Wilkenson sword woodlore knife!

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JakeR

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2004
2,288
4
36
Cardiff
I WANNA! Thats the one for me! How long is the wait?

Cheers,

Jake
 

tomtom

Full Member
Dec 9, 2003
4,283
5
38
Sunny South Devon
seems like a funny way to distribute knives.. through a forum.. is there no where you can see the different handle materials? who is the UK deal for BEK&T? do they have a web site?
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
0
Jake Rollnick said:
Isnt the Maple hand made by a "wilkinson sword craftsman"?QUOTE]

As I said, in my mind it is made my Wilkinson Sword. How much craft goes into them is debatable. Two examples:

- Full flat grind. The blades are described as having a full-flat grind yet both I've had didn't - the edge was slightly concave. So what I hear you say. Well, you see, a full flat is a harder edge to put on a production knife (this might gove you an insight into why you see so much convex, concave and secondary bevels out there). However, you would have thought that a knife described as having a single bevel would indeed come with just such an edge. OK, some time on a sharpening stone fixes is but why am I having to act as the craftsman to get the edge I paid for?

- Handle. As I've said, I've had one failure and I'm not hugely convinced that the problem isn't going to happen again. Again, I've had cheper knives with wooden handles not made by "craftsmen" that didn't do this.

My personal opinion is that this knife is popular largely because of marketing rather than quality and function. The fact that is can be made fast is the key - it satisfies our desire to have something and have it quick.
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
0
Jake Rollnick said:
Why are you not confident? Should you just ask for your money back?
Simple - the old handle really had a strong smell of linseed oil (even after months of use) whereas the handles on this one feels dryer and doesn't have that smell.

I'm not asking for my money back for a variety of reasons ... one is that I like the feel of the handle but also it's not my only knife (I have plenty more!) and I'm happy to play the warranty game till either I get a good one or I get someone to replace the scales with something better.
 

Simon

Nomad
Jul 22, 2004
360
0
59
Addington, Surrey
it may be that they have changed oils, Adi. . but if it feels drier then it might still mean that it hasn't been oiled enough

you could buy some woodfinishing oil from Axminster and leave the handle soaking in it ... my boxwood sculpting tools are soaked in oil for a month,when new, and warmed on a daily basis while they are wrapped up in oiled cloth, before they ever see use.

while your at it . take a look at their wood turning blocks for some ideas if you ever want it rehandled
 

Tantalus

Full Member
May 10, 2004
1,055
136
60
Galashiels
tomtom said:
seems like a funny way to distribute knives.. through a forum.. is there no where you can see the different handle materials? who is the UK deal for BRK&T? do they have a web site?
Actually it is something I find very interesting in this computer age

Feedback and comments can easily and publicly be exchanged allowing customers the chance to ask for what they really want instead of what the manufacturers want to produce

The manufacturer can take pre orders giving them some idea of the demand before building starts

And in the case of smaller manufacturers this money can be spent producing instead of the manufacturer having to lay out huge amounts of time and cash, the return of which they will not see until the product is finished and shipped - this can be critical for smaller manufacturers

Contrast this with some of the bigger producers (no i wont name names) whose exports are controlled by the bricks and mortar dealers enabling them to double prices for no real reason than personal greed

Or those companies who sell products amid a fanfare of hype and "big names"" only to find their own quality control has goofed leading to mass recalls and customer dissatisfaction, i gotta ask if that was really worth it just for a famous name?

Yes it requires a leap of faith to pay for a knife that hasnt actually been produced or is still being produced

But having said that i regularly buy stuff on ebay too without actually seeing it before it arrives

A little homework and research into what it is I am looking at and where it is from has so far saved me any major grief

BRK&T does indeed have a website http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/index.html

and Joe at outdoor supplies http://outdoorsuppliesuk.com/ is someone who i have dealt with personally and found to have some of the best prices in the UK and very reliable

Just want to say this is starting to sound like an advert , I have nothing to do with either company apart from being a customer

I guess if you want to see the North Star before you buy (which is quite within your rights) there are 2 options

1 Wait for it to arrive at a bricks and mortar store and pay their overheads included in the price they will charge
2 Wait for a friend or fellow bushcrafter to lend you theirs

Hope this helps
Tant
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
0
Simon said:
it may be that they have changed oils, Adi. . but if it feels drier then it might still mean that it hasn't been oiled enough

you could buy some woodfinishing oil from Axminster and leave the handle soaking in it ... my boxwood sculpting tools are soaked in oil for a month,when new, and warmed on a daily basis while they are wrapped up in oiled cloth, before they ever see use.

while your at it . take a look at their wood turning blocks for some ideas if you ever want it rehandled
Or I could knock the scales off, bead blast it and wrap the handle in paracord!
 

