Advice from BUSSE owners please. (Dumb question from a newbie)

S

shane justice

Joined
May 12, 2003
Messages
1,606
Hogs, Friends, countrymen lend me your thoughts....

I came back to BF for one purpose.

That is to find and acquire "bombproof" knives to fill the space in my
"DAY BAG/TEOTWAWKI KIT".

While I do own and use several quality knives, however what I need is that piece of mind when I pick up and go walk about that my equipment is the best I could find.

It seems that the bigger the knife, the easier it is to choose.

Which means that I AM actively pursuing the funds to buy a single FFBM or some such version of the big BUSSE chopper.

And for a small cutter..I am patiently waiting for the BUSSE HOG MUK. I have seen the proto-type and am confident it will handle whatever small cutting needs I may have.

Finally, the seeming most difficult choice. The "medium" knife to fulfill the widest range of knife chores.

I am somewhat smitten with the HG55LE. I know it's supposed to be a "fighter" but to me it looks like a smooth graceful slicer.

I have looked at as many blades and MODS as I can, but I wonder if there is a better medium range knife.

I see an ASH-1 on EBAY that has a 5/15th inch spine.

What am I missing here?

I don't mind if you have a bias to one knife or another, gimme those opinions.

HG55 or what?

Thank you!

Shane
 
NMSFNO or a bit shorter is the SFNO.

Great all-around medium sized knives.

I have the ASH-1 too. While it's "bomb-proof". The NMSFNO get's taken far more often because it is a bit more versatile.

Swamprat and Scrapyard make a ton a great bussekin too.
 
First of all thanks for the input.

Second of all am I thinking too hard, and missing out on a great opportunity?

I just saw the guy using his SAR-6 to cut ribs off the grill.

I had somehow placed that knife in the "smallish" category.

Things that make you say, "Hmmmmm..."

Shane
 
Something like this might work for you. I just received it from a fellow forum member yesterday and had to take it into the forest(my front yard) today. It's the SFNO. BTW that stump it's leaning against yielded about 60 lbs of pure resignated fat wood. Thanks again for the knife J.
 
I'm rathr biased...and can't really bring a choice down to just one anything anymore concerning Busse knives. So, instead, I dug up some conparison pix taken over the years for you to peruse while hearing serious input from other folks. :)

Busse_SAR6LE27_Comparison.jpg


Busse_NMSFNO-TG.jpg


Busse_DSF-BSt-SJ_2.jpg


Busse_BOSS-BATAC2.jpg


SAR8LE_SJ-1.jpg


Busse_Grays_CGFBM-HG55-BATAC.jpg


FBM-FSH-SkASH1-SJTAC_2.jpg

FBM-FSH-SkASH1-SJTAC_3.jpg


NMSFNOLE_BATAC_SS4_LrMrStLE.jpg


Ash-1_BATAC-V_CGBATAC.jpg


BLADE_SE2007_Full-SetSE2007GW_V.jpg


BunchO_Busse2.jpg


New_Top-Ten_list.jpg


Oops! Where'd this comparison pic come from??? ;) :D:D
 
yea , i would go with an sfno. i have owned both an ash1 cg and a sfno and i would say if its a chopper you want the ash1 cg is a tank, but if you plan on making the knife preform all around the sfno is where its at. might wanna look at batacs too, thought they are smaller.
 
SFNO, NMSFNO, DSF, SAR6, SARsquatch, ASH, and the BOSS Jack are all excellent mid-sized knives, and that's not even all of the possibilities in the Busse line. an SHSH of some sort would be perfect but they're old and rare and expensive. I really love my DSF, but that recent SAR6 vs DSF thread makes a strong argument for the SAR6 in that it's already Satin which is favored in food use. Hard to go wrong either way...

The SARsquatch was a sleeper of sorts but it's been getting lots of attention in various threads throughout the last year (give or take) so it's harder and harder to find a deal on one anymore. Great knife at any price, and none of the ones lately were priced sky high or anything.

I prefer the SFNO to the ASH because of the shape of the handle. The SFNO is just more comfortable in regular use than the shape of the ASH, but it's a slight and personal difference that may not matter to you. The ASH, and specifically a .32 one, is something to behold. a NMSFNO is a lot of knife for the money (those extra inches make it an entirely different knife, I think, and more a FSH contender instead of an ASH contender).

a BOSS Jack is more than it looks in photos, in size and mass and utility. it may seem small as compared to an ASH or NMSFNO or even the DSF, but it's still a pretty big-ish knife and is no slouch. it may not be much of a chopper, but you could baton the crap out of it. And given that it's as close as you can get to an original (straight handled) Satin Jack it's a relative bargain at today's prices.

My favorites in that range are the DSF, Sarsquatch, and BOSS Jack.

