Ok, in this article Im going to be looking at the merits of the Bark River Mikro Slither . This is a knife which I consider to be a true pocket knife in that they will fit in a trouser pocket without causing your trousers to fall down. It is the sort you could carry on you when you are out on a bimble without terrifying the natives when you use it (as long as you have good reason and obey the laws etc.)
Id also like to point out that Im no knife expert of bush craft wizard. Those of you who are probably have your own opinions and those of you like me can probably benefit from hearing about my views and mistakes.
What am I doing it with?
The knife on trial is the Bark River Mikro Slither#. The data for this knife says it has a blade length of 1.75 inches and an overall length of 4 inches. Mine came with a leather pocket sheath and antique ivory handles and was around £35 via E-Bay. This knife has an unusual blade shape and is flat ground all the way across the blade. It is a fixed blade.
The Tasks
The tasks involved may not be your standard tests as either they are things either I dont find useful, simply dont have the skill to do or cant do for practical or legal reasons. The tasks attempted are either my own ideas, borrowed from other reviewers or suggested by the community at bushcraftuk. Ill try to give credit for ideas where I can. I shall not be chopping breeze blocks, large trees or skinning buffalo as these arent realistic tasks for these (and in some cases any) knives. Also I shant be skinning or butchering any animals which didnt come from the supermarket as firstly I neither hunt nor fish and secondly I am writing this in mid summer which is out of season for lots of those things.
Before the start of the tests I stropped knife on a piece of card with some tooth paste on it. This seems to be fairly effective at sharpening and polishing the cutting edge and has the added benefit of being something that everyone has to hand. I spent about 15 minutes stropping and checking each side and then give it a quick run through a pocket steel. Any further sharpening necessary will be noted.
Task 1 - Feather Sticks
Thanks to the suggestions of Ogri the Trog on the bushcraftuk forum I have decided to make feather stick as the 1st and last task in this test to see how the blades hold up. Unfortunately this is not something Im very good at. Ive garnered some advice from the internet so lets see if my feather sticks are anything like Ray Mears pedigree rooster tails or are more my typical battery hen style.
True to form I was unable to make much progress with this knife yet could turn out reasonable curls with a Scandi ground or SAK blade. The shape of the edge tends to cause the knife to bite into rather than plane along the top of the stick making it hard to get good curls.
Task 2 - Sparking a Fire Steel
Now Ive included this as everyone else seems to do it. Personally Ive never seen the need as the fire steel comes with its own purpose built and very light striker which Id rather use than a nice shiny knife. Im going to be judging how easy it is to get sparks and how many can be made.
The Mikro Slither does make some sparks with its square spine but not many and it did mark the blade. I wouldnt recommend doing this with it really/
Task 3 - Portability Pocket and Tin
Now well see about an important practicality issue. Because when it comes down to it if a knife is too big or heavy or uncomfortable to carry you probably wont have it with you when you want it. Ill be seeing not only if the test subjects are ok in the pocket but also if they fit in a tobacco tin. Im using this as Ive never eaten an altoid in my life so this is what my mini-kit goes in.
The Mikro Slither comes with a sheath which does fit the knife very well. Unfortunately though it doesnt match the knife in terms of workmanship and is a little rough. Ive carried this in my pocket and although it seems secure it is always in the back of my mind. You could put a cord through the holes in the handle and sheath to secure it if you were really worried. The knife does not fit in the tin in its sheath but out of the sheath fits in easily taking up very little room This would be an excellent tool for a survival kit if the blade was covered with something like duck tape to protect it.
The knife is very light and very very small which keeps it from being too noticeable to carry. Ive looked at different pocket sheaths and may eventually change this one for something a bit nicer to look at which would sit squarer in my trouser pocket.
Task 4 - Food Preparation
This is a wonderful knife for some aspects of cooking. I was able to cut nice thin strips of meat for jerky and make some fine carrot sticks very easily with it. As it is so sharp and has a rounded point you can literally just point your finger along what you want to cut and it will follow.
It is capable of bigger tasks like chopping potatoes and onions but due to the short blade length it will not go through in one go. This is however what youd expect from the knife and it does still cut cleanly.
It was quite easy to clean after use but my model has holes through the pin on the handle and you need to make sure that no dirt has been washed into these. If I was to do a bigger job with this knife Id probably want a loop around my wrist as it is easy to get the blade backwards despite the file work on the spine.
Task 5 - Hard Wood
The interesting shape of the blade makes it a really neat whittler. Due to its flat profile and relatively long handle it can be used like a draw knife although it does tend to bite deeply. The tip of the blade can also be used to push cut somewhat like a skew knife which can sometimes be a useful asset. Indeed to get the most from this knife it is necessary to just hold it in whatever way that presents the part of the blade you want. If you are reluctant to use it with your hands on the blade then youll not get the best from it.
Edge Holding
The edge of this blade is very fine and this does make it very sharp. However when whittling seasoned hard wood you could see a sort of dull spot where the edge had been turned slightly which took about 5 minutes stropping and a few passes with the pocket steel to remove. The edge was also turned slightly when cutting onto a glass chopping board which took a few minutes stropping to put right.
In Conclusion
This is a great little pocket knife and the blade grind means that it will usually feel sharp and cut well regardless. If you are doing conventional carving and odd jobs it is great but it is a pocket knife not a bush craft mainstay. Im pleased with it and it is a real joy to play with because of its quality and looks. It is expensive for the size but I dont know of anything else this small and portable with a fixed blade that will out perform it.