JakeR

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2004
2,288
4
36
Cardiff
Lemonywash, i want the Alan wood bushcrafter.

Adi, i fell for that one!

Cheers,

Jake
 

Martyn

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 7, 2003
5,252
33
58
staffordshire
www.britishblades.com
tomtom said:
seems like a funny way to distribute knives.. through a forum.. is there no where you can see the different handle materials? who is the UK deal for BEK&T? do they have a web site?

The pictures are limited to those you have seen. The reason is the knives have not reached the customers yet. Aside from a couple of prototypes, those are pictures of the first North Stars ever to be made.

Joe Echols from Outdoor supplies is the sole UK dealer for BRK&T knives. He is the one selling them on britishblades.

While ODS and BRK&T have no financial arrangement with me whatsoever, Britishblades is my website and I promise you, if i had any reason to doubt the legitimacy of this arrangement, I absolutely would not permit it.
 

tomtom

Full Member
Dec 9, 2003
4,283
5
38
Sunny South Devon
Thanks for the info Martyn.. i really like the look of the north star.. but number one i do not have paypal.. number two i would like to see a picture of the handle i would like (which would most likly be maple).

when you say "knives have not reached the customers yet" does that mean they are simply in transit.. or are they not readly avalible yet.. what stage of compleation are they in... are they being made to order?
 

The General

Need to contact Admin...
Sep 18, 2003
300
1
North Wales Llandudno
The knives will ship in the next 2 weeks or so. Bark River is one of those companies with such a loyal customer base that the first couple of runs of any new line are almost instantly spoken for. Mike and the crew are often months sold out on knives. It is a credit that they care so much for the end line user. However this can be something of a culture shock to us Brits who are used to immediate delivery or companies like W/Sword.

It is the nature of the almost unique relationship between customers and manufacturer that created such an enviroment. I think this is something good, but patience is the key. There will be oppertunities to get a North Star quite soon, but don't hand about. If you visit Knifeforums.com or Britishblades.com you will see plenty of pics of handle choices, woods and blades. Just have a look.
 

Martyn

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 7, 2003
5,252
33
58
staffordshire
www.britishblades.com
tomtom said:
Thanks for the info Martyn.. i really like the look of the north star.. but number one i do not have paypal.. number two i would like to see a picture of the handle i would like (which would most likly be maple).

when you say "knives have not reached the customers yet" does that mean they are simply in transit.. or are they not readly avalible yet.. what stage of compleation are they in... are they being made to order?

The pictures in this thread...

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5120&page=2

...are the most current and up to date pictures of the North Star first ever production run. A few have been finished, most are at varying stages of completion. When the run is completed, the knives will be sent out to Joe for distribution to those that have ordered them. These will be the first North Stars to reach customers hands.

If you want to see pictures of completed knives, you'll have to wait untill those knives (currently under construction) get out to those of us that have ordered them. You will then have to wait untill a second production run is done, later in the year, before being able to place an order for one - or if you are lucky, you might find Joe has a couple of extra's.

TomTom, you have to understand that the North Star came into being from discussions on forums like these. They are not large scale production knives. If you want one, you'll have to take a leap of faith with the handle - find a way of paying for it (try asking Joe if he'll accept a postal order). If you dont want to do all this, that's your choice - but you'll have to buy something else. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.
 

tomtom

Full Member
Dec 9, 2003
4,283
5
38
Sunny South Devon
thanks for the information.. i know you guys have faith.. but it does seem (to anyone who is not a member of the british blades inner circle) like a very complex way of doing it
 

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