Putting Tai Goo's "Bush Buddy" to the test

HTMD

HTMD

Joined
Feb 15, 2002
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Spent most of yesterday and today taking out dead limbs to reduce fire risk. I'm mainly concerned with a 50' defensive perimeter around the house and a couple of acres worth of open meadow. Sure is pretty up there.......

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I needed a blade with enough heft and length to reach limbs up to about 8 feet off the ground. And yes, I do have my safety glasses on!

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I compared the Bush Buddy to my hand axe - a very effective tool. I like the Bush Buddy a lot more than the hand axe. It's lighter, very nicely balanced, has a long cutting edge, great reach, a super grippy handle - and the sweet spot for chopping is 2-3 inches back from the tip - right where it should be! Plus it will do a lot of other camp type duties easier and better than the hand axe. When it comes to a thicker limb or log - say 5+ inches diameter - the hand axe begins to show a slight advantage, but less than I had predicted. You can see that both blades penetrated to about the same depth when swung with roughly the same power.

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This Reader's Digest was no match for Tai's blade.

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The Bush Buddy sure makes a clean cut too. Its edge geometry, hardness and willingness to be guided accurately by the hand all out-perform the hand axe. A task such as quickly making a few tent or tarp stakes is child's play for this blade.

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After fairly hard use as described above the edge remained unfazed - no surprise as Tai clearly knows how to properly temper his blades. Also, I was very pleased to find minimal shock transmitted to the hand when chopping. I have to conclude that Tai's differential heat-treating of the blade is responsible (hard edge, soft spine). I didn't take the beautiful mahogany scabbard into the field. Instead I corked the tip and put the Bush Buddy in a zipper pouch.

Tai forged the blade from 1095 and though the edge is hard, the plan was to be able to easily put the edge back into shape, if necessary, with a Soft Arkansas stone and water. I ordered the appropriate bench stone from Dan's Whetstones at http://www.danswhetstone.com/

One way to enhance the overall utility of this blade would be to attach a wrist thong. However, it may not really be necessary. I say this because the handle provides great grip and does not slip, even when wet.

While not a thorough blade test per se, my task-specific use of the Bush Buddy yesterday and today left me very impressed (seriously, I mean very impressed) and 100% satisfied!

Thank you, Tai! I'm sticking with you, bro, because you totally know what you're doing! :thumbup:

For additional pictures and details concerning the Bush Buddy, follow this link: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=410088
 
great pics and great review...thanks very much. i can't wait to get mine. my bush buddy will be slightly modified. i will use it for cutting but more for FMA type of cutting.
 
Wonderful. I'm hardly surprised. The side benefit of that forged socket handle are the decreased vibration?

Thanks Buddy!! :thumbup:

Coop
 
Thanks Buddy. Sounds like it worked pretty good.

Yes Coop. The overall geometry and "wrapped" socket handle transmits very little shock to the hand.
 
Great to see it being used Buddy - your whole coverage on this Knife has been of the highest quality. Great work from Tai also!:thumbup:

Stephen
 
Awsome review!:thumbup: It's good to see the custom blades getting put to the test and not being safe queens.
 
About the wrist thong idea,... I know that they give an added sense of security and keep the blade from flying away. The only thing I worry about with the thong on a big sharp knife like this is, that the knife can swing back around and cut the user if it is let go.
 
Stephen F said:
Great to see it being used Buddy - your whole coverage on this Knife has been of the highest quality. Great work from Tai also!:thumbup:

Stephen
Click to expand...

What he said. :) Most enjoyable.

Roger
 
great knife, i love mine as well, and great pictures! btw, i think tai uses 1065 for larger blades, not 1095, but i am not sure.

brightred
 
Tai Goo said:
The overall geometry and "wrapped" socket handle transmits very little shock to the hand.
Click to expand...

Makes sense, Tai. What about 'differential hardening' and the ability of a relatively softer spine to soak up shock? Is that less of a factor in your view than the points you mention above as regards this specific blade and handle design?

And...I agree about the wrist thong. I was laying in bed last night thinking about this and decided that if the blade accidentally left my grip during use it would probably be best to let it fly away rather than have it swing back and possibly inflict a flesh wound. Of course this means it should be treated like a loaded gun (duh!) - never point it at anbody and check around visually prior to use.

Still I wonder...would turning down the lower edge of the socket just a bit on the end provide an extra measure of purchase? The hand axe handle (and of course many other using knives) has this little feature. I do want to be clear and say again that this is probably not an issue other than my taking a little time to get used to a new blade during heavy use in the field. One's hand does get tired with all the chopping, especially overhead. Of course, at that point it's time to rest - not push on despite a fatigue induced failing grip! The same issue - fatigue - happens whether one uses a hand saw, chain saw or a big hinged limb cutter. I've used them all extensively and I definitely like the Bush Buddy the best by far.
 
I think that the thong is best suited for smaller knives that are less dangerous and easier to lose, fighting knives and knives that are going to be used in public cutting competitions and demos,... to protect the spectators. However, in the field, safety is of primary importance. If you have any kind of accident while tethered to the knife, slipping, falling or letting go, it could be very serious,... even fatal.

I'd try it without the glove for a better grip. The "texture" of the grip against bare skin should give adequate security.

I think the soft back may be a factor in the amount of shock transmitted, but probably a minor one compared to the ones I've already mentioned. It's all theoretic anyway... The main thing is that it was "comfortable" to use and worked well for what it was designed for. :)
 
Really great write up Buddy, and awesome knife Tai. Makes me want a bush buddy, even though I have no "need" for a long knife.
 
I haven't used mine, but I don't know if I can resist the urge a lot longer.

Great write-up, Buddy. That looks like a beautiful spread you've got up there...
 
Sounds frikkin' sweet, man. Thanks for the write up. I suspect that the way the mass is distributed throughout the piece has even more to do with the vibration than just the handle, but that probably helps a bit too.
 
Wulf said:
That looks like a beautiful spread you've got up there...
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Wulf - That's actually YOUR spread, as well as mine, for you are looking into Rocky Mountain National Park. My little 15 acre 'spread' is down the road a mile or two. I often stop at this pull-off in the road and contemplate life in the presence of Long's Peak, 14,265 feet above sea level.

I hope you do get yours out into the woods for some good hard use (clear another ski trail perhaps?), then we can compare notes. Bet you're getting rained on big time up there, huh?


When I cleaned up the Bush Buddy after 2 days hard use I also checked the edge - no deformity- felt for a burr - none - and cut some paper clean through just to make sure the edge was OK. It was - no touching up needed! Later today I'll have another opportunity to chop up some downed limbs at my home here in Denver. This will include some pretty hard woods not native to Colorado.
 
What a wonderful place to take that Bush Buddy out to do some chopping.

I'm certainly not the least bit surprised that it did the job admirably.
 
Beautiful blade -- those socket-handles are impressive! :thumbup:
 
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