Habilis Bush tool vs. TOPS Tahoma field knife

Joined
May 2, 2012
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15
Okay I am looking to purchase a survival knife that will do a lot, I have narrowed it down to these two knives. Anyone out there have experience with either or both of these blades, tell me pros and cons of either one.
 
I'd do the Tahoma, for one it's larger... Just watch videos on either, but I'd personally pick the Tahoma.
 
And I got the Tahoma thanks for the input. It's a great knife even better than I thought. I'll post pictures soon.
 
:D:D:D
Am I the only one that found that funny?


Get the Tahoma
Get the Tahoma
Get the Tahoma!!

I got the Tahoma guys!!!!!:thumbup:

We'll that's a shame

:eek: whaaaa???

:D
 
Haha I was just kidding. Out of those knives, I much prefer the habilis but hey, it's all good and as long as you like it congrats!
 
Might stil, get the bush tool too like many of the people on this forum I like kinives. Can anyone give input as to why one knife over another.
 
Oddly enough my cousin teaches survival classes fkr the military and I'm ex military I chose the Tahoma for it's tactical aspects. My cousin uses a mora heavy duty for everything.
 
Hi everybody. I realize this is a necro-post, but I actually have and have used both of these knives. Perhaps my input may assist others in the future who are looking for a comparison of these two. They are VERY different designs and handle/feel differently.

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I usually carry a Habilis Bushtool. Great knife!!! It is just the right size for so many things and has a lot of features I like: It has a blade shape that is easy to maintain; the handle is pretty comfortable; it has a lanyard hole; the butt of the tang has a 90 degree/non-radiused edge for use in scraping out or smoothing things like spoons (supposedly). There is a bow drill divot on the handle (which I use quite frequently) as well and a cut-away on the spine of the blade that is called an "anvil" apparently as it is supposed to be used as a surface for batoning or to rest against your leg as you work the bow drill. Nearer to the grip there is a divot in the spine of the blade that is for use with an Exotac firesteel. The blade has a 90 degree spine and is comprised of steel that is effective when scraped against flint or a firesteel. I chose to get the handle slabs in black but there are other colored options available per one's taste. One modification made was that I wrapped some reflective cord around part of the handle. This serves a couple of purposes: it aids in traction, is a little extra cordage if needed, and also since it is reflective it may make the knife easier to find should I drop it in the dark.

The sheath is leather so I treated it with Sno-Seal. It has a dangler to which I added a piece of bungee cord because sometimes I wear the knife on my belt while other times I wear it across my chest. This provides a little extra added retention and keeps the dangler from flopping around during cross-chest carry. The advantage of the cross-chest carry is that it is easy to access and is not an interference with a pack belt. Also if you should happen to be around a bunch of crunchies who believe that pony tails and bandanas are far more useful out in the woods than a scary fixed blade, then you can wear it under a jacket and not offend their patchouli-scented sensibilities. There is a bigger version of this knife called the S.R.T. for those who want a bigger chopper but to be quite honest after handling this knife for... heck I don't remember how long now... I'm glad I went with the original Bushtool.

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I also have the TOPS Tahoma field knife. I think it has a lot of promise and I like the kid who designed it. His name is Andy Tran and he has a Youtube channel called Innerbark Outdoors. His knife is called the Tahoma Field Knife and it is produced by TOPS knives. This was my first experience with TOPS knives and I have to say I think it is really well made. The sheath that comes with it is crap so I ordered a Spec-Ops brand sheath - extra long. (Perhaps "crap" is a bit harsh but I thought the stock sheath was a little flimsy. It does the trick, is ambidextrous, and keeps the price point down so....) Anyway, the knife is pretty well thought out and I think is worth serious consideration. It was conceptualized as kind of an all in one tool - and as such I think it is about as good as your are going to find. I got mine on Amazon - cheaper than if I went to the TOPS website. If you go to Youtube you'll get a much better description of the knife's design features than I can provide you with here. Suffice it to say that if you were to go with the Tahoma you won't be disappointed. I will say that it is quite a bit longer than your average survival knife. And in most videos I saw, folks seem to feel the need to tie the sheath down to their thigh. If that's what floats your boat then feel free. However I've never felt the need to do so. The OAL of the knife is quite long but carries like it's shorter. Not only that, it isn't particularly weighty. Don't get me wrong... It is a very effective chopper. It just isn't as thick as one might have expected - a design feature that had me very pleasantly surprised. It both slices and chops well. If there was any one thing I would have changed about the Tahoma, it would have been to make the bow-drill divots a little deeper. The Tahoma has them on both sides whereas the Bushtool only does on one. Also if you order straight from TOPS you can opt to not have the top edge sharpened.

If I had to choose one knife to go survive with... I'd be happy with either. I think I just personally prefer the Bushtool. But I enjoy using them both.

By the way, when I first got the Spec-Ops sheath it did not initially fit the Tahoma. I removed the insert and then heated it up with a heat gun and then inserted the blade. After that, all was well with the world.
 
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I would also add that the handle on the Tahoma Field Knife is extremely comfortable and lends itself to a number of different types of grips - the grip's angle is part of what makes it such an effective chopper.
 
With a lil tweeking I found the bushtool to fit my needs quite well repurposed an old rifle sling to make a baldric rig then I ground down the top to give her a little bit of a haircut removing most of the hump on the top of the spine including the thumb ramp and fire steel notch. I also ground out a little bit of a finger choil to keep my index finger from getting nickedon the blade and last but not least I sent it off and had the grind opened up to make it quite a bit more slicey... after 14 months of hard use she still kickin
 
Yeah I know it's an old post but thanks for everyone on weighing in I have found that I do not like the sheath on the TFK, , I ordered a custom kydex, now it's a perfect setup. I find that it has been a nice place between my Esee 5 and the Esee 6. Between that and my izula or the occasional mora knife I am usually in good shape on my excursions.
 
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