|
Rustic Forge
Email Us @ rusticforgeknives@bigpond.com |
|
The Reviews listed below have been prepared
by “jdee” unless otherwise stipulated. |
|
I have been waiting a long time for this Knife – not at all sure
that it would be what I wanted but hoping that Bark River would come through.
I was looking for a “Hunting Knife” – not a 4” drop point new style hunter
but more the traditional hunting knife shape which is useful in camp, will
chop well at the heel and altogether an elegant, brave style of Knife. The Boone is Bark River’s version of
one of the most basic designs of the early classic transition period of the
early 1900s. The Boone is based on the early Wade & Butcher pattern of
the same name. The advantage of this pattern is that it has plenty of belly
for skinning and slicing tasks. Its point is clipped slightly down so it is
just as useful as a Bowie pattern of even a Drop Point. The pattern was
developed to give a wide variety of uses in the field and eliminate the need
to carry a number of specialized knives. It is very versatile and a great
"General Carry" choice. Specifications:
The Boone uses 52-100 Steel, which is not common
in production Knives and mainly the choice of a number of custom makers and semi-production
makers, of which I now have 3 Bark River Knives. 52-100 is a ball bearing steel, an ideal blade
steel, fine grained with good edge retention on different mediums which is due to
its combination of hardness, wear resistance and toughness. Given the right heat treatment 52-100 can
be a tough steel equal to A-2 – not as tough as Bark River’s A-2 but close
enough to be considered when selecting a blade. The Boones blade is 3/16”(.187”) thick which for
a hunting Knife is getting to the upper limit of a preferred thickness. It is
thicker then the Fox River but thinner then the Gameskeeper. The blade starts
to taper about 1-1/4” from the tip and is 1/32” thick 1/8” from the tip. The
blade is 1-1/8” at its widest and is 5”(5”) long with a cutting edge of
4-7/16”. The blade is convex ground and the grind
basically starts from the back of the blade although it is more evident from
the fuller onwards – IMO it is a perfect example of the convex craft. The blade is of a concave clip of 2-7/16” in
length with it dropping 1/8” at the tip giving it a “Bowie” look. The fullers
are 2” long by 9/32” wide. BTW the fullers are not blood grooves which has
become very much part of the Knife myths – it is there for weight reduction
and/or cosmetic reasons. The handle, incl., the guard, is 4-5/8” long
therefore giving a 9-5/8”(9.125”) OAL. The guard is 1-1/2” x 5/8” and extends
7/16” which is within the comfort range for this style of Knife. The Knife
handle (mine is stacked leather) is 1-3/16” at its widest and 15/16” at its
thickest. NB where I have included measurements in brackets
these are the ones that have been specified by Bark River. As Barkies are
very much hand finished the measurements will differ from Knife to Knife. The Boone’s handle is different from previous
runs in this series in that it has a button pommel with a recessed tang nut
(much better then the exposed nut) and the handle is shaped in a similar
fashion to the Kabar, but much more oval (see measurements above), and the
Marbles Ideal. I compared it to both Knives and found the Boone more
comfortable. My Knife is 6.7oz(6.4oz) sans the sheath and
9.3oz with the sheath – so it is no lightweight. It is heavier then the
Gameskeeper at 5.625oz and much lighter then the Teddy at 11oz. And, whilst lighter
then its stablemate the Sperati Point at 5.75oz both Knives feel similar. Testing out the Boone in different handholds
didn’t throw up any problems. The Boone was comfortable to use in the Basic
Hold (initial cuts), the Press Cut and Thrust Holds whilst you can choke up
on the blade for Fiddling and Nicking Holds. The Knife is very comfortable in
the Reverse Hold with no chance of your hand slipping on to the blade and the
thumb rests comfortable on the pommel with its recessed nut. What
will the Boone be good for: 1. Hunting
– it should prove to be a good large Hunter for Game the size of Sambar
although you will probably need a small Blade for the fiddly bits. There
should be no problem with cutting sternum, rib and pelvic bones; 2. BushCraft
– I’ll wait to finish my review to comment fully on this use but my initial
reaction is that it work well for a large Knife; 3. Survival
– being somewhat similar in size to Bark River’s Gameskeeper and Fallkniven’s
S1 Forest Knife I would not be surprised to see it prove itself in this use;
and 4. Medium
Weight Field Knife – this is where I would classify the Boone and it should
prove to excel in this area. I believe that there has been
a need for this type of Knife in the Bark River line up. Something stouter and
more robust then Knives like the Fox River but not as large and heavy as the
Teddy. To me this Knife says “Work” - it is no show pony it will get the
tasks done esp., where they are heavy duty. Comparing it to my Settler And then comparing it my
Sperati Point it definitely feels and looks stronger all round. The Boone
feels like the Knife that you will pick up and use it without a second
thought whilst one would be more tentative with other Knives. The Boone will not be
everyone’s cup of tea. But, for those of us who grew up with these sort of
Knives and often put them through torture tests, because we knew no better
then, it will be like welcoming back an old friend. When I was a young lad I had
a similar Knife to the Boone made in Sheffield – it was my Boy Scouts Knife.
