A2 v. Sr 101

R

raul casso

Joined
May 18, 2018
Messages
25
Hello,

I have Busse blades in both steels--A2 when Busse was using A2 many years ago, and several blades in Sr 101 (and Infi) featured in the current line-up.

My question is: What were Busse's reasons for changing from A2 to Sr 101 which is a modified 52100? Both are great steels, but I wonder why the switch--there must be specific performance related reasons, and,perhaps, also reasons having to do with the heat treat protocol. SR 101 brings something to the table that A2 did not and could not.

Busse once said that if he could find a material that outperformed INFI, he would stop using INFI and use that other material. Going from A2 to modified 52100 must have that kind of performance related consideration to choosing on over the other before offering it to the customer.

My use of the two steels is not extreme. Although I find that I get a keener edge with A2, and I have no complaints about SR 101, and I am sure I have not tested the limits of either steel. I am strictly a consumer. I do notice that the SR 101 blades are offered with thinner stock. The A2 era blades are all 1/4" stock.

Anyone?
 
Hello raul,

IIRC, sr101 was launched in the Kin as a value driven way of getting a blade in the hands of everyone with the backing of Busse conglomerate and attending quality & unparalleled lifetime guarantee. I don't think it ever was officially stated that sr101 ever out performed A2 overall.

Busse proper didn't offer any models in sr101 until the Battle Grade series. And again, I think it was explained as a value driven decision. It was a way that a lot of the iconic Busse model platforms could be offered at a lower price point. Up until then, only Swamp Rat & SYKCO utilized sr101.

A2 in the TG Special Edition was an homage to the original usage of A2 as with the earlier models you've mentioned owning from that era of Busse production. Pairing A2 with the ultra-popular Busse TG model was a WIN/WIN for Busse overall.

Jerry always has been about quality and "The Best" of everything in blades. His business model, from where I sit, has really had a focus the past few years on "The Best Value" or bang for the buyer's buck. The Battle Grade line shows this.

Plus remember, another of my favorite knife company founder says, "No bad steels, just DIFFERENT steels." INFI, imho and millions of other's opinions, is the gold standard for an all-around well balanced steel with high marks in most of the most-cited statistical categories. With the capper being it is relatively easy to keep sharp in comparison to the other steels. But, when makers choose a steel for a particular specialized task or objective-- be it value, utility, or both-- there is a "horses for courses" type long term strategy employed.

Sorry this is so long, but I had to present that to make my closing statement that Jerry seems great at picking winning horses!
 
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Petey pretty much said everything i thought. As i understand, a2 was used until INFI, and is very similar, a2 was discontinued for 15-20 years before the battle grade sr101 came out. Which in turn sr101 had replaced sr77 in the swamp rat line.

At some practical levels it makes business sense to use sr101 this way as the higher volume makes it cheaper and they can set their tooling all the same, is what I'm thinking.

But sr101 was not a direct replacement for a2.
 
they still have some A2 they used to pump out some beautiful Geminis at blade show.
 
I have not been around that long but I don't think the correct analogy is that SR101 replaced A2....in terms of history it appears that INFI replaced A2 (essentially condensing what the other more verbose posters have said ;) ).
 
I wish i knew what Jerry was seeing when he was gonna release the trash1(i think) in 1095.. then changed his mind. I did here that the 1095 didnt perform to his standards but thst could be here say.
 
I recall Dan saying that they could not wring the performance they wanted out of the 1095. I had ordered 3 x TRASH1s when they went up as 1095 (and were priced accordingly). Then the announcement came that they were not going to be 1095 and the price went up as well. The original 1095 price was honored for anyone who already had an order in.
 
Andy the Aussie said:
I recall Dan saying that they could not wring the performance they wanted out of the 1095. I had ordered 3 x TRASH1s when they went up as 1095 (and were priced accordingly). Then the announcement came that they were not going to be 1095 and the price went up as well. The original 1095 price was honored for anyone who already had an order in.
Click to expand...
Ya thats right.. its comming back to me now.
That is one sexy res c blade.. its no suprise but i am curious where it fell short
 
INFI replaced a2 during shba’s and shsh’s.?1999? With the introduction of the Battle Mistress.
Sr101 was introduced in the Taliwacker during Desert Storm.
Sr101 then became the then new Swamp Rat Knife Works steel of choice.
 
I seem to remember a while back Jerry stated that SR101 was his second favorite steel. No reasons given as to why though.
 
Still Voracious said:
INFI replaced a2 during shba’s and shsh’s.?1999? With the introduction of the Battle Mistress.
Sr101 was introduced in the Taliwacker during Desert Storm.
Sr101 then became the then new Swamp Rat Knife Works steel of choice.
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Desert Storm is a bit early for the Taliwacker. It was somewhere in the 2001-2002 timeframe.
 
Jerry Busse said:
This is a very unusual knife. It has never been SOLD before. We made them right after September 11th. This is the Tali-Whacker. It was made as part of a run of knives we donated to USSOCOM after 9/11 for distribution to our Special Ops Teams.
Click to expand...

Jerry Busse said:
The Tali-Whacker was the first model EVER made out of SR-101 and it came along well before the inception of SWAMP RAT. It is the ONLY Busse Combat Blade made with SR-101 and a totally Sterile Resiprene C handle.
Click to expand...
 
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