Mid tech Bushfinger Pass Around Review #3

[schmittie]

Mid-tech Bushfinger pass around #3

This is the first pass around I've been able to participate in. I've been very interested in seeing the production Bushfinger for myself. So far, everyone has nothing but good things to say about it. Is it really as good as they say, or is it just false flattery? Over the course of the weekend, I planned to find out.

First of all, in theory, it sounds like an unbeatable package- a Bushfinger made out of a crucible stainless (CPM S35VN), HT by Peters, handles CNC'D by Nathan the Machinist, designed and assembled under Andy Roy's supervision and made in mass quantities, all with a JRE bushcraft sheath? For real??

When the knife arrived, I have to admit, I was super excited. I unboxed it and took it out back.



Like abrasion mentioned in his review, this knife reminds me of the Survive GSO 4.1 which are also made out of the crucible steels. I have owned both the stainless CPM 20cv and carbon steel 3v. These knives have a similar stonewashed/tumbled finish. With both of my Survive knives, although I liked the design, handles and sheath, I soon sold both because they felt too thick. I'm not a guy who likes to baton or pry with knives and these just felt like they were overbuilt. The knife was more like a brick to me and although I wanted too, I just couldn't like it. My initial feelings of the production Bushfinger is exactly the opposite. This is a kind of blade with someone behind it who knows what makes a knife work. There is no jimping, no notches, no gimmicks. :thumbup:

Let's get to work!

A personal habit of mine is to see if a knife will shave hair out of the box. With this knife, nope. Not a chance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all. Sharpness is a relative thing and means different things to different people. What I did notice is the edge is CRAZY thin!



I always hear complaints from people about how difficult it is to sharpen stainless steel. Well, I was more than happy to spend a brief moment to sharpen this knife. With an edge like this, it should be easy for the user to maintain. In just minutes, using a cheap Smiths diamond stone and a Flexxx strop, I had a beautiful edge. This is huge, I like this knife already!



What follows is 3 different projects, none of which I have ever done before.

 

[schmittie]

Project #1

I would have loved to do some spoon carving or a one stick fire, but Thurin and Abrasion already did that! Here is something I've always wanted to do. (Don't laugh. It could have been better)

I saved a piece of mystery birch out of the firewood pile for some bushcraft projects. I only need a small, thin piece. Using a hatchet I got what I wanted, cut a sliver with the band saw, and shaved it flatter.






Then I marked out the holes with the Bushfinger and drilled it out. Using your choice of saw, cut out the wedges next.




Now sharpen the teeth, one at a time. This was tedious and so fragile. But look at those baby curls!







Some sanding and rounding if the corners and I have the ugliest bushcraft comb ever!




STOP LAUGHING! This was much harder than I thought. But does it work??



I'll have to wait to find out. When Mrs Schmittie lost her hair, I shaved my head too. Which by the way, to Andy and Ken: thanks so much for the tshirt. Mrs Schmittie was very excited and touched to see you put something in the box for her. Thanks so much!!
(And yes, those boobs are fake. The real ones tried to kill her!)

 

[schmittie]

Project #2


My lawn is full of weeds. These guys are all over. I hear you can make a coffee substitute out of dandelion roots. Let's see what happens.






I cut off the roots, rinsed them an let them dry out overnight outside. Then sliced them up and roasted in the toaster oven for an hour. While it was roasting, I was pleasantly surprised with the aroma. What started out smelling like dirt turned into a pleasing scent reminiscent of cloves. It certainly smelled sweet.






A spin in the coffee grinder with about half of it and it's ready to brew. I find these loose tea spoons work good for bushcraft coffee.









Time to dig the kit out with the hobo stove. I used flint and steel with some homemade char cloth because it's fun. Bushfinger helped with fire prep of course






In goes the tea right when a boil starts. I always remove the cup from heat, this way I can let it steep properly and not scald it.




The taste was pretty good! I like tea and coffee black so a bold, bitter beverage is to my liking. Although there is no caffeine in it, I could drink it without a problem. Maybe I can get rid of all those pesky dandelions now?

 

[schmittie]

Project #3

Next I did some food prep. Then I had a little accident. Maybe it had something to do with the shirt I was wearing?





I kid! It was just a beet. We have been supplementing our diet with juicing fresh fruits and veggies. The Mrs has found it helps settle her stomach and give her more energy while dealing with the side effects of chemo. We added beets for the first time today. It was pretty good!



Now what can I do with these ingredients? I actually saw someone do the following years ago on the Fiddleback forum with a Karda. Let's give it a try!



