KE Bushie - The Appalachian Forest Tool

Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
3,427
@Tom Watson posted about how much he like his KE Bushie!
Great thread. Not sure if he is still around, but thanks.

I was looking for a new Fiddleback to fulfill my Challenge promise.

After reading this thread, I was almost convinced.
Bmurray Bmurray and his epic KE Bushie hard use thread. Pushed me over the edge.

After seeing the abrasive torture test on fungus, and plunge cutting plastic coffee cups. I was hooked. I mean if you can stab through a Pringles can, red oak should be shaking in its roots. Real world testing is where it's at!

Mine showed this week and I am quite pleased.

The knife itself is a thing of beauty. The Sheath that arrived with it, less so. I think the cow that they sourced the leather from, died of dehydration.
IMG_8212-XL.jpg


But since it's basically a free sheath that DLT provides it's customers who purchase Fiddlebacks and it does hold the knife snugly, I still see it as a win/win.

I am very much into systems these days. Knife, sheath, and accoutrements. Like a ferro rod, a pouch, twine and the like. I like that the sheath provided had a ferro loop and four hollow pins for attaching other stuff. Very cool. And I must admit, out of the box, the retention was excellent.

While playing with the knife. I was very careful not to bend the sheath. Fearing it would snap like a dry twig. But yesterday I addressed that issue.

Suspending it over a baseboard heater. High enough so it was only warm, not hot to the touch. Once it was warm, I rubbed on a coat of Huberd's Shoe Grease, also warmed. The sheath drank that first coat like a camel after a three day haboob.

The second and third coats were pretty much the same. It soaked in as fast as I could rub it on. By coat number five, it seemed less thirsty. I left it over the heat for a while and when I returned. I was more than happy with the results. My new sheath went from a dry brittle feeling piece of rough leather. To a dark, supple, pleasing to the eye sheath. With four attachment points and a loop for a ferro rod.

Throughout this process I had the knife in the sheath. I hand rubbed each coat and worked to form the sheath to the contours of the knife a bit. Now the retention is as good or better. But insertion is much improved due to the sheath taking on the shape of the knife handle.

I was well pleased with the results. And will try to get a few shots up of the finished product over the weekend.
Another nice thing about the sheath is it is ambidexterous. And it has an extra set of holes for a cross draw style carry.

Overall, I went from slightly disappointed to extremely pleased with just a little elbow grease and some Huberd's shoe Grease. Well worth the efforts in my opinion. Enough about the sheath for now.

The knife itself, is typical Andy Roy/Fiddleback Forge. Pretty, well balanced, excellent fit and finish!

The natural pins ofset the black micarta very nicely. As do the white and natural liners. The tapered tang brings the balance together nicely. While the Trinity Pin Out adds that last bit of panache. All in all, a very nice package.
IMG_8223-XL.jpg


A pretty knife is alway cool in a glass case. Or under a glass coffee table top. In the woods, looks become far less important. Performance suddenly rises above beauty. The ability to cut things, big things, small things, becomes the focus. If your knife can't do what needs doing. It's looks won't keep you happy.

From Bmurray's mushrooms to batoning. It's all cutting. Batoning my be on the Neanderthal side of the scale, but in my mind it is still cutting. You are purposely seperating one piece of wood into two with your knife. Same as slicing a shroom. Just more force and harder to chew.

Shaving feathersticks is like slicing an onion so thin, you can read through it. I need my knife to do all these things.

I am a huge fan of the Finnish Puukko. Mostly because I am a huge fan of the Finns themselves. Even more so of the Sämi people.
They are a knife culture. You can even see it in thei traditional dress. There is always a knife hanging off their belt.

They manage to make do with pretty simple, yet well designed and purpose driven blades. Here is an example of how the KE Bushie fits in.
A Malanika, a Puukko style blade, and what can be considered one of the quintessential Bushcraft blades of North America, the Skookum Bush Tool.

Notice I put the KE Bushie in the middle. Fits nicely in there doesn't it?
IMG_8214-XL.jpg


Think about that for a moment. On either side. We have two of the best known forest knives on the planet. And the KE Bushie slots nicely in between them. How can that be anything but good?

Some praise should be given to K.E. Kevin Estela. For his design input on this knife. I personally think he hit the sweet spot for a small all purpose forest Knife. Ironically he is from New York, and always in the woods. Much like myself. But we have never met. We got close up in Chateaugay, but missed. Maybe someday. But for now, I'm content to experiment with his design and Andy's build.

I have stuff to do. So I'll pick this up later.
 
Last edited:
What’s the blade thickness on it 3/32 or 1/8

KE Bushie Specs

Fiddleback Forge | K.E. Bushie
Custom made from Fiddleback Forge in Cumming, GA, USA.

1. SPECS:
2. Overall Length: 8.25" (209.55mm)
3. Blade Length: 3.6" (91.44mm)
4. Cutting Edge Length: 3.75" (95.25mm)
5. Blade Thickness: 0.123" (3.1mm)
6. Blade Steel: A2
7. Blade Finish: Forge Finish
8. Edge Style: Plain
9. Handle Material: Black Canvas Micarta - Natural & White Liners
10. Weight: 4.6oz (130.41g)
11. Tang: Tapered Tang
12. Country of Origin: USA
 
Is the handle length a little bit longer than the Hiking Buddy? Thanks for the specs. I was wondering does the little extra handle and blade length of the KE make it more comfortable to use and controllable than the HB? just wanted some of your opinions and side by side pics of the two together. Looked in the comparison pics but not see these two together. Nice review.
 
Last edited:
Is the handle length a little bit longer than the Hiking Buddy? Thanks for the specs. I was wondering does the little extra handle and blade length of the KE make it more comfortable to use and controllable than the HB? just wanted some of your opinions and side by side pics of the two together. Looked in the comparison pics but not see these two together. Nice review.

I don't own a Bushfinger. So I can't help you with my experience. At least not yet.

However these links may help,
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/ke-bushie-vs-bushfinger.1241915/

Here is some great info from Brian (Mistwalker) on the Bushfinger and the KE Bushie.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...s-fragile-as-you-may-think-photo-hvy.1456846/

There are probably better threads and I'm sure others will chime in. But it should at least bet you started.

My research pointed towards the KE Busie being more of a dedicated Bushcrafter. Excelling at wood related tasks. With the ability to do other jobs. The Bushfinger was labeled as a more rounded knife. Possessing more belly and slanted towards a General purpose blade with the abolity to do wood related tasks.
 
Back
Top