Here's a recent shot of most of mine:

SatinGoodness_11.JPG
 
Can't beat the FBM for the large hoss. Muck should be a good choice if it ever comes out but the CABS gets my vote presently for the 3-4 inch slot. For the mid size, I vote for the SAR 6 for a few reasons. It's available now from the company store in several color combo's so you dont have to worry about finding what you want on the exchange or any markup on prices, I love the feel of it in my hand, it's satin which I have come to prefer lately, it fills that 5-7 inch gap pretty well, and mainly it just brings a smile to my face while holding/using it. It's quite a knife and like many others here, I have owned dozens of Busses. It's a keeper.
 
I don't think you can go wrong for a "general purpose" survival knife than the SFNO "I like the saber grind for a bit extra chopping power; for the size and weight, you can't go wrong.
KnobCreekApril2010006-1.jpg

KnobCreekApril2010005-1.jpg
 
Ok... Take my reply with a grain of salt as I've only owned one Busse and I had it in my hand for all of a day before I shipped it off to Okuden for a good Kydex sheath.

However, I HAVE had a fair bit of experience with knives of all different shapes and sizes.

I own an SFNO - the regular one, not an LE or NM edition. And truth be told, as this is a user, I'm glad that I went this route. The blade has just the right heft to it and the size of the blade is not so large as to be one that I'd rather have in my pack rather than on my person. Also, it has the right proportions for effective use as a draw knife or a wood splitter. The non-radiused edges of the standard SFNO means that it is not going to eat through your batons at a faster rate while spliting wood for fires or shelter.

For the handle, I chose to go with hand shaped, canvas micarta mag grips.

Overall, I have to say that I'm quite impressed. It is now (or will be once it returns) my go-to knife for hiking/camping/survival. It really is that well made and designed. So if you are looking for a good medium sized utility blade, the SFNO will fit that role quite well in my estimation, as an all-around performer. Just don't try slicing fruit and stuff like that with it. The blade thickness makes that somewhat... challenging.
 
Welcome back!

I swear, we do this "what is the best medium size knife?" about every other week lately. :rolleyes:

The good news for you is that there is a surfeit of choices.


The bad news for you is that there is a surfeit of choices.


We have had any number of folk come in the Bussekin universe, and find out that to get "The One" they had to buy (or trade for) a knife, get it in hand, decide it wasn't "The One", sell it (or trade away). Rinse and repeat. These are personal choices. It is hard for us to know what will fit your hand, or feel good to you. For example, many people love the ASH-1. Except me; I don't like that handle on that knife. YMMV.

The best advice is to try and find a fellow piglet with a few knives that you can at least get a chance to hold. Let us know were you live, you might get lucky.
 
AZTimT said:
Looks like a SAR 8 to me since it is longer than the DSF. The SAR 6 is a bit shorter.
Click to expand...

Definitely a sar 8. Keep in mind when choosing between the various models and the sar series that the pommel and handle on the sar's are GIGANTIC. like, really, really, REALLY MASSIVE. that's a big broad chunk of full thickness metal that pulls the balance towards the handle. Even if it weighs less, something will less handle at the same length may feel like it chops better because of the balance.
 
shane justice said:
Hogs, Friends, countrymen lend me your thoughts....

I came back to BF for one purpose.

That is to find and acquire "bombproof" knives to fill the space in my
"DAY BAG/TEOTWAWKI KIT".


Thank you!

Shane
Click to expand...

Just to make it clear in my head, what does "bombproof" mean to you?

The reason I ask is because I recently read a thread where a member here was upset that his expensive nuclear Busse knife had some edge damage when it met concrete. :rolleyes:
 
Jaxx, I seriously appreciate all the pics.

And I apologize if this topic is OLD HACK. Dang I remeber on BF when I used to be in the MAKERS section a lot. There was always guys coming in asking...

How do I make a knife?

You could hear the sound of ten thousand forehead slaps ringing in your ears.

And I am listening.

It's pretty much a toss up between the SAR-6 (Last Canary I hear you and understand. If the SAR is the way I go, and the handle is a factor I will perform the mod myself on my old BURR KING. And then that opens the ball for any other tweaks!)

And because so many guys have suggested the SFNO..it is also on my mind.

I WILL say this ONE TIME and one time ONLY!

I am only here to buy 3 KNIVES! That's it. 3 and I am out.

Only 3.

Yup 3 is the number and the number is 3.

The holy trinity as it were.

A big one, a medium one, and a little one. THREE.

I put my foot down and counted to three.

Shane
 
(You guys gonna let me get away with that whole "3" business?)

Let me have my illusions.

Just until the "AGANZAAAAAA" is over...ok?

Shane
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top