Bushmaster Survival Knife [Archive] - BushcraftUK: Community Forum

Emdiesse

11-01-2005, 21:17

I have seen these on www.wilderness-survival.net
http://www.ritualblades.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/BM1770_479220.gif

Are they any good?

They seem to me that they have a variety of edges for different purposes.

What knives are similar in design and concept?
What are similar in design and concept but better than the bushmaster survival knife?

Thanks,
Emdiesse

Geoffrey

11-01-2005, 21:27

Please stick clear of these "survival" knvies. Usually cheap steel, and poorly made. Also if you loose the knife you loose your survival kit.

I could be wrong but these are usually POS's

Just my 2 cents

geoffrey.

Rhapsody

11-01-2005, 21:28

I would *never* take one of those things into the woods! That design is quite simply not very good for buschcraft and especially not very good for survival (where your life may depend on it).

Looks like a knife for the Rambo market, to me!

BIG-TARGET

11-01-2005, 21:31

:yikes: Don't waste your money!!!

Any of the knives we talk about here will better serve you than THAT!!!!

Also, have you considered an ATAX (http://www.survival.com/atax.htm) ??????

http://www.survival.com/images/10a.jpg

Or if you are into "bushkillers", perhaps an ANACONDA (http://www.survival.com/anaconda.htm) ??????
http://www.survival.com/images/bmodblade.jpg

Personally, the TOPS Steel eagle 111 (http://store.yahoo.com/topsknivesstore/steeleag111a.html) , make a great bushkiller!!! :wink:
http://store1.yimg.com/I/topsknivesstore_1802_217342

Emdiesse

11-01-2005, 21:34

Ok, i don't really know much.
I thought that this would be a suitable kind of knife as it has lots of different edges meaning you only need one knife for most things.
I wasn't bothered about the survival kit, just the knife. If i am to get a
survival kit i wouldn't keep it in a knife anyway.

That ATAX looks a bit odd, lol
I was just looking at the guys fingers that were holding it, are they bloody because he keeps hitting the back of the blade or they just appear bloody?

when your bushcrafting do you carry several knives then, all for different purposes?

Thanks

PC2K

11-01-2005, 21:36

hollow handle disign means:
handle and sharp bit will seperate wenn used in chopping or baton jobs. *keep back 100feet*

agrassive looking spine:
hand opener, prevents you from putting your hand behind it.
*keep plasters ready*

cheap torch:
fail wenn you need it the most:
*keep a good flashlight ready*

cheap steel:
keepin' on sharpening
*take a backup stone.... incase you wear out your primairy one*

if you want to chop, get a hatchet.
if you want to saw, get a saw
if you want a small blade for small woodwork, get a small blade

all in one = bad at all of them.

falcon

11-01-2005, 21:37

Wonder what the guy with the Atax did to his knuckles.......?

BIG-TARGET

11-01-2005, 21:38

Sadly, the one "DO ALL" knife has been saught for since the time of Tubal Cain.

And it has been tried,,,and FAILED,,,,throughout history :cry:

BIG-TARGET

11-01-2005, 21:39

Wonder what the guy with the Atax did to his knuckles.......?

That is the hand of my teacher, Ron Hood. He always had rough hands. :wave:

And believe me, I once went "survival camping",,,and my hands got just a banged up.

It happens!! :wink:

Emdiesse

11-01-2005, 21:40

Ok. I think i'm learning here.

You don't try to carry an all purpuse sort of knife
you have several, each for a different job? :?:

Geoffrey

11-01-2005, 21:41

If you want a hollow handle, go for a Buck Buckmaster, or a Chirs Reeve knife. Both are good hollow handle knives.

Geoffrey.

PC2K

11-01-2005, 21:43

Emdiesse

11-01-2005, 21:43

No No.

I would rather not have a hollow handle seen as survival kit, etc would be best at home in a bergen.

I wasn't looking at the hollow handle.
I was just looking at the blade that appears to be of a multi purpose.

============================== ===========================

well, the all-in-one tools, won't work well at any on things it's ment to.

you can quite easily get a folding saw and a small knife, which will out perform these all-in-one stuff. Take almost as much space and weight about the same.

So you all carry several knives/tools that each do there own thing rather than a multi purpose. Yes?

Emdiesse

11-01-2005, 21:45

well, the all-in-one tools, won't work well at any on things it's ment to.

you can quite easily get a folding saw and a small knife, which will out perform these all-in-one stuff. Take almost as much space and weight about the same.

So you all carry several knives/tools that each do there own thing rather than a multi purpose. Yes?

