A couple of walking on egg shell questions !!!

[Cpl Punishment]

There is a point about the Busse crowd being a different demographic. Every Busse enthusiast I have met has been a class act, even the rednecks. They are just nice people.

No wonder they wouldn't allow me to buy a Busse when I tried!!

 

[mtnfolk mike]

Maybe the Fallkniven and BRKT owners are too busy using their knives to stop and take pictures of them.

that's a good one..:thumbup: i wouldn't recomend something i've never used...

i leave for the day and this thread really took off...

i have had an f-1 for a few years now, it's a great knife.. definatelt all that it's said to be..:thumbup:
i have also used, owned and own many bark rivers... if you have never owned one please check them out for yourself... i rotate a few of their smaller blades in my EDC.. my favorites so far are the little creek, mikro-canadian, PSK and mikro-slither..

 

[theonew]

Here's my very embarrassing contribution to this thread

 

[OldPhysics]

Yah.I don't understand it much,people show off their "hard-use" knives and guns and they all look like showroom models. Mine look like they've been through at least a minor war...

...and here I am, still kicking (sort of) after any number of minor wars and a few major ones.

Agreed. My hard-use knives have pretty crappy finishes now. That's probably because there's hard-use ... and HARD-USE!

 

[voracious]

i've got a fallkniven f2 i've had for prolly 8 years, any time i'm fishing on a boat it comes along and is a workhorse opening clams and making chunkbaits. it used to accompany me in the woods too and i never had a problem with it. probably the most underrated fallkniven. i'd post a good ugly pic but it's down on my buddy's boat.

 

[OldPhysics]

Outside of being lured to this post I mostly read the Busse sub forum.

If you want us to show up at your get togethers, we have to know about them.

There is a point about the Busse crowd being a different demographic. Every Busse enthusiast I have met has been a class act, even the rednecks. They are just nice people. I'm not saying the W&S crowd isn't just as great, I don't know.

At the recent Northern California Busse get together, any one who asked to come was welcome. We certainly got a lot of "hard use" pics and videos, including several beautiful custom knives/swords, LE models and Bark Rivers. We weren't out in the woods to do it but we got aged lumber to reproduce the hard conditions of a real survival setting.

And thank you for coming! Good points ... I've seen those pics ... :thumbup:

 

[Bkultra]

Every Busse enthusiast I have met has been a class act, even the rednecks.

Lets refer to those members as Appalachian Americans please

 

[Progunner]

BRKT finishes their handles their micarta handles with a wax based compound. Wash the handle in warm water and a mild dishwashing detergent (like dove or whatever) and the wax is removed. This exposed the fabric threads, which gives a slightly grippier feel to the micarta, especially when wet.

:thumbup::thumbup: to Grampa for that tip! With this I cured one of the two things I had against my Bravo-1, being the slicked up canvas micarta. The second thing can't be helped, unless Mike starts making them in INFI and sends them to Jerry for his heat treat.

As for Busse non attendance at the gatherings, I would say lack of our members coming over here to see the posts about them might be the biggest thing. Then followed by location maybe. I would try to attend some but I find I am usually no where near them and if I were, I am a stay at home dad for two little ones so my free time is limited these days. I like the W & S forum, I just don't get over here as much.

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

OK PIT..now its on! LOL.
I agree on the Fallkniven issue..I dont see them used very often..I can say that although I dont have any pics...I have grossly abused my H1...it did fine. I never got off the ground with the F1, as the handle was way to small for me.
Now, onto the BRKT knives...I have used mine a bunch, and have owned about a dozen models...I have to say, that as far a as quality and price...they are hard to beat. I would bet my Bravo1 against any knife out there..INFI or not.
Now for the obvious direction this is going to go...some will tell you that there is no need to use a knife for anything than slice and carve...I dont agree..but thats what you will hear, I imagine.
I own all the brands listed..BUSSE, BARK RIVER, FALLKNIVEN..and I like them all, and would consider myself lucky if I got stuck with any of them.

