Bark River Knives has established a solid reputation for higher-end semi-production knives. At this point, they have hundreds of different designs, from small blades suitable for pocket carry to machetes. The focus has primarily been on knives that are largely practical and suitable for actual use, rather than just hanging on a wall or sitting in a safe. Case in point is Bark River Knives’ field beast, the Red Flag.
The Bark River Knives Red Flag
I’ve visited the Bark River Knives shop several times over the years and gotten to know more than a few of their staff. Mike Stewart and his wife Lesley run the business, while their son Jim is the Chief Operations Officer. Several of their employees have been with the company for many years. Whether blood-related or not, the company is very much a family operation.
In addition to running the shop, Jim Stewart is also a very accomplished knife designer and maker. He does runs of custom knives in his spare time that typically sell out very quickly. He’s good friends with Alex Harrison, owner of Night Watch Knives.
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Alex is a tremendously talented designer and maker in his own right. The Red Flag is a collaboration between the two and is a design they cooked up in 2024.
I asked Jim and Alex about their inspiration behind the Red Flag. It’s based on the Bob Loveless Chute knife.
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Jim said, “In favor of a separate piece guard, we integrated the quillons into the handle scales for easy indexing, comfort, and utility. Adding elements from each of our catalogues and simplifying the design for production yields a very comfortable and versatile pattern that we’re both proud of. It will fit solidly into any outdoors kit, even if you’re not a paratrooper.”
Red Flag First Impressions
I’ve had the Red Flag for about six weeks. When I opened the box and lifted the knife out, the first thing I noticed was how light it was for its size. The knife is ten inches long from end to end, with a 5.125-inch blade. But it weighs just 7.4 ounces. I mean, there’s enough heft there to be confident in its durability. At the same time, it doesn’t feel like you’re wielding a crowbar.
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At the time of this writing, MagnaCut seems to be the knife industry’s darling, and for good reason. It’s proven to be a workhorse, holding an edge very well without requiring advanced equipment to renew the sharpness when it eventually dulls. The knife is profiled with the Bark River standard convex edge that is hair-popping sharp right out of the box.
The Red Flag I have is equipped with black canvas micarta scales and brass pins. One of the hallmarks of Bark River Knives is the enormous selection of handle materials they use. In a typical run, you’ll find various flavors of micarta and G10, along with beautiful burls and other woods, even occasionally mammoth tooth or bone.
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The handle is somewhat beefy and fills the hand well. It’s comfortably contoured with palm swells. I had no trouble easily controlling the knife in virtually any standard knife grip.
Bark River Knives has a very talented team in-house that makes their leather sheaths. They do not offer a Kydex option, though there are plenty of aftermarket sources for one. The sheath for the Red Flag has a snap closure, and the retention is top-notch. That said, personally, I’d rather use a pouch-style sheath, but that’s just a matter of preference.
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Red Flag in the Field
Taking the Red Flag out for a spin, I found it was ready to work from the moment it was unboxed. I also noticed right off that the knife is quick in the hand and indexes easily.
We did quite a bit of trimming on one of our black walnut trees a few weeks ago. The result was a couple of large piles of branches to be burned. We don’t compost it because the juglone in black walnut trees is problematic enough in our gardens without adding more to them.
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I grabbed a branch and started carving a feather stick. The convex edge of the Red Flag dug in greedily and made short work of the branch. It did okay chopping at the branch, but the knife doesn’t really have the weight to be truly effective in that regard. Quick snap cuts did okay, though.
A Solid Slicer
I’ve had an old rubber hose kicking around my knife review materials box for years. It’s been slowly whittled away under countless edge tests.
I took the last remaining bit and carved off one end, then sliced the rest down the middle. I struggled a bit at first, simply because it’s an awkward material to cut freehand. But once the Red Flag’s edge was able to bite, it was no problem getting it through the rest of the way.
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A leather belt was the next victim. The Red Flag nipped pieces off like a laser beam going through butter. I used slicing as well as push cuts, and neither was any trouble at all. I also twisted the point through the belt, as though I needed to make a new hole for the buckle. If anything, that was even easier than the cuts and slices.
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Last, I took out a length of sisal rope. This stuff is very abrasive and can be trouble for some knives. Not so with the Red Flag. Push cuts required just a tiny bit of sawing at the end to make it through the last bits.
When all was said and done, the edge was still very sharp and needed no attention. Between the MagnaCut steel and the blade geometry, this wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Red Flag’s Target Audience
I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to recommend the Red Flag to anyone seeking a great quality field knife. It’s a bit too large to be an easy EDC for most folks. However, if your day-to-day takes you well beyond where the sidewalks end, this is right up your alley.
Bark River Knives Red Flag Specs
| Overall Length | 10 inches |
| Blade Length | 5.125 inches |
| Blade Steel | CPM-MagnaCut |
| Blade Thickness | .125 inches |
| Weight | 7.6 ounces |
| Price | Starting at $314.95 |
