Bark River Knives closed its doors earlier this month, and it was a move accompanied by some serious controversy, as it was discovered that several recent model runs were produced with a Chinese steel that BRK sold as 154CM/CPM-154.
BRK’s closure was officially announced on March 23rd, but according to company founder Mike Stewart’s statement, the last day of business was Friday, March 20th. The shock of that announcement was accompanied by Stewart’s admission that he had chosen to use “alternate Chinese steel” in lieu of the U.S.-made CPM-154/154CM indicated on the blades of certain products. Among the models handled in this manner were the Camp Bolo, Fox River Skinner, and the Highwayman 4 – although there were others, as detailed in Stewart’s statement, which you can read here.
The revelation poses major problems for both BRK’s customers and dealers. While Stewart confirms that no dealers had any knowledge of the improperly labeled steel, these dealers, under the impression that the knives were made with the steel advertised, sold pieces from those batches; in addition, they have remaining BRK stock from prior to the controversy, and it’s harder to sell products from a company known to have been deceptive. KnivesShipFree, a major BRK dealer, has issued a statement regarding the return/refund process for customers who bought an affected knife:
If you bought any of those four models from us, we’re offering a prepaid shipping label so you can send it back for a full store credit. Even if it’s used or falls outside the normal return window, we’ve got you covered.
Some customers have requested to keep their knife and take a partial credit, and we’re happy to arrange that with you if that’s your preference.
Regarding other BRK models, KnivesShipFree has conducted XRF spectrometer tests and so far all results indicate steels are as advertised. Along with DLT Trading, they have sent pre-controversy BRK models to Niagara Steel for testing, and so far all of them have come back genuine. You can read KnivesShipFree’s full statement here.
DLT Trading, another major BRK dealer, says in their own statement that they are also considering sending samples from prior batches of BRK models to Niagara Steel. They address multiple questions and leave with a final word section that says, in part:
Our responsibility now is to take in information, listen to concerns, and base our business decisions on the facts available to us.
You can read DLT Trading’s full statement here.
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