​Special delivery: The Bark River Springbok

The best reason to own a particular knife, as far as we're concerned, is because it works. It doesn't need to be pretty, and it doesn't need to be rare or collectible -- it simply needs to perform.

Once in a while, though, a blade comes along that brings the house. We have a word for that: special.

The Bark River Springbok, designed by Jim Stewart, is just such a knife.

Many of us have watched Jim grow up in the business, under the tutelage of his father, Mike Stewart. In recent years Jim has created small batches of custom knives, honing his skills and showcasing his innate sense of form-from-function. Those one-off knives are prized by collectors and users alike.

These days Jim plays an integral role in keeping the shop humming at Bark River Knives -- a job he well-and-truly earned, mind you, since there's no place for entitlement in Escanaba. He deftly juggles his profession with family life and a passion for the outdoors.

The just-released Springbok represents a milestone of sorts, the first of Jim's designs to bear the Bark River name. And while we could start by listing its specs, that might leave you with the impression that it's similar to (for example) a Gunny Hunter. It's not.

The Springbok is its own design. We consider it a right-sized knife -- a drop-point 3V blade just under four inches long, convex-ground and full-tang, mated to a smartly contoured handle.

In-hand, the Springbok balances on second finger, giving it a decidedly substantial feel, inspiring the confidence to tackle tough work (which this knife is definitely up to). The handle accommodates a variety of grips, naturally and comfortably, and isn't the least bit prone to hot spots.

Now, let's talk about that blade. We love CPM 3V, and it proved its worth to us (again) on the Springbok. But what really strikes us about this blade is how it looks.

Yes, we know it's a drop-point...but when the light hits the swedge just right, and with that fuller...to our eyes, more often than not it looks like a clip.

Dare we say it? This blade is downright sexy. It's just the coolest thing.

So, after all that, what kind of knife is the Springbok? According to Bark River, it's a "general-purpose field knife." We've spent considerable time with this knife, and we can confirm that it delivers on that promise of versatility.

Can it serve as a light hunter? Absolutely -- in fact, it accompanied us on a recent guided hunt in Africa.

Can it be a capable woods knife or hiker's companion? You betcha -- it's plenty stout enough to handle trail work and fireside chores, but it's still nimble enough to be useful in the camp kitchen.

Slip a firesteel into the loop on the Springbok's sheath and you have an ideal rig for venturing afield. Really, this is the kind of knife that's hard to leave at home.

Circling back to where we started, then, the best reason to own a Bark River Springbok is because itworks -- and we're pretty sure that's what Jim Stewart would want you to do with his very first production Barkie.

Still, we can't ignore the fact that this is a significant knife, a Bark River knife carrying "1st Production Run" and everything that represents -- and then some, this time. So we wouldn't blame anyone for picking up a Springbok and taking it straight from the mailbox to the safe.

Either way, the Springbok is a special knife. And like many special things, this one will come 'round only once.