At that time we were permitted to wear our Knife openly and even wore it to
school on special occasions as part of the Scout uniform. Over the years
similar Knives became harder and harder to get that’s one of the reasons I’m
so pleased with the Boone and as a bonus it has 52-100 steel and a Bark River
convex grind. |
|
I recently purchased a Cold Steel
"Braveheart" their version of a Sgian Dhub - yes I know Braveheart
didn't have a Sgian Dhub but I suppose Cold Steels marketing gurus thought it
would sell better then say a "Rob Roy". Now I've done a review on the
Braveheart but I won't bore you with it here plus it would be OT. The purpose
of this thread is do discuss the Sgian Dhub's shape and how it would fare as
an EDC or Bushcraft Knife. The Braveheart has a 4" blade
which I would suggest is longer then your average Skean Dhub which are around
3.25" but I have seen ones 4" and longer but these appear to be
rare. It has the traditional jimping on the back of the blade which is useful
in the dark but no fuller. BTW the cutting edge of the Braveheart is only
3.125". The Knife is made from AUS8 which I
would hazard at a guess is a lot better then the "ceremonial"
replicas around and the Knife had a good edge out of the box. The blade's
shape is the traditional needlepoint dagger type and compared to the more
traditional shapes may be a bit pointier but I have also seen trad's with a
pointier tip and of course my favourite clip points. So how does this shape work as an
EDC - I had no problems with it from opening boxes to food preparation and
the point comes in vary handy in some instances although one has to be point
aware as it is very easy to catch the point on some mediums you are working
on. It's fun using the Knife to eat with as it spears food easily (great for
getting olives and gerkins out of bottles) and for spearing cheese on a
platter. As an EDC I wouldn't be adverse to
carrying one and when you look at it the Sgian Dhub was one of the original
EDC's. When I finally got it out in the
bush the Braveheart worked well - it can be batoned on small stuff (the CS
version is full tang unlike the trad's) and the jimping doesn't cause a
problem. One wouldn't call the tip robust but it will drill holes but is not
suitable for carving something like the hollow of a spoon. IMO the Sgian Dhub
shape would work well in the bush and especially as a back-up. So if some day Mike brings out a
Sgian Dhub I believe it will have plenty of uses besides being stuck in the
top of your sock. As for my Braveheart after I've
played with it a bit more I think it might make a conversation piece as a
"table dagger" although I'd be prepared to carry it as a SD against
Bunyips and the like. |
|
This is a review of a Knife that not much has been written
about as it has probably been seen more as a collector’s item then a user. The Knife is a converted Sandstorm and is called the
Blackstorm and only a small number were made available for civilian
consumption. I came across it due to its request by a customer and when I
tracked it down I ordered an extra one. In the normal scheme of things I
would not buy this type of Knife but the blade spiked my interest. Before discussing the Blackstorm we should look at its parent
the Sandstorm. Mike Stewart of Bark River says: The Bark River Sandstorm is our interpretation of the Famous
Chute Knife as designed by Harry Archer--Bob Loveless and Ken Warner. Harry Archer
was an Operative for the U.S. Government. He served in many Theatres and
Regions of the World and was a true American Warrior. After many years in
that Service he sat down with Ken Warner and designed what he said was
missing in the Cutting Tool Market. They designed a Compact--Light and very
well balanced knife that would be--in Harry's Mind--the ideal knife for
Missions both overt and covert. Harry and Ken Contacted Bob Loveless and had
Bob make the First one.
