United Cutlery Bush Master Survival Knife

by United Cutlery

Product Features

• Fixed blade knife with survival kit and emergency materials stowed in the handle and sheath
• Knife measures 15.25 inches overall with a 10-inch 420 stainless steel mixed edge, clip-point blade
• Nylon sheath stores a G.I. can opener, flashlight, animal snare, fishing equipment, and matches
• Additional survival equipment includes sewing needles, band-aides, matches, surgical blade, and magnifier
• Black cast metal handle with compass built into butt cap; detachable hand guard

Product Description

Amazon.com

The United Cutlery Bush Master Survival Knife is more than just a hunting/survival blade--this 15.25-inch fixed blade knife carries an entire survival kit contained within its handle, hand guard, and sheath--to keep you covered on any adventure. Built to last with quality and usability in mind, the knife features a 10-inch, clip-point blade of 420 stainless steel with a plain edge for slicing and a heavy-duty serrated edge for sawing. The knife has a durable cast metal handle that has a precision compass built into the butt cap. Meanwhile, the knife's handle guard detaches to release a survival kit with sewing needles, band-aides, matches, a surgical blade, and a magnifier. The protective nylon sheath holds a GI can opener, a sharpening stone, an animal snare, a snakebite kit, and a flashlight.

Knife Specifications:

• Total Length: 15.25 inches
• Blade Length: 10 inches
• Blade Material: 420 Stainless Steel
• Blade: Clip point, straight edge, and saw back edge
• Handle Material: Black cast aluminum
• Push tang construction
• Compass built into the butt cap
• Detachable hand guard
• Nylon sheath

Survival Kit Components:

• Precision compass
• G.I. can opener
• Sharpening stone
• Animal snare
• Snake bite kit
• Flashlight
• Sewing needles
• Band-aides
• Matches
• Surgical blade
• Magnifier
• Fishing hooks
• Line and sinkers

Product Description

By far this survival knife surpasses those other cheaply made models. Features include black cast metal handle, detachable hand guard, survival kit inside, precision compass built into butt cap, a 420 J2 stainless steel blade with saw back. Nylon sheath, protective plastic blade shell holds GI can opener, sharpening stone, animal snare, snakebite kit, and flashlight.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000UU80UM
• Item model number: UC0212
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,802 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #31 in Sports & Outdoors > Hunting & Fishing > Hunting > Hunting & Tactical Knives > Hunting Knives
  • #80 in Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Camping & Hiking > Knives & Tools

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

366 of 370 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the Price, it's more than worth it!!, November 15, 2007

By 

Skull Fungus "Skull Fungus" (Bham, AL) - See all my reviews

If you want a decent survival knife without breaking the bank, this is for you.

The blade is heavy, comes sharpened fairly well, and even the typically redundant saw-teeth have a good edge on them. I am by no means a small person, so this knife works well for me. It may be a bit too big for others.

The handle and handguard are METAL. Yes, it adds to weight, but it's not going to be as prone to cracking during lateral blade movement as a plastic/kydex/playdoh/etc handle would be. Also, the tang appears to go halfway through the handle, right up to the hollow for the fishing gear. There is a small hole through the side of the handle that looks to be part of the mounting of the handle to the blade, however, it is the same diameter as the cordage that attaches the sheath to your leg, and could be used for lashing the knife to a pole for use as a spear.

The knuckle guard is metal and is removable by unscrewing the compass pommel, sliding the bottom of the guard to one side, and then sliding the guard down the blade. Good construction on this point...the guard won't come off unless you want it to.

The compass actually works and the housing is all metal. Weighty, but it won't break from side impacts. The 180 degree azimuth on the side of the blade is actually carved/lasered/nibbled in, not just painted on.

In the handle is a sealable tube. Inside that are a couple of fishing hooks, weights, a bit of line, matches, and a spare scalpel blade in antiseptic packaging. On the side of the tube is a listing of the alphabet in morse code.

The sheath is a kydex scabbard inside of nylon, can be worn on the belt, and can be fastened to the thigh with the provided cord or, you can replace the cord with paracord/shoelaces/etc.

At this point, the knife "might" be worth the price, but it's the extras that more than cover the cost.

In the three pouches on the sheath, from top to bottom, we have the following:

Pouch #1:

The famous P38 can opener. Probably the most kickass pocket item from WWII before the Zippo. Nothing else in this pouch, but there is a little room if you want to add on.

Pouch #2:

Snakebite Kit: contains a scalpel blade in an antiseptic package with a vial of iodine and a cloth tournquet, packaged inside of two heavy rubber suction cups. It also actually contains instructions for what to do in case of snake bite. Might swap the iodine for anti-venom, but overall, I'd keep it the way it is.

