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The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:14 pm
by Mack The Knife
This isn't as long as a traditional Golok but I have no misgivings about that.

It is lighter than the ESEE Junglas and promises to be a very nimble chopper. The reason probably lies in a spine thickness of .180" instead of the .224" thick versions from Bark River.

I am pretty certain this will be a keeper and I look forward to trying it later in the month.

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Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 6:25 pm
by slingshot
Mack...The Golok is a very handsome chap. Congratulations...especially since the compass stands out sharp and clear :D .

I have a question though. How is the handle ergonomics? Since this will generally need a pinch hold between thumb and forefinger, to generate the swing in the cut and to mitigate fatigue. I had a look at the choil and it seems a little less than i anticipated for a safe pinch hold. The Junglas handle choil is reasonably deeper. Also, the handle seems really smooth...though I may be mistaken.

I do like the finger rest beyond the handle on the metal. Will help in the small tasks. The production is gorgeous. Love the slightly flaring belly with the strong tip. Do let us have your review. :D

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 6:35 pm
by Moin.
Ooh, what a large Zombie Insurance blade. ! Very nice Mack, total eye candy.

Best
Moin.

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 11:49 pm
by Mack The Knife
Slingshot: Glad you liked it. The ergonomics feel good but I will only know for certain after using it. Also, this is my first draw cutter/chopper rather than the snap cutters/choppers I have been used to and will take a bit of learning and getting used to.

The handle is indeed smooth but I would not use large knives or choppers without a wrist lanyard. However, if I find that it is getting slippery during use, I will sand the scales lightly. However, with use the smooth micarta scales on the Barkies tend to loose their smoothness. The choil feels adequate with a pinch grip but I will only know for certain after using it.

Unfortunately, my indexfinger is a bit thick to safely reside under the ricasso.

Moin: Tonight it takes the place of my trusty Kukhri next to my bed. The relative thinness, upfront weight and the concave grind are guaranteed to result in a very deep bite. Zombies beware. :mrgreen:

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 11:58 pm
by winnie_the_pooh
Mack,

If I were to chop wood with it,I would be wary of using it on dried hardwood.It might not have the heft to bite into it.A lighter blade can be easily deflected by dried hardwood.Nice blade by the way.

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 5:43 am
by Mack The Knife
Winnie: 'Tis only for brush clearing and home defense, if ever the need should arise. I don't see myself chopping wood, soft or hard, but those who do batton the Golok through the wood.

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 7:50 am
by Bruno22
Too civilised for me. But a very handsome and elegant blade.

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 7:56 am
by Bruno22
Mack The Knife wrote:
Moin: Tonight it takes the place of my trusty Kukhri next to my bed. The relative thinness, upfront weight and the concave grind are guaranteed to result in a very deep bite. Zombies beware. :mrgreen:
And I thought I was the only one...maybe we could start a thread as to what people keep on their bedside tables or under the bed every night! We all might just be surprised.

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 10:23 am
by surajshuresh
ooo thats one sweet chopper... I am guessing its a full convex grind... Can you plz tell me from your experience which grind the best for chopping, bushcraft and hunting kinfe... Do you prefer full convex grind or a flat grind with a micro convex bevel and could also tell me the angles??? Thank you...

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 10:25 am
by surajshuresh
Moin. wrote:Ooh, what a large Zombie Insurance blade. ! Very nice Mack, total eye candy.

Best
Moin.
ROTFL ROTFL ROTFL lol...hahaha good one bro...

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 10:37 am
by Moin.
Mack The Knife wrote: Moin: Tonight it takes the place of my trusty Kukhri next to my bed. The relative thinness, upfront weight and the concave grind are guaranteed to result in a very deep bite. Zombies beware. :mrgreen:
You and Bruno too :mrgreen: :mrgreen: , The Becker BK7's my latest bedside companion, which is understandble given that I'm a bachelor :mrgreen: Women/Knives all the same :mrgreen: . What nutcases blade lovers :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

It's kind of difficult to guage the size of the Golok without any reference, how does it compare to the Jungalas. How easy it is to strop such a large blade given the convex grind...

Best
Moin.

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 11:02 am
by dr.jayakumar
Bruno22 wrote:
Mack The Knife wrote:
Moin: Tonight it takes the place of my trusty Kukhri next to my bed. The relative thinness, upfront weight and the concave grind are guaranteed to result in a very deep bite. Zombies beware. :mrgreen:
And I thought I was the only one...maybe we could start a thread as to what people keep on their bedside tables or under the bed every night! We all might just be surprised.
you should,you should.....what you trust on your bed side? women or weapon...oops!
dr.jk

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 6:46 pm
by Sakobav
Nice one mack will look it up on the net for more info and cost

Cheers

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 10:00 pm
by Mack The Knife
Bruno: The more civilised and sheeple friendly, the happier I am. There is nothing wrong in having a knife by your bed. Especially, for those of us who do not own handguns thanks to the ridiculous policy that we first need to show a threat to life and limb for an arms licence to be granted. Fools!

Suraj: The Golok indeed has a full convex grind. I prefer a full or 3/4 convex grinds to a full flat grind with convexed edge. One merely has to get used to a different working angle. The height of the convex grind should be dictated by the knife's design, blade height, spine thickness and its intended purpose.
Have a look at the following video:

I wouldn't be able to tell you the angles because a convexed grind is done by hand and variations will occur. What you do need to know is that one requires a thinner convex grind for knives that will be used for slicing and thicker for choppers.

Moin: I sold the Junglas to fund the Golok to a large extent so cannot give you any side-by-side pics. The Golok is slightly longer, whilst the Junglas has a wider blade. It isn't difficult to strop longer blades if one strops in sections. However, I will be building a larger bench strop soon.

NG: http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/B-Golok.htm

Re: The Bark River Golok.

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 10:41 pm
by winnie_the_pooh
Mack,if you have to rely upon something sharp for self preservation,you will be better served by a short spear.