In essence it is a good pocket knife as long as you accept that it naturally has certain limitations.
Id also like to point out that Im no knife expert of bush craft wizard. Those of you who are probably have your own opinions and those of you like me can probably benefit from hearing about my views and mistakes.
What am I doing it with?
The knife on trial is the Bark River Mikro Slither#. The data for this knife says it has a blade length of 1.75 inches and an overall length of 4 inches. Mine came with a leather pocket sheath and antique ivory handles and was around £35 via E-Bay. This knife has an unusual blade shape and is flat ground all the way across the blade. It is a fixed blade.
The Tasks
The tasks involved may not be your standard tests as either they are things either I dont find useful, simply dont have the skill to do or cant do for practical or legal reasons. The tasks attempted are either my own ideas, borrowed from other reviewers or suggested by the community at bushcraftuk. Ill try to give credit for ideas where I can. I shall not be chopping breeze blocks, large trees or skinning buffalo as these arent realistic tasks for these (and in some cases any) knives. Also I shant be skinning or butchering any animals which didnt come from the supermarket as firstly I neither hunt nor fish and secondly I am writing this in mid summer which is out of season for lots of those things.
Before the start of the tests I stropped knife on a piece of card with some tooth paste on it. This seems to be fairly effective at sharpening and polishing the cutting edge and has the added benefit of being something that everyone has to hand. I spent about 15 minutes stropping and checking each side and then give it a quick run through a pocket steel. Any further sharpening necessary will be noted.
Task 1 - Feather Sticks
Thanks to the suggestions of Ogri the Trog on the bushcraftuk forum I have decided to make feather stick as the 1st and last task in this test to see how the blades hold up. Unfortunately this is not something Im very good at. Ive garnered some advice from the internet so lets see if my feather sticks are anything like Ray Mears pedigree rooster tails or are more my typical battery hen style.
True to form I was unable to make much progress with this knife yet could turn out reasonable curls with a Scandi ground or SAK blade. The shape of the edge tends to cause the knife to bite into rather than plane along the top of the stick making it hard to get good curls.
Task 2 - Sparking a Fire Steel
Now Ive included this as everyone else seems to do it. Personally Ive never seen the need as the fire steel comes with its own purpose built and very light striker which Id rather use than a nice shiny knife. Im going to be judging how easy it is to get sparks and how many can be made.
The Mikro Slither does make some sparks with its square spine but not many and it did mark the blade. I wouldnt recommend doing this with it really/
Task 3 - Portability Pocket and Tin
Now well see about an important practicality issue. Because when it comes down to it if a knife is too big or heavy or uncomfortable to carry you probably wont have it with you when you want it. Ill be seeing not only if the test subjects are ok in the pocket but also if they fit in a tobacco tin. Im using this as Ive never eaten an altoid in my life so this is what my mini-kit goes in.
The Mikro Slither comes with a sheath which does fit the knife very well. Unfortunately though it doesnt match the knife in terms of workmanship and is a little rough. Ive carried this in my pocket and although it seems secure it is always in the back of my mind. You could put a cord through the holes in the handle and sheath to secure it if you were really worried. The knife does not fit in the tin in its sheath but out of the sheath fits in easily taking up very little room This would be an excellent tool for a survival kit if the blade was covered with something like duck tape to protect it.
The knife is very light and very very small which keeps it from being too noticeable to carry. Ive looked at different pocket sheaths and may eventually change this one for something a bit nicer to look at which would sit squarer in my trouser pocket.
Task 4 - Food Preparation
This is a wonderful knife for some aspects of cooking. I was able to cut nice thin strips of meat for jerky and make some fine carrot sticks very easily with it. As it is so sharp and has a rounded point you can literally just point your finger along what you want to cut and it will follow.
It is capable of bigger tasks like chopping potatoes and onions but due to the short blade length it will not go through in one go. This is however what youd expect from the knife and it does still cut cleanly.
It was quite easy to clean after use but my model has holes through the pin on the handle and you need to make sure that no dirt has been washed into these. If I was to do a bigger job with this knife Id probably want a loop around my wrist as it is easy to get the blade backwards despite the file work on the spine.
Task 5 - Hard Wood
The interesting shape of the blade makes it a really neat whittler. Due to its flat profile and relatively long handle it can be used like a draw knife although it does tend to bite deeply. The tip of the blade can also be used to push cut somewhat like a skew knife which can sometimes be a useful asset. Indeed to get the most from this knife it is necessary to just hold it in whatever way that presents the part of the blade you want. If you are reluctant to use it with your hands on the blade then youll not get the best from it.
Edge Holding
The edge of this blade is very fine and this does make it very sharp. However when whittling seasoned hard wood you could see a sort of dull spot where the edge had been turned slightly which took about 5 minutes stropping and a few passes with the pocket steel to remove. The edge was also turned slightly when cutting onto a glass chopping board which took a few minutes stropping to put right.
In Conclusion
This is a great little pocket knife and the blade grind means that it will usually feel sharp and cut well regardless. If you are doing conventional carving and odd jobs it is great but it is a pocket knife not a bush craft mainstay. Im pleased with it and it is a real joy to play with because of its quality and looks. It is expensive for the size but I dont know of anything else this small and portable with a fixed blade that will out perform it.
In essence it is a good pocket knife as long as you accept that it naturally has certain limitations.
NO
