Bark River Knives - Northstar

BUSHCRAFT SERIES

Northstar

Overall Length: 8.5 in
Blade Length: 4.25 in
Blade Steel: A-2
Steel Thickness: .170 in
Weight: 4.5 oz
Hardness: 58RC

The North Star was Bark River's first entry into the Bushcraft Task Arena. The knife was suggested by and developed with Reid Hyken. The North Star is a great general purpose knife but excels at woodcraft tasks. The pointed spear point blade is the most popular shape for this kind of field work.

The North Star has gone through a few changes and evolutions over the years.
Initially the knife was made with a tapered tang. Only the first run had that feature. After that we skeletonized the area under the handle slabs to give the knife balance without tapering the tang. The 2007 model has a few more changes. The handle slabs were extended forward to be very close to the plunge line of the grind. This will give a more secure grip and enhance the notching ability of the knife. Next the small notches on the underside of the handle in the choil area were removed. The notches on top of the blade are now deeper and more defined for easier use on a ferro rod. These notches were initially put in with the laser while the blades were being cut out. The limitations of the laser itself caused them to be less defined. They are now machined in after the blades are cut out and fully annealed.

If you look carefully you will also notice that the pin configuration has been changed. Originally the knife had three pins through the handle. The lanyard tube was not installed because of the external lanyard loop. The configuration was changed to have two pins and a lanyard, while retaining the external loop. You now have the option of using either the hole or the loop. You even have the option of having the external loop ground off, in case you feel that the loop might interfere with palm thrust style drilling with the point.

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The NorthStar comes with a Bushcraft B from Sharpshooter Sheath Systems, but you also have the option of the Hunter's Pocket Sheath.