shapes are mediocre, despite all the hype. I'm glad that they are around though, because they make so many different designs. Bark River is like the Case of fixed blades, with all their handle choices, so people like to collect them. Their production methods are archaic... think 1800's, but with electric power. Their lack of proper PPE equipment for their workers is concerning. They even belt sand carbon fiber handles using no PPE. I'm surprised that the state or OSHA hasn't shut them down.
I'm a 1st timer and like your video. Made good sense. I wondered about what you think about the performance of the Bravo 1 vs the Fallkniven Idun. Which would you recommend the most?
I hit hard with buying Bark Rivers and at one time had over 150 of them. That my friend is a lot of money. I fell off the band wagon over an issue with one of the least expensive BRK knives, that being the Woodlands Special. That knife should have never made it out of Michigan. Handle was not finished, one of handle different size. Handle pin did not fit, grind was horrid, just a really bad knife. I called DLT and they told me to call Bark River. I did and a young lady answered the phone and wanted to argue with me that it was that a knife as bad as I described it would have never been shipped. I told her how many of their knives I owned and my relationship with DLT and Knives Shipped Free and she put me in with the big man himself. Mike Stewart told me send it back and hung up on me. That was over two years ago and I still have just about all the BRK i bought but there will never be another one. I have a Survive knife and some Randall's that put BRK to shame. Never sent the Woodlands Special back, it is the first BRK I show people out of my collection.
I've noticed the fanboyism is bad on the pages. Owner seems to get extremely defensive anytime anyone posts any issues and people will pile on top of someone with concerns. Last year someone complained about the fuller on a Cub and they were dunked on by everyone and even the owner saying it's impossible for his issue to happen due to all the QC check stations. Well the next day the guy posted a video showing how horrible the fullers were on that knife and how mismatched it was. I wish I saved that video because one of the admins deleted it.
I bought a Bark River Bravo EDC in Elmax at a Flea Market for 80 bucks. Would say the quality was that of an 80 dollar knife I re sharpened it. The handle scales were mismatched very noticeably. I thought it was a fake at first but I guess the defects mean it's real
He's right, and even Joker (Made in Spain) makes a really high-quality knife for $100.00 I fell in love with Joker knives and bought 1 of each... The Nomad in N695 steel is one of the best so is the Joker Canadience!
I would argue that slight imperfections like that can add to the knives character and make it more personal to you, like this specific knife is your knife, and the imperfections help reinforce the idea that the knife is genuine, not just another cookie cutter unit from the factory line
That's just a lie that you tell yourself to feel good about the defects in your knife. If you want character in your knife, the act of using it in the field will wear it out/damage it and give your knife a unique look from use. that is real character because those blemishes were created by you using the knife not the maker being sloppy. I know because I just received a Bravo LT1.25 with unforgivable defects (the sharpening coil was ground because the maker's hand slipped while grinding the grind, which was uneven) that I complained to the distributor and they gave me a partial refund. But it is an absolutely fantastic knife I am happy to keep, just that for that price we deserve perfect finish.
Yeah, but no. While I don't mind slight imperfections on the handle, crooked blade grinds are absolutely unacceptable. What also makes me sad is when the knife comes without fully glued scales. Bark River does that too.
I would argue that $200 isn't the price range that you expect perfection. Bark River is my favorite brand and I've never experienced these issues he's taking about. Plus if you send them in they will replace or fix the issue.
@@MrContemplation Well, I have just received five TOPS knives and they are all perfectly crafted. They are Frog Market Special, Frog Market Special XL, C.U.B., Pasayten Light Traveler and Lite Trekker, all well below $200 mark. I am pretty impressed with the finishing quality of TOPS knives.
I have a lot of Bark River knives and I do have one knife in my collection where the grinds are unacceptable. Honestly though, the tiny inconsistency in how symmetrical the grinds are on my knives are not noticeable even when really looking for them. Maybe I have been lucky? I do agree that they can do better on the grind consistency considering how much money they are.
@@Jerry-uc1pn I’ve looked for that on the pictures and I have noticed some that you could see slight differences. Honestly slight variations of swedge lengths or lengths of the fullers are usually not noticeable unless you are comparing it to another knife. The botched plunge lines on my one knife is really unacceptable but other than that one knife I really have nothing to nitpick about.
Truth. I’ve owned 3. The first one has a pretty good grind. The second needed a slight re-profiling of the convex. The last one I bought & intended to keep is a bravo clip point. The lines on it are not straight and it wasn’t sharp. It’s so disappointing. I love their designs, heat treat, steels and convex grind but who wants to own a sloppy knife…. I’m going to end up selling it. I’m not sure if I’ll buy another one as I only see them online and can’t inspect them first.