First, chop onions and peppers and set aside. Then basket weave bacon, add ground venison, sprinkle with peppers and onions. Roll and tie with string, add to charcoal grill.








Grill up some toast, slice meat roll and enjoy. Wow was this GOOD!



No Bailey, you can't have any.





Before I forget, I thought the knife seemed lonely and the sheath partially empty. So with some micarta and a ferrocerium rod I made a firesteel. The Celtic button knot can slide up and down the cord to keep in snugly attached to the sheath. I only had white marine grade epoxy so you can see the glue underneath. Sorry about that. But I'm happy to add it to the package for the next users in the pass around. Hope you don't mind.




Verdict:

I have used and owned several Bushfingers. Currently I do not have one in my lineup. Something about the last few I've had left something missing and they didn't stick around. But this knife is exceptional. The edge is thin and sharpens to a laser. The finish is tough. The handles I was skeptical on. But after using for many hours, I have grown to really like this knife. I'm sorry to see it go to be honest. But I'm looking forward to see what others will do. Maybe I'll have to start saving my pennies.

My thanks to Andy and Ken for the chance to see the new Mid Tech Bushfinger up close. You both are gentlemen.

 

[schmittie]

Sorry about the orientation of the pictures. I'll try to fix it later......

 

[hasco]

Great review Schmittie!!!! Those were some different and interesting projects! That meat roll looks absolutely delicious! I wouldn't mind some of that right now with a cup of that dandelion tea.

Now I am really itching to try one of the midtech bushfingers.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures!

 

[Comprehensivist]

Wow Schmittie! This is another fantastic addition to the series. I love the way that you got creative to come up with some fun projects. That comb took some careful work to detail out the teeth without breaking them. I have not tried dandelion tea before. Your detailed step-by-step photos of the process are really well done. That was a lot of work for one cup. I'll bet you savored every sip. The bacon wrapped venison roll looks like tasty sandwich fix-ins. J-Dog thinks Bailey is handsome and he should have got a bite.

Thanks for taking the time to take all those photos and sharing your experience using the Mid-Tech Bushfinger. You have good storytelling skills. I thoroughly enjoyed your write-up!

The best part was seeing you and Mrs. Schmittie smiling and enjoying life together. Keep fighting the good fight and hang on tight to each other.

Phil

 

[Fiddleback]

Man, Schmittie, that was a great review. Thank you for taking the time. I'm glad you liked the knife and noticed the edge geometry. Its not a beater, its a cutter!

 

[Uncle_P]

Awesome review Schmittie. Loving the comb. The detail work with a large knife, nicely done. That firesteel is a great addition to the setup.

The photo of you and Mrs Schmittie is a great pic. Thanks for the review.

Preston

 

[prom52]

Brian:

Simply in awe man ! This was an incredible review that clearly demonstrated the functional attributes of the production Bushfinger, as well as your creative skills, both with materials and with food. Your sharing of the personal photos provided a sense of the passion you have for life, Mrs Schmittie.......and Bailey too. Best wishes for positive outcomes for Mrs Schmittie !!!

Peter

 

[MajorD]

Outstanding Schmittie! I am always amazed at your reviews. The reviews in this pass around have all been excellent. Thurin and Abrasion also provided excellent insight on this knife. I am getting nervous now. I have an opportunity at this coming up soon but it's going to be difficult to add much more than what you guys have already provided. Really nice work Brian.

 

[trestle]

Great to see the knife at work and a smile on the missus face. The comb is a bit of genius. For as stout as the Bushfinger is, the tip is quite fine and capable of some good detail work. :thumbup:

 

[hiredgun]

Thanks Schmittie for the write-up. I love the creativity of your review! Three hundred years from now archaeologists are going to be scratching their heads on why someone from a "modern" society would have a primitive comb next to a basket made from bacon. I wish you and especially Mrs. Schmittie all good fortune and blessings.

 

[calc]

Nice writeup! Great to see an actual cutting edge on a model like this.

 

[abrasion]

Awesome brother!!! You really went outside the norm and the pictures were great. That comb shot really cracked me up. I'm a tea drinker in the bush myself and will have to try the dandelions, learn something new here all the time, thanks for that.

 

[Bamboo]

Sweet review Schmittie! Your hair looks a lot better now that's all going in the same direction. I love beets in veggie juice - your ingredients there are almost the exact same I put in my juices too. Have you tried adding a small piece of ginger too? Gives it a nice kick! You'll know if you use too much...

 

[Mistwalker]

Great shots Schmittie! I love the comb and food projects you chose. I also really love the solidarity with you and the missus bro, that is inspiring!

