Review-Pocket Bushman, a very tough folder

[451 Detonics]

I have been carrying and using a Cold Steel Pocket Bushman for several years now and the more I use it the more impressed I am. This is an exceeding simple folder with the scales made from a folded sheet of stainless steel, an extremely strong ram lock, and a blade of Krupp 4116.

The handle is made from 420 stainless and simply folded in the same manner as the French Douk Douk. This results is a very rigid handle. It has added palm swells to make it fir the hand better.



Andrew Demko designed the Ram Safe lock to work within the handle. This lock uses a sliding bar the fills the space between the handle and the shelf on the back of the blade.



The only way this lock can fail is to either rip out the pivot pin or rip out the handle. This pic below shows a Bushman with over 250 pounds hanging off the lanyard hole. The guys doing this test had Rats, Benchmades, and CRKTs all fail well below this weight. Also this lock responds just as strongly to negative pressure, something that can cause many lock designs to fail.



The blade as I said is Krupp 4116. While not one of the new (and expensive) super steels it is an excellent steel in it's own right. Made by Thyssen Krupp in Germany it is a fine grain steel very much like the Sandvik steels. It takes a very smooth and sharp edge and has very good edge retention. It rides on phosphor bronze washers, nice touch for an economy priced knife.

I have used mine as a camp knife, doing general cutting chores, even used it to baton some kindling...if anything the lock engages more firmly the harder you use it. This is not a small knife, 4 inches of cutting edge with an OAL of 10 3/8s inches. The price is also an attractive feature, scouting online finds prices in the $20 range.

I have added a Pocket Bushman to all my vehicle kits and keep one in my BOB as well. This is one knife I really wish had been available when I was in the military.

I want to add there were some problems with folks using improper disassembly methods that resulted in the locking bar spring getting pinched and crushed in the early version. Cold Steel made a change so even those who want to do things the hard way can't damage the spring now.

 

[lobo9er]

very cool. I find cold steel advertising to be on the cheesy side but cold steel users have alot to say about their stuff. I do like the idea of this knife. simple tough and affordable.

 

[Yo Mama]

I like high value for your dollar. Looks like the bushman does this.

 

[JShirley]

Sounds like it works really well for you.

Thanks for the review.

John

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Thanks for the review!

 

[451 Detonics]

LT is past cheesy at times when it comes to his advertising, doesn't affect the quality of the knives. I do know a few folks have cut themselves closing the PB, just use a bit of common sense and care and it isn't an issue. I added this lanyard I made with a split keyring to make a pull ring for more positive control.

 

[Yo Mama]

Crud

Something about the lock failing.

You may want to check out Cutlerylover's and Nutnfancy's problems with theirs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9an36WvNT4U

 

[451 Detonics]

The lock didn't fail...both used opening/closing methods and disassembly methods that did not jibe with the instructions and managed to crush the locking bar spring. also Cold Steel changed the spring that was the issue several years ago so those who don't read the instructions couldn't crimp the spring...oddly enough I mentioned all this in my OP...guess it was too long to read through.

Anyone can abuse any tool enough to get it to fail...I consider the author of those video's to be an internet joke comparable to gecko45.

 

[Yo Mama]

Good to know 451, funny things break when you don't follow instructions!

Looks like you also are very familiar with the changes. Thanks for the info again.

 

[451 Detonics]

Didn't mean to come off sounding mean...tho my post does lean that way when I reread it.

I treat all my tools, knives included, with respect. In a survival situation I am going to baby it because my life depends on it. I do appreciate testing but to expect a knife to be pounded through cinder blocks with a hammer and then to say it failed because the tip broke is plain silly. Test the knife in the field doing common chores and see how it performs. I have used the Pocket Bushman on several camping trips and it performed every chore I threw at it including using it to baton some kindling, something I normally won't do with a folder. I will admit I never tried to split rocks with it tho....

 

[Yo Mama]

Dude, you were not rude at all. You gave me great information, and I didn't get any static from your post at all. I really like the description of the history you had with the knife, which matters alot more to me than a "reviewer" who just looked at it a bunch and flicked it open and closed.

Really, thanks again 451.

 

[hso]

2 broken knives due to different points of failure is not an indictment of a whole product line.

 

[451 Detonics]

If you look at the video and understand the locking mechanism itself you can see that batoning alone could not break that spring. My best guess is it was broken during improper re-assembly and not noticed till use. Of course any form of metal can have flaws that cause it to fail but I have never heard of that spring failing except in knives that had been taken apart first. And as I said CS changed the design of the slot several years ago. I will also add that I do consider batoning a folder to be abuse...it is not what they are made for. I did it with mine just to prove a point and my knife is just as tight today as it was when it was new.

Again I can take the best made knife in the world and make it fail with abuse...does that mean it is badly made?

 

[JShirley]

After watching a few of Nutnfancy's reviews, I think he does a much better light than knife review.

 

[TimboKhan]

Again I can take the best made knife in the world and make it fail with abuse...does that mean it is badly made

No, it doesn't.

I am not a huge CS fan, but I own a Kukri from them that has worked out just fine, and I own one of these. I keep it in my car as a emergency tool (not an emergency weapon at all), and that's about the extent of my interest in it. For whatever faults knife guys smarter than me can point out with it, it is a stout folder, and a fine car knife. Also, not particularly expensive, which is why I bought it to begin with. It worked well doing food prep and stuff as well.

On the downside, the lock, while stout, would be a pain to use in regular service. I know it is simple and strong, and if someone didn't mind it, more power to them. It would drive me bonkers. Additionally, it is just way to big for 98.4% of what I would use a knife for in just about any circumstance, with the exception of outdoors. I do not trust that, or any, lock for hard outdoors use, so I invariably go with a fixed blade in that situation. That last part really isn't indicative of the Bushman in any way, that's just how it is for me is all.

 

[hso]

The guy with the broken spring clearly says the spring was in two pieces when he disassembled the lock after the knife jammed in the open position. The spring being broken probably had nothing to do with the knife jamming and is probably coincidence. My theory upon watching him disassemble his knife is that I suspect he struck too far back and actually jammed the mechanism near the pivot, but there is no way to actually know this. The lock is a simple locking bar pushed into place on the blade tang by a rear positioned spring under compression. If the spring broke it may make the lock loose if the pieces could overlap to any extent. That would make the locking bar have some play and may or may not allow the blade to bind against the bar when struck on the spine near the pivot with the bar slightly to the rear. This may or may not be the case and I don't intend invest the money to test this theory since it seems like a remote problem.

Having handled one of these when they first came out I found them interesting, but agree with TK that the lock was slightly annoying to use compared to other rear locks. That said, they did seem live very sturdy knives with an interesting inexpensive manufacturing approach.

 

[451 Detonics]

TimboKhan...

It is a large knife and not one I carry daily very often. It is the knife that goes in my pocket when the day (or week) calls for being in the woods. The lock does seem to be a pain but once used to it I never really notice closing it. I love how solid it is and it comes back up to shaving sharp on a CS Duckfoot very easily. Of course I will also be carrier a Mora as well...the Mora gets the cooking chores (it's easier to clean) while the Bushman handles most others.

hso...

The lock is a learning curve but once muscle memory is established it seems as easy to use as any other folder...at least to me it does. I know it isn't everyone's cup of coffee but I don't think you can find a better locking folder for camp use anywhere close to that price point.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I can't remember if it was on THR but last year someone on the Websites I visit had a long thread bashing the Buck 110. You can break any knife if you want too.