Nothing wrong with what your saying but your also leaving a bit out key information who ..who.. does convex blade like bark river . No one lets be honest, now I love a fallkniven but they have more meat behind the edge just a fact. L.T wright fiddleback great custom blades etc but look at that tiny scandi grind you have in your hand, tiny scandi bevels are not good, you go full hight grind like a big boy or you go 3/4 scandi if you intend to use it for anything other than making kebab sticks . If bark river is guilty of anything its being American , now i dont know why Americans are obsessed with thick blades .. but they are and its weird. But bark river has lots of thin bladed models , 3mm (metric a proper system) is what you want in a field knife designed to be used. They arnt cheap but you are stretching that price out abit mate $280-$320 is fair average of their price (average..). They might not be perfect (I agree) but they out perform, and thats what counts.
I only have a 1 (small) full tang Bark River. After reports on YT of quality issues with hidden tang models I refrained form buying one. Also the reseller webshop (knives & tools, by far the biggest knife shop in my part of Europe) being FLOODED with an endless amount of different Bark River models is somehow not a good signal, at least not to me. It signals to me they are trying to make money too fast at the cost of quality. And they focus on how good a knife looks, they found out what people like w.r.t. looks, and then started mass producing that, at the cost of quality. That is at least what I suspect. Btw my full tang model is also not perfect: the ricasso's don't meet. I don't trust them anymore unfortunately. More looks than quality.
I've got a tundra 3 Camp coming in the mail, it's going to be the second knife I got from them so I can't wait to check it out, I wanted I longer meat cutting knife in A2, ps... I'm a master knife sharpener so I hand sharpener and put a katanas edge on it
A lot of Bark River purists are throwing hissy fits because the world has found out about Bark River knives. They knew about Bark River before Bark River became cool, and so they are now really bummed and finding new criticisms of BR knives.
Falkkniven are more than a bit more expensive than Bark River. In 2022, Bark River goes for $230-$350 on DLT. Falkniven start lower and go all the way up to $1900. Just sayin. Both are great for bushcraft.
Why the hell would you use a knife to split wood man? They make a tool for that..😂 try an axe or maul next time guy. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how well they work
Terrible grind, terrible handles but pay hundreds for it? You gotta be a special kinda person, a little "gifted" to want one of these bark river knives.
Everything you say is spot on. I 100% agree. I have the same exact model lt wright Outback as you with the black g10 and thick white liners. That is one of my favorite knives and the fit and finish is flawless. I own 7 LT Wright knives and about the same amount of bark rivers. LT Wright is light years ahead of bark river in terms of fit and finish. I’ve watched a few tours of the bark river facility here on RU-vid, and if those knives really went through all of the quality control checks that Mike Stewart claims, it would be impossible for me to have received the knives I bought because they never would have left the factory. I love their designs, but for the price of the knives, their fit and finish issues are unacceptable
I really like the green canvas bravo 1 lt as an outdoor knife ! The price is steep and I'm trying to justify it . You didn't help lol Appreciate the info tho thx
His opinion is only one of a million. Check us out yourself and you'll find this is not that standard impression. Also you won't find another company with a warranty as good as ours. If you have an issue with your blade, send it in. We will fix it. Nothing here is perfect...they're hand made.
This review is YMMV. I have Fallknivens, Bark River, and others. Happy with my choices, not trying for perfection, just a great knife that does what I want and like using. No matter the price or brand, at the end of the day, that's all that really matters. They actually do a good job at heat treating their steel. IMO. We are all better off for having a lot great choices in knives. I tend to buy safe-queen 2nd hand knives anyway to keep the price down.
Just got my gunny 3V The freakin edge is CURVED up to the handle!!! 😡😡 My Bravo’s grind is uneven. $250 for the gunny. I’m returning it and hopefully getting a refund or replacement. If replacement, I’m hoping it’s better then the one I have. Not worth it, NOT worth it.
If you want a knife with perfect grinds then by a machine made knife with good steel man. All handmade/forged knives, daggers, swords, axes are going to have a technically imperfect edge. Its closer to what's been used in the past and it takes a much higher level of skill than hand polishing somthing that comes out of a cnc.
As much as I love the look of the Idun, I would go bravo 1. vg10 is an inferior steel and you can get the bravo in a bunch of better steels. But for looks Idun wins and if that makes you more happy, then you will enjoy it more.
