Until 36 hours ago, the knife often had been referred to as "KSF Secret Project #3," owing to KnivesShipFree's involvement in its development. Over on KnifeForums, however, pretty much everyone knew (at least in a general sense) what was coming.Considering the new Barkie's form and intended purpose, it's bound to draw comparisons to RAT Cutlery's justifiably popular Izula -- and so, to the best of my humble computer-graphics ability, I will, too.
Yes, they look similar, but the business end of the Bravo Necker is bare, satiny 12C27 stainless steel (the Izula is coated 1095 carbon steel) and convex-ground (vs. flat-ground). And the Bravo Necker was launched with an accompanying range of add-ons -- Micarta and G-10 handle slabs in a variety of colors, an optional leather sheath and firesteels that fit both the Kydex and leather rigs.
I'm gonna go on-record here and predict that Bark River and KnivesShipFree have hit a home run with the Bravo Necker. I won't know for sure how good it is 'til I have one in my hands, but I can't wait to give this newest member of the Bravo family a workout.Regular KintlaLake Blog readers will recall, of course, that I rolled my own Bark River necker rig recently, marrying a Little Creek to a Mini-Canadian leather sheath. How do the two knives compare?
As luck would have it, Bark River's Mike Stewart was kind enough to supply us with a side-by-side photo:
Even judging only by that picture, it's clear that these are entirely different tools. I think I can find a place for both neckers among my kit -- stay tuned.
