North Star

[Templar]

Hi all,
Just thought I'd let you know my NS arrived today.
That said here are my initial thoughts on this knife..
1. The knife has a nice weight to it, although alittle handel heavy.
2. It has a nice thick tang, the full thickness of the blade, for the full length of the grip.
3. The NS has a good thickness to the grip but the neck might be a little narrow for some.
4. The sharp edges of the micarta grip will need to be removed, I hate sharp edges on knife grips, it just screams blisters to me.
5. The blade is of a good workable length, with a nice taper to the point along the spine.
6. The edge is very sharp straight from the box, (believe me I found out the hard way.....). :tapedshut
7. The sheath will need replacing as I feel it is a little too thin, but its nice and deep with a positive friction to it.

All in all it seems to be a very well made knife, I have shown it to my father who is a professional chef and he is very happy with the weight and blade shape as it lends itself well to prolonged use, his only gripe is that the grip is a little too narrow for him, I personaly find it good for me, but will see how it goes in the field, when I get to use it I will test it against my Frosts Clipper as my control.

Sorry I cant post any pics for you at the moment, as I dont have a digital camera :sad6:

Will keep you posted..

Karl

 

[RovingArcher]

Karl, which handle did you get?

 

[Tack]

Karl.
Your comments appear to be similar to those expressed regularly about the North Star.
I have one with desert ironwood grips but I have to say that I am somewhat disappointed.
Firstly the grips had a gouge in them which I considered was actual production damage. I was told by the seller (who shall remain nameless) that the fault was a "shake" in the wood, was entirely natural and therefore would not be replaced unless I paid all the carriage costs. I decided to keep the knife but it has soured my experience somewhat. Needless to say I have not used the dealer again.
Apart from my experiences with the grips the blade is a good shape, is made from excellent steel and is hair-poppingly sharp right out of the box. It also holds an edge longer than any knife I own,
I had one of the replacement sheaths with the fire stick loop sent after my purchase and this is much better than the original. I suspect you may have one of the first production sheaths which even the manufacturer deemed unsatisfactory.
All in all the knife is a reasonable one. Like many I feel that the grip is a little small and the lanyard loop tends to be obtrusive but the business end of the blade is very good indeed.
Sadly I feel everyone got carried away with the hype surrounding the introduction of this blade, this and my negative experiece with the dealer has relagated the knife to only an occasional carry.
Regards
Tack

 

[Templar]

Hey Rovingarcher,
my NS has the black micarta scales with what look like stainless? solid pins.

Tack,
The sheath I got with mine is a light tan one with a fire steel carrier, and is of rather thin leather, approx 1.5 - 2 mm.

Karl

 

[RovingArcher]

Karl.
Your comments appear to be similar to those expressed regularly about the North Star.
I have one with desert ironwood grips but I have to say that I am somewhat disappointed.
Firstly the grips had a gouge in them which I considered was actual production damage. I was told by the seller (who shall remain nameless) that the fault was a "shake" in the wood, was entirely natural and therefore would not be replaced unless I paid all the carriage costs. I decided to keep the knife but it has soured my experience somewhat. Needless to say I have not used the dealer again.
Apart from my experiences with the grips the blade is a good shape, is made from excellent steel and is hair-poppingly sharp right out of the box. It also holds an edge longer than any knife I own,
I had one of the replacement sheaths with the fire stick loop sent after my purchase and this is much better than the original. I suspect you may have one of the first production sheaths which even the manufacturer deemed unsatisfactory.
All in all the knife is a reasonable one. Like many I feel that the grip is a little small and the lanyard loop tends to be obtrusive but the business end of the blade is very good indeed.
Sadly I feel everyone got carried away with the hype surrounding the introduction of this blade, this and my negative experiece with the dealer has relagated the knife to only an occasional carry.
Regards
Tack

Tack, you should contact Mike Stewart directly on the handle situation with your NS. My understanding is that he is top notch in customer service.

 

[BorderReiver]

Tack, you should contact Mike Stewart directly on the handle situation with your NS. My understanding is that he is top notch in customer service.

Agree.

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showforum.php?fid/59/

If you don't already,have a look at the BRKT forum.

 

[hollowdweller]

I had a couple of the Rogues they make that had some handle issues and kind of poor fit and finish. I sent them back and although it took a long time Bark River returned them in near perfect condition and even upgraded the handle on one to a more expensive wood to kind of make up for the time lag.

Not sure about the shipping from UK to US (I'm in the US) but for sure they want you to be happy and will do a good job

With regard to the handle being heavy on yours that's strange because mine is blade heavy. Of course mine is one of the earlier ones with the tapered tang. It is my understanding that the newere non tapered tang ones are skeletonized to try to have the same effect, but from what you are saying it may not.

 

[Martyn]

Sadly I feel everyone got carried away with the hype surrounding the introduction of this blade...

Yes, I agree completely.