Flashlight: it's rather cheap, but if you're in the dark, it's better than nothing. Takes one double-A battery (not included). Typical "twist clockwise to turn on" action. Not the one pictured; I got a black one with a yellow lanyard. Will probably swap this for something a little more reliable.

This pretty much fills Pouch 2, but if you trade out the light for brighter LED model, you might gain a little wiggle room.

Pouch #3:

Stainless steel animal snare: good length with a decent gauge wire. Definately a keeper.

Whetstone: cheap and rather coarse. Would probably ruin the finish on the blade and I would definately trade this out, but in a pinch...who knows?

There's a little room left over for extras in Pouch 3, but that pretty much does it.

Conclusion:

It's well worth the price. I'd say that if you wanted one to go from the box to the outdoors, this would probably be the best bet. While there are things that i will change out, there is nothing on it that I would say is garbage/worthless....except maybe the whetstone.

The pouches are large enough to provide custimization of your gear, but small enough to keep from overloading. Most of the gear provided is great(compass, snakebite kit, animal snare, fishing kit, can opener) and the few things that would need to be traded out aren't "total" crap (flashlight, whetstone) they just provide the basics of what you would need.

It's not "MOLLE" compatible and it's not ambidexterous, but it does more than what you would need it to do. If you're a lefty, you're already used to working around stuff made for righties.

Lastly...IT'S ALL METAL!! No plastic to break if you lose your footing and smack into a tree. It's going to be there for the long haul.

For $40.00? BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT!!

Heck...Buy and extra for the missus...and one for the truck.

****UPDATE****

The first part of the review was based on what I got out of the box...this review is for one year down the road.

Long story short, the knife has held up well. No complaints on the knife itself or the sheath, but I did have to make a few upgrades (all available on Amazon)...

...and yes, all of this will fit.

***Handle: Left as is. No room left and what's there is solid.

***The handguard/knuckleguard:

ROPE: You will ALWAYS need rope. Wrapped the knuckleguard with 20 ft of black 1/8th rope ("cord" really). Wrapping the knuckleguard keeps it from going "clink" when you bump into stuff. Besides, 1/8 cord will fit through the lash holes on the handle and is the same diameter as the cord that ties the sheath to your leg. Also, at the top of the sheath above the belt loop, there is room to push through the 1/8 cord and be able to mount the knife inverted on a backpack if you don't want it on the hip and makes it pseudo-MOLLE compatible.

***Pouch #1:

P-38: Kept it. It's perfect...why change?

TINKERQUICK: Stuffed five bundles for tinder and to quiet the clinking.

MICROPUR TABLETS: Got the sheets of individually wrapped tablets. Worked in five of these. Fire will give you clean water, but sometimes fire isn't a good idea.

ELECTROLYTE TABLETS: Stuffed in a packet of two. Had the room and you lose tons of salt and minerals if you're sweating profusely.

***Pouch #2:

SWISS ARMY KNIFE: The Bushmaster is large, but sometimes you need a smaller blade, so get the Victorinox Swiss Army Camper...in Black. Overkill? Probably. But for 2.5oz, you can't beat having the extras. Screw drivers, reamer/drill, small saw, etc. There's a reason MacGyver carried one.

FLASHLIGHT: Chunk the old one. Gerber Infinity Ultra Task LED light, flat black, all metal. This light is bright and sturdy with a screw tight operation that prevents accidental activation.

DMT WHETSTONE: Chunked the old one from pouch 3 and added a DMT mini diamond coated whetstone.

SNAKEBITE KIT: Kept as is.

NEOSPORIN: You can get a box of ten single use packets at Wally-World. Stick one or two in here.

STAPHASEPTIC: If you're very germ concious or deal with a lot of kids/adults/goats/etc on a regular basis and can spend the money, this stuff kills everything. Get the box of single use packets, and stuff one of these in as well. Gangrene and bloodbourne pathogens from serious injury have killed a fair share of lost hikers.

***Pouch #3:

SNARE: Kept it. It's solid.

WIRE SAW: I couldn't fit a pocket chainsaw in here, so this is the next best thing. It will come in handy...get one. Will cut through small limbs and bones when chopping away isn't a preferred option.

MAGNESIUM FIRESTARTER: Fire is life. A block of magnesium will produce enough shavings to start several dozen small fires or, if needs be, shave the whole block and add with some rust and you have thermite for emergency welding or chain cutting.

FIRESTEEL: Whomever the supplier, it's a good backup and easier to work with for dry tender. Redundant to the TinderQuik and the Magnesium? Yes. But you can fit it in there and it's easier to use with thick gloves or numb/shakey fingers.

FISHING GEAR: In addition to the gear in the handle, added various hooks, weights, and swivels in a tiny zip-lock baggy.

