Bushmaster® Bushcraft Explorer Knife - Fixed Blade

When I saw this knife in the catalog I thought it looked like a quality knife. I wasn't disappointed. It is more than 1/8" inch thick making it a strong and solid knife. It has a matte finish and is very sharp and the 1095 carbon steel is definitely hard. The sheath it came with is also high quality making it an even better deal. I will definitely buy a Bushmaster knife again and I definitely recommend it.

Bought this one because I was so impressed with the smaller version. Very well built rugged knife with an outstanding sheath. Feels great in my hand. I eased the handle bevels a bit with a fine emery nail file, then went over the handle with 4-0 steel wool. Applied several coats of neetsfoot oil, inside and out, to the sheath and to the wood on the handle of the knife.

I bought this knife earlier in the year. I’ve been wanting a horizontal, behind the back, draw knife and this one fit the bill. It’s tough and good looking. I wrapped the handle with sports tape for a better grip but that’s just personal preference. Overall for the price this knife beats all others in the horizontal carry category. If you’re thinking of buying I say go for it! You won’t be disappointed.

I've had this knife for 2 months, used it several times and am more than satisfied with it. First, its a really good looking knife, in my opinion. Second, it feels very good in my hand. Third, its very sharp. Fourth, the sheath is excellent. Fifth, can't beat the price. I'd buy it again as a gift.

I love the convenience of a good horizontal carry fixed blade knife, so I had to check out this one. Even though the measurements are clearly noted in the description, it's longer than I originally though. However, it's not so long that it's combersome or awkward to wear horizontally. The edge of the blade came sharp enough to shave the hair off my arm, it's evenly beveled, pointy and very sturdy. The blade is much thicker than the photo leads one to believe, which is a good thing. After several aggressive cutting and chopping tests on a dried tree branch, it held its edge just fine, which I would expect from 1095 carbon steel. It's even stamped "1095 HIGH CARBON STEEL" on the backside. The scales are symmetrical, very nicely finished, without cracking or chipping and are tightly secured to the tang with smoothly peened, solid brass pins. The hollow brass lanyard hole is nicely done, as well. Also, it feels good and secure in my hands with plenty of room to grip. The sheath is made with a good quality, pliable leather, has a decent leather welt and is securely stitched and riveted. Although I don't believe I'll use them, the hollow rivets are a nice addition that would aid in lashing it to something. It wears securely both vertically and horizontally. The snap closure that secures the knife in the sheath snaps together good and tight. Considering the overall quality of the materials used and workmanship in relation to the price, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this knife to anyone looking for a quality Bushcrafting knife.

This is a very good knife and a good value. Nice heft, sturdy, full tang construction. Tang is nearly 3/16" thick. Wood grips look great and fit the hand well. Sheath is also sturdy, good looking, sewn and riveted, real leather and very well fitted to blade. Only 2 small nitpicks: backbone of tang had very minor discolored spots, and also as a southpaw I haven't found a natural comfortable way to draw the knife from its sheath. That said, this is still one of my top 3 favorite sheath knives, the others being a Remington Drop point and a Genuine Ontario brand Air Force survival knife purchased at a PX in the 1980s. I'm very pleased with this Bushmaster. Carbon steel blades are not rustproof, to take good care of yours with a light film of Rem Oil, mineral oil, or any light oil and it will only get better with age.

When received this knife, it had some rust on the spine of the blade. NO BIG THING. I cleaned it good and gun blued it. Rust gone. This knife is a perfect size for any bush craft task. SHARP, SHARP, SHARP right out of the box. The sheath had a crack in the leather strap that goes around the sheath. No Problem. I soaked it in mink oil for about an hour. Problem solved. All in all, I love it and yes I would recommend it to my friends. I love the entire knife, Stoutness of the Blade all the way to the wooden scales. A beautiful knife that will last me the rest of my life.

Great! I am well satisfied with my purchase that I have ordered 2 more for friends. Would have loved to have had this blade during military career.

The knife came in just a bit dull but a couple of passes on the wet stone, it was razor sharp. The sheath is very good quality. Will be using it for some yard work tomorrow.

