Will Bark River Continue to Produce the Aurora Ii

This one is a little older of a review - but I thought it worthy of posting it here. You don't see many bushcraft style knives posted here in comparison to pocket knives and folders - so I thought I would post it here:

Stock Photo:

Steel Type: A2
Blade Length: 4.513 Inches
Blade Width at choil: 1.009
Grind width at choil: 0.737
Overall Length: 9.5 Inches
Blade Thickness: 0.170 Inches at choil and 0.025 at tip
Weight: 6.0 oz
Tang: Exposed
Handle (scales) length from choil to to butt: 4.935
Handle width at the palm swell: 0.906
Choil Hand Guard: 0.250
Heel Swell: 0.300
Usable handle (from choil swell to butt swell): 3.790 inches.
Rockwell Hardness: 59 - 60
Solid Pins (0.250), One Lanyard Hole (0.175), White Bone Micarta Scales, Black Liners.
Sheath: Sharpshooter sheath with Drop Loop.

Stock Photo:

My Photo:

The Order:

My knife was ordered from Crystal Falls Trading Company a few weeks ago. They did not the scales or the liners I wanted in stock (no one else did either) but they were willing to work with me. They told me they would get back to me when they knew something. Obviously BRKT takes care of their vendors because within a few hours the knife was on order - and three days later the vendor had it in hand. It shipped on a Tuesday (normal priority shipping) and I had it on Friday. It was packed well and all went as planned. The total price for the knife, sheath, drop loop, and shipping was 200 even.

I loved the fact that, being from Michigan, I could not only use a Michigan product, but order it from a Michigan vendor. BRKT and CFTC could not have been better. CFTC's web site was easy to navigate - both owners could not have been easier to work with and their communication was excellent. When the knife was ready - they put it in a specific spot on their site and it allowed the final transaction to be very smooth. I also ordered a matching fire steel that is still being made - I expect not to wait too long and I am sure CFTC will take care of me.

The Knife - Initial Impressions:

Fit and Finish of handle: The handle was almost perfect. The pins and lanyard were polished excellently. The countour of the handle was also wonderful. It was comfortable, ergonomic, and well constructed. The white micarta was set off by the black scales and the polished steel and looked very classy. It is a great thing that the tang is lightened because it is a beastly amount of steel. The balance is right at where the first finger rests on the handle and the knife feels lighter than it is. The steel melts into the the scales and the fit is perfect.

However, there were two scuff on the left scale where a small amount of attention would have made it perfect. A few minutes with 1000+ grit sand paper and some polishing - brought it out and it looked great. At 200 dollars - a few more seconds would have been right.

Comfort:

This is a great handle. It is, by far, the longest handled knife I have - but it isn't too long. It is 1/2 inch longer than my Koster's for instance. It is very grippy, comfortable, zero hot spots after much use, and very well thought out. I wear a large glove - and the handle fits perfectly. I could be a bit larger for me - but I think it is the perfect compromise to fit most men's hands. After a day of use - I feel this is the most comfortable handled knife I own. What I also love about it is that with a lantard or fob - the knife will feel just as comfortable.

Steel

The spine of and handle portions of the steel (the flats) are very well polished. I would call the polish on every portion but the grind - a very light satin. It is not a mirror polish - but a slightly rubbed look. The spine is not totally flat and some work would need to be done to make it optimal on a firesteel.

The grind is even, well done, and flat. The choil transition (to grind) is very smooth and well done. The finish on the grind was a little rougher - you could see a few more grind lines. Again, just a few more seconds at the polisher would go a long way.

The sharpened edge left a little to be desired. The first 1/8th in front of the choil (admittedly - the toughest to reach portion) was noticeably dull. Also the tip was a little rough - and even had a slight bump. This was not a huge deal as it forced me to learn the convex grind and how to sharpen it. I simply paid a little more attention and started at a lower grit at these portions and within minutes the entire blade was very sharp.

There is one very very tiny pit near the spine that looked to be there when the forging was done. This is nothing big - and adds character. Also the Bark River wording on one side was slightly crooked. I really don't care about it - but I would be remiss to not include this detail.

One thing worthy of note is that my blade has the slightest recurve to it. I wondered if this was a mistake - but careful examination of stock pictures shows this is standard. It makes for a very nice slicing edge.

Out of the box - the edge was very very sharp. It races through magazine paper and popped hair.

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Sharpening a Convex Edge: I have watched the video's on knivesshipfree.com and read as much as I could on the process. I must say - if you were only to go to one place - go to KSS. What I love about this video series is that it was a giveaway contest - and the winner is a blade user. The knives he also used to make the series are BRKT - so it fit what I was going to be doing.

The experience was excellent. I did not feel lost or out of control. I took the blade to about 500 grit - right up to 2000 grit like the video recommends - then used my JRE Stop Bat to stop the edge. Do not be afraid to scratch your blade. You will need to do this to learn. Also - the strop takes these scratches out with little issue. Also - the small scratches from sharpening make it look like a user. Within minutes I had the sharpest edge I have ever had.

My aurora simply wipes away hair. I have never had the experience where hair just falls off your arm when you move your knife past it. You do not feel it pulling - it is as if it is a light sabre. It is deceptively sharp because it does not feel that sharp to the finger - but is VERY sharp on material. It push cuts the thinnest of paper - and will cut a 400 page magazine closed with little effort.

Sharpshooter Sheath:

The Sheath leaves little to think about. This is a compliment. It is well constructed and made - I really enjoy that the belt loop is a separate piece of leather that makes it look great. The stitching for the belt loop is sewn AND glued - nice touch. The leather is thick - the sewing is top notch, and the little aesthetic details are nice. This is not a sheath to write home about - it just quietly does its job. In short, it is great.

The Drop Loop:

I like a dangler sheath - but I also like options. The drop loop - although not the prettiest solution to the situation - works great. Between the adjustments on the drop loop itself and where it is positioned on the sheath - you can adjust this part in nearly any dangling configuration to suit you. I maxed mine out to fit my tastes. It was simple to install and simple to adjust. It matched my sheath perfectly.

My only nitpick is that both logo's (the back of the knife sheath and the front of the drop loop) are crooked. Damn it people - slow down.

Overall Initial Impressions:

This may be 'the one'. I have been using my Koster Bushcraft for a long time - and I really like that knife. I find the steel is a bit too hard - and especially when attempting to sharpen a scandi grind - making it really sharp can be tedious and frustrating. After much practice - I have a system down - but for the initial user - this can be daunting.

The A2 steel is hard - but forgiving enough to allow easy sharpening. The edge is very stable and although it slices like a champ it seems to push cut just as well.

The knife is extremely comfortable and although I have not put it to hard use yet - I love the weight in my hand and the overall balance of the knife. The spear point is very nice - and because of the grind it gains thinness at the end without sacrificing strength.

lindsayblighte.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bark-river-aurora-review.685678/

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