FISHING LINE: Added 50ft of clear 50lb test monofiliment line. Use for fishing or use several courses to help build an emergency shelter.

MINI GLOWSTICKS: 2" Mini ChemLight/glowsticks to fill out the pouch. Tiny, but they will last about 8 hours, give light without heat, and can be used as a marker for rescue personnel. Cut a couple open and smear on fabric for increased surface area glow.

After reading this, I must again state, YES, I fit all of this into the pouches on my knife(and the missus's knife, too!), and the velcro closed securely. Gear doesn't fall out, even when inverted, and the upside to having so much is that it won't rattle.

You may notice the slight weight increase, but the knife is big to begin with. The increase in weight shouldn't bother you.

Before the cross-country driving begins for Christmas, I'll try to take a series of "How To" images to show you all how it's done. Be safe out there and always be prepared for the worst.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Size Matters, May 27, 2008

By 

Mike (Bound Brook, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Let's face it -- when it comes to survival, you don't want to mess around. You need a tool that gives the biggest bang for the buck, and that bang needs to be useful, not just for show. In short, if you are in need of a knife for serious outdoor adventures, the Bushmaster is the one you want.

I'm not going to do another complete review because the one posted by Skull Fungus is superlative. Read it. Digest it. And then let me expand upon one thing. This knife is BIG. The blade itself is over 15" long. That is really long, folks. For a comparison, go down to your kitchen and look at a chef's knife if you have one. Those blades are usually 6"-8" inches long.

So, like buying "magnum"-sized condoms, let's be honest with ourselves and decide how much knife we really need. The knife itself is extremely well made and truly has many great accessories. Like Fungus, I'm pretty amazed at what you get here for the price at which you get it. No, you're not getting surgical steel. However, this blade will put up with years of use and abuse with proper care, and it's definitely not falling apart on you anytime soon. In the hands of someone who knows what he or she is doing and respects the blade, this could be an invaluable tool and could absolutely help a person survive in a wilderness environment.

In the hands of someone who doesn't know what he or she is doing and/or doesn't respect the blade, we're talking about losing fingers. Or worse. And no, I'm not kidding.

Bottom line -- awesome knife, great extras, but BIG. Just make sure you want/need this much knife!

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent for what it is, NOT a serious survival tool, January 20, 2011

By 

Knife Knut "Just my opinion, take it for what... (South Eastern US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: United Cutlery Bush Master Survival Knife (Sports)

Ok, so first a few qualifiers and dis-qualifiers. Yes I actually own this product, I have owned the same unit for going on 15 years, maybe longer. I am not an all season all terrain uber ops survival expert with his own show on cable TV. I am a life long hunter and camper who prides him self on knowing what he is doing when in the field. I gave this item 3 stars because for the money it is a decent piece of equipment from a fairly reputable manufacturer. I first bought this item as a wide eyed kid who couldn't begin to afford one of the "cool" Rambo knifes based on the movies or any "serious" piece of kit for that matter either. Ive used, abused, and drug this thing all over the place. It currently resides in my tool box in the trunk of my car for an "uh oh" just in case back up tool. All that being said, on to the review;

The Survival Kit

Other than the old military style can opener and maybe the snare, most of it is fairly cheap and borders on being junk. I take good care of all my tools regardless of use or price so I still have most of it. As an earlier reviewer said, you will probably want to swap out most of it for your own stuff.

The Knife

The blade and handle are of average to marginal quality in both design, materials, fit, and finish. The saw teeth on top of the blade are mostly superfluous. The "D" shaped hand guard is a nice addition being metal. However it isn't exactly sturdy since it is not a structural part of the handle. The blade is some form of stainless steel, holds a reasonable edge reasonably well. The blade tang goes part of the way into the handle held in place by a screw. My blade got loose after having at a dead tree. If memory serves I think I got it tight again with a deep well socket. The butt cap is also fairly sturdy and the compass in it works at first. Mine lost the fluid along the way somewhere although there are no visible signs of damage pointing to a leak.

In Conclusion

This is a not a bad piece of equipment for the money. However, as with almost everything else in this life; YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. This is a not a serious piece of survival equipment. You probably wont find any "professionals" carrying one of these as their main/go to piece. When ever your choosing gear, no matter if its a weekend camping trip at grandma's farm or an 18 month deployment to Afghanistan you need to do your homework and chose gear based on a) what you might encounter b) what you need this item to do/take care of. For what would be basically described as "light" duty, this thing has been adequate over the last 15 years. However I can't say I have actively chosen it for my gear load out in the past 10 years when given the choice amongst my various blades.

Just my opinion and personal experience, take it for what it is worth.