# The ?Fox River? Knife By: Bark River Knives



## GarysFotos.com (Jul 7, 2010)

*The “Fox River” Knife By: Bark River Knives*

Located in Escanaba, Michigan
Before we get into the review I wanted to thank both Bark River Knife and Tool and McKnight Cutlery for being so gracious in sending the Fox River knife for review. I contacted Bark River and spoke to Mike and he gave me a little history on the company. Bark River is a family owned business and incorporates modern and tradition practices in both style and manufacturing of their knives. Their knives are known around the world. Shipping to such places as Germany and if you ship knives to Germany you must be good.
Taken from their website: Bark River Knife and Tool employs A-2 steel carbon steel in most if its knives. A2 differs from other high carbon steels because of the addition of significant amounts of chromium and molybdenum. A2 has a favorable reputation among woodworkers for its superior edge holding properties. Owner, Mike Stewart, has found over his many years making knives that this steel offers the best in edge-holding and ease of sharpening qualities using their proprietary heat treatment, and convex blade grinds. The heat treat applied to Bark River knives is complex and time-consuming, involving two different metallurgical companies.
Jeff McKnight owner of McKnight Cutlery in Baldwin, Michigan was very personable and told me he was a bow hunter himself and shared his experiences and tips with me. After some conversation I explained to Jeff I was looking to do a review on a Michigan made hunting knife and had did some research and came across Bark River. He had said that this was a great choice in a knife and that when he got this request from Mike at Bark River he immediately thought of the Fox River knife. He advised me that anytime he goes hunting this is his knife of choice and he does have a lot to choose from. He asked that once the knife came in to pick it up and handle it and if it did not feel comfortable to let him know and he would send another one. It is important that when buying a knife it feels good in your hand.
After receiving the knife and opening the package I immediately fell in love with this knife. It felt great in my hand. The only thing missing was something to field dress. So, I have a friend who was going coyote hunting and I offered it to him to use. He was glad to except. My friend Ken has 45 + years of hunting experience which is 45+ years more than I since I am a newbie. So, I thought what better hands to place this in and get a great review from an experienced hunter.
Ken’s Review of the Fox River Knife
I (Ken) field tested a Fox River Model knife manufactured by Bark River Knife and Tool located in Escanaba, Michigan. I was only able to field test this knife on snowshoe hares as most other hunting seasons were closed in Michigan at that time. The knife worked very well on the hares, however, was probably a little larger blade than I would normally use on small game. The blade on this model is very thick and sturdy which I would find extremely useful for either field dressing or skinning big game such as deer, bear, moose, etc. Also, the blade is uniformly very sharp on its whole length, honed well even out to the tip. The handle fits well in the hand and is not slippery which is a good thing because there is no hilt and one must use a little more care to not let their fingers slip off the handle and onto the blade while being used. The butt end of the handle has a solid ring that can be used to secure the knife with a thong or string to prevent loss if dropped for any reason, a handy feature not seen on most hunting knives. This ring is de-horned and not obtrusive in normal usage. The knife fits snugly in the belt sheath which is made of heavy, stiff leather and is very practical for carrying in the outdoors. All in all, this is a product that would measure up well with any knife in its class.
Article Written by:Ken Head & Gary Elliott


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