Bark River Knives owner Mike Stewart took to Facebook to admit to closure and the use of Chinese steel in Made-in-U.S.A. labeled knives.

Bark River Knives of Escanaba, Mich., has officially ceased operations following a public admission by owner Mike Stewart that the company utilized Chinese steel in blades marketed as American-made CPM 154. The announcement, made via Facebook on March 23, confirmed that the long-standing fixed-blade manufacturer concluded all business as of March 20.

In his statement, Stewart took full responsibility for the deceptive labeling, characterizing the use of imported steel as a measure intended to keep the company afloat. Stewart argued the alternative steel met his internal testing for toughness and stain resistance, with edge retention nearly matching that of Crucible Industries’ CPM 154. He further claimed that because the knife blanks underwent more than five distinct operations in the Michigan shop—including grinding, reshaping and etching—they technically met his interpretation of “Made in the U.S.A.” criteria.

It should be noted, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) standards mandate a product must consist of “all or virtually all” domestic components to carry the label. Stewart admitted the steel was definitely mis-marked on the following models:

• Camp Bolo
• Fox River Trailing Point
• Highwayman 4
• Mini-Manitou
• Gladstone Hunter
• Bitterroot Caper
• Select recent Club Knives

The closure follows a period of increasing pressure from collectors and dealers, alongside significant financial litigation, Outdoorlife.com reported. Stewart noted in his post that the shutdown was “long overdue” and should have occurred two years prior.

Stewart announced that his son, Jim Stewart, will open a new, 100 percent independent knife company. Notably, Jim Stewart has agreed to take over the warranties that would have normally been serviced by Bark River. Mike Stewart clarified that he will have no hand in the new entity and intends to exit the industry entirely after 50 years. Mike Stewart emphasized that his dealers, his wife Lesley and Jim Stewart were entirely blameless in the decision to substitute the blade steel.

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