Cold Steel Bowie Point Bushman : First Sharpening

[SpartanJohns]

I can tell you I have had the same experience with my Bushman. The edge retention at the begining was very poor. But as I have sharpened it a few more times it increased. I have yet to put a very good edge on it. Mainly because I see this as a beater knife. I will baton very carelessly with it and convert it into a spear at which point a finer edge will chip out when it hits dirt.

[CliffStamp]

@SpartanJohns I was a little surprised to see that on this one as I only really expected it on the machetes and not the knives, but it maybe this is made from the perspective of Cold Steel as more of a machete class blade than a knife. But yes, for rougher work, essentially you are fine once the bevels meet, there is little gain in performance after that point so you stop was you obtain easily, unless of course you like to sharpen anyway.

[69penetrator69]

Cliff, what made you choose the bowie version over the standard? I'm looking to get a bushman, but can't really decide which version.

[CliffStamp]

@69penetrator69 That was what was in stock. I had been looking to pick one up since about 1996 with Mike Swaim first wrote about them as in one of the rare moments I disagreed with him, I could not understand how he could not make it work effectively when hafted. I get distracted kind of easily though with other things so it too me until now to actually pick one up when I was getting a few of the other machetes, mainly with the work me2 was doing on regrinds.

[CliffStamp]

@69penetrator69 The main advantage of the bowie point one is that the point is in line with the handle, it has a swedge and the blade is a bit wider. If you really wanted to stick things with it, then it likely would have better natural control, go in a little easier, and make a greater wound channel. But from a utility perspective, I would take the regular one - they just didn't have it at the time.

[johnwoodz1220]

These are great videos and information

[jdthesaint1]

also if you boys are gonna fight "i want a fair go there buys"

[CliffStamp]

@jdthesaint1 No worries, we can stream it live.

[CliffStamp]

@4x4boogie I have family in Lab City, I keep intending to go there, just not in the winter.

[CliffStamp]

@4x4boogie About as far opposite as you can get, that is a mortal insult locally. I'll forgive it though from a fellow Canadian, Eh.

[knivesandstuff]

Is that a Teddy Bear on the bed, or some kind of funky soft toy.

[CliffStamp]

@knivesandstuff It is a hat, we are approaching mid-winter now so with wind chill it will dip down to below -20 C.

The funky soft toys are on the shelf right above it.

[knivesandstuff]

@CliffStamp ahh.. russian style.. makes sense now.. I thought those were arms.. I like NZ weather most of the time.. Cold is 1-2C Hot is 30.

[CliffStamp]

@knivesandstuff Yeah I was in south india a few years back for a while. Winter was hot at about 26-28 C. Summer was like being in an oven at 40-44 C. Beautiful country though it would be nice if they turned down the heat a little. I am most comfortable floating from -5 C to about 5 C, but it has to go a lot either way to really make it much of an issue.

[jdthesaint1]

great videos man , i love your attention to detail and USE of knives

[CliffStamp]

@jdthesaint1 Thanks. This is a decent mid-size knife for a light weight design. However issues like this are likely to put people off from it because it doesn't get full sharp easily and it loses that very quickly. This may lead people to concluding it is the steel's inherent property but in this case, just like with the machetes, I am betting the edge was over heated during sharpening, especially if that primary hollow was ground after hardening.

[jdthesaint1]

@CliffStamp yes i probably wouldnt get a bushman, but as an emergency tool i guess its ok , id rather pack the weight and carry all the proper tools, axe, saw, knife, machete... but always enjoy watching your videos thx

[CliffStamp]

@jdthesaint1 If you go way back the original promotion for this was a bit interesting. It was basically carry this and be like a native who uses this one blade for a spear, hunting knife, axe, machete and kitchen knife. It is now more of a novelty as it is a spear head which doubles as a knife. If you didn't have use of this as a spear though it would be hard to argue it is an optimal choice. I would look at this more of a spear head which makes a decent knife.

[jdthesaint1]

@CliffStamp yes ive seen my fair share of CS videos, great marketing videos i guess ...

yea its probably an ok spear but i dont know how much good anyone would be with a spear ... lets be real hahahaha

[CliffStamp]

@jdthesaint1 Pretty much, there are not a lot of hard core spear hunters left and there is a bit of fantasy involved in using such. A few years back I spent some time with primitive weapons and realized pretty quickly that it would take a significant amount of time and dedication to be able to get proficient. Plus hunting large game with a makeshift spear is really unlikely in an emergency/survival situation unless you happen to be trapped in a zoo.

[Chumgeyser]

@CliffStamp - In a "survival" situation it would be difficult to find an easier to make hunting weapon than attaching the CS Bushman Spearhead to a stick. You may believe this is fantasy also, but a spear is a great defense tool if you don't have a gun. C'mon Cliff, turn it into a spear and have your brother test it. If nothing else we throwing weapon nuts would like to see the results :)

[CliffStamp]

@Chumgeyser The fantasy aspect would be trying to kill something with it, it is just fairly difficult. There would be a much better chance locally of setting snares for rabbit, squirrel or even wild dog and cat than trying to spear a moose fatally. The first thing I would thus suggest to someone is to learn how to trap and fish. That being said, playing with the spear could be amusing, I just would not actually seek to rely on it.

[Chumgeyser]

@CliffStamp - I was thinking of pigs, turkey, fish... but hey, if the Moose let me spear him :)

[CliffStamp]

@Chumgeyser Turkey and similar are much easier killed with a rabbit stick, the level of skill needed is much lower. Just experiment with one, I guarantee that after even a very short practice session you would be able to clonk a standing rabbit/turkey very quickly even from a decent distance. Fish would also come right off, they are best caught with a gig spear or similar which you can make out of wood.

[CliffStamp]

@Chumgeyser Yeah for a pig, but they are not the easiest thing in the world to kill and if you get in close and start poking it and you don't kill it right away you are likely to have problems. It isn't something I would want to do in an emergency situation, they can be snared, and PETA flames aside, you are much better off using a rabbit stick to get one of the young ones.

[CliffStamp]

@Chumgeyser That being said, I did watch my brother attempt to spear a moose about ten years ago, but he is long on courage and short on after thought. He also jumped in to wrassle a shark when I had it hooked and could not get it up to the wharf. It was only a dog fish a few feet long but still, better him than me.