the bushman knives are ok.......

But the best coldsteel knife is the hunter plus

The gut hook is the best thing since sliced bread

 

the bushman knives are ok.......

But the best coldsteel knife is the hunter plus

Very limited budget. I just need to get something to get me by for a few months while I save for better. This one is only $25 and has great reviews.

 

They are decent knives. Hard to beat for $25. Much better knives out there, but comes with a price increase. I won't say there aren't good knives out there for less than $50. But that is where I believe higher quality is obtained. But im my experiences, I can do everything I can with my $15 Morakniv as I can with my $100 knives.

Is this your first fixed blade?
Why are your intentions/purpose/philosophy of use for the knife?

It does have a 7" blade. Which is pretty unwieldy for an inexperienced blade user.

If you need a knife for the "do it all" camp/hiking chores. From whittling wood to processing some 3 inch diameter logs for firewood. I would first recommend a Carbon Steel Mora. Like the Morakniv Companion knife.

If your looking for a serious larger "survival" knife. Save up more and look elsewhere than the bushman. If i were to reccomend a similar knife. Look at ethan beckers line of kabars. The BK series. Great value knives. More expensive but not crazy pricey. Well worth the wait and money.

also as a side note.. I carry two knives. My bk2 for serious work and my mora for everything else. There really is no do it all knife. I would say get a Mora now. And then buy a bigger knife. You'll get by fine. And this way, you wont end up with two large knives and no use for the bushman. Money saved in your pocket.

 

they are good knives, the Condor Rodan, Bushlore, Kumunga, or Hudson Bay would be much better for the same money, from Smokey Mountain Knife or Condor direct

 

I will look into those! thanks for the ideas.

They are decent knives. Hard to beat for $25. Much better knives out there, but comes with a price increase. I won't say there aren't good knives out there for less than $50. But that is where I believe higher quality is obtained. But im my experiences, I can do everything I can with my $15 Morakniv as I can with my $100 knives.

Is this your first fixed blade?
Why are your intentions/purpose/philosophy of use for the knife?

It does have a 7" blade. Which is pretty unwieldy for an inexperienced blade user.

If you need a knife for the "do it all" camp/hiking chores. From whittling wood to processing some 3 inch diameter logs for firewood. I would first recommend a Carbon Steel Mora. Like the Morakniv Companion knife.

If your looking for a serious larger "survival" knife. Save up more and look elsewhere than the bushman. If i were to reccomend a similar knife. Look at ethan beckers line of kabars. The BK series. Great value knives. More expensive but not crazy pricey. Well worth the wait and money.

also as a side note.. I carry two knives. My bk2 for serious work and my mora for everything else. There really is no do it all knife. I would say get a Mora now. And then buy a bigger knife. You'll get by fine. And this way, you wont end up with two large knives and no use for the bushman. Money saved in your pocket.

I have a Mora #2 that my husband bought for me. it works for everything I've ever needed it to do. The Cold Steel was going to be a backup to keep in my pack.

 

I like mine...

I have had one for over five years now and it has been hammered, dropped, thrown, scraped, you name it. It still sharpens easy and holds a decent edge.

With a couple of corks and some trimming you can close up the handle openings and stuff whatever small survival items you need to in there.

Stick it on a stick and you have a spear.

Good knife that is versatile and able to withstand abuse.

One tip: If you get it, consider skateboard tape or something similar to wrap the handle with. It can get slippery as is.

 

I have had one for over five years now and it has been hammered, dropped, thrown, scraped, you name it. It still sharpens easy and holds a decent edge.

With a couple of corks and some trimming you can close up the handle openings and stuff whatever small survival items you need to in there.

Stick it on a stick and you have a spear.

Good knife that is versatile and able to withstand abuse.

One tip: If you get it, consider skateboard tape or something similar to wrap the handle with. It can get slippery as is.

this is the one I am looking at:
Amazon.com: Cold Steel Bushman Black SK-5 Steel Cordura Survival Sheath: Sports & Outdoors

Are you saying it has a hollow handle?

I will wrap the handle with paracord if I do decide to get it.

