Pocket Bushman, my first bad experience with Cold Steel

L

Leandroc

Joined
Feb 21, 2007
Messages
55
Hi friends!
A few days ago I received a Pocket Bushman, and I was badly surprised. At first sight finishing is not so good compared with my other Cold Steel knives I have, but this was just the beginning.
When I tried to open the blade with one hand, this was absolutely IMPOSSIBLE, you need to use both hands to do it always, oiling mechanism, moving the blade many times, nothing worked to improve this. Closing mechanism is very uncomfortable and requires a big effort to release the blade.
I love my other Cold steel knives, but I am very disappointed with this model, I can't undestand why they launched a product on this condition.
Other people with same experience?
Have a nice week.

L.
 
Though I haven't handled one yet, I believe the Pocket Bushman is a copy of the French Douk Douk (but with a locking blade?) That being said, I never seen a Douk Douk that you could open with one hand.
 
I believe the lack of one-hand opening is a function of the lock. Go to this link, and click on the Cold Steel stuff on the right. He explains, that it wasn't meant to be a fast opener.

Why they even put a thumbstud on this knife is beyond me. A nail nick would have made more sense.
 
The appearance of a thumb stud on this design does seem pointless.

All information available on the forums and the literature in the Cold Steel catalog points to the knife to be a slowly (two-handedly) deployed knife. I myself have not yet had experience with the lock. I was going to order one, but I think I might just get a few Opinels or a new Eye Brand Sodbuster for that price. I do believe they'd make better beaters...
 
Thank you guys for your comments, probably I was wrong with my expectations about this folder, but even when slow deployment can be understood, I think than locking mechanism is too hard to be practical.
Thanks again.

L.
 
You got it right, Leandroc. The general consensus is the lock is too stiff to be practical.

The Pocket Bushman seems to be one of those things you put in the glovebox until one of those "oh $#!^" moments when you need it because you forgot your main EDC, use it once, then forget about it again.
 
The latest video at New Graham shows the Cold Steel Pocket Bushman being opened one handed.
 
The Pocket Bushman was not designed for fast deployment, It was designed as an outdoor backup knife to your fixedblade;)
 
Im happy with mine. Cant imagine, why they made pins on it, but it offers a good value for the money. Think of it like some kind of gerber gator.
 
Can someone explain the lock, possibly with pics of it? The CS site just goes on and on how strong the lock is but I don't see how it engages or releases.
 
MassMatt said:
Can someone explain the lock, possibly with pics of it? The CS site just goes on and on how strong the lock is but I don't see how it engages or releases.
Click to expand...

There's a string at the bottom which you pull, and that controls the lock.
 
The lock appears to be another version of a interference block between the blade and handle, in this case the handle top.

Think Gerber bolt action, but with a stouter spring and the block mechanism extending through to the back of the handle. Not very inventive.

Tried to pull up the patent, but Andrew Demko has several and google patents wouldn't pull it up for some reason.
 
I personally don't find the lock too stiff. The knife should be opened and closed with 2 hands, and it is incredibly solid when locked open. I like it, though it takes a little getting used to.
 
Well all this talk about the PB got me curious. I have one whisking my way due in tomorrow afternoon. Probably more of a curiousity than an actual EDC kind of knife. However, a nice stout folder that can do 80% of what I need done at a camp site without scaring the sheeple is always welcome.
 
Once you get the knife and practice with it, you can open it with one hand. I'm starting to get it. It's a nice knife, just not a fast one.
 
No not fast at all, but can be opened one handed in a pinch. Truthfully I don't know why you would have to unless one hand was disabled, but it can be done.

I got mine to throw in the ole kit bag as a just in case knife, plus I had to see for myself after the bad reviews it got. I like mine, it is built like a tank.

Chuck
 
I like it. It's almost like a fixed blade that you can close. I have no problem opening it with one hand but my friends tell me I have crazy strenght in my hands. I've played bass since I was 8 and I do a lot of hand stitching.
 
coaldigger said:
The Pocket Bushman was not designed for fast deployment, It was designed as an outdoor backup knife to your fixedblade;)
Click to expand...

Quoted for truth. With practice you can open it one handed, but I usually just pinch the blade open. Closing is fast and easy once you get used to it as well. It's not a bad knife--it's just a very different knife. :)
 
I think there's a lot of variation between them, some being much stiffer than others. Mine isn't too bad. With some use, it loosened up to the point I can open it without aggravation, but closing is still hazardous. Take your time and close it carefully or you will get hurt. That's not my idea of a good knife for the wilderness.

As strong as the body and the lock are, I think they could have used a better steel. But it's worth the money as a curiosity.

Except for the folded metal body, it has nothing in common with the much more elegantly simple Douk-Douk. Frankly, I think if you want a folded metal body backup that locks, go for the Mercator Cat, the K55K.
 
Love mine. Can be opened one-handed, but certainly not a flicker like so many are used to nowadays.

I EDC mine. I love it. Great edge retention, solid in the hand, comfortable size, no-nonsense design. The locking mechanism is terrific, not nearly as complex and confusing as people make it sound.
I don't know why it had such a bad rep, since the sudden bite seen when closing shouldn't be a problem to anyone who's used a pocketknife for a little while.

The stiffness in opening makes this knife the only one I've ever held that I feel comfortable wearing tip-up.

Only change I made was a nicer grab, made from de-cored OD paracord and a simple bead.

On a side note, I've found that Birchwood-Casey gunblueing solution causes the steel of the handle to turn a burnt-orange color. I experimented with a simple tiger-stripe design, but I still can't get it right...
 
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