Review I'm Sorry but A2 Steel is overrated.

Is A2 Steel Overrated?

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Inferior steels are typically cheaper. Items made from tool steel are generally less than 100 dollars. Like I said, I am a fan of Bark River in general. I have a Bravo1 in S35VN that I love.
But when a $225 knife rusts 5 hours after the first use before you can even get some oil on it, that is a joke. They only focus on the fact that it can be easily sharpened, so they are selling us crap at a high price. And the thread wasn't intended to be click bait. That is my honest opinion of Bark river's A2 steel. Most knife reviews on Youtube are trying to sell you a knife, so they won't say one bad thing about a blade. I'm not afraid to point out the negatives. The handle on that Gunny was a piece of garbage too!
 
JPricey82 said:
Inferior steels are typically cheaper. Items made from tool steel are generally less than 100 dollars. Like I said, I am a fan of Bark River in general. I have a Bravo1 in S35VN that I love.
But when a $225 knife rusts 5 hours after the first use before you can even get some oil on it, that is a joke. They only focus on the fact that it can be easily sharpened, so they are selling us crap at a high price. And the thread wasn't intended to be click bait. That is my honest opinion of Bark river's A2 steel. Most knife reviews on Youtube are trying to sell you a knife, so they won't say one bad thing about a blade. I'm not afraid to point out the negatives. The handle on that Gunny was a piece of garbage too!
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Most reviewers on YouTube, that pretty much encapsulates the problem right there. Almost every single post you make contains a link to your YouTube channel. Generally accompanied only by a sentence or sentence fragment.

If you really want to have a discussion about A2 and corrosion resistance, that's all good. I find it's always done perfectly well for me, though I do have to excercise more care than I would with a steel like 3V, but try actually discussing it with the members here, not just shilling for your channel and running.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Most reviewers on YouTube, that pretty much encapsulates the problem right there. Almost every single post you make contains a link to your YouTube channel. Generally accompanied only by a sentence or sentence fragment.

If you really want to have a discussion about A2 and corrosion resistance, that's all good. I find it's always done perfectly well for me, though I do have to excercise more care than I would with a steel like 3V, but try actually discussing it with the members here, not just shilling for your channel and running.
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That's fair, but this is the specific forum dedicated to reviews and testing. I already put a ton of effort into the video, so why would I write everything out in text form? I figured that people in this section would be interested in knife review videos. The video effectively kicks off a discussion about A2 steel. If I was running from that, I wouldn't stay active in the thread.
 
Lapedog said:
Saying a2 rusts too easily is sort of like saying s110v is too hard to sharpen.

Its focusing on the negative quality of the steel without taking into account all of the good.
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I knew it would rust over time if it wasn't cared for. But I was ready to oil it 5 hours after the first use, and the tang was already ravaged. Perhaps it does excel in other areas, but I don't like it for a hunting knife. Maybe it would do better with a Kydex sheath? I feel like leather really traps moisture around the knife.
 
JPricey82 said:
That's fair, but this is the specific forum dedicated to reviews and testing. I already put a ton of effort into the video, so why would I write everything out in text form? I figured that people in this section would be interested in knife review videos. The video effectively kicks off a discussion about A2 steel. If I was running from that, I wouldn't stay active in the thread.
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I'm honestly glad you seem to be taking this criticism seriously and engaging, thank you for that. We see a lot of would-be YouTube stars here and it gets old rather quickly.

To answer your question, a video like that can be a great tool, but it's one-sided. This forum is all about discussion and interaction. If you give a text intro to the video, even something as simple as one or two quick paragraphs summarizing the contents of the video, you're very likely to get much better reception here, and it encourages us to interact with you. Relying solely on the video to kick off a discussion is, I promise you, not going to work well in the long run. The vast majority of members here will see a YouTube link with no real context and move to the next thread.
 
All steels have their purposes and things the excell at and things they don't ...

If you know what you'll use a knife for ... be sure to match the knife and steel type to your intended use.

But some makers A2 is much better than others ... and makes a great blade.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I'm honestly glad you seem to be taking this criticism seriously and engaging, thank you for that. We see a lot of would-be YouTube stars here and it gets old rather quickly.

To answer your question, a video like that can be a great tool, but it's one-sided. This forum is all about discussion and interaction. If you give a text intro to the video, even something as simple as one or two quick paragraphs summarizing the contents of the video, you're very likely to get much better reception here, and it encourages us to interact with you. Relying solely on the video to kick off a discussion is, I promise you, not going to work well in the long run. The vast majority of members here will see a YouTube link with no real context and move to the next thread.
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Thanks. That is helpful information.
 
You might be surprised how many of us simply skip all videos. I much prefer to discuss it here in text. Most youtubers (I haven't watched yours) mumble around for 5 - 10 minutes without saying anything, and I find video an annoying waste of time. Please don't take that the wrong way, none of that is directed at you, it's just a gripe about videos in general.

That being said, I have a few A2 Barkies and have never seen them rust, but I live in a dry climate, and store them dry in a leather sheath. I know, all the things we are not supposed to do.... Hopefully you'll find a different steel more to your liking.
 
I do not watch ANY videos on knife review. None of them. And A2, in my opinion, is certainly not overrated, and has a little better corrosion resistance than 1095, O1, 52100. But corrosion resistance to me is really not a factor. It has good toughness, enough wear resistance, can get hard enough, and add that with proper geometry, makes for good apex stability. Plus, judging a steel simply from one knife, or one maker, is jumping the gun a bit.
 
That's cool if some of you don't enjoy knife videos, but they are incredibly valuable to someone who has never seen or handled a particular knife before. Text and pictures in a forum are great, but they are no substitute for actually being able to see a knife in action.
 
Back on topic, with the logic you're applying to A2, then M4 by extension for having low corrosion resistance is also overrated...Despite M4 being exceptionally noteworthy for what it is good at, compromising low rust resistance for toughness and a very good level of edge retention. However M4 will rust like mad if you don't take care of it. If corrosion resistance is a priority of yours, look for knife steels that have better resistance. But every steel out there will compromise one aspect for another. Find a steel to fit your intended use and environment, it's as simple as that.
 
Corrosion resistance is my number one priority. If a blade corrodes rapidly, then it compromises everything else that is good about the knife. I could accept it in a knife that costs $50 or less, but not in a 200$ gunny. I take great care of my knives because I want them to last forever, but that Gunny in the video won't last 5 years at this rate. Would you recommend that I send it in for one of their "spa treatments"? Will I only be responsible for shipping, or are there other charges I should be aware of?
 
JJ_Colt45 said:
If that's the case that corrosion resistance is your primary need ... then you should have done your homework before buying a BRKT in A2 instead of a good stainless steel.

That still doesn't make A2 over rated.
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Yes. Also, I’m slightly confused as to what the issue is with cleaning off a bit of rust? It’s, erm, quite an easy thing to do. Not sure I’d have the front to send in a Carbon Steel knife that got a bit of rust after exposure to blood and body fluids. I’d get the rust off, give it a wipe with mineral oil and put it away until next time.
 
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