Ed Martin Knives: Bush Hunter, Hidden Tang Bushcraft Knife

[Lastdyme379]

Good afternoon ladies and gentleman, I just got my Ed Martin Bush Hunter today. It is FANFREAKINTASTIC!! One of the lightest knives I own, the fit and finish is spectacular everything Mistwalker has said it is. I do t have the time to go out in the woods for proper testing and with L.A. traffic on a holiday weekend I don't really want to. So I have some you buy it firewood from the grocery store to play with. The wood is real dry and hard to feather stick with but it's what I have to work with. Don't own an Ed Martin knife yet? Ask yourself why and then get one!!! I'm trying to upload some pics from my phone and it's not working. I have some on Flickr and don't know how to do that either. I'll send some shots to Mistwalker and he'll post them for me, sorry for my photo upload ignorance I don't usually post pics and I don't have a PC anymore.

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks for chiming in Matt, I'm glad to hear you are liking the one you ordered. I did get the pics you sent, and uploaded them. Photo hosting can be a pain if you aren't used to it. It looks really good man. I like the thicker hilts myself. Ed is one of the few still doing old school metal hilts like this, and I really like the aesthetics as well as the feel. The ergonomics on this model are just awesome to me and it is just a very handy size knife that feel great in hand in general.

I picked up a couple more of them in natural canvas with brass hilts for my partner and myself to use in class instruction.

.

 

[JD Mandrell]

Mistwalker, your pictures aren't making the wait for my T3 SERE and SHORTER!!!!!

 

[Mistwalker]

Mistwalker, your pictures aren't making the wait for my T3 SERE and SHORTER!!!!!

Sorry man, just couldn't help but share The T3 is another awesome model. Ed and I are in discussions on a mortise tang T3 with natural canvas and brass hardware that I want for some more advanced classes. There will be a couple of those coming in the future as well.

 

[JD Mandrell]

Sorry man, just couldn't help but share The T3 is another awesome model. Ed and I are in discussions on a mortise tang T3 with natural canvas and brass hardware that I want for some more advanced classes. There will be a couple of those coming in the future as well.

Sounds sweet. He asked me if I was interested in a mortise tang on mine, but I went with the original style, plus saw teeth.

 

[Mistwalker]

Sounds sweet. He asked me if I was interested in a mortise tang on mine, but I went with the original style, plus saw teeth.

I wasn't sure how to feel about the mortise tangs for hard use to begin with. But then after putting this Rio through quite a lot over nearly four years, and having Ed explain exactly how he does his mortise and hidden tangs. I have faith in Ed's mortise tangs for my uses. I also like what the mortise tang does for the balance. This Rio really impressed me and inspired the natural canvas Bush Hunters I ordered.

 

[Lastdyme379]

Thanks for posting my pics Mistwalker, I've been using the Bush Hunter for the last few days and the only hand fatigue I have is from muscle memory I don't use a lot, not from the knife itself. I wish I would've gotten two!!

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks for posting my pics Mistwalker, I've been using the Bush Hunter for the last few days and the only hand fatigue I have is from muscle memory I don't use a lot, not from the knife itself. I wish I would've gotten two!!

Hey no problem man. Yeah, the ergonomics of this handle are fantastic. I am glad he was doing this one, it turned out to be a great stroke of good fortune.

 

[LostViking]

Mistwalker,

My Bush Hunter should ship out from Ed in the next few days. I had him build the whole system as a twin to yours. After reading your review and knowing how you use your knives it seemed like one should spend some time a little further north.

I like the knife for sure, but I really like the modularity of the whole system. Vertical, Scout, with or without the steel and sharpener. Or just the sharpener and steel on the belt. So many options for carry.

It's going to be a long few days until it arrives.

One more positive note I will add. Ed was totally professional throughout this whole process. He gave me an estimated completion date at the start. And even with all that is going on with Newt, he still managed to get it done within the original parameters. He emailed with updates and photos. And when the final product was ready. I got more photos. All this without one prompt from me. Just a smooth as silk transaction.

All that remains is for me to get it in hand a physically inspect it. But I have no doubt I will be pleased upon its arrival.

It's going to be a long few days.


I always follow your reviews and adventures with great interest. Mostly because I know you push your gear. Youtube videos of folks holding their knives and talking about the specs hold little interest for me. I like to see folks and knives in real world use. Your thought process on a smaller knife with less weight and the addition of the whole system made perfect sense to me.

Taking a walk through your review covers a lot of bases. Feather sticks, batoning, wet weather, food prep, carry options, grip size, and yes even slicing snack cheese. It is all stuff I do on a regular basis, and it is comforting to see someone else push the knife prior to purchase.

Thanks for all the time and effort you put into this. I understand what goes into not only the tasks. They are the relatively easy part. But the set-up and photography and getting them to the internet can eat a lot of time.

Did I mention I thought this knife was beautiful looking? From the tip of the blade to the back of a handle the Bush Hunter looks great. Just the amount of work Ed puts into the guard is impressive.

Thanks again,
I'll be out by the mail box if you need me.
LV,

 

[Mistwalker]

Mistwalker,

My Bush Hunter should ship out from Ed in the next few days. I had him build the whole system as a twin to yours. After reading your review and knowing how you use your knives it seemed like one should spend some time a little further north.

