CS Pocket Bushman, a review by Bushman5!

thombrogan said:
The Krupp 4116 steel CS uses is the same high-end cutlery steel found in Messermeister's knives and is part of the X50CrMoV15 family found in similarly ranked knives from Wüsthoff and Henckles. I don't think anyone runs it harder than RC56 and doubt CS would pay the extra money to buck that trend, but it's a fine-grained steel that can be steeled back to sharpness several times before the benchstones or sander need to be brought out. CS deserves some kudos for choosing a stainless steel that can take a good beating before it dies without being a meter thick or costing $800.
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According to AG Russel's Steel Guide on his web site, 4116 is extremely similar to 420HC, which Buck runs at 58HRC. I agree with everything else.
 
PB and stubby lanyard

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Bushman5 said:
anyone disassembled their Pocket Bushman yet? i'd be curious to see how everything is put together before i attempt it myself....

on a side note i made a different stubby lanyard for the PB. I used thick paracord and 9/16" wide SS nuts, 5 of them and two orange beads on each end. Nice little pull cord for fast retrieval of the PB out of the pocket, and for unlocking the blade.
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I too remember a break down picture in some thread. I took mine apart, and the lock-up system is pretty dang beefy. The ram lock is very secure. About the only thing that I could see going wrong with the knife is if the small spring that pushes the ram forward gives out. Of course, there looks like there is nothing special to this spring. You could easily replace it if you looked around a bit....or, for 30 bucks you could just get a new knife;) I doubt it would fail before you got your money's worth out of it.

As I've said before, I'm not really a fan of CS, but the PB does so many things right for so little money.:thumbup:
 
I'm a sucker for inexpensive knives, and CS hasn't let me down, ordering almost a Doz. of the Finn Bear and Roch Bellys a while ago as gifts, keeping a couple for myself. Now with the other new offerings from CS, what is one to do! Four of the Pocket Bushmans arrived today, and two Finn Wolfs and a Western Hunter are due tomorrow!

I'm very impressed with the PB, and will have three of them laser etched as gifts with the initials of the intended recipients tomorrow. This is one BIG knife, but it seems to be pretty much "bullet proof", designed for some heavy use. Because of it's unique lock system, it's the closest thing to a fixed blade, in a folder, I have encountered thus far. A interesting and functional design that deserves to be shared with others! And, at a ridiculously low price to boot.

Because of it's size and weight, I have found the most comfortable carry method to be attaching either a small plastic or metal thumb clip to the lanyard and clipping it to a belt loop. The knife rides in your pocket in a vertical position, with it's "considerable" weight supported by your waistband; still easily accessible, but it's considerable size and weight barely noticeable, leaving other pocket contents separated, and within easy reach as well.
 
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Ok, enough procrastinating. Time for my thoughts on this beast.

For its size the pocket bushman is pretty light. It's fairly thin so it's not too uncomfortable to carry. Ergonomics are ok. I've gotten used to the size. Choking up on the knife and using the area between the sharp part of the blade and the indention in the handle as a choil lets the knife be handled with great control. While the knife is advertised as hollow ground it looks, feels, and cuts like a full flat grind. I've never before seen such a shallow hollow grind.

The pocket clip is so tight that it's useless to me. Getting the knife out of my pocket with the clip hanging on to my pants is a such a pita that I just carry it dropped in my pocket.

This is the first knife I've tried with this blade steel. I'm not impressed. Edge retention is nothing special. Touching up the edge is easy but it cannot approach the sharpness of my Buck 110 or stockman (both 420HC).

I can't even begin to open this knife one handed. Anyone who can must have far bigger and stronger hands than I do. The thumb stud is too short to be very useful.


The pocket bushman has three selling points; it is big, fairly lightweight, and it has a meaty lock. If you're looking for a rough outdoors use folder for chopping and generally abusing this is worth a look. Everything else about the knife is, to be generous, not inspiring.


edit: Forgot to mention that the grind is obviously uneven towards the tip. Quality control must not be that great.
 
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AFTERTFD:

SLIGHTLY loosen the pivot bolt, just a smidge, and oil it with Militec or BoeshieldT9
 
Home Depot sells Husky 6-in-1 torx drivers that are better than the Craftsman drivers I used to use. I'm told Lowes has really good ones, too, but I haven't been there.
 
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