 

Yes, but not in the typical sense. It is all one piece of metal, but the handle is folded over to meet itself, leaving it, in effect, hollow.

Para-cord is always good to have... I have not wrapped mine though, as the pocket is big enough for my purposes there, and the grip tape is awesome.

 

The whole idea behind the bushman knife is that it can easily be turned into a spear, for everyday use it gets the job done.. And it will last forever, but if you have no intentions of spear chucking or using the hollow handle for a few item storage, get something else

 

I'm thinking I might just go with another Mora because I think the 7in blade is a bit too long for my needs.

 

I would agree that a 7" blade is typically too much for outdoors use. For a bigger bladed outdoors knife i prefer a 5" blade. If your not concerned too much about weight. I would look into a Becker BK2. With that knife and your Mora you already have, which the #2 is a great blade, and.. you know how to use it well. Why get rid of it? Those two blades compliment each other nicely, and cover 99% of anything you would ever need a knife to do in the woods.

 

I have a couple of these, and they could withstand being run over by a tank. They are sharp as razors as well. Good value for money in a very basic knife that can double as a spear head.

I wrapped the handles in para cord, stuffed the hollow handles with emergency supplies, and stuck a rubber bung "cork in the open pommel end. Instant survival knife.

 

i have the bowie and its been good so far, haven't had extensive use , but typical in the woods living around the house checking quality and sharpness before going out into the bush etc. I didn't expect it to be the best, i mean its cheap, but for the price its a very good knife imo.

As far as the paracord wrap, i did this at first and removed it, im going to put some skateboard style grip tape on it so i can still use it as a spear if needed(or just a longer handle for more leverage)

 

Can I ask why you decided to remove the paracord? I was wondering how well you could actually affix the cord to the knife. I didnt see any places to tie it off too and the steel looks so polished that it would just slide off anyway.

 

Check these threads

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?p=5223299&highlight=bushman#post5223299

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?p=5198103&highlight=bushman#post5198103

 

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?p=5223299&highlight=bushman#post5223299

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?p=5198103&highlight=bushman#post5198103

Thanks for the great links!

 

got one don't like it the handle feels funny and the sheath is a world of crap.

If I need a spear I will sharpen a stick.

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=272273

that G.I. tanto might be a bit of you. It is really not a bad knife. get the secure ex sheath though.

 

Its a tough knife that IMO is good for a bug out bag. Its light, I keep a
multitool in the pocket of the sheath, and as you know its cheap.
I have nicer knives I would use for camping that have better handles.
IMO you want a very light weight, tough knife for a bug out bag with a
7 inch blade for defensive use or to baton with. Its ugly and crude so I don't need to take it out and admire it like my other knives. If you carry a Machete than you don't need this if you pick the right one but other wise I recommend it.

 

I will not be ordering this. My husband just ordered us each a BK2 for our packs. He says its a much better option for our needs than this is. Thanks for all the opinions and information!

 

My wife has one in her bag. She wanted to have her 8 inch chef knife , but I explained that the chef knife will not be in the bag when you need it, it has no sheath, and, it is shiny and bright, not what you want if you are trying to be stealth. I do not like the Bushman knife much but if you had only the Bushman and nothing else, you would be really happy to have it. I made her walking stick to accept it as a spear. She has a SAK too so it is not her only knife. I use a Cold Steel light machete (modified), a Kabar shorty, and a leatherman wave in my "to go" bag. We good!

 

My wife has one in her bag. She wanted to have her 8 inch chef knife , but I explained that the chef knife will not be in the bag when you need it, it has no sheath, and, it is shiny and bright, not what you want if you are trying to be stealth.

for stealth yes, however I personally prefer shiny blades for the sole reason I can use it as a signal mirror. I can easily hide the shine of a blade if i need to be stealthy but if i want to be seen its much harder to remove black painting on knives.

dual purpose FTW

I also carry a cold steel voyager as my EDC.
cold steel probably the cheapest option you can go when it comes to GOOD knives. Much like hi-points of knives. They will get the job done. They are very good, very reliable. Just not all that much to look at.