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

Interesting questions/challenge. I don't have any Fallkniven, because I prefer carbon steel blades. As far as BRKT when I reach for something for hard use I usually grab something with a grippier handle, and Barkies look great, but are smooth (generally). Maybe others who use their knives hard are in the same boat.

I should probably just get some sandpaper and rough up the micarta on my BRKT, but haven't brought myself to do it yet.

I ruffed up the handle on my Bravo1 and it doesnt make a big difference, only on looks actually. I did groove the handle, and that is huge.

 

[knife hunter]

Well does anyone want to go to WV this weekend???


I am ready to go Punetangs:thumbup:

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

Here are some "dirty" pics.

One consideration that has to be made is the finish of the knives in quetion. Satin finishes will show less wear than those knives painted black. The more refined the finish, the more easily the knife will cut.

And here is my own observation. Where are all the Busse/Rat/Scrap Yard owners/users at all the gatherings we hold? I only saw a couple Busse knives in some collections at the CT gathering back in April. I did see a lot of BRKT's and Falknivens. I'm not going to start a flame war here but where are they? PEACE, WAR, PWYP, CT Gathering, etc. etc. I can't find them.

Also, there aren't any hockey masks at the gatherings either.

I have to step up and say that I agree, to a point...but, perhaps BUSSE owners walk to different drum? I dont like to judge others..(I step outta line all the time though, sorry guys) ..I have seen alot of BUSSE use pics over on thier thread. I know from my own use, that BUSSE knives exceed expectations for the most part. My Gamewardens are some of my favorites. But so are my Barkies...its all about what floats your boat..IMO.
By the way Kev, that Proto looks like it needs some loving....

 

[OldPhysics]

I have to step up and say that I agree, to a point...but, perhaps BUSSE owners walk to different drum? I dont like to judge others..(I step outta line all the time though, sorry guys) ..I have seen alot of BUSSE use pics over on thier thread. I know from my own use, that BUSSE knives exceed expectations for the most part. My Gamewardens are some of my favorites. But so are my Barkies...its all about what floats your boat..IMO.
By the way Kev, that Proto looks like it needs some loving....

I don't know ...

For example, I know I respond to any sort of drumming ... done in the general vicinity of, for example, beer.

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

I thought I heard the gauntlet slapped down..I guess I was right! I personally think it would be awesome for some BUSSE guys to come to a gathering, I love a good natured showdown!
Just kidding guys...the gathering I went to was about learning and great conversation..a bit of beer, but hey, whats a campout with friends if there is no beer.

 

[Hogwash]

I use the term redneck in the most endearing way possible.

Even more surprising than the rednecks is the dirty Canadians are nice too.

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

uh Because Busse Fans Are Mostly Wealthy Fat Alcoholics. If We Want To Start A Fire In The Woods We Will Pay One Of You Guys To Do It. :thumbup:

All Kidding Aside Its Just A Different Demographic.

Lmao!

 

[norcalblacktail]

It comes down to Busses not being as common as BRKTs and others. And I think it is safe to assume that finding a Busse WSS freak in the vicinity of one of these meets is slim to none. I see maybe 10 guys on the BF WSS forum that own Busses that would probably attend a meet if it was close enough to them. Based on this forum alone I would say that not all people can justify spending the $ on a Busse. That is until they try one. I see plenty of guys on here that own all different types of knives and love them all. Hell just at our Busse get together we probably had a 1/3 non Busse knives there. I held a Bravo-1 for the first time on Sunday and I now want one.


I guess I gotta start a West Coast WSS meet and show you east coasters how to start a real fire. Mike you in?

 

[Brian Andrews]

People are probably not going to like what I have to say about all this.....but here goes anyway.

I think that the quest for the super steel....the one that can have a razor edge, chop concrete, never need to be sharpened, and on and on is all a marketing gimmick to get people to buy more knives.