I never felt a need to get a Sandstorm probably because of its
double guard, which I have never been in favour of, and I felt the Knife had
too much belly for the style of Knife. When I read of the changes to the
Sandstorm which resulted in the Blackstorm my interests were piqued even
given the Adkins style double guard.
As Mike has said “The Blades are Sleeker, More Pointed and the
Ricasso is different.” Out of the box 2 things struck me first:
Compared to my Bark River Boone another 5” bladed Knife the
Blackstorm at 5.5oz is 1.4oz lighter and compared to the 4” bladed Canadian
Special albeit a full tang Knife the Blackstorm is .30z lighter. When travelling in the outdoors weight saved can be
advantageous but it is in use that the weight difference is quiet noticeable
esp., over a period of time. The blade is Sandvik 12C27 Stainless Steel at 58HRC and enough
has been written about the worth of this steel when heat treated by Bark
River which I have compared as IMO at least equal to Spyderco’s VG10. The
cutting edge is 4-9/16” long and whether you call it a clip point or a drop
point the tip is about ¼” below the spine. The blade is 1-1/16” at its widest and 11/64” at its thickest.
And has a distal taper which extends the length of the swedge and is 1/32”
thick 1/8” from its tip. The grind is convex and starts 3/16” from the spine
being what I would describe as a medium taper. The handle including the Adkins guard is 4-3/4” long giving
the Knife an overall length of 9-3/4”.
The handle is well shaped and with a palm swell gives a safe and
secure grip. To sum up the Knife is quiet attractive with its Black Canvas
Micarta handle and guard with a red spacer. In fact it is this attractiveness
that also caught my eye. IMO the 5” blade is sufficient for most Knife tasks in the
field equated with camping, bushcraft and survival and is the maximum for a
hunting Knife. So how does the Blackstorm blade perform? Without boring you
with details it is suffice to say that it performed up to the expectations of
a Bark River on rope and leather performing better then some but not as good
as others EG better then the Boone and Bravo-1 but not as good as the Snowy
River or the Canadian Special. These variances are not great in anyway and it
is more a matter of feel then scientific evaluation. In the Kitchen the Blackstorm gave somewhat similar results to
the abovementioned Snowy River and Canadian Special being excellent and on
par with the Bark River Settler in the meat department making short work of
cubing large rumps – it also was surprisingly good at slicing onions. When it came to wood the blade was a good performer slicing
off large slivers with the rear of the blade whilst being able to perform
detailed cutting with the front ½” of the edge and using the point to drill.
It also easily removed both green and dry bark for Eucy branches. In one way this Review is somewhat dated in that this was a
“special” and is not part of the regular line-up but I think it is important
to look at the concept of a 5” Lightweight Field Knife. The Sandstorm was designed as a Chute Knife and probably had
little appeal for the outdoorsperson. The Blackstorm was designed as a
General Duties Knife for Military Use and again with little appeal outside of
collectors. But, I believe in creating the Blackstorm Bark River has produced
the beginnings of an excellent Light Weight and Medium Sized Field Knife. Can you picture a Blackstorm with a single nickel silver guard
with the handle material of your choice – I can. The advantage I believe the
Blackstorm blade has over the other BR 5” Knives such as the Boone and the
Rivers Edge is the profile of the blade and IMO the more useful point. As a Field Knife such a blade would handle our largest deer
(Sambar and Red); be good at cleaning our larger fish (Barramundi &
Murray Cod); for those trekking in rugged terrains the blade would go well as
a “survival” Knife; and it would be at home in the camp and the camp Kitchen. Just on the current handle arrangement on my Knife I don’t
know if the guard was put on upside down but the top guard is 3/32” longer
then the bottom guard. I can’t say I have been inconvenienced with the
current guard arrangement but I think I will have the top guard removed in
the long run. I am no expert in Military Knives and their uses but I suspect
that leaving aside the defensive/offensive side of things that the tasks
