https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-k2pame/product_images/uploaded_images/bravo-1-a2-2022-closed.jpg Been thinking about getting this knife; from what I understand the bark river bravo 1 is one of the best bushcraft knives you can get. The convex edge just does a better job of cutting through wood. I’ve seen it demonstrated on YouTube videos. Does anybody have experience with these knives? I think there fairly easy to sharpen as well. Just run it back and forth a few times on a strop loaded with compound and you get the edge back. Don’t have to worry about rounding the bevel like you would with a scandi-grind because the edge is already convex.
BRK have a poor reputation among knife owners, bad HT, poorly fixed grips, bad grinds, lies about steel type and appalling customer service kind of sum it up. They can be pretty to look at but I would never give them a single dollar. They have a rabid fan base who will scream down anyone who calls Mike Stewart out for his crap (that he has pulled over and over for decades). My advice to those looking for a quality blade on which to depend is pick something from the ESEE range and don’t look back (I personally own mostly Busse blades however - but they are an addiction all their own). Nothing wrong with a convex edge, I put some on myself and have some from new. Not hard to do if that is a must for you. I prefer a simple V grind on smaller blades however.
I have never owned or used a Bark River, but they are nice to look at. Fallkniven are less pretty, but very robust with convex edges. I have a few of those. Most of my knives are a kind of hybrid scandi/convex edge but the time I am done sharpening them. Hair splitting sharp with decent edge retention.
I really like Bark River knives, but there are plenty of options out there that may be better (top end). The thing is, Bark River is more in the mass production/semi-custom line with decent quality for the price. Some of their knives can be a bit too expensive for what you get, but that is just supply and demand. VirtuoVice (I think that's how the name is spelled) is a YouTube guy from Japan and his channel is almost exclusively dedicated to Bark River knives. He actually gets paid by the Japanese Gov't to hunt, so he carves up more big game in a season or two than most will their whole lives. He knows knives and has adopted Bark River blades into his lifestyle. Some are really good, some are poor by his estimation, but I think he rated the Bravo 1 up there pretty high. I think he prefers the Gunny though. I like their Fox River blades and I use one as my main skinning knife, although I don't even hunt these days. It's in A2 and "pine cone" handle. It really comes down to your own preferences. A convex edge is superior in some ways, and if it's your thing then you know it is right for you. SEE ALSO: STEEL And KNIVES (A Comparison and Explanation)
