Just purchased today. Made by Bush Monkey Knives outta Ft Worth. Thick O-1 steel with a RIDICOULOUSLY sharp edge. Excellent craftsmanship from a very nice gentleman.
Looks nice! What did it cost you?
X2 that looks like great quality, if the price is right he can make some good money from them.
He assembles kit knives, grinds an edge, and stamps them with his logo. I hope you weren’t told you were getting a custom knife. Not to say they are not nice knives, but you’re paying someone to build a kit knife for you, with minimal “custom” work.
The fact that he posts a “Bush Monkey Derangement Syndrome” section on his website where he lists and is proud to have been banned from Blade Forums, USN, etc. kinda makes me wary.
I hope the knife works well for you though, at least that you get your worth out of it.
I don’t have a dog in this fight and am a novice in true custom knives. I own several Emerson’s, Benchmades, and a Surefire knife. I have thought of getting a custom at some point and that is why I ask this question. I have never heard of Bush Monkey and I do not frequent the forums that he has been banned from, but I just went to his web site and checked out his step by step creation of his Chupacabra knife. How is this not a custom build? I mean I have a hard time listening to everyone by AR parts and put them together and then call it a custom build, but what I saw on the website was a whole lot more involved than that.
I am not trying to come across as a smart aleck or take sides, but I am trying to learn.
I have seen several of his knives posted on another forum (TOS) and it looks as though he is building these through the stock removal method. I would not call those a “kit knife”.
If you have information to the contrary I would be interested in seeing it. I prefer a bevel grind to the chissel but other than that his looks good to go.
I guess the “stock removal” method of taking a pre-shaped blank and chucking it up in a jig and running it over a belt sander, adding some pre-cut handles, constitutes custom these days. He’s been called out and evidence was laid out on several forums. One even had part numbers from supply companies for the entire knife.
I’m not saying his knives are bad knives, but they are not custom in the same way that traditionally custom knives are considered.
There’s an example on one of the forums where he even states he “engineers knives from parts I procure.” Another, "I have come to the conclusion that if you are “knifemakers” then I am most certainly NOT a “knifemaker.”
Couple more direct quotes from the owner:
“Nearly every knife is made up of parts made by different people. Steel maker, rivet or bolt maker, handle material maker, blade maker, tubing maker, brass maker, adhesive maker…Should a knifemaker give credit to every person who made every part of the knife? Should that list be stamped on the blade like movie credits? Alphabetical order or should the most important component be first? Is the blade more important than the handle - try using a blade with no handle;-)” (in reference to him passing off a Terzuola blade as his own)
“I would like to know how an entire knife made by a “bladesmith” performs any different from a knife made by someone else building a knife around the same blade”
“I clearly state that I do not make most of my blades…” (in reference to something he bought, even though he originally stated he actually made it from a Sawzall blade)
“why I would want to grind steel if a perfectly good blade can be procured easily - that would be silly.” Sure, as long as you’re forthcoming with your customers about that fact.
Now while none of that necessarily influences the quality of the work produced, I certainly hesitate to call what he does custom. In the same way that any Red Jacket hack can bolt whatever parts onto an AR and call it custom, I would not. His attitude is very LaRue like, lots of obfuscation, very little in the way of simply stating facts.
Again, if his blades function, great, but calling them custom, and charging what he does for them, is pretty lamesauce.
No I think you and I have the same definiation of stock removal method. Thank you for the information.
To the OP, I think you have a nice knife there and the O-1 steel should serve you well. If I were you I would take it out in the woods and use it.
I have no dog in this fight.
How do you think other knifemakers grind knives? It’s pretty standard to have blanks cut from a template using a water jet and then ‘running it over a belt sander.’ :rolleyes: That’s stock removal (notice no quotation marks implying it’s not real stock removal.) With the exception of a jig and cooler grinds, how does, say, a Strider differ from one of these knives? (In fact, based on the photos on is website, it looks like this guy uses his own bandsaw to rough out the blades. Makes no difference to me.)
I think the guy originally probably did make some kit knives based on what I’ve read. Some of those quotes you pulled go back a while when he was feuding on the knife makers’ forums. I think he’s moved on to his own designs and his current stuff is original. I’m not big on scandi grinds (it’s scandi, not chisel), but it’s a cool looking knife.
Gorgeous edge
Knives that a knife maker designs, water jets or cuts (themselves or outsourced), then grinds are one thing. Ordering a kit knife off of Jantz and passing it off as your own custom design is another thing altogether. I was under the impression that real stock removal actually constituted removing stock, not simply grinding an edge sharp on what someone else already did. That’s where I think people took issue, and I can certainly see that. His attitude definitely put me off when I read the things he wrote. He’s definitely an interesting fellow. Your sarcasm makes me think your “no dog in this fight” is a little more personal.
Since you mentioned Strider, I don’t think they pass themselves off as a custom knife maker. I think they make it apparent that they are makers of production knives. Their custom runs tend to have something custom done to them, not to mention it’s their own design to begin with. I’d be willing to bet they’re more involved than buying unsharp blanks from someone else and passing them off as they’re own.
If he’s doing all of his own designs now, that’s great. The fit and finish he puts in is excellent, and his jig-based grinding method leaves some beautiful edges. If he were more forthcoming, I would seriously consider one of his knives as I do think the finished product LOOKS a lot better than a lot of other peoples. I’m sure it performs well too. Is it worth the cost when compared to a true custom? That’s for someone else to decide.
I hope you aren’t questioning my integrity when I say I have no dog in this fight. If you are, you are way off base. With that out of the way…
I mentioned Strider not as a custom maker, but as a company that uses the stock removal method, which you seem confused about. You implied that what the maker does isn’t stock removal. It clearly is. Maybe you haven’t seen his webpage where he has photos of him cutting the blank. As I said, I think he got busted in the past for passing off kit knives as his own, but he’s moved on to original work now. (I might not buy anything from him due to lack of candor and integrity in the past, but also I’ll correct you when you say the OP bought a kit knife.)
I guess we can end this by you showing us where I can buy that blank (with bevels ground already or to make it easier for you, just a water jet cut blank.) I don’t think you will. If you do, I’ll sincerely apologize.
Wow, I’ve heard nothing of this process or his removal from any site. Maybe I should’ve done some more research before purchasing. Overall, I’m still pleased with the knife and the gentlemens business. The knife was a great companion while I visited Europe.
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The wallet is very well made. I’d like to buy one of their belts. I just can’t decide which belt I want.