involved are not that different to those you confront in a bushcraft or
survival environment and that being the case I am sure the Blackstorm would
make as good General Duties Military Knife. One of the good things about Bark River is that they do not
make bad Knives and you can expect all to perform out of the box. The problem
is in picking the right Knife for the tasks in mind and that can be harder
then it seems. Knives designed for hunting often work just as well at other
tasks even in the kitchen and Knives designed for bushcraft will often work
just as well as hunting Knives. Having worked for a little while now it is
obvious to me that the Blackstorm blade has a lot to offer for those looking
for a larger but lightweight Knife. The clean lines of the Blackstorm blade
coupled with the ergonomic handle of the Sandstorm provide a Knife well
suited for a number of tasks and is well worth looking at. |
|
The Knife I have had for review purposes is not mine – it is
Ferreters who has kindly agreed I could have a “play” with it before
forwarding it on to him. The reason for this being that I don’t need a Bravo-1 and it
is not a Knife with aesthetics that appeal to me. But I will try and not let
my bias influence my review unduly. The first thing that struck me about the Bravo out of the box
was the feel of the handle and the balance. The Knife really balances on the
first finger quite easily and the well shaped handle gives a felling of fit
which IMO is nearly as good as the Boone. The next thing that strikes you is the thumb ramp – more on
that later. The 4-5/16” blade of A-2 steel at 59hrc is 7/32” thick which
doesn’t start to taper until 7/8” from the tip where it is 1/32” thick 1/8”
back from the tip. The blade is 1-5/32” wide at its widest and has a cutting edge
of 4-1/8”. The convex grind starts ¼” from the spine and is just under 1/32”
thick at 1/8” back from the edge and 1/8” thick at ½” from the edge being
very similar to the Boone in those dimensions. The handle is 4-13/16” long which should be comfortable for
those with largish hands and giving the Bravo an OAL of 9-1/8”. Also it is
7/8” at its thickest and 1-1/16” at its widest. The shaped handle has a good
palm swell. Hand Holds: Press Cut Hold – for my smaller than average hands this hold
was not comfortable as I found the top of the thumb rest digging into the
soft part of my thumb. Using the thumb rest did not assist in using the press
cut and seems more designed for the push cut instead of the pull cut and
stabbing. Finger Hold – Again with the finger along the back of the blade
the thumb rest makes it uncomfortable. Basic Hold – I did find the thumb rest an assistance in
gripping the Knife for opening cuts. Thumb Press Hold – using the thumb on the flat of the blade
caused no problems. Thrust Hold – this was an uncomfortable hold for me probably
as the handle is longer then I would normally use. All in all the Bravo is comfortable to use but IMO not as
comfortable as the Gameskeeper or the Boone. As regards the thumb rest it is
not for me to argue with the experts who saw its need and if you don’t like
it you can always grind it off. As a stand alone Survival/Bushcraft Knife I believe the Bravo
will prove to be “top drawer” but in the context of my views on Survival
Knives I see no reason to replace the S1 Forest Knife or the Gameskeeper
which IMO are Knives that meet the requirements I’ve laid down. The Bravo-1
is cut from a different cloth – the Bravo-1 is task specific. IMO it is a matter of individual choice and I would put the
Bravo-1 alongside the Gamekeeper not in front not behind. It is not often in
the Knife World that you are given such a choice. Myself, I can do without it and for what I want out of a large
Bushcraft General Purpose Knife I would rate it along with the Boone. But I
would wholeheartedly recommend it for the use it was designed for and whom it
was designed by and for. Also for those people who spend a lot of time in the
bush and not necessarily hunting this would make an excellent Knife. I intend watching this Knife with interest in the future to
see if it is as “revolutionary” as I believe it is. |
|
Time to eat humble pie. In the past I have said the Canadian Special
was not the Knife for me as I didn’t like its blade shape nor finger grooves.
On a whim I bought a CS with a Natural Canvas Micarta handle due to its
Arcadian like features attracting me.
