Budget Outdoor Blades: Quick Review (pics)

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sh00ter01

Joined
Sep 26, 2007
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1,703
Being on a tight budget (poor college student) I often look for the best bang for buck in anything I buy. Up until now, mora’s have been the answer, but I’ve been wanting something a little bigger and beefier. So, I purchased two new budget blades for hiking, camping, and such; a CS Bushman and a Blackjack Grunt.

It was a nice day out today, so in between classes I decided to give them a quick little test and see how they preformed. I started by de-limbing some dead branches I trimmed out of a tree this past weekend (sorry no picks of this). Both knives did well with no noticeable advantage in one or the other.

Next I tried my hand at fuzz sticks with each. Both did alright but the bushman won in this category, probably because of how thin it is (about half of the Grunt in thickness) and its hollow grind (Grunt is convex).

Grunt’s fuzz stick
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Bushman’s fuzz stick
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Next I did some light chopping with both. The grunt won here; its extra weight and comfy handle really helped in the task.
GunsKnives013.jpg

GunsKnives015.jpg


I was going to do some batoning but ran out of time. I have batoned with the Grunt before and it held up fine. I have no doubt that the Bushman would hold up fine too.

After I got the blades back inside and wiped down, I checked for any damage to the edge. Both edges were as good as when I had started.

Here a couple of picks the knives with sheaths.
GunsKnives018.jpg

GunsKnives021.jpg


Here’s one of the backside of the sheaths. As you can see the Grunts sheath rides a lot higher on your belt then the Bushman. No winner here, both sheaths kind of suck, but they work none the less.
GunsKnives022.jpg


All in all, I think I got a couple of nice blades for the $20 I paid for each. Both would be great for the budget minded outdoorsman:thumbup:

-sh00ter
 
From one college student to another, thanks for the testing review. I've had my eye on the CS Canadian Belt Knife and Finn Bear. Do you have any experience with these two?

Also, the current issue of Tactical Knives has an article on the BlackJack Grunt. The fat belly of this knife looks delicious and tasty for out-of-door tasks.....
 
Got my bushman yesterday and I haven't stopped playin with it. One hell of a knife, definitely worth the $16 I paid for it.
 
The Motivator said:
From one college student to another, thanks for the testing review. I've had my eye on the CS Canadian Belt Knife and Finn Bear. Do you have any experience with these two?

Also, the current issue of Tactical Knives has an article on the BlackJack Grunt. The fat belly of this knife looks delicious and tasty for out-of-door tasks.....
Click to expand...

I do actually have a Finn Bear. It’s a fine little knife for the price. I’ve batoned with it a little with no ill effects, but try to keep this to a minimum because there isn’t much tang under the handle. Good blade for the price though:thumbup:

-sh00ter
 
sh00ter01 said:
I do actually have a Finn Bear. It’s a fine little knife for the price. I’ve batoned with it a little with no ill effects, but try to keep this to a minimum because there isn’t much tang under the handle. Good blade for the price though:thumbup:

-sh00ter
Click to expand...

That is what I was mindful of, you just validated my perspective. Thanks. I do have a Mora. I prefer at least a half guard and/or finger choil, which the Mora and Finn Bear has neither. I'm actually going to Norway and Sweden this summer to visit some friends, so hopefully I'll get to see authentic Scandinavian knives. :D
 
The Motivator said:
Having already forgotten the content of the TK review of the BlackJack Grunt, I don't remember where it was made. China? Japan? Taiwan? Please educate me.
Thanks
Click to expand...

The newer ones are made in China with 10Cr17 steel. The older ones were made of AUS 8 out of Japan I believe. Mine is a newer China version.

-sh00ter
 
cool write up..:thumbup:

i recently scored a grunt, from a fellow forum member..... it's a great knife.. especially for the $$$... it came with a rediculously sharp edge too...:eek:
 
Mike, I happen to know that yours got a good stropping before it arrived at your place. :) But overall, yes, they do come very sharp.

The Grunt is a great value in my opinion. If only the sheath wasn't so terrible. My older Japanese version came in a very decent leather sheath and I keep my new Chinese version in a spare Spec-Ops Combat Master that I had around (great sheath for this knife).

I think that On Scene Tactical (Eric goes by Normark on BladeForums I think) made the OEM kydex sheaths for the old Japanese models and as far as I can tell the new Chinese version should fit those sheaths. He would be a great person to talk to about getting a better sheath.
 
Shooter,

My favorite large fixed blade low budget knife is 12" Tram machete, makes a great general beater IMHO... Been wearing one around the property and beating the crap out of it for a couple of weeks, great blade for the $5.99 you pay....

mike088.jpg
 
Got a 10" Tram on the way, intended to fill the gap between the 4" inch fixed blades and the 15" choppers. Was thinking about a Leuku, but the Tram seemed to be a good budget alternative so went with that. My bolo is currently holding its own pretty well so I'm fairly confident it'll be a good one.
 
Jh205,

10" Tram??? Where did you find that? Gotta link? Considering the substantial # of blades that I own, I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much I like that 12", light, great thin geometry:thumbup:
 
Nice review with great pics bro, just goes to show that you don't need to spend an arm and a leg to get some decent steel !!!
 
mneedham said:
Jh205,

10" Tram??? Where did you find that? Gotta link? Considering the substantial # of blades that I own, I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much I like that 12", light, great thin geometry:thumbup:
Click to expand...

There is a strange guilt in owning some real expensive hyped up knives but using the $6 Tramontina. Tell us how its working for you now that you've had it for a little while.
Here is 10" Tram.

IMG_5543.jpg
 
Bear,

Where do you get the 10"? On the 12" Tram, like I say, I wear an FB all the time around the property and use them a lot. I find that the 12" does everything that I normally use my FBs for and it works as a short machete, it is also very light and very sharp. Like I said in different thread, I think you can you do pretty well in many environments with a Tram and an SAK...
 
Because I'm in Australia, I got mine from wellingtonsurplus.com.au

For all you Aussies on the forums, I can't recommend this site highly enough, they're great. My 10" Tram arrived on the east coast from WA in two days with only $5 shipping. The little Tram is an absolute beauty, plus it came with an excellent lined sheath (the 14" bolo comes with a basic unlined canvas sheath, so I made up a cardboard and duct tape insert. Its not pretty but it does the job.)
 
I’ve been thinking of trying out a 12” Tram. Pair it with a Mora and you’d have a unbeatable woods combo for less then $20. I might have to place an order with Smokey’s soon:D

Thanks for the replies guys:thumbup:

-sh00ter
 
Shooter,

Definitely a lot knife for $17 IMHO... For a couple more bucks you could have a low budget quad: a 12" Tram, SAK, Mora, and a Fiskars 14" hatchet. Lot of versatility there... Be interested in hearing how you like the Tram...
 
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