Survival Knife vs CS Bushman Pix

warty

warty

Joined
Mar 2, 2010
Messages
1,416
I finally was able to get myself one of the HI Survival knives from this DotD. It came today along with one of the Kami Heath Fund Sheaths. I will first say that I am really surprised at this knife. It is really beefy and feels like it can take on any task that will be asked of it. Mine was made by Kami Bhatkta, the "Bow & Arrow" Kami.
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It came to me nice and sharp too. :thumbup: Of course I can't help myself and will take the edge to the next level even though this is a perfectly serviceable edge. :)
I am sure that you all want those specification so without further ado:

OAL: 12 1/2 Inches
Blade: 7 1/16 inches
Inner Diameter: 1 1/8 inches
Outer Diameter: 1 2/3 inches
Blade Thickness: 1/4 inch
Weight: gonna guess it is close to a pound

The regular spread of pix first...

the retention strap's snap is too snug to close...
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I have some things to try to fix it before I put a new one on though :)

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Killa's all important "Spine Shot"... ;)
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my favorite, the "In Hand" shot...
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Now let's do the comparison between the Himalayan Imports Survival Knife and Cold Steel's Bushman and for kicks I put my Mini Bushman int the mix as well. :D Right off the bat you can see the HI SK has a much nicer sheath on it, even with a snap that needs moving. The Sarki simply does a better job on this that the assembly line machinery. Also note my Bushmen as old. They don't even come with a leather sheath anymore, rather a nylon one with plastic reinforcements. To speed production, the Cold Steel line uses some kind of rivet/staple hybrid instead of stitching the sheath together.
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The blade shapes are also different. The HI SK has not belly while the CS blades have a nice one on them. This is about the only thing I would change as I like a blade with a bit of belly on it. Makes it more handy in the field IMO.
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The spine shot tells the tale though, HI makes a blade that will hold up to nearly anything you ask of it while the CS blade is a cold rolled piece of thin steel stamped out of a sheet by a die. Of course this does make them cheaper, but not all that much really when you look at the new catalog.
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All of them have a socket handle which lends itself to making am expedient spear out of the blade. I haven't done so yet with the HI version but I would wager with the increased weight, it will make a hard to throw spear due to imbalance. I have thrown the CS Bushman Spear, all three types (Bowie Blade, Regular and Mini) and while the bowie blade makes for a poor throwing spear, the other two make great spears and can be hurled accurately easily and with enough force to take small game like porcupine or geese or rabbits etc. I will have to try out the HI Survival Knife to know for sure. I can say that the HI version lacks the easy little hole for attaching the knife to the spear but with all the cord it comes with, this is easily taken care of by lashing it there instead. There also seems to be some folks who thing that the CS socket is somehow different, that it isn't open on both ends like the HI one. I hope this picture ends this confusion...
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The only thing I would like to see added to the HI line is a smaller version like the Mini Bushman that Cold Steel made some time ago (now discontinued). I bought three of those little buggers and find myself taking them along camping (when I did) far more often that I ever did any of the big Bushmen (Regular or Bowie). Sometimes a small, multipurpose blade is better than a big, honking machete IMO. Would have done things like batoning and other testing but those have been done already so I went ahead and did a more in depth comparison between the HI Blade and its inspiration. Hope it helps out and I hope some of you grab these up as I think they would be fantastic knives for all around field use.
 
Awesome comparison warty! The side-by-side of the spines were pretty interesting - I don't know why but I was under the impression that the survival knife was just a wee bit thicker than the bushmans...
 
It'll be neat to see how the HI does as a spear. The CS blades really suprised me with its ability to take a substantial bend and come back to true when used as a spear. I wonder if the kamis used that kind of overall tempering or just on the edge..
 
Thanks for your review. The HI SK is a tough handsome piece.

Great ideas met! I also have a piece bought from hunter in an island with similar construction. The hunter often carry as a utility knife. When needed, they can chop down a young tree to make a spear to drive in the plank of the deer or boar.

Cheers,

Hung


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This piece is smaller than mine, I'm holding in my hand.

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Remembering his heyday when the knife drank blood in the game.

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As always Hung, your story and picture is better than mine. :)
That look like a nice piece and you both look like you had a good day that day.

:)
 
I'm really likin these socket handle pieces as well. I recently acquired a few from another knifemaker that have really changed my taste in knives ;)
 
warty said:
The spine shot tells the tale though, HI makes a blade that will hold up to nearly anything you ask of it while the CS blade is a cold rolled piece of thin steel stamped out of a sheet by a die. Of course this does make them cheaper, but not all that much really when you look at the new catalog.
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Click to expand...

That is a significant difference. HI for the win!
 
IMO the nitch the CS Bushman offered was a inexpensive knife with a passable sheath you could throw in your tool box or pack and forget about it until you needed it. It was a use hard and throw away later when you did'nt have your main knife with you knife. Its still available from $22 to $30 and when I'm done destroying the knife I can get a new one from my local Cabellas or Wholesale Sports Outlet. The HI product is $65 to $75 so 2 to 2 1/2 times the price of the CS. I'd much rather spend an extra $25 and just get a HI Kuk.
 
Hey Colt, I agree with the spirit of your CS Bushman concept, but don't be fooled -- that Bushman will likely take way more beatings than you can dish out. You're more likely to buy another one because it works so damn well rather than because you destroyed it in the field.

How do you think i ended up with two? :D
 
These reviews show that the HI Survival Knife is not a CS Bushman and does not fill the same niche. However, the HI knife was inspired by some of the design concepts used in the bushman.

I think the kamis did a great job of taking the hollow handle idea and running with it. Now that these ideas (i.e. forged hollow handle) are part of their toolbox I expect to see them cropping up elsewhere also. This is part of the magic and value of cross-cultural exchanges.
 
I agree with Howard here. I was trying to show the Survival Knife was not a "throw away" or "cheap knife" like the Bushman. Instead, it is a socket handled, serious piece of kit. This IS your Main Knife to have with you when you are outdoors. You can't say for another $XX I will just buy a khuk because it isn't a khuk. Of course in the end the choice and money are yours. :) I just want to be understood that the comparison was more meant to show how dissimilar they were rather than how similar.
 
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