This knife appears to be very well made it ha This appears to be a very well made knife, it has a full tang and a nice leather sheath. It is very sharp and the price is right.

the knife is ok, i'm using it in my shop. it takes an edge well, the real deal is the sheath. I've been looking for a good sheath for my custom hunting knife and this one is perfect, well made, good quality. i'm thinking of buying another one for a handmade knife I have. money well spent.

Well made. Heavy duty. Easy to sharpen. Have used it in my garden almost every day. The sheath is very well made and good looking.

I bought this as camping utility knife. I am pleased with the weight of the full tang blade bit should make a great all around the camp knife. I took the time to sharpen it on my stone and it has a razor sharp edge. I used it s couple times around the garage and it seems to hold a decent edge. I can’t wait to get to the woods and put it to the test.

I’ve used this knife for about a week now. Let me start with it’s durability. I’ve used this to baton wood for a fire and it’s takes the beating with ease. Not even a scratch or ding on the back edge of the knife. Also the back edge of this blade is very functional for using a fire steel. The sharpness of the blade out of the box I would call a 8.5/10. I like my blades very sharp but nothing a little honing from a wet stone won’t fix. I’ve also used this knife to make feather sticks which it does ok with. I’ve had other knives produce better feathers but this does fine, I’m just a little picky with my feathers. The handle of this knife is beautiful but just a bit slick, but extremely comfortable in the hand. I have bigger hands and the thickness feels right. You may have a bit of getting use to with smaller hands. The sheath is out of this world in quality and I agree with other people that the sheath is worth the money alone. I’ve used the sheath in a cross draw setup with the Velcro and it’s is very comfortable and doesn’t get in the way. I’ve also tried a same side draw and am not a fan of how that sits. Overall this is a great knife and I see myself using for a long time. Very satisfied with my purchase.

I mean ive only been collecting knives for a couple of years and i know i made some bad choies but this made up for it the sheath is great you can carry it horizontal and noone will see it. the blade is beautiful it came sharp i dont know why i havent seen this in the top 10 yet i see knives that are 150 bucks that have 3or4 stars and look like crap i dont see sheaths that are half as nice and the knife performs great it cuts it pierces i even threw it at a tree i missed lol i got it in the second time.get it'.everybody should have one

Best money I've ever spent.

Just received mine today!! VERY Impressed! Its a Workhorse of a Blade and the Sheath is REAL Leather! Cant beat the Quality of this knife for the Price!! Very Good Purchase!!

I am by no means an expert, but I ordered this knife for the sheath, and I am glad I did. The knife itself is of high quality... Durable and ergonomic!!! And the sheath is honestly of great quality!!! I fully intend to order several of these as gifts for my brothers and my best friends. You wont be disappointed, especially at this price.

One of the best field knives I've ever used! I have hunted, fished, served 20 yrs in Special Forces and other than my K-bar this is the best. The sheath is worth the price by itself.

You can't go wrong with this one! It's a heavy duty, carbon steel blade with strength that you can trust. The sheath is excellent. It is carbon steel so always wipe it down with a light coat of oil (cheap cooking oil is fine).

I own many knives from various parts of the world both high end and low end price wise. The only type I purchase must be fully functional working blades. This may well be the best blade I own for its in tended purpose and, for that reason, I just placed another order for two more before someone decides to raise the price. I listen to folks say they would never buy a Chinese knife. I'm old enough to remember when the Chinese first broke into the American market and bought some of their knives. They were of lesser quality back then; and there may still be some today; but this is not (repeat-NOT) one of them. And the many other blades I own from China are also good. You just have to be very selective. So, what about this knife. Seems like the other reviewers have said it all. This is a superb piece of workmanship both the knife and the sheath. Like I said, I just ordered two more; so you better jump on the bandwagon before they are no longer available.

This knife is outstanding. I own many many high dollar knives and this $30 sands right next to them if not taller. The 1095 steel blade performs flawlessly at all I throw at it. Holda it's edge very well. Nice thick blade and the tip is made extra nice for stabbing tough things. The case is worth the price of this whole package by itself Top quality thick leather worn verricle or horizontal. The Zebra wood handle is nice, big, and unfinished. A little slippery until a few coats of polyurethane was applied. It protects the wood and not as slippery in hand. Going to buy a couple note as gifts. This is one complete package you don't want to pass up. Hats off to Bushmaster for giving us all the opportunity to own such a fine product at such an affordable price !!!!!!