PC2K

11-01-2005, 21:50

yes, i do.

carring diffrent tools for diffrent tasks give's you the best of all worlds -versus- everything in one crappy thing, that does nothing well.

edited:

but it's all up to YOU, what YOU want ! if YOU hate to carry al kinds of diffrent kit and take on multipurpose one, than that might suites YOU beter. it's called personally preferance, there are no "right" or "wrong" ways.

RobertsonPau

11-01-2005, 21:50

Ok, I'm no expert but i take three cutting tools with me:
1. A Frosts Knife - the cheap one from Ray Mears website. I've done most things with it, carving, food prep, sparks from firesteel, splitting, batonning and not done any damage to it, and if I do it'll cost less than a tenner to replace.
2. A Leatherman - loads of handy gadgets for doing odds and ends with.
3. A small hand axe - for obtaining firewood.

I would like a nice, handmade 'bushcraft' knife, such as the Allan Blade Pack Pal. But at the moment I don't need it. the tools I have do what I want and need them to do.

I would suggest that you thing about the uses that you will put the knife to and look for tools to fit the criteria you come up with.

Just my 2p

Paul

tomtom

11-01-2005, 21:53

Emdiesse i would suggest getting mors kochanski's bushcraft especially the knife chapter.. described there is the knife witch will tie you over nicely..

a blade of around 3-4 inches and a solid handle of wich is about the same width as your palm.. a knife such as those you will see time and again on this site.. if you are looking for a beginners bushcraft knife i would advice a frosts mora £10 is excellent!

a knife such as this is well complimented by an SAK (swiss army knife) or leatherman multi tool!

EDIT: simultaneous post paul!

Emdiesse

11-01-2005, 22:03

I have decided know that haveing multiple tools is better than an all in one.
I can see the reasons.

I will take a look at the Frost Mora seen as i hear that this is a good popular knife and its cheap for an added bonus apparently!

Then a leather man or SAK for the odds and ends

And an Axe.

I'm not planning on buying anything just yet. I am just collecting information :D

tomtom

11-01-2005, 22:05

Emdiesse

11-01-2005, 22:10

ooh.. and a folding saw.. then you might want to extend you axe collection.. and by then you will probably want another knife.. then you will have £0 and a house full of sharp things and you shal be a fully fledged member of BCUK.. :yikes:

I'm sure my parents wouldn't approve of their house being full of sharp knives, lol.

I'm 16 BTW, so legally, in the UK i can buy a knife. However currently i have no need for one. On the other hand seen as i am interested in bushcraft i can see my self getting one soon, when it is nessecary.

Another thing is i would also wait for my friends to get some equipment aswell because basically, it would be more fun and safe in a group.

Thanks for alll the help peoples

PC2K

11-01-2005, 22:15

don't forget a good first aid kit wenn you'r "playing" with these "toys".
but more importent, learn to use your knife, saws and axe correctly. preventing accident is beter than curring it. Just a tip wenn you start with sharp stuff.

tomtom

11-01-2005, 22:16

I'm sure my parents wouldn't approve of their house being full of sharp knives, lol.

neither do mine.. dont let that stop you.. my dad is actually starting to be interested!

I'm 16 BTW, so legally, in the UK i can buy a knife. However currently i have no need for one. On the other hand seen as i am interested in bushcraft i can see my self getting one soon, when it is nessecary.

im 18 :wave: in the uk you have to be 18 to buy one IIRC or at least many places wont sell them to under 18s

NOT AVAILABLE TO ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18
but you can be given one as a gift and own one and use and carry one with good reason (bushcraft is a reason if your in/on the way to/from the woods)

have fun

Lithril

11-01-2005, 22:20

The Frost Mora is an excellant starting knife, think its priced at around £10. I started with one of them before progressing to a Puukko style knife www.thetradingpost.co.uk . I know carry a small axe (GB Mini) or Billhook, my Knife and a Leathermans.

Emdiesse

11-01-2005, 22:44

Ahah i have done some research

"It is an offence for any person under the age of 16 years to purchase most kinds of knives."

So there are certain types of knives available for 16+, probably stuff like leatherman's and SAK's. And for the knives in question 18 is probably the age people start seeling these types of knives, yes?
Also companys are probably able to decide there age limit

I'm suprised you can carry one with good reason. I thought knifes being carried by any persons, especially U18's would not be allowed.

So if you have a knife on the way home from bushcrafting they will not take it off of you/arrest you, etc.
Obviously aslong as your not waving it about like a madman meaning it is in your bergen rather than on your belt, etc and it is saftly concealed.

also what does IIRC mean?