Out of the box the CS was nice and sharp and the first thing
to strike me was the point – good strong but fine sharp point. The 4-3/8” A-2 steel blade at 58hrc is 11/64” thick which
starts to taper 1-1/8” from the tip and is 1/32” thick 1/8” from the end of
the spine. The blade is 1-1/16” at its widest and is a leaf shaped “Bow Back
Skinner” with a 4-3/16” cutting edge although I would rate the first ¼”
unusable. The blade is convex ground and .02” thick 1/8” from the edge
and .09” thick ½” from the edge and the grind starts ¼” from the spine – the
geometry should make it an excellent slicer. The handle is 4-3/16” long from the bottom of the ricasso and
is 13/16” at its thickest and 1” at its widest. The OAL is 8-9/16”. The hand
on my Knife was uneven by about 1/16” at the ricasso – if I was anal I might
be upset but since I’m not it doesn’t matter to me as it doesn’t affect the
hold at all. Handle Holds Press Cut – with the thumb resting just in front of the
ricasso it performed well. Basic Hold – for opening cuts I found by choking up just in
front of where the handle meets the blade the most comfortable and useable
position. Finger Hold – given the “Bow Back” shape the whole of the
finger does not rest on the spine but enough of the finger does to be most
useable. Thumb Press – a very comfortable position for “fiddling”. At first the finger grooves feel unusual but once you find the
most comfortable position and practise with it there are no problems with the
light work I have done with the Knife no hot spots arose. Blade Shape Despite my misgivings I find the blade quite useful – plenty
of width and strength for slicing. I can see this Knife being very useful for
cleaning up skins and also for skinning – in some ways the blade reminds me
of a straight “sheep skinner” and esp., the front 2 to 3”. One would need a
little more care then the curved sheep skinner when using it but one could
become very proficient with the CS very quickly. With limited experience with the CS blade shape I can see that
the Knife is versatile, manoeuvrable and handle well. The blade sees to go
wherever it is pushed and has no negative or positive lead characteristics I
don’t believe it would bite or slip out while skinning. And, IMO the CS is
about the optimum size for this type of blade for the tasks mentioned. I mentioned before the CS’s Arcadian qualities. Its shape
(leaf-shaped) is nothing new and like other Knife shapes is common in nature.
Early flint Knives were so shaped as were spearheads and later daggers and
swords. As I’ve said before Mother Nature does not like straight lines and
Knife shapes such as the CS and the Big Mountain Skinner are all curves. What is the CS Good For? I have already mentioned Skinning but in some ways the CS
reminds me of the “Bushman’s Friend” – able to be used for fishing, camping,
hunting or whittling and it will handle these tasks well. “General Purpose”
comes to mind it will skin, it will be effective in camp for slicing food, as
has been shown it can be batoned and carry out a plethora of bushcraft tasks. For me it will be my new “camp Knife” – as you should know by
now I have a rather simple definition of a camp Knife “it is one you take
camping” and the CS will replace my North Star. IMO the CS is much better
suited to camping tasks then the North Star. The CS may well prove to be a good large EDC – its ability in
the kitchen will give you a good excuse to carry it and I am sure it would
prove its worth when there is a Goat Kid or Lamb on the spit. Given its Arcadian looks the CS would certainly fill the role
of a General Purpose “Folk” Knife – that is one that could be used like a
small Scramasax for food and daily tasks, be at home in the camp or hunt and
be available for any emergency that may arise. The sheath is well made and due to the belt loop arrangement
will ride high on the belt. It has the necessary attachment points for a
smaller Knife to be carried piggy back. My sheath has 1 problem and that is
the firesteel loop has been made too small or too thicker a leather has been
used and I can’t fit the army sized firesteel into it – maybe I’ll have to
get the small “scout”size? In conclusion
there are better hunting and skinning Knives available and better general
purpose and camp Knives then the Canadian Special but if you are attracted to
it my recommendation is buy it as it won’t let you down. An Analysis Since I received
the Canadian Special I have been somewhat enthralled with its shape. I made a
judgement about the CS’s shape early on which proved to be incorrect – by only
looking at the pic’s I formed the opinion that it was somewhat like the DH
Russell Canadian Belt Knife or the Grohmann Trout & Bird and Boat Knives.
