Are the Bushman knives good emergency/beater knives?

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DangerZone98

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Dec 7, 2019
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I’m a little held back by the fact that they’re made in PRC, but they look like good camp knives with more durability than Moras. What do you guys think?
 
I think a mora (companion) would be way more comfortable to use overall.

The bushman can generally be used harder and can be a spear head, though. It also comes with a ferro rod and holder on the sheath, which is nice for how inexpensive it is. The handle is uncomfortable, hard and cold.

It’s kind of a tossup, in my opinion.
 
I don't think CS make anything in Red China anymore IIRC. Taiwan is NOT the Chicoms. That said, I have a Gurkha in SK5 from the days of the China Dolls. Its a great blade and the SK5 is made in Japan anyway.
 
jdk1 said:
I don't think CS make anything in Red China anymore IIRC. Taiwan is NOT the Chicoms. That said, I have a Gurkha in SK5 from the days of the China Dolls. Its a great blade and the SK5 is made in Japan anyway.
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you sure about that? thought the 8cr stuff was made in China and maybe more?
 
Well, I could be wrong, but that's what I thought. If they are made in Red China, I wouldn't worry about quality. There may be political concerns, but CS has made many quality blades there.
 
jdk1 said:
I don't think CS make anything in Red China anymore IIRC. Taiwan is NOT the Chicoms. That said, I have a Gurkha in SK5 from the days of the China Dolls. Its a great blade and the SK5 is made in Japan anyway.
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When I checked the product, it seems the Bushman is made in China. I’m aware though that most CS products are made in Taiwan. All the Tri-Ad knives I got have been excellent.
 
DangerZone98 said:
I’m a little held back by the fact that they’re made in PRC, but they look like good camp knives with more durability than Moras. What do you guys think?
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The Bushman fixed blade knives knives have always been made in low cost countries. The early ones were made in Taiwan. But I think they have been made in mainland China since at least 2008. It's always been a one-piece design made of SK-5 steel which they harden to ~54 Rockwell.

You can run a search in the General Forum and find threads going back to 2002 on it. The general consensus has always been that it's a great beater knife for the money and that it will stand up to a lot of abuse.

Because of the differences in design, steel hardness, and size, I'd not compare it to the Mora. 7" low hardness carbon steel blade vs. 4" high hardness stainless blade makes for two very different knives.
 
knarfeng said:
The Bushman fixed blade knives knives have always been made in low cost countries. The early ones were made in Taiwan. But I think they have been made in mainland China since at least 2008. It's always been a one-piece design made of SK-5 steel which they harden to ~54 Rockwell.

You can run a search in the General Forum and find threads going back to 2002 on it. The general consensus has always been that it's a great beater knife for the money and that it will stand up to a lot of abuse.

Because of the differences in design, steel hardness, and size, I'd not compare it to the Mora. 7" low hardness carbon steel blade vs. 4" high hardness stainless blade makes for two very different knives.
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Thanks, knarfeng. Might pick one up as a fun knife as DocJD suggested hehe.
 
They are very different, but I think they are comparable when talking about very inexpensive survival situation knives that would generally work ok for those types of tasks.
 
For the role you’re talking about you might also consider the CS GI Tanto. Probably better performance in most heavy/beater tasks, probably more robust overall, full guard, still super cheap...
 
jdk1 said:
Well, I could be wrong, but that's what I thought. If they are made in Red China, I wouldn't worry about quality. There may be political concerns, but CS has made many quality blades there.
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last I looked marked China meant made in red China as youre calling it. oh I'm not worried about quality. these aren't bad for the price points.
 
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Politics aside, China can make anything to any quality level as the person paying for it is willing to pay. Remember not everyone in China is happy with the way things are. Most people on this planet are just trying to make a living....
 
strideruser said:
Politics aside, China can make anything to any quality level as the person paying for it is willing to pay. Remember not everyone in China is happy with the way things are. Most people on this planet are just trying to make a living....
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very well said and I agree.
 
One hint for the bushman, is you can do an easy hemp, or mini paracord wrap and epoxy soak ro get a handle that is not metal.

I don't own a Moraz or a Bushman.

I do have a GI tanto that I've used as a throwing knive for decades. It was the first version with the cord wrapped handle.

It is just a tape handle now, after cutting the cord with other thrown knives.
 
strideruser said:
Politics aside, China can make anything to any quality level as the person paying for it is willing to pay. Remember not everyone in China is happy with the way things are. Most people on this planet are just trying to make a living....
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They can, but they rarely do. If you don't have someone there constantly watching and checking QC they will cut corners to save any amount they can. Half a cent saved on a million widgets adds up plus it seems to be almost like a game to see what they can get away with. If you've ever been there you'll know what I'm talking about, kind of hard to describe if you haven't.
 
I have a Kudu, Tru Flight Thrower, a couple of Machetes, all made in China. Quality has been just fine, none of them have ever given me problems.
 
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