Bushman.tz & Scout

MagiKelly

Making memories since '67
Introduction

As some of you may know I won a two BushmanUK knifes recently (won might be pushing a bit really I had to pay for them). These had been over to the US for review by Hoodoo. It seems only right then that they are reviewed again.
These knifes are made by Paul Baker or BushmanUK as he is known on this forum and more details can be seen on his web site HERE.

The Knifes

The knifes are made from 01 tool steel, which go through a triple zone hardening process and are of a full tang construction. The blade is a spearpoint with a scandi grind but not quite fully flat to the cutting edge, it is slightly convex. In both knifes the blade thickness is 3mm.



bushman_pair_1.jpg



The handle slabs are wood (that's as accurate as I get but I am sure someone will give me the details). The slabs have two pins holding them These seem to have been hollow and filled with the same wood as the slabs are made of. There is also another larger hollow pin at the end of the handle, where a lanyard can be attached. The workmanship on the knifes is first class across the board. The fit and finish is above reproach.



bushman_pair.jpg



The knifes come with a leather sheath and a firesteel (for an extra charge). The firesteel is the plastic handled version. The sheaths are made from what Paul referred to as a "Saddle Leather". I am not sure what this is but it is far thinner than any leather I have seen used for sheaths before. These sheaths are well enough constructed and the design is sound but their performance was poor but I will come back to that.

Bushman.tz

The Bushman.tz is the larger of the two knifes. Like many I have no idea what the .tz stands for. If anyone knows, tell me, I would love to know. The price new is £120 for the knife and sheath and an extra £10 for the firesteel.



bushmantz_1.jpg



It has an overall length of 220mm. A blade length of 108mm and a handle length of 112mm (I am sure you could have worked that last one out). The sheath with the Bushman.tz has a popper on the belt loop to make it easier to attack to a belt. There is also a smaller loop formed at the top which I presume is for a cord to go through if you are going to wear it baldric style.

Scout

The Scout is the smaller of the two knifes but is no mini knife. This is a full working knife and has the same size handle as its big brother. The price new is £110 for the knife and sheath and an extra £10 for the firesteel



scout_1.jpg



It has an overall length of 199mm. A blade length of 89mm and a handle length of 110mm (okay so the handle is 2mm shorter but not enough to fall out over). The sheath is similar to the Bushman.tz but without the popper and the small top loop. The loop is only stitched at the bottom with the rest of the loop held with glue. As you can see below the glue had given up by the time I got the knife.



sheath_2.jpg



In Use

In use both knifes perform superbly. The cutting edge needed a bit of a strop when I got them but I blame Hoodoo for that :lol: . Once stropped the edge was hair popping sharp. The edge held up well during the weekend I was testing the knifes. I do not know if it is the shape of the blade or the slight convex of the grind but I found these the best knifes I have ever used for making feather sticks. Both knifes were also good for use with a batten to split timber. In this respect the Bushman had an advantage with its longer blade. The back of the blade also casts sparks really well from a firesteel.



bushmantz_2.jpg



My other knife for Bushcraft duties is the Allan Blade Bushcrafter which is 4mm thick and I had wondered how the thinner blade would perform. The answer is very well. It is possible to detect some slight flex in the Bushman.tz but none at all in the Scout. The thinner blade may even have been what helped with the feather sticks.
In all tasks bar the battening I found the Scout to be superior. This is more my personal preference than anything to do with the construction of the knife. In my opinion this is the perfect length for an all round bushcrafting blade. I see no advantage to having a bigger blade if you are likely to have an axe or saw with you.



scout_2.jpg



As I said the handles are both the same size. I have large hands and the handle was long enough to be comfortable in use. I think I would have liked the slabs to be a bit thicker but this is a personal preference and did not detract from the usability of the knife. The handle was comfortable in all grips and at no time did I feel that the grip was anything less than secure.

In performance the sheath was pants. This was the one disappointment with the knifes and although I am going to go into detail do not be distracted from the fact that it is the knifes that are really important and these are great. Also I have to highlight that Paul has changed the sheath construction and he is now using veg tanned leather and wet forming the sheaths. I have not actually handled one of these so can't say how much of an improvement they are.

Now back to the current sheaths. As I mentioned the glueing on the Scout sheath had failed, which while it did not effect performance it was worrying. The leather of the sheath was so soft that it does not hold the knife at all. If the knife is in the sheath and you tip it past the horizontal, at all, the knife simply slides out. Also as you can see below the knife tends to cut the sheath as it goes in. I do not think it would take much use before this part of the sheath is cut right through.



sheath_1.jpg



The sheaths are so soft that either knife fits just as well in either sheath. In fact if Hoodoo has shipped them in the wrong sheaths I have no way of telling.

In Conclusion

In conclusion I rate these knifes very highly. Both in design and construction. The shape of the blade, the steel, heat treat, handle etc are all of top quality. They strike me as being great value and if the new design of sheaths are up to scratch I think they will be hard to beat.

Of course the as we all know the real sign of a great knife is if it becomes your main knife. So do I prefer these knifes to my Allan Blade bushcrafter? Well yes and no. If I had to rate the knifes in order I would put the Scout in front. The Bushcrafter second and the Bushman.tz third. Of course remember the Bushman.tz is only third in this group I would rate it above most other knifes. So for the time being the Scout will be my main knife. I have already contacted Mike at Scottish Knives to make me a sheath and a nice wooden handled firesteel. My Bushcrafter and the Bushman.tz I shall probably be selling on in the near future.

However, the reason the Scout has won is that, as I said, I have come to the conclusion that a blade length of about 90mm is the ideal length for my needs. I had come to this conclusion before I had even handled the Scout and in using it I have only confirmed my previous thoughts. I have on order a Bushcrafter from Allan Blade that has a 90mm blade, an order that was placed some time ago. So soon the Scout may not have it all its own way. So watch this space the search for my perfect knife may be nearing an end but it is not finished ............................................yet.
 

tenbears10

Native
Oct 31, 2003
1,220
0
xxxx
Great review they seem to be very nice nives only slightly let down by the sheath but that is eaisly rectified.

Bill
 

JakeR

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2004
2,288
4
37
Cardiff
Nice review John, you liking the full tang then? ;)

:biggthump
 

MagiKelly

Making memories since '67
Rollnick said:
Nice review John, you liking the full tang then? ;)

:biggthump

It is fine. I have no strong fealings against it. It gives a little more confidence when battening as you can hit the handle area but I do worry about the slabs coming off. Also I am concerned about the tang rusting but that is just a case of remembering to wax that part at the same time as the blade. The handle is the area that I think the modified Bushcrafter may win over in, but time will tell.
 

JakeR

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2004
2,288
4
37
Cardiff
Thats another on of the plus points about Allan Blades full-tangs, you don't really need to care too much for the tang as it has a protective coating, when i find the camera i'll show you...

:biggthump
 

ScottC

Banned
May 2, 2004
1,176
13
uk
I have the Bushman Graduate model, great knife and great communication from Paul. The .tz looks like a great knife too expensive for me though. Great Review!
 

MagiKelly

Making memories since '67
Young Bushman said:
I have the Bushman Graduate model, great knife and great communication from Paul. The .tz looks like a great knife too expensive for me though. Great Review!

From what I have read on Paul's site the Graduate is basically the Scout with a coffin tang. I think that that may even be better than the Scout but certainly I would not pine for the Bushman. The blade set up you have now, is in my opinion, better.
 

shinobi

Settler
Oct 19, 2004
517
0
52
Eastbourne, Sussex.
www.sussar.org
MagiKelly said:
The Bushman.tz is the larger of the two knifes. Like many I have no idea what the .tz stands for. If anyone knows, tell me, I would love to know.

Having a look aroud his web site, I found this;

"This style has also stuck with my bushcraft and hunters, hence the triple zone hardening system that I now use exclusively with the BUSHMANtz "

Maybe the Tz stands for Triple zone?

Just an idea,

Martin
 

CM Burns

Tenderfoot
Oct 24, 2003
61
0
London
I'm rather surprised that MagiKelly's review seems to be attracting so little interest.

i've just received a brand new bushman.tz with a gorgeous elm burl handle (same as the above Scout) and am very impressed with it.

i prefer the longer blade of the bushman and i have to say that the quality of this knife is on a par with the best custom bushcraft knife makers - anyone considering a Ray Mears or Alan Wood knife should seriously consider the bushman.tz. - especially as the bushman has a 3mm blade so does not feel as heavy/cumbersome as the thicker RM blades etc

the only negative point is that a knife is sumptuous as this one really does deserve a better sheath
 

JakeR

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2004
2,288
4
37
Cardiff
The Tz kinda reminds me of the Svord, in the handle structure....
 

ScottC

Banned
May 2, 2004
1,176
13
uk
Got to agree about the sheath, they're not all that good and the loop isn't particuarly strong. So he's developed some new sheaths then Magikelly?
That would be interesting to see if/how they are improved.
 

TheViking

Native
Jun 3, 2004
1,864
4
35
.
Very good review there. :D I agree about the blade length, my knife is 96 mm, being just under 10 cm. Ideal length IMO, but hey.. 6 mm is not enough to make an issue. :wave:
 

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