RobertsonPau

11-01-2005, 22:48

It depends on the PC that catches you with the knife! For more info have a look at the BritishBlades site. There is a huge section on the law and carrying knives.

Paul

Emdiesse

11-01-2005, 22:58

So if a PC catches you and you explain its bushcraft
and he looks in the bergen to see what else you have
and you have cooking stoves, tents, survival kit, medical kit, etc, they would still decide thats not good enough and take you to the station?

I suppose my mum will always be there to pick me up, hehe.

Oh yeah, also i have just realised i do have some bushcraft kit already! :D
I have a medical pack, hehe. I took it when i went skiing with the school, i was the only sensible person to even think of it and my surgical sissors were taken at the airport, i forgot they were in there. Opps.

Carcajou Garou

11-01-2005, 23:07

Emdiesse, along with being in this forum, a course with a reputable "bushcrafter" would go a long way toward your education in several aspects of bushcrafting and you would get a more practicle exposure to different knives and their use and your needs as well as other pertinent equipment. You have a bear of a man here already :wink:
Once you get a knife use it a lot in different settings and learn to take care of it as it will one day take care of you. :o):
just a thought

ChrisKavanaugh

11-01-2005, 23:44

www.equipped.org ( please review our sharps section in the gear section form main menu on homepage.) Our ideal survival knife is often more robust than a Bushcraft blade WHEN IT IS THE SOLE CUTTING TOOL. Sawbacks first showed up in modern blades on WW1 german bayonets as a field tool ( propaganda quickly gave them more sinister uses.) They made a comeback with dedicated pilot's knives to saw through aluminium and plexiglass wreckage. Post crash use for survival was a secondary consideration. Even the very best, like the old Parrish knife,Randall survival ( designed by a NASA astronaut) Chris Reeve's excellent aviator and the Camillus/Ontario USAF saw at best moderately well in most materials. The 'Rambo' type bowies with those big teeth are utterly horrid for sawing. Sawbacks have two additional drawbacks. Most important, you are weakening the very spine of your blade where it is most needed. A secondary loss is the ability to baton the knife into wood billets for splitting. It can be done, but usually at the expense of a battered sawback and decreased efficiency. I broke my issue USAF doing just this. The Moras are incredible value. Consider too, the money your saving for other kit that may very well become more valuable, such as a good sleeping bag in a snowstorm. I threatened a blizzard once with my knife. It didn't work. I pulled out my sleeping bag and it retreated post haste. :lol:

tomtom

12-01-2005, 00:36

links down chris

Martyn

12-01-2005, 00:42

Take your pick from the best bushcraft tools money can buy IMO.

http://www.britishblades.com/pics/selection.jpg

Get all of em if you can afford em....

Gransfors Bruks Small forrest Axe £40ish
Wilkinson Sword Woodlore £160ish
Bahco Laplander £20ish
Leatherman Wave £80ish
Chris Reeves Small Sebenza £200ish

Total = in the region of £500.00

Or, the budget selection...

Gransfors Bruks Small forrest Axe £40ish
Frosts Mora £10ish
Bahco Laplander £20ish
Leatherman Wave £80ish
Benchmade Mini Griptilian £40ish

Total = in the region of £190.00

...then you will have all the tools you will ever need.

Dont buy that "survival" knife, it's a piece of junk.

Andy

12-01-2005, 01:22

[QUOTE=Martyn]
Or, the budget selection...

Gransfors Bruks Small forrest Axe £40ish
Frosts Mora £10ish
Bahco Laplander £20ish
Leatherman Wave £80ish
Benchmade Mini Griptilian £40ish

Total = in the region of £190.00

QUOTE]

why the Benchmade? opinal is the budget knife surely

tomtom

12-01-2005, 01:25

wich benchmade?

EDIT: sorry, as always i was jus looking at the pictures! :roll:

Martyn

12-01-2005, 06:50

wich benchmade?

mini griptillian

Martyn

12-01-2005, 06:59

why the Benchmade? opinal is the budget knife surely

Yeah, the opinel is cheaper, but the Benchmade mini griptillian doesnt break the bank at £40 and is a better tool IMO (especially for food prep - I prefer stainless for this). Though there is nothing wrong with an opinel if that is your choice and yopu can live with a carbon steel folder.

leon-1

12-01-2005, 07:09

This is not to meant nasty, but even the people in the Britsh military who have an ounce of sence do not use these.

Okay you get the odd idiot.

In reality we are looking at a large knife being 3.5 or 4 inches length for normal use and probably never much more, this is of course unless we are looking at Antarctic or DEEP JUNGLE.

