A cautionary tale...
Knifecenter had the Cold Steel Pocket Bushman on sale in March at a price too irresistable to not buy for the toolbox or car emergency kit.
Upon opening the knife for the first time I was surprised at how stiff the blade pivot was...definitely not a one-hander. When trying to unlock, the lock likewise was very stiff and required force to try to disengage. Unfortunately, the locking system requires the user to pull the knife toward's oneself by a lanyard...with the possibility of cutting anything (including fingers) in the blade's path should the knife slip. I found this out the hard way. Below are pics from the ER:
The following week I was under the knife again...this time by a plastic surgeon doing a several hour surgery under microscope to reattach a severed tendon and digital nerve (glasses added for effect):
The following week I began rehab:
Here it is a couple weeks later:
More progress:
This week will be the 4-week mark after surgery. In two weeks I lose the brace and then it's 6 more weeks of strength and dexterity rehab.
Lessons Learned:
1) What seems like a good deal can instead be very costly. In my case many $1000's in medical/rehab bills; several months of my work as a videographer lost; and the possible end of my future as a guitarist in an indie rock band (we'll see about that. If the finger doesn't work right I'll have to try to learn how to play left-handed.)
2) Be careful of knives with proprietary, unconventional operating systems. I know some people love their Bushmans and I know others have been bitten like me. As for me, if a knife requires force to manipulate, better to just send it back and ask for a refund. I'll be sticking to liner locks and lockbacks from now on.
Knifecenter had the Cold Steel Pocket Bushman on sale in March at a price too irresistable to not buy for the toolbox or car emergency kit.
Upon opening the knife for the first time I was surprised at how stiff the blade pivot was...definitely not a one-hander. When trying to unlock, the lock likewise was very stiff and required force to try to disengage. Unfortunately, the locking system requires the user to pull the knife toward's oneself by a lanyard...with the possibility of cutting anything (including fingers) in the blade's path should the knife slip. I found this out the hard way. Below are pics from the ER:
The following week I was under the knife again...this time by a plastic surgeon doing a several hour surgery under microscope to reattach a severed tendon and digital nerve (glasses added for effect):
The following week I began rehab:
Here it is a couple weeks later:
More progress:
This week will be the 4-week mark after surgery. In two weeks I lose the brace and then it's 6 more weeks of strength and dexterity rehab.
Lessons Learned:
1) What seems like a good deal can instead be very costly. In my case many $1000's in medical/rehab bills; several months of my work as a videographer lost; and the possible end of my future as a guitarist in an indie rock band (we'll see about that. If the finger doesn't work right I'll have to try to learn how to play left-handed.)
2) Be careful of knives with proprietary, unconventional operating systems. I know some people love their Bushmans and I know others have been bitten like me. As for me, if a knife requires force to manipulate, better to just send it back and ask for a refund. I'll be sticking to liner locks and lockbacks from now on.