I like the knife for sure, but I really like the modularity of the whole system. Vertical, Scout, with or without the steel and sharpener. Or just the sharpener and steel on the belt. So many options for carry.

It's going to be a long few days until it arrives.

One more positive note I will add. Ed was totally professional throughout this whole process. He gave me an estimated completion date at the start. And even with all that is going on with Newt, he still managed to get it done within the original parameters. He emailed with updates and photos. And when the final product was ready. I got more photos. All this without one prompt from me. Just a smooth as silk transaction.

All that remains is for me to get it in hand a physically inspect it. But I have no doubt I will be pleased upon its arrival.

It's going to be a long few days.


I always follow your reviews and adventures with great interest. Mostly because I know you push your gear. Youtube videos of folks holding their knives and talking about the specs hold little interest for me. I like to see folks and knives in real world use. Your thought process on a smaller knife with less weight and the addition of the whole system made perfect sense to me.

Taking a walk through your review covers a lot of bases. Feather sticks, batoning, wet weather, food prep, carry options, grip size, and yes even slicing snack cheese. It is all stuff I do on a regular basis, and it is comforting to see someone else push the knife prior to purchase.

Thanks for all the time and effort you put into this. I understand what goes into not only the tasks. They are the relatively easy part. But the set-up and photography and getting them to the internet can eat a lot of time.

Did I mention I thought this knife was beautiful looking? From the tip of the blade to the back of a handle the Bush Hunter looks great. Just the amount of work Ed puts into the guard is impressive.

Thanks again,
I'll be out by the mail box if you need me.
LV,

Hi LV, thanks for the post man. I do not have that black one anymore. I bought a couple in natural canvas with brass hilts for my partner and myself to use in skills workshops, and Rockywolf was interested in the black and red one so I sold it to him. The thing was that I had used the Bush Hunter in some of the photos for a database I am using as a slide show for lectures, and though the black and red was very nice, it was a bit distracting in the photos, so I ordered something a little more bland and subdued to be less distracting in the photos. But I have had it since right after I posted this, and it has been used for several demonstrations, and even more experiments. And my partner has used the one I gave him extensively as well. It is made the exact same way, with the same steel, and same hidden tang. I also love the versatility of the modular set up. I can configure it however I want I couldn't be happier with it, and I want to buy a couple more for spares before Ed retires, but I am also wanting other models he makes and having to pick and choose what I buy lol.

I recently got an MR-5 from Ed, which is based on the Randall #5 with a stacked leather handle and CPM S35VN steel. A grail field knife for me.

Ed is always very professional and great to do business with.

Thank you I am glad you enjoy the reviews. There are a few others I need to take the time to post up, but mostly I have been focusing on buying the knives I want from Ed before he retires so three of the ones I have been using the most are EMK knives.

Let me know what you think about it when you get it. Here are pics of mine after over a year of use, and still going strong

.

 

[Rockywolf]

Yep, the black one is safely in my possession. Great knife! An heirloom I can pass on to my sons some day.

 

[Mistwalker]

Yep, the black one is safely in my possession. Great knife! An heirloom I can pass on to my sons some day.

Glad to hear that! Ed does make great knives. I was just talking with him yesterday, and sadly his retirement is being delayed a while. He is going to keep making knives for a while to come to help his son Newt with some heavy medical bills due to the chemo and an emergency surgery. This is a bitter sweet thing for me. I absolutely hate the reasons his retirement is being delayed, but since it is I am glad for the time to pick up a couple more of his knives before he hangs it up...

 

[LostViking]

Mistwalker,

Knife arrived today, just in time to make lunch.

Nice knife/sheath package. The knife is light and well balanced. Sharpness is as expected. It looks a little better in person. Which is amazing. Because it looks great in the photos.

The knife fits nice and snug in the sheath, no rattles. I like that. I like the options the sheath provides. I was wondering if my match holder would fit in the pouch. I have the same knurled brass container as you. I see it fits in yours. I'm hoping
my results will be the same.

I'll get some photos up and let you know what I think after I have had a bit of time to get acquainted with it.

So far, so good!

 

[Mistwalker]

Mistwalker,

Knife arrived today, just in time to make lunch.

Nice knife/sheath package. The knife is light and well balanced. Sharpness is as expected. It looks a little better in person. Which is amazing. Because it looks great in the photos.

The knife fits nice and snug in the sheath, no rattles. I like that. I like the options the sheath provides. I was wondering if my match holder would fit in the pouch. I have the same knurled brass container as you. I see it fits in yours. I'm hoping
my results will be the same.

I'll get some photos up and let you know what I think after I have had a bit of time to get acquainted with it.

So far, so good!

Cool. Glad you are liking it so far. The weight was a big factor in how that one came to be. I was talking to Ed about a mortise tang knife for classes and nature walks. Ed mentioned he was going to be doing a couple of new models with hidden tangs, and asked if I would interested in checking one out for that role. We talked a while and settled on his Bush Hunter model. So far it has worked out perfectly for my uses.

The K&M match safe should fit, but you have to take the diamond stone out.