For those who may not yet know:  Bark River Knife & Tool, of Escanaba, Michigan, closed last week after owner Mike Stewart admitted to purchasing knife kits from China, grinding the country of origin off the blades / blade blanks to hide that information, & passing them off as USA-made knives -- as well as lying about the compositions of the steels of those knives, & then of course selling those knives while  misrepresenting the steels used & the country of origin of those knives. 

Frankly, this guy always seemed shady to me (I never bought any Bark River knives for exactly this reason -- as well as some negative personal interactions I had with him years ago on another knife forum).  It sucks that he conned so many people -- & who knows how long this has actually been going on.  Mike Stewart said it was only recent, & that it was only relegated to a few specific models.  But why should anyone believe him?

I very much hope the true scope & duration of BRKT's conduct is revealed in the lawsuits that will no doubt be coming down the pike -- fraudulent conduct is not generally protected by bankruptcy filings, so simply closing the company will not likely shield the company or the owners from any debts incurred resulting from fraud, and courts may even "pierce the veil" to find Stewart liable for these debts.

Stewart admitted to engaging in this conduct, but one has to wonder:  Why admit this?  Is he feeling guilt & remorse?  Or is he trying to cover up something even larger?  And was he, as he claims, the only one responsible for these misrepresentations, or is he trying to fall on the sword for others who might also be found liable? 

For more on this, & to read Mike Stewart's letter, follow this link to the Knife Magazine article on the issue.  (Jim Stewart, Mike Stewart's son, apparently not only knew but oversaw this whole process -- Jim's the one trying to start his own knife company now, which will no doubt be tarnished by the stain of controversy.)  https://www.knifemagazine.com/bark-river-knives-closing-due-to-mism...

Knife retailers are likely going to emerge as the heroes of the BRKT closure, as I'm aware of at least one knife seller, Atlantic Knife, has posted a video expressing willingness to refund any BRKT purchase made through them -- even knives not specified in Stewart's Facebook post.  And retailers taking the hit for BRKT's bad actions is something the knife community can be truly grateful for.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK7fAmhLMOE