I had handled these 3 Knives in the past and had formed the opinion that they
were not for me. But, having had the
chance to use the CS I have a totally different view of this Knife – it is
not similar to the Canadian Belt Knife in my view but a totally different
concept that I have not come across before. The Canadian Belt
Knife is described as being elliptical in shape –
without using a formula such as this (x2/a2) + (y2/b2) = 1 it is best to say
that 1 curved side mirrors the other curved side and that is not the case
with the CS. Mike describes the CS as “It's Old Time
Styling has it's roots in the Bow Back Skinners we all Commonly Called
Canadian Skinners.” And I do like the term “Bow Back Skinner” as the back of
the Knife is reminiscent of a Bow and it does differentiate it from
“Canadian” which does bring to mind the Canadian Belt Knife of which even
Cold Steel has gotten in on the act. In relation to the CS’s shape it is worth noting:
So even looking at the blade shape itself the CS is not a
Canadian Belt Knife with the latter having the offset handle whilst the CS
has the more traditional straight handle although it is unique it itself
having finger grooves and a somewhat concave back which provides a suitable
thumb rest for the press cut. The blade and handle configuration enables you
to have knowledge of where the point is at all times. All in all I believe the CS is unique, leaving aside the
Canadian Belt Knife clones, you are hard pressed to find a similar Knife in
the Knife catalogues. I will have to plead ignorance in relation to “Bow Back
Skinners” but in rejuvenating the shape in the Canadian Special Mike and the
Crew have produced a Knife that is “NEW”! I helped a mate kill a lamb and we used the CS from the “kill”
to “hanging” - this NEW Knife in my view is something special – it is better
then a Drop Point in that with this Knife you can go from opening the paunch,
cutting around the bung hole, skinning the beastie and IMO you could cape
with it too (now I know that many of you don’t do all this in the field but
at times it can be necessary but regardless when you get back to base or home
you still don’t have to change Knives) and when it comes to packing this
Knife will do it also. So is the Canadian Special a true “Utility”? I think it may
well be! Esp., if one uses the following definition “having or
made for a number of useful or practical purposes rather than a single,
specialized one”. Whilst I am yet to
give it a true Bushcraft test from what I’ve done with it and from what SgtMike
reported I don’t have any doubts that it will pass. So what else do you want
out of a Utility? For me the
Canadian Special is just that “Special”. Why? To me it is opposite to Knives
such as the “Sperati Point” and “Boone” which are mundane which is not being
detrimental to 2 great Knife shapes but they are what we expect Knives to
look like. The CS as I’ve said before is arcadian – my impressions could be
influenced by what I see as an abridged Barong another leaf shaped Utility
blade. This is a Knife that is going to be at home around the campfire, in
the bush or in the camp kitchen. It is a Knife that extols the virtue of
being different at a time when to be different is seen as being avant-garde
and precocious. Bushcraft Finally a sunny day and able to get into the bush to check out
the Canadian Special with a bit of Bushcraft.
After these tests the edge wasn’t hair splitting sharp (our
soil is very sandy and after a bit of wet weather it is hard to knock all the
sand off the wood) but after a few strokes on the coarse compound it was back
to where it started. I would not venture to say that the CS is a better bushcraft
Knife then the Woodland Special, Highland Special or the Sperati Point after
this little exercise but I got the answer I was looking for and that is that
the CS will make a good bushcraft Knife. It is no worse then the
aforementioned Knives and I will admit that the blade profile seemed to make
it easier when cutting and slicing as the thumb, at least for me, rests in a
more comfortable position. I’ve already proved to myself its value in food preparation
and dressing a carcass so all in all the CS must rate as a good General
Purpose Knife. In fact I would
rate it as close to the best Mediumweight Field Knife in the Barkie range
that I have tested with the Lightweight going to the Snowy River and
Heavyweight going to the Boone. Canadian Special – A Shape from the Past For the Future Born of the Bow Back Skinner is the Canadian Special (CS) – is
this revitalised Knife Shape one for the future?
Before people start jumping up and down claiming foul and
asking about the #1 D.H.
Russell Canadian Belt Knife
|
(settler shown in the background with
the Sperati Point) 
