Bushman.tz & Scout

[MagiKelly]

Introduction

As some of you may know I won a two BushmanUK knifes recently (won might be pushing a bit really I had to pay for them). These had been over to the US for review by Hoodoo. It seems only right then that they are reviewed again.
These knifes are made by Paul Baker or BushmanUK as he is known on this forum and more details can be seen on his web site HERE.

The Knifes

The knifes are made from 01 tool steel, which go through a triple zone hardening process and are of a full tang construction. The blade is a spearpoint with a scandi grind but not quite fully flat to the cutting edge, it is slightly convex. In both knifes the blade thickness is 3mm.

The handle slabs are wood (that's as accurate as I get but I am sure someone will give me the details). The slabs have two pins holding them These seem to have been hollow and filled with the same wood as the slabs are made of. There is also another larger hollow pin at the end of the handle, where a lanyard can be attached. The workmanship on the knifes is first class across the board. The fit and finish is above reproach.

The knifes come with a leather sheath and a firesteel (for an extra charge). The firesteel is the plastic handled version. The sheaths are made from what Paul referred to as a "Saddle Leather". I am not sure what this is but it is far thinner than any leather I have seen used for sheaths before. These sheaths are well enough constructed and the design is sound but their performance was poor but I will come back to that.

Bushman.tz

The Bushman.tz is the larger of the two knifes. Like many I have no idea what the .tz stands for. If anyone knows, tell me, I would love to know. The price new is £120 for the knife and sheath and an extra £10 for the firesteel.

It has an overall length of 220mm. A blade length of 108mm and a handle length of 112mm (I am sure you could have worked that last one out). The sheath with the Bushman.tz has a popper on the belt loop to make it easier to attack to a belt. There is also a smaller loop formed at the top which I presume is for a cord to go through if you are going to wear it baldric style.

Scout

The Scout is the smaller of the two knifes but is no mini knife. This is a full working knife and has the same size handle as its big brother. The price new is £110 for the knife and sheath and an extra £10 for the firesteel

It has an overall length of 199mm. A blade length of 89mm and a handle length of 110mm (okay so the handle is 2mm shorter but not enough to fall out over). The sheath is similar to the Bushman.tz but without the popper and the small top loop. The loop is only stitched at the bottom with the rest of the loop held with glue. As you can see below the glue had given up by the time I got the knife.

In Use

In use both knifes perform superbly. The cutting edge needed a bit of a strop when I got them but I blame Hoodoo for that . Once stropped the edge was hair popping sharp. The edge held up well during the weekend I was testing the knifes. I do not know if it is the shape of the blade or the slight convex of the grind but I found these the best knifes I have ever used for making feather sticks. Both knifes were also good for use with a batten to split timber. In this respect the Bushman had an advantage with its longer blade. The back of the blade also casts sparks really well from a firesteel.

My other knife for Bushcraft duties is the Allan Blade Bushcrafter which is 4mm thick and I had wondered how the thinner blade would perform. The answer is very well. It is possible to detect some slight flex in the Bushman.tz but none at all in the Scout. The thinner blade may even have been what helped with the feather sticks.
In all tasks bar the battening I found the Scout to be superior. This is more my personal preference than anything to do with the construction of the knife. In my opinion this is the perfect length for an all round bushcrafting blade. I see no advantage to having a bigger blade if you are likely to have an axe or saw with you.

As I said the handles are both the same size. I have large hands and the handle was long enough to be comfortable in use. I think I would have liked the slabs to be a bit thicker but this is a personal preference and did not detract from the usability of the knife. The handle was comfortable in all grips and at no time did I feel that the grip was anything less than secure.

In performance the sheath was pants. This was the one disappointment with the knifes and although I am going to go into detail do not be distracted from the fact that it is the knifes that are really important and these are great. Also I have to highlight that Paul has changed the sheath construction and he is now using veg tanned leather and wet forming the sheaths. I have not actually handled one of these so can't say how much of an improvement they are.