 

I've owned one for a couple of years and it is a workhorse. I wrapped the handle with black tape (used to wrap baseball bat handles). The sheath sucks but the knife is easy to sharpen. I actually bent the blade while batoning some green oak. I straightened it by clamping it in a bench vice and bending it back straight. That's a testament to it's toughness. Best $28 I've spent in along time! Don't let the low price deter you. My Bushman resides in my car trunk as an emergency tool.

Dom

 

Glad to see you ended up with the BK2.

While the Bushman can be useful, it should by no means be your primary option.

I'd say if you end up looking for a smaller blade to compliment the BK2, check out the Condor Bushlore. Just over $30 and it's a real worker.

 

Good choice in the BK2. I have both the BK2 and Bushman knives(both styles). The Bushman knives are pretty tough. They do need something on the handle to increase grip though. The knives do have a welded seam now. Also, they are releasing a new sheath:

 

The original Bushman with new secure-ex sheath:
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/538546_4230937127377_1386797530_n.jpg

 

get a bushman with carbon v hollow grind the blade a little shorten some if wanted then put the skateboard tape for grip then store a fire starter and some para-cord in handle seal handle with a cap enjoy. better to keep thing kiss. jmo

 

Bought the Bowie Bushman. Not really hi tech, just works. The sheath has a pocket that my Altoids Survival Kit fits perfectly. I wrapped the handle with paracord, kinda looped some for a laynard, and superglued the front part to keep from sliding forward. With no cross pummel guard, an accident is waiting to happen with slippery hands or knife handle.
The new sheath looks like an improvement, kydex or plastic will shed water easily.
This is not a steak carving knife, but is tough. Batoned wood, no problem. Sharpened easy, seems to edge okay. Not bad for under $30.00! Backpack or belt ready anytime.

 

Does anyone know where I can buy the new sheath for the original Bushman?

 

I bought the 7" bushman many years ago because it was cheap and I could put it on the end of a walking stick for a "survival" spear - I did mount it to a wood stick - the blade bends pretty easily - I would never rely on this for a sole survival knife.

I'm not knocking it but you are getting what you pay for soft steel.

Its still very sharp and relatively light and on a stick it would keep a dog at bay.

I'm glad to see they changed the sheath the original (+-16 yrs ago) had no retention system at all.

I will say it comes very sharp as do all the Cold steel knifes I own.

 

Why would you want a blade that does not bend easily for a survival knife thats meant to be mounted on a spear shaft? Traditionally some of the best chopping blades were made from old leaf springs. They don't hold an edge quite as well as more brittle steel, but will take a lot of abuse which is what you want in a bug out bag. Its not as thick as an old Kukri but not nearly as heavy which is what you want. The sheath on mine cover up most of the handle so it does not need more of a retention system unless I plan on hanging upside down while shaking.

Its a ugly crude looking knife but the design is first rate imo.

 

Huh... Condor has one now...

http://www.condortk.com/productos-detalle.php?producto=17&cat=11

and a machete version!

http://www.condortk.com/productos-detalle.php?producto=59&cat=22

 

usually a sign that a company (cold steel) is doing something right when other company's begin to copy it.

also, the condor version looks like the steel is just folded over, looks like the paracord is hiding the split. looks junky.

 

not the finish im talking about. Basing on the picture, on the knife where the blade meets the handle you can see it looks like the metal is just folded over to meet itself to form the handle. No closed end like on the bushmaster.

It looks like they took a solid metal blank, folded the end of it around a steel rod to make the handle then wrapped it in paracord so you cant see the seam all the way down.

 

The original Bushman was open like that, too. I have one of the originals and two newer Bushman. I can honestly say that the older non-welded seam Bushman is heavier and tougher.
I've been eyeing that Matagi from Condor. I read that Condor will be releasing another socket type handle next year. I hope its their version of a mini-bushman. Of course right now I want one of their Bushlores first!
http://www.coldsteel.com/images/Products/AltImages/95BBUSK_6.jpg

 

A better photo showing the open seam in the original Bushman. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v495/Basemetal/P1030884.jpg