Request: K.E. Bushie and Bushcrafter Comparison

thurin

thurin

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Could someone that has both of these (hint hint mist or anyone else) post up some pics comparing them together and maybe a little analysis of them when they have some time. I have a Bushcrafter, and think the Bushie looks like it'd be a good one to add to the collection.

Specifically I'm looking at handle shape and length, and blade shape and length (so everything I guess).

Thanks!
 
Believe it or not thurin, the KE Bushie is a knife that I have yet to get. So I cannot help. But I can help by saying Mist is around today. So hopefully he will get on this pretty soon.
 
Thanks Walt. You're gonna have to track one down. :) After I get mine that is.

From what I've seen, it's a good design. Similar to the Bushcrafter in the handle, which is very comfortable. Similar to the Kephart in the blade, which I really like. Typically guardless which I also like.
 
I can tell you about the KE Bushie, but not the Bushcrafter, so I'm no help either. I'll go beam the MW symbol up into the sky. Hopefully he will see it from here.
 
Yea, I have been focusing on large knives on Fridays of late, but I think that that niche is now pretty well filled. Now it is time to back up and fill in some holes on the small end.
 
Thurin, I have used a KE Bushie quite extensively and over the last few days I have used the Bushcrafter a lot. All things being equal; steel, thickness, tang type, I might go with the KEB for the finer point, but it would be a hard choice. The handles are very similar in shape, both are extremely comfortable in long term use for me. The finer point of the KEB is better for things like notching to me, and things like removing splinters, and boring fine holes for water filters. On the other hand the Bushcrafter has a stouter tip, and stouter blade due to the extra width of the blade. The bushcrafter would also be better at skinning larger game. Which really isn't an issue for me as I am more partial to small game and fowl. I'll have more insight once I have used the Bushcrafter more. Since is my favorite tang type and steel thickness I have been carrying it since I got it. If the KEB was 5/32 tapered, I would probably be swapping out a lot more between the two tan I am now. This is the only photo of both I have right now, but I will take more of them together tomorrow if I have time. I snapped this yesterday, the KEB was unused when I got it, the Bushcrafter had been used, and had been worked hard that day and had a lot of tree sap still on the blade at the time. Plus...the lighting was reeeally crappy...

DSC_0746_zps09b4d834.jpg
 
Great stuff Mist! Thanks for the info. The handles look pretty close - the Bushie has a more pronounced Beak from the looks of it.

Good info on the blade profiles too. The BC blade looks huge compared to the Bushie. (I've figured out my next On Tap pic: Bushcrafter and a Nitro Milk Stout).

Now I wonder how the Bushie compares to a Kephart in the blade.
 
VASticks said:
I can tell you about the KE Bushie, but not the Bushcrafter, so I'm no help either. I'll go beam the MW symbol up into the sky. Hopefully he will see it from here.
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LOL, this had me cracking up to hard to click :)


thurin said:
Great stuff Mist! Thanks for the info. The handles look pretty close - the Bushie has a more pronounced Beak from the looks of it.

Good info on the blade profiles too. The BC blade looks huge compared to the Bushie. (I've figured out my next On Tap pic: Bushcrafter and a Nitro Milk Stout).

Now I wonder how the Bushie compares to a Kephart in the blade.
Click to expand...

Well, in large part...other than the fact that the Kephart is a slightly below-center spear point, and the KEB is pretty well centered or, ever so slightly above center, the KE Bushie is much like having a Bushcrafter handle with a narrow Kephart blade, and minus the guard. I hope that makes at least some sense...
 
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Makes sense, Mist. And not to derail the thread, but I'm really curious how the KEB stacks up against your beloved Kephart. Any thoughts? Too soon?


Michael
 
RRaconteur said:
Makes sense, Mist. And not to derail the thread, but I'm really curious how the KEB stacks up against your beloved Kephart. Any thoughts? Too soon?


Michael
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Too soon to say much definitively yes, but lots of thoughts nonetheless. I like pointy, I like stout, and I have a fondness for below center points. So as of yet, the Kephart is my favorite bushcrafting design so far. But once I had used a few of the tapered tang 5/32 knives, all of the full tang 5/32 lost a lot of appeal. I've only ever had the KE Bushie model in 1/8. One was a scandi and full tang, and this one is convex with SFT tang, and I like the covex and SFT much better. I've never gotten to try the Kephart or KE Bushie in tapered 5/32 so I don't know which I would prefer until I handle them. Asked to choose right here and now between the full tang 5/32 Kephart, and the 1/8 SFT KEB, I'd take the KEB. But as much as I like pointy, I'd take the tapered 5/32 Bushcrafter over either because I like the weight distribution.
 
mistwalker said:
Too soon to say much definitively yes, but lots of thoughts nonetheless. I like pointy, I like stout, and I have a fondness for below center points. So as of yet, the Kephart is my favorite bushcrafting design so far. But once I had used a few of the tapered tang 5/32 knives, all of the full tang 5/32 lost a lot of appeal. I've only ever had the KE Bushie model in 1/8. One was a scandi and full tang, and this one is convex with SFT tang, and I like the covex and SFT much better. I've never gotten to try the Kephart or KE Bushie in tapered 5/32 so I don't know which I would prefer until I handle them. Asked to choose right here and now between the full tang 5/32 Kephart, and the 1/8 SFT KEB, I'd take the KEB. But as much as I like pointy, I'd take the tapered 5/32 Bushcrafter over either because I like the weight distribution.
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Great info. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'm quite eager to see how this develops.


Michael
 
RRaconteur said:
Great info. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'm quite eager to see how this develops.


Michael
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I should also add that another factor is that I don't have the longest fingers, and the handle on the tapered 5/32 Bushcrafter fits my hand like it was made for it, just like my tapered 5/32 Woodsman does and tapered 5/32 Recluse did. and they all have different shaped handles.
 
They are totaly dissimilar knives really IMO. Its funny how two bushcrafting knives with almost the same measurements can be so different.
 
Fiddleback said:
They are totaly dissimilar knives really IMO. Its funny how two bushcrafting knives with almost the same measurements can be so different.
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Thanks for chiming in. You have a much better perspective for addressing this, since you're much closer to them than we are, we you being the person actually making them. You have handled them each in all possible configurations, and are aware of all of the subtle differences. In my limited experiences, I see them as dissimilar in some ways of course, but not so much in others. The blade profiles are vastly different, and the handle shape at the guard is very different. But to me the handles of the Bushcrafter and KE Bushie, other than the guard area look and feel pretty similar in profile. It is very hard to say just how similar, being as one is SFT 1/8, and the other is tapered 5/32. I have never had the opportunity to work with multiples of each in the same tang and handle configurations. Just give me time, and I'll have a matching pair of them :D They are two of my favorites. From my perspective, the phrase totally dissimilar would be reserved for a comparison like one between the Bushcrafter and the Shank :)
 
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