The truth is, knife geometry and its in intended purposes probably ranks number one, with heat treat ranking number two, followed by steel selection. A less sharp, full convex edge is sure going to take a pounding, but it won't cut up dinner very well Same goes with an exacto blade. Sure is it sharp as hell, but I ain't going to go batoning one

I have Dogs, Rats, BRKTs and INFI. I am loyal to performance only. If any one of those did not perform like I think they should, they would be gone, and I would not be buying any more.

I think people have been mislead to think that one steel, or one knife, or one geometry can do everything. INFI is a damn fine steel for sure, but still my final grind is dependent on its use. My larger one has a somewhat thicker edge for more abuse, and in general, the smaller the knife gets, the finer I make the edge. Even with INFI, it would be silly to think that such a fine edge is going to be indestructible.

Personally, I think a lot of people are making poor choices for the "one" knife they carry with them. Thinking that it needs to stand up to hours of pounding with a steel hammer, or handle huge prying loads. For me, a belt knife is meant for cutting. I am not going to carry a thicker edge knife for this (which could handle more abuse) and then be pissed off everytime I want to cut something.....which is 99.5% of my use, by the way

If I can have my edge on a sheath knife as sharp as I want it, and it can still stand up to prying, batoning, etc, then I would be more than satisfied. If it did not, I would probably still be fine with it, because cutting is purpose for the knife.

With that being said, I do not own a Fallkniven. I own a few barkies. Make no mistake, I can thin the edge of a barkie as thin as I would like, and it still has handled any non-cutting task I have thrown at it. I SERIOUSLY could not ask for any more out of a knife than that. Plus, I LOVE non-coated knives, they retain an edge for a good amount of time, and are a piece of cake to sharpen.

I am not a loyal kool-aid drinker either. If Barkie performance showed me something I did not like, I would not hesitate to stop buying them.

We all know how important heat treating is to steel performance. Having had a few e-mail discussions with Mike, I can tell that he knows he heat treat. Probably as good or better than anyone out there. Long way of saying, Mike knows what he is doing when it comes to steel.

In terms of performance, for a knife that is going to do cutting, I WAY prefer a Barkie over SR77. I also prefer it over SR101. I have not made enough evaluations on a similar sized INFI to give an opinion on that. But, I am so happy with Mike's A2, I don't feel it is necessary. I much prefer the barkie look, design, no coating and HANDLES more than Busse's. Just my preference I am sure, because they all make great knives.

I really don't have any super hard use pics, but here is what I got.

That is one sexy handle....isn't it?

This is after getting that maple into several pieces.

After a couple days use while camping.

As others have mentioned too, the satin finish just doesn't look like it has been used much. It doesn't take much for a coated blade to look like crap. With no coating, you can use it and use it, then when you finally wash it up, it looks like it has not been used. If you are so picky a couple minutes with used 600 grit and windex and it looks like brand new. Either that or a leather belt on a belt sander. Personally, I am not that picky about looks.

I like satin finish so much, I will probably never buy a coated blade ever again. I have been saying that for over a year now, and I have been sticking to it.

Also, people talk about handle durability of wood/micarta/res-c etc. At first, I was afraid to use my wood handled barkies and much as the micarta ones. But then, I stopped caring. Why? Because they all are warrantied, and I know Mike is good for it I just carry what I like and don't worry about it.

Brian

 

[perksy]

Busse, Bark River and Fehrman are my favorite brands and I have several users from each (I also have a Fallkniven F1 which I use when salt water fishing).

Fox River

Busse Mud Razor All coating is long gone and a tone of work has been done with the knife since this pic.

 

[Ken44]

I guess I gotta start a West Coast WSS meet and show you east coasters how to start a real fire. Mike you in?

Hold on a minute, you don't think this southeast Busse Redneck knows how to start a fire? My Nascar ingraved Zippo does just fine thank you