 

[thurin]

Great review Schmittie. It's cool seeing all the unique things people are coming up with. Gonna have to try that tea. I'm pretty sure I hear an artery groaning just from looking at the bacon bomb.

Well done!

 

[schmittie]

Great review Schmittie!!!! Those were some different and interesting projects! That meat roll looks absolutely delicious! I wouldn't mind some of that right now with a cup of that dandelion tea.

Now I am really itching to try one of the midtech bushfingers.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures!

Thanks. You gotta try one!

Wow Schmittie! This is another fantastic addition to the series. I love the way that you got creative to come up with some fun projects. That comb took some careful work to detail out the teeth without breaking them. I have not tried dandelion tea before. Your detailed step-by-step photos of the process are really well done. That was a lot of work for one cup. I'll bet you savored every sip. The bacon wrapped venison roll looks like tasty sandwich fix-ins. J-Dog thinks Bailey is handsome and he should have got a bite.

Thanks for taking the time to take all those photos and sharing your experience using the Mid-Tech Bushfinger. You have good storytelling skills. I thoroughly enjoyed your write-up!

The best part was seeing you and Mrs. Schmittie smiling and enjoying life together. Keep fighting the good fight and hang on tight to each other.

Phil

I appreciate the kind words Phil.

Man, Schmittie, that was a great review. Thank you for taking the time. I'm glad you liked the knife and noticed the edge geometry. Its not a beater, its a cutter!

Andy, I've followed your work for years. I'm really impressed with how thin you are going with you edges now. I
like it!

Awesome review Schmittie. Loving the comb. The detail work with a large knife, nicely done. That firesteel is a great addition to the setup.

The photo of you and Mrs Schmittie is a great pic. Thanks for the review.

Preston

Thank you. I hope some of the other users get to enjoy the firesteel too.

Brian:

Simply in awe man ! This was an incredible review that clearly demonstrated the functional attributes of the production Bushfinger, as well as your creative skills, both with materials and with food. Your sharing of the personal photos provided a sense of the passion you have for life, Mrs Schmittie.......and Bailey too. Best wishes for positive outcomes for Mrs Schmittie !!!

Peter

I appreciate the nice things you said. Everyone has been so supportive.

Outstanding Schmittie! I am always amazed at your reviews. The reviews in this pass around have all been excellent. Thurin and Abrasion also provided excellent insight on this knife. I am getting nervous now. I have an opportunity at this coming up soon but it's going to be difficult to add much more than what you guys have already provided. Really nice work Brian.

I'm really looking forward to what you and the others do with the knife. Too bad it didn't coincide with hunting season. I'm sure we could have seen some game processing from some.

Great to see the knife at work and a smile on the missus face. The comb is a bit of genius. For as stout as the Bushfinger is, the tip is quite fine and capable of some good detail work. :thumbup:

Thanks. I gotta work on that comb a little more. It's gnarly lookin!

Thanks Schmittie for the write-up. I love the creativity of your review! Three hundred years from now archaeologists are going to be scratching their heads on why someone from a "modern" society would have a primitive comb next to a basket made from bacon. I wish you and especially Mrs. Schmittie all good fortune and blessings.

Lol! That would be funny.

Nice writeup! Great to see an actual cutting edge on a model like this.

Thanks. Im looking forward to seeing your review and what you accomplish with it.

Awesome brother!!! You really went outside the norm and the pictures were great. That comb shot really cracked me up. I'm a tea drinker in the bush myself and will have to try the dandelions, learn something new here all the time, thanks for that.

Thanks. You gotta try the tea. It was kind of fun making it.

Sweet review Schmittie! Your hair looks a lot better now that's all going in the same direction. I love beets in veggie juice - your ingredients there are almost the exact same I put in my juices too. Have you tried adding a small piece of ginger too? Gives it a nice kick! You'll know if you use too much...

Thanks Ken. We will try that.

Great shots Schmittie! I love the comb and food projects you chose. I also really love the solidarity with you and the missus bro, that is inspiring!

I appreciate it.

Great review Schmittie. It's cool seeing all the unique things people are coming up with. Gonna have to try that tea. I'm pretty sure I hear an artery groaning just from looking at the bacon bomb.

Well done!

Thanks. I think my arteries agree with you

 

[Joe Duder]

Nice up to bat Schmittie. There was so many production bushfinger threads going right now I failed to see who started this one! Very nice review. Honesty, food, and family a nice trifecta for a blade review.

Good job sir.

Keep the wife smiling buddy.