I have many knives.... some expensive, others not so much. This knife is the best value of any knife I own. I have beat this knife to death and can't seem to hurt it. The durability plus the sheath... make it ridiculously low priced. I'm gonna order another couple. Its a no brainer. ????

This is a very good knife both in functionality, and looks. It came shaving sharp right out of the box. It is very comfortable in hand, and the fit and finish is very good too. It's a good knife even if it was twice the price! I would put this knife up against any normal production bushcraft style knife under $100. The sheath alone is worth the price Most knives nowadays seem to come with either cheap nylon sheaths, or shoddy made low quality leather, but not this one. The sheath is awesome. The knife snaps in almost like it was kydex, the leather is of pretty decent quality as well, and it is constructed good. The stitching is even, and it feels quite sturdy. I would easily pay $30 for the sheath alone. I own many knives of all price ranges, and I would match this one against any of my other more expensive 1095 steel knives of this size, style, and intended use designs. It's refreshing to see a well built product, made with quality materials, at a price anyone can afford. Good job Bushmaster, and good job BUDK!

Great item, one of the best from Budk

A hell of a great knife. Beautiful, sharp working knife with a fantastic sheath. Sharp enough to shave, right out of the box. Might buy another to keep as a spare.

Very sharp right out of the box. Sign of good knife. Sheath alone is worth the price . Great quality and price. So far it has let me down, work horse of a knife... and I'm picky bout my blades.

I love the convenience of a good horizontal carry fixed blade knife, so I had to check out this one. Even though the measurements are clearly noted in the description, it's longer than I originally though. However, it's not so long that it's combersome or awkward to wear horizontally. The edge of the blade came sharp enough to shave the hair off my arm, it's evenly beveled, pointy and very sturdy. The blade is much thicker than the photo leads one to believe, which is a good thing. After several aggressive cutting and chopping tests on a dried tree branch, it held its edge just fine, which I would expect from 1095 carbon steel. It's even stamped "1095 HIGH CARBON STEEL on the backside. The scales are symmetrical, very nicely finished, without cracking or chipping and are tightly secured to the tang with smoothly peened, solid brass pins. The hollow brass lanyard hole is nicely done, as well. Also, it feels good and secure in my hands with plenty of room to grip. The sheath is made with a good quality, pliable leather, has a decent leather welt and is securely stitched and riveted. Although I don't believe I'll use them, the hollow rivets are a nice addition that would aid in lashing it to something. The two leather straps for horizontal carry attach together with hook & loop rather than the typical snaps, but they are strong, so I don't see a problem. It also has a vertical carry leather belt loop on the back. Horizontally, it wears securely on my belt in several positions. The snap closure that secures the knife in the sheath snaps together good and tight. Considering the overall quality of the materials used and workmanship in relation to the price, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this knife to anyone.

I'm a fan of 1095 steel tempered properly & this knife has a reputation for that. The scandi grind, scout carry sheath & proper overall design for wilderness chores, makes this a good value. The modified coke bottle scales were a pleasant surprise; I didn't think I'd like it that much, so far works fine from my limited use, but really haven't done enough with it to tell if there are any 'hot spots'. I was less happy with some signs of mass production line workmanship, including marring of the leather, uneven finishing on brass pins. Although not terrible by any means at Bud K's price point, I do like wear & tear to reflect "my" history with the knife, not someone else's.

I'm knife poor but had been considering this one for quite a while before deciding to add just one more to the "collection". On the surface what's not to love? Scandi grind on a hefty 1095 carbon steel blade, properly tempered according to reviews & a very good leather sheath, all in an attractive & usefully designed form. So I got it. The functionality is certainly there but it was a less satisfying purchase than hoped. The hammer marks from seating the handle pins were obvious, the expose brass was coarse sanded on a slope creating a dark divot where wood meets brass & the leather was scarred by tool marks& cuts, here & there. If possible I'd give it 3 1/2 stars but scored it at 4 vs. a 3 because the intent & potential were there, if marred by production line necessities at this price point. I just don't like having a new knife look like a "rush" job before I've had a chance to put my own "wear" & history on it. Good knife at a fair price.

Overall seems like a good knife for it’s purposes but it was sent to me with some corrosion around the tang and blade. Also some chips in the blade. I knew the price was too good to be true.