Hand made knives are never perfect. I'm sure a C & C machine can make a fine product. The underlying statement is semi custom. Plenty of other knives look great and, or, feel great. They usually don't last. They don't hold an edge. They get big dings on the edge like 1095. I'm not a fan boy of Bark River. I own a few of them them. A work sharp helps. Lol
I’m looking for a hunting knife, not a bush-crafter!! I need a knife for skinning and processing western big game. The majority of the time the animals have to broken down in quarters and packed out. What quality knife $50-$200 range do you recommend?? I don’t like huge knives. I’m tired of the folding knives like Buck 110. I want a smaller fixed blade, 4” or less, to break down & process game in the field. With a high quality steel that is sharpenable in the field, I like CM154 and S35.
The persuit of knife perfection can be fulfilled for a price so high that you will not actually use it and if you do, when it gets scratched or damaged your dream knife is no more. Who buys a vintage Randall and sharpens it on a rock. Everyones priorities are different, I like made in the USA, great materials, a wide variety of handle materials, and a warranty that will be honored by the manufacturer without question. So yes, I love Bark River and the other US manufactured knife makers. I like TOPS as well, but you do get what you pay for and I am more willing to use my TOPS knives in hard use simply because they are less expensive. What are you willing to pay for and still use? Is it for an application in the field or really for the idea of the application (Collectable). Just like most new custom 4WD trucks rarely leave the road, same with most fixed blade knives do more than handle boxes and light packaging. Still I love them.
@@BOOSTEDLASER the comment section seems to disagree.. a lot of people who own them like myself are disappointed with money spent compared to other brands..
Good review. Depends what you do with your knives though. Virtuovoice rates BR as the best field dressing knives around. Typical/classic American knives are designed for hunting. A hunter will need a task specific knife that generally gets (fairly) light use, so it has/had a stick tang with finger protection and will or can afford to have a fancy handle 'cos it's not going to get damaged. The modern "bushcraft" knife is a multi-tool used for tasks up to and including fairly heavy wood processing; it could be regarded as a small ax. A bushcraft knife is a heavy use tool susceptible to loss and damage and I'd say if it costs more than $100 it's not a good knife, would you spend $400 on a machete?
I concur 100%. My first BR was the Sahara, purchased through Knives Ship Free. The handle was more like a steak knife, and the blade arrived so dull that it wouldn't slice paper, nor much of anything else for that matter. Although I could've sharpened it myself, I shouldn't have to for a brand new BR purchased through a certified dealer. So sent it back for a refund, and literally payed a heavy price for that. A couple years later I went through eBay to give BR another chance and purchased a Bravo 1.25, Gunny, Vidarr, Ranch Hand, and Fox River Featherweight. Some were new, some were pre-owned. The prices were a lot less, and if need be I could return for full refunds without problems. How many do I still own? None. All good knives, but they just didn't really fit the bill for me. I totally get the Bark River fan following. I've been eyeballing the new U.P. Bravo and always admired the Mini Rogue. Beautiful knives! But I just know that the thought of them is more of a romantic notion for me. And I have to include that this also applies to Fallkniven knives as well, through my experience in owning a standard A1 and an S1 Pro. Thank you for your honest review. I now know that I'm not the only one that feels this way.
My Bark River was not perfect too. And I have spent nearly 400 bucks. I must say that BR employs a lot of US junkies and they know nothing apart smoking crystal meth.
@@SubUrbanNinja-EDC I do not agree, but those guys have tiny hands. For a bushcraft knife I like the LT Wright outback much more. But I have large to xl size hands. Those guys have size small hands. To each their own.
Mora is king...cheap comfy and "GOOD" even guys that own higher end knives have them stash somewhere as so to grab for them so they won't thrash there custom knife. Knowing full well it well do extract same job as there higher end for dirt cheap. The Price of being pretty is being baby.😅🤣.
Idk about that bub lol I'm the guy that will beat on a $300 knife. I've done alot like that and they always hold up. Moras are okay for $10 but I prefer convex grinds. Even when it come to carving.
Nah man... If they can't cut a tank in half without taking edge damage their garbage. My $50 knife can, and takes little to no edge damage. If the edge breaks out after impacting other alloys, rock, glass, and or bone, etc, this also means their junk. My $40 knife can hit all the above mention materials, and not sustain as much if no damage. It's simple... Cheap knives are better. If you buy super steels you're stupid. (Satire)
You won't find a better warranty but you'll pay for it on the initial purchase I love the brand but I really love the Blackjack branded knives they are not perfect but will out perform the Randalls costing twice as much I love them
@@nicknunya8213I’ve got many criticisms of bark river, I dislike many of their knife making practices and customer service is quite disgusting but fuck me they’ve got the most handle choices I’ve ever seen 😂
Romeo D'Ambrosio it is very subjective. The best consistent work for fit and finish that I have seen is Fiddleback Forge. Currently, my favorite brand to pick up is Adventure Sworn. They have been perfect so far. But who knows brands change some for the better and some for the worse over time.