Now back to the current sheaths. As I mentioned the glueing on the Scout sheath had failed, which while it did not effect performance it was worrying. The leather of the sheath was so soft that it does not hold the knife at all. If the knife is in the sheath and you tip it past the horizontal, at all, the knife simply slides out. Also as you can see below the knife tends to cut the sheath as it goes in. I do not think it would take much use before this part of the sheath is cut right through.

The sheaths are so soft that either knife fits just as well in either sheath. In fact if Hoodoo has shipped them in the wrong sheaths I have no way of telling.

In Conclusion

In conclusion I rate these knifes very highly. Both in design and construction. The shape of the blade, the steel, heat treat, handle etc are all of top quality. They strike me as being great value and if the new design of sheaths are up to scratch I think they will be hard to beat.

Of course the as we all know the real sign of a great knife is if it becomes your main knife. So do I prefer these knifes to my Allan Blade bushcrafter? Well yes and no. If I had to rate the knifes in order I would put the Scout in front. The Bushcrafter second and the Bushman.tz third. Of course remember the Bushman.tz is only third in this group I would rate it above most other knifes. So for the time being the Scout will be my main knife. I have already contacted Mike at Scottish Knives to make me a sheath and a nice wooden handled firesteel. My Bushcrafter and the Bushman.tz I shall probably be selling on in the near future.

However, the reason the Scout has won is that, as I said, I have come to the conclusion that a blade length of about 90mm is the ideal length for my needs. I had come to this conclusion before I had even handled the Scout and in using it I have only confirmed my previous thoughts. I have on order a Bushcrafter from Allan Blade that has a 90mm blade, an order that was placed some time ago. So soon the Scout may not have it all its own way. So watch this space the search for my perfect knife may be nearing an end but it is not finished ............................................yet.

[Stuart Ackerman]

tz. stands for triple zone hardening?

[The General]

Great read! Thanks.

[beach bum]

Excellent review!! well written, clear, concise,amply illustrated with well taken photographs

Wish now I had more bottle in the auction

Well done


regards

beach bum

[CM Burns]

Excellent review MagiKelly

i'm due to receive a brand new Bushman.tz in the post today with the same lovely elm burl handle as the above Scout.

i'll post some comments on the sheath as Paul has assured me that the sheaths now being shipped are wet formed, the knife now sits deeper in the sheath, the sheaths are well stitched throughout.

[MagiKelly]

tz. stands for triple zone hardening?

That makes sense. Now why is it not the Scout.tz

[CM Burns]

OK - i just received my Bushman.tz - cheers Paul, superb service.

The knife is absolutely gorgeous - the handle is the same elm burl as above but even though MagiKelly's photos are excellent they don't fully capture just how beautiful this wood is.

As for the sheath - there have been clear improvements here - the knife does sit deeply and safely within the well shaped leather which has been rather well stitched!

[rheece hodge]

Found the reveiw a great help to make my mind up,as you said they seem a great knife for the money.I shall be e-mailing Paul to see if the sheath problem is sorted then i shall order one.Can you tell me what type of wood was used for the handle?

[MagiKelly]

Found the reveiw a great help to make my mind up,as you said they seem a great knife for the money.I shall be e-mailing Paul to see if the sheath problem is sorted then i shall order one.Can you tell me what type of wood was used for the handle?

I think the Scout is Elm Burl but cannot remember what the Bushman.tz is.

Glad the review was of help. If you are thinking of getting the Bushman.tz I noticed that there is one for sale in the members classified section at a price that would allow you to have a new sheath made, if you did not like the current one.

[CM Burns]

reece hodge - a couple of weeks ago i bought a bushman.tz with the same handle as the scout and yes it is elm burl. a very beautiful wood.

the tested bushman.tz is mountain yew.

i received a different sheath to that shown in the test - it is a big improvement, knife sits much deeper, held tightly in place, belt loop glued and stitched, strip of leather sandwiched between the stitched seam to prevent damage from the blade. it'a an OK sheath but it definitely still needs better quality leather IMHO - it feels a bit cheap and certainly does not match the lovely knife.

see Paul's site for a photo of the current sheath.

[rheece hodge]

Thanks for all the responses,if my mind wasn't made up it certainly is now.