The North star was very heavily hyped, right from the design phase as "the bushcraft knife". This was unfortunate in the longrun. Despite being quite a capable little knife, it fell short of the hype and left some people quite dissapointed.

As a standalone, there is little negative to say about the knife, it's a nice product and quite capable, but under the context of being the perfect bushcraft knife, there are some significant shortfalls (which have already been detailed at length) which prevent it living up to the hype. Doubtless, there are many satisfied customers, but there are also many "bushcrafters" who are not. The bushcraft remit is a quite specific one.

The knife must fundamentally be a good woodworking tool, suitable for fine, detailed carving as well as power work through a range of grips and holds. As an example, scandinavian style handles ...or derivatives, are far better suited to this than the small, narrow necked handle of the north star. The fact that it can be hammered through logs or suchlike is largely irrelevant. Any piece of sharp, well tempered quality steel should be able to handle that with aplomb. Of far more importance in a bushcraft knife, is how the knife handles. The North Star handles more like a small hunting knife, than a woodworking tool. This may suit many people, but as a result, it does fail to fullfill its hype as a bushcraft tool.

There is nothing wrong with the knife per-se, but if you are looking for the perfect bushcraft knife, there are others out there which come closer to that solution than the north star - even other knives from Bark River's own stable, are a better fit for the "bushcraft" description.

It has to be said, that most of those who feel let down by the hype, seem to be british bushcrafters. Many of the American forumites seem quite satisfied. This may be down to a slightly different understanding of "bushcraft". The british definition, seems largely moddled by Ray Mears, with many of the typical "bushcraft" tasks being those that he teaches and practises. The American focus on backwoods cutting tools, seem to lean slightly more towards game preparation. In this respect, it seems understandable, that our American bretheren are more satisfied with the knife on the whole. Each to his own.

Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

 

[Tack]

Yes, I agree completely.


It has to be said, that most of those who feel let down by the hype, seem to be british bushcrafters. Many of the American forumites seem quite satisfied. This may be down to a slightly different understanding of "bushcraft". The british definition, seems largely moddled by Ray Mears, with many of the typical "bushcraft" tasks being those that he teaches and practises. The American focus on backwoods cutting tools, seem to lean slightly more towards game preparation. In this respect, it seems understandable, that our American bretheren are more satisfied with the knife on the whole. Each to his own.

The words hitting, nail and head spring to mind!
Tack

 

[benjamin.oneill]

Hi Tack,

This has little to do with the knife but if you had a bad experience with a dealer who effectively lied and sold you a defective product and refused to fix the problem you shouldn't hold bak on telling everyone who they are. As long as you don't fabricate the accusations then it's within your rights.

In fact, it's how we can express consumer sovreignty. If someone doesn't run a good business by letting people down, no one deals with them and someone willing to do things right gets their custom. Thats how the market is meant to work. If you were dissapointed you should let everyone know and maybe some of that dissapointment will reach the dodgy seller.

Ben

 

[Templar]

Hi all,

Martyn, I tend to agree that peoples definition of bushcraft vary greatly, especially when it comes to the use of various tools out in the bush, I know from my own experiance that if you were to say, split timber for the fire with your small sheath knife here in Oz you would be looked at in horror, because a knife is seen as a small tool to be used for such jobs as whittling and carving small items, some general cutting in camp and the cleaning of game, it is also seen as a tool to help make other tools so as not to use your knife for any heavy types of tasks, if you want to do heavier types of work with a sharp tool you would use the "right" tool for the job, ie: a machete or small camp axe.
But in the end it comes down to what you were taught when you started out..

Karl.

 

[Tack]

Hi Tack,

This has little to do with the knife but if you had a bad experience with a dealer who effectively lied and sold you a defective product and refused to fix the problem you shouldn't hold bak on telling everyone who they are. As long as you don't fabricate the accusations then it's within your rights.

In fact, it's how we can express consumer sovreignty. If someone doesn't run a good business by letting people down, no one deals with them and someone willing to do things right gets their custom. Thats how the market is meant to work. If you were dissapointed you should let everyone know and maybe some of that dissapointment will reach the dodgy seller.

Ben

Ben,
I accept that my experiences have little to do with the knife, however I am reluctant to name the dealer for two reasons. Firstly my experience may be isolated, in which case I may be doing damage to an otherwise good reputation. If I wanted to make a fuss I would do so with him first, if I was not happy then I would complain louder on this forum. Secondly, I let my feet, or in this case my credit card do the talking. I spend far too much on all things recreation including bushcraft but no more of my hard earned will go to this dealer. It is worth noting that in the past 12 months or so I have purchased 12 knives, six items of bushcraft clothing, a rucksack, a hydration pack, and umpteen smaller items totalling in excess of £600. This amount could easily have been spent with the afforementioned dealer had he been straight with me. But he wasn't and, subsequently my money and the profits went to someone else.
I know this is a typically "English" way of doing things but I make no appology for that. Indeed I think of it as a rather dignified way of being.
Regards
Tack