Stuart will tell you about the uses for a Parang after his latest trip :o):

TheViking

12-01-2005, 14:58

Ok. I think i'm learning here.

You don't try to carry an all purpuse sort of knife
you have several, each for a different job? :?:
Spot on. :biggthump It looks like Rambo's knife, cheap and not very durable. :lol:

Hoodoo

12-01-2005, 18:07

Opinels come in stainless and are one of the knives I most use for food prep, especially when I'm car camping. The blades are thin and take a toothy edge and slice bread as good as many serrated breadknives. The grip is a lot more durable.

Opinels and moras are similar in that they are cheap and light so you can throw one in your pack at little extra cost of money or weight. I rarely travel anywhere without one or the other.

paul thomas

12-01-2005, 18:21

Someone has mentioned the Buck Buckmaster,whoever designed it is not even inteligent enough to be called a half wit,the balance is so handle heavy the blade has no chopping power also the sawbackis designedfor socalled energetic cutting which means you waste all your energey and get nowhere fast as for the hollow handle this holds two anchors which are so badly thought out they would not hold a toy boat in place.
Hope i have not upset anybody who owns one but for serious use it is a no no as for it being used by U S navy SEALS I can only shake my head and wonder.

woodsitter

12-01-2005, 18:44

Well, I have to admit that I was looking for some combination tool for some time too.

Not the Rambo Bowieknife, but something to cut, slice, carve, saw and chop with. It does not exist. At least not in the quality that you can really cut, slice, carve, saw and chop, keep your tool intact and keep all of your fingers.
So, settle for more than one tool and take with you what you need for each job.
I usually have a SAK with me al all times. I have a Victorinox Rucksack (the third know is 10 years) It’s a bit larger than most folders and it locks so I guess that would make it illegal in Britain (I live in Holland). When outdoors, on a hiking trip I usually go with friends. So we can share equipment and add some luxury to the bare essentials. Bare essentials of course are some kind of decent knife for everyone, SAK’s or Opinels seem to be favorite, a Mora is more sturdy of course but a knife on your belt is a bit of trouble when carrying a large pack. The ‘luxury’ of course consist of some vintage single malt, but also of my machete and a hand chain saw. That’s great kit. It cut’s like nothing i’ve seen before and if you have top you can take down quite large trees as it is two feet long. I prefer it highly above a folding saw, but of course you could differ on that.
The machete is I thing a bit in dispute for junior bushcrafters and I have to agree. It’s lethal, realy. That’s when it’s sharp. When it’s blunt it’s maiming, but probably even more dangerous as you glance a lot more. I think you should learn the chopping business with an ax, that’s a bit less of a killer and easier to handle. Learn it at home or in your garden, tot somewhere in the bush with no one around!

TheViking

12-01-2005, 18:59

The machete is I thing a bit in dispute for junior bushcrafters and I have to agree. It’s lethal, realy. That’s when it’s sharp. When it’s blunt it’s maiming, but probably even more dangerous as you glance a lot more. I think you should learn the chopping business with an ax, that’s a bit less of a killer and easier to handle. Learn it at home or in your garden, tot somewhere in the bush with no one around!
Ahem. Well i have a 33 cm cold steel kukri, it's blimin' big and very sharp. Could easily chop of limbs, but I still use it now and then for tasks I don't want to put my leuku into. If you have a book that says how to use big tools and you follow the rules, what could happen? I know, even if one follows the rules, accidents can happen, but adults can just as easily chop of limbs etc. And yep, I use it when no one is around. :-)

Just my thoughts.

TheViking

12-01-2005, 19:05

Or in other words :D: would you be most concerned to see a junior bushcrafter use a machete safely or an adult from the city having never touched one? :naughty:

Webley Webster

12-01-2005, 20:26

Yeah, the opinel is cheaper, but the Benchmade mini griptillian doesnt break the bank at £40 and is a better tool IMO (especially for food prep - I prefer stainless for this). Though there is nothing wrong with an opinel if that is your choice and yopu can live with a carbon steel folder.

They do make stainless Opi's you know and I think the Stainless Opi #8 (I like the Olive wood handle and I convex the edge) is one of the best folding rough whittling (wasting the wood) and food prep. knives I've ever used.

Sorry Hoodoo I just noticed your message. Uh, what he said.

Web

woodsitter

12-01-2005, 20:39

Or in other words : would you be most concerned to see a junior bushcrafter use a machete safely or an adult from the city having never touched one?

Well, it's not about age of course but about experience. Age is no cure for stupidity. Get someone to show you how and get some experience before doing potentially dangerous things, like chopping, shooting, driving a car, go bullfighting of ****ing of my granny. :lol: