Cold Steel Bushman 7"

Any evaluation of this knife should be on relative terms, not absolute. It is meant to be an inexpensive, hard use, "beater" knife that can also be utilized as a general purpose tip for a spear, either for thrusting or throwing. In that context, it is a very good option. It takes an excellent edge with little effort. Edge retention is similar to my carbon steel Esee and Ontario blades. In addition at this price point, $16.49 with Prime Free Shipping, you cannot go wrong. My original intent was to convert it to a spear/thrusting blade. I live in an area where rattlesnakes appearing unexpectedly in the yard is a very real threat to pets and people. Coyotes and other predators are a potential problem as well. This blade, converted to a spear and stored discretely outdoors at the ready, is an excellent alternative to a firearm. It has served in that capacity very well. At just under $5.00, an Ames general purpose hard wood, 60 inch, replacement yard tool handle properly affixed to the blade makes for more than an adequate response to such threats. As a knife, for me, it would not be a desirable primary choice. There are numerous superior options. However as a back up stored in a 4x4, camper, or cabin it makes for a serviceable cutting tool. If you should lose it or damage it (I cannot envision how that would happen in any rational application) you've caused yourself no grief. In a very dry climate wiping down the SK5 steel after use and keeping it free of moisture should control rust. In any other climate, I would maintain a thin coating of food grade mineral oil on the steel. The sheath is pedestrian and does rattle some, but acceptable at this price point. Bottom line; I was pleasantly surprised by what I got for what paid. I give it two thumbs up.

This is an interesting knife. First of all this knife is a cheap Chinese Cold Steel knife. That is a plus in this example because it is really pretty much a throw away costing me about 25 bucks. A stone cold deal for a big survival size knife. The knife is carbon steel and will rust. It is coated with something like paint or some such to help alleviate corrosion, I don't think it would do in a salt water environment and you'll want to keep it oiled. The edge was a typical sucky Chinese hand ground edge, I didn't expect anything else. Spent some time getting the edge sorted out. It took a good edge and from what little time I have spent with it seems like it will hold that edge well. The blade is about 1/8" thick and I might think twice before abusing it too much. It has a nice full bellied shape and pretty pointy tip. Comes with a Secure-Ex plastic sheath that I have no complaints with (other than the warnings not to do stupid things 'cause it is a knife). It has a fire starter that sticks into a holder molded into the sheath, a nice feature. I like the plastic sheathe as it will not retain moisture and rust the knife and is sturdy enough to not fall apart itself. The sheath pretty much locks the knife in place so it is unlikely to fall out while carrying it. It is self draining through a small hole at the tip. The most interesting feature of this knife is the handle. Essentially it is flat steel that is forged into a round, hollow handle that could be used to make a spear of the knife. I do not know how practical that could be, but that is the reason I purchased this knife just to have that feature. One could also contrive to use the hollow handle to hold various survival materials. I did a paracord wrap on the handle for a better grip as the steel handle is slick painted and black, gets HOT in the desert. I got it to keep in my truck to use when out and about if I need such a blade and for that use I think it will be an asset. A good, solid utility knife with a few unique features. At the price I see no downside to the Cold Steel Bushman Knife.

This is my first experience with Cold Steel products. I heard about this knife on a couple of YouTube videos and was impressed enough to look into getting one. The knife arrives within the sheathe. So my first impression was the combined package. I thought the sheath was well-made and very functional, especially for the price. The biggest drawback it's right-hand only. The knife is easy to draw in a mechanical sense, just overcome an initial resistance, then it slides out easy. To holster, the knife is pushed into the sheathe until you feel a snap and hear/feel a slightly muted click, then it stays there until you need it. There is a warning on the sheathe regarding how high up you can grip it to draw the knife. The handle is just a tapered tube, and I have mild concerns about my hand sliding forward. So, I will be wrapping mine in something with grip. Probably baseball bat or tennis racket wrap. The transition from tube to blade and how the blade is off-centered is setup to make it easier for a right-handed person to choke up on the blade if they need to. It's not impossible to do it left-hand, but it's not as easy as right-handed. The ferro rod that is stowed in the sheathe came loose from it's tiny handle pretty easy. Pull it out manually, clean the glue off, and glue it back in with something stouter. Wiggling both parts while pulling them apart will help them separate easier. And mildly scoring the inside of the ferro rod handle should help with adhesion should you choose to bother with it. Overall, I would highly recommend the knife. And at current prices, you might consider a spare. This knife is ready out of the box, sharp sharp sharp, sheathed, and ready to strike up some sparks. The only catch, it's carbon steel so keep it clean and oiled.

Upon scanning a few of other's reviews, I don't have anything to add that might be considered to be new info, but I could use the space to emphasize a couple of things. The handle section has a matte finish but is still rather slippery--I wouldn't put this thing into actual use without first wrapping the handle with something to prevent a slip of the hand. Also, the sheath holds the knife very securely and pulling it out with one big yank creates a hazardous situation. Instead, slide the fingers of the right hand down between the handle and the belt clip, curling them around the handle. This forces the plastic down and away from the handle, releasing some of the friction fit. Then use the thumb to push on the rounded top of the sheath and pull. The knife pops out nicely and a one-handed operation is achieved. And, yes, it is made in China, but I must say that the quality is as good as one could wish for. It came so sharp I didn't even have to improve the edge. It is a very impressive blade. UPDATE 5/13/15: I found a pot-metal cabinet door/drawer pull (knob) with a circumference just a little bigger than the hole in the end of the handle to use as a plug or cover for that hole. Holding it in place, I proceeded to pump hot glue thru the handle's top hole. The glue flowed to the bottom, with the result of the drawer knob becoming glued into place. It looks super nice, like it was done at the factory. I never wanted to use this thing as a spear anyhow. Now I will wrap the handle and will have an extra nice Bushman to play with.

Let me start by saying I am not a fan of most Cold Steel products or knives made in china. But this is an exception, its a basic tool, of Superior design, made from the correct type of steel you want in a survival knife, carbon steel hardened just enough to retain a decent edge, but soft enough to easily sharpen and retain toughness.The hollow handle allows the knife to be used as a spear, some reviewers seem to think this is a useless option but i'm talking about survival, in the cold, dark unknown, and something is coming at you, suddenly a knife on the end of a 5' stick doesn't seem so useless. The sheath is also of the correct type for a survival knife, rigid plastic impermeable to liquids, easy to wash, and remain food safe. The ferrocerium rod attached to the sheath is probably the single most important item is any survival situation, fire, for cooking, purifying water and keeping warm is possible with this item.The Cold Steel Bushman As a real life survival tool its hard to beat for the price.

This is a good knife for a man on a budget it will definitely go with me on my next hunt or camping trip came sharp right out of the box I tested it out by cleaning close to a hundred fish for a fish fry at the Church I did not try to do any filet just a country boy cleaning scales off head off guts out it seems to be out doing every one else knife because every time I laid it down some body would pick it up I did not have any problem with my hand slipping on the handle even in the wet environment but I could see where some might have that problem if you did not have a strong grip but you could always put some skate board tape on the handle I did have to take a file and take some of the coating off the spine to get the fire starter to work I see you can fix a shaft to it and make a spear but I have not tried it I bought it because I wanted a tuff knife that could be used for just about any knife task at a good price and I found it UPDATE March 2026 this knife has held up well after being used for multiple task including cleaning fish and deer at one point I even beat the knife through bone with the back of a slim hatchet this did dent into the metal on the knife spine some but I used a file to clean it up some what and I did add some deck tape to the handle I got to say I am still impressed by this knife and have gave a few out as presents to family and friends works great on middlin meat too

I am really surprised and impressed with this blade. The knife is a clever design which works quite well. The grip is smooth out of the box but is easy to wrap with a grip tape (I used racquet tape). The blade is relatively thin and light for a large knife, and as such it handles very well. It may be large enough for tasks such as light chopping work, but the Bushman really excels at true knife work. Large knives can be fatiguing for carving and crafting, but the Bushman's light and thin blade, and razor sharp edge, make it a pleasure to use. Mine arrived hair popping sharp, and after a tough session carving both hardwood and deer antler it remained hair popping sharp. I am not that impressed with the sheath or the included fire steel. My fire steel broke after a couple of uses. It was easily fixed by epoxying the rod back into the handle, but I wouldn't want to rely on it in an emergency. The sheath is thin and feels cheap. The retaining tabs are a separate piece of plastic that can easily pop out of the sheath when replacing the knife (mine did). This could be problematic in the field if the retaining tabs are lost the knife will not stay securely in the sheath. Despite the sheath and fire steel problems I still give the knife 5 stars. This is a blade that is highly functional and begs to be used. for a 20 dollar knife it is really amazing. I am willing to overlook the cheap sheath and fire steel since the knife is so good. My recommendation to Cold Steel is to ditch the crappy fire steel, make a decent sheath, and charge a few dollars more I think the knife is worth it.

This is a nice spear point, on top of a 6' x 1.25in thick dowel (poplar) it will be devastating to every zombie we encounter. I love my grand daughters & I have lots of fun with their zombie apocalypse fetish. Seriously poplar is a good hardwood and I've got two coats of linseed oil on it. It's normally disassembled.