Cold Steel GI Tanto or Bushman?

T

turb0

Joined
Apr 11, 2013
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Hi guys. Well, I just got my Cold Steel Tanto Lite. It's a good knife, solid blade, very easy to handle. For the price, perfect. I'm thinking what to get for the next one, and I'm thorn between GI Tanto and Bushman. As you can see already, I've become a fan of Cold Steel's blades, but I'm also fond of KA-BAR, Gerber, M-Tech, etc. GI's reviews are really solid, seams powerfull enough all-around knife, yet Bushman is different, more of a survival knife, very beautifull. Maybe you guys have something else you'd like to recommend, feel free please. I just started collecting blades, it's a given I won't be using all of them, but I like to have different kinds of blades even when working something around the house.

Thanks guys :D
 
Get the Bushman. You already have a tanto style knife.

Also, stay away from the really low end knives like M-Tech. Not only are they rip-offs of other people's designs, but their quality is very low.
 
I have a GI tanto, never held a Bushman.

Pros:
-Knife seems very tough
-Needle Sharp tip
-No chance of slipping forward thanks to guard

Cons:
-Secure-Ex sheath is very very tight and doesn't "snap"
-Handles seem slippery

Interesting:
-the "unsharpened swedge" came sharper than the actual blade did (not to knock the blade, the swedge actually was very sharp on my knife). Cut small cardboard better, too, due to the unintentional "zero grind". :confused:
 
CWL said:
Get the Bushman. You already have a tanto style knife.

Also, stay away from the really low end knives like M-Tech. Not only are they rip-offs of other people's designs, but their quality is very low.
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I hear you. You got a point. How does Tanto Lite compares to GI Tanto in your opinion? The knife's great, I like it. However, in reviews they'd said that it comes razor sharp right out of the box. It is sharp but not as much as I expected and how I want it to be. What do you use for sharpening?

As far as MTech goes, this is not the first time I hear stuff like that. I really liked their Mtech Extreme knife, then I read a couple of reviews, people being disappointed with the blade and impracticality of the knife overall.

Bushman is very nice, I think this might be the next one :D:thumbup:
 
I've handled a few GI Tantos for customers and was never very impressed, it doesn't seem like a very useful knife. The Bushman, on the other hand, is a very practical design. I've gt one of each of the blade shapes, I've beat the crap out of the regular one, managed to bend the tip while doing ridiculously abusive stuff (just to see how it would fare). I like the clip point Bushman the best, a relatively thin blade of somewhat decent carbon steel with a good geometry just works. And the price is good, too.
 
Franciscomv said:
it doesn't seem like a very useful knife.
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I have to agree with that... its purpose seems to have been replicating the Strider BT (and the Strider's purpose was looking cool). They could be producing a much more practical design for the same money right now! :rolleyes:
 
I have both knives you are considering. I'd recommend the Bushman over the GI Tanto. The Bushman seems, to me, to be a do-a-little-of-everything-pretty-well blade. The GI Tanto is more of a do-one-thing-well, while all other things are not handled very well.
 
turb0 said:
The knife's great, I like it. However, in reviews they'd said that it comes razor sharp right out of the box. It is sharp but not as much as I expected and how I want it to be.
Click to expand...

I think that you should disregard anyone who makes a "razor sharp" blade claim as someone who doesn't really know what they are talking about.
1. we all know that razors are meant to shave the face. I'd like to see these claimants actually shave their face with a production knife; and
2. a razor sharp knife would not be good for chores since the blade edge would be too thin and delicate to last.
 
Both can be found for under $30 shipped. Why not get both? If it really is a case of either/or, though, I would also suggest the Bushman over the G.I. I have both and the Bushman is far more versatile.
 
That's how's it gonna be, I'm gonna order both :) Always order both! :))
Any advice on sharpening tools?
 
All depends on what you are going to use it for.

The bushman will make a much better all around "survival" "Bushcraft" blade. The shape and thickness will make it much more useful for camping chores.

I have the GI tanto (original version). It is basically indestructible. I have been throwing it for about a decade now? Tough!
 
The Bushman is only $25 so I say get them both you can probably get a bushman on the secondary market for cheap if you wait long enough I have seen them pop up once in awhile.
 
My GI Tanto is perfect sharpened crowbar for nasty around-the-house jobs. In the apartment I moved into a few years ago the windows had been painted shut with many coats over the years. It took just a few minutes each to cut through the paint and pry them loose. If I were still in the construction trades one would definitely be part of my tool kit.
 
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