Another "Which First Busse?" thread...

NJBillK

NJBillK

Custom Leather and Fixed Blade modifications.
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
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Sorry for the long winded post, but here we go...

I am still a little bit of time away from my inevitable purchase (maybe a month or so) and I would like for my first Busse to check as many boxes as possible for my daily usage.
Since I have spent around a week actually looking at stats; models, the exchange, and other various stuff; and I have an idea what I would like, I have come to the masses for a finer point to my search.

Materials encountered weekly:
Cardboard, plastics (thin and thick), wood, errant staples, fiberglass, poly cutting boards, light contact with aluminum and steel.
Though to be honest, this will also be carried hiking, camping, having a fire in the yard, gardening, et al.
If it is knife related, and the blade length can handle it, this would be my "goto" knife.

I would prefer
-a more "Slicey" knife with a 3"-3.75" blade, maybe 4" if it ticks the most boxes, .188 and under, prefer even under .145
-higher hrc if possible, Boney AD, or a Scrapivore LE (are the BADs as high as the Scrap LE, 60-61rc)?
-Handle Material doesn't matter, but I would prefer g10/micarta over resiprene.
-SR-101 over infi for edge retention in a smaller blade, rust isn't an issue since I care for my knives regularly.
-Colors don't Really matter, but I would prefer subdued tones.
-Preferably spending $250 or less, but I can stretch it to $350 for The Knife (I know that idea is Futile)...

-I have lately been tossing around the idea of getting an anorexic hog muk and having the spine reprofiled, while keeping the stock tip location to keep the full cutting edge. I Really like the low heel.
(Do you folks think I would be sacrificing much in terms of blade strength for this?)
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I have been thinking an MSE, Culti, BAD, CABS, Hog Muk (reprofiled) but I am open to anything else that you can offer up.

Thanks!



TLDR: Which Smaller Busse, edc slicer plus more?
 
Just pulled down a Scrapmax 460 off the Exchange. I may have just found slicer Nirvana...:)
 
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Elmax Active Duty or possibly a elmax game warden would be a good option for you. Leaner or meaner streets, AMS isn't a bad option, but it has too much handle for me and not enough blade. A used steak knife would be worth a look if you could find one.
 
Sent a PM on the steak, but I am listing two knives tonight to afford it. I was planning on selling them to fund this purchase anyway, so...

I am just slightly questioning the slicing ability of the steak knifes saber grind over a ffg or high saber of a MUK or a CABS. Also, whether the handle shape would be slick under harder usage.

Any input?


Either way I put a PM out and I could likely let it go for around the purchase price if I don't feel comfortable when I first hold it. (If I don't Love it immediately, I wouldn't use it)
 
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I haven't used a busse steak knife yet, but my elmax active duty (max duty) and game warden slice like champs. The max duty has a 13.5 dps and the GW has a 15 dps. I am currently experimenting between the two. The GW gets most of the work right now just because I want to work down in angles and have a solid start and stop on "feel"
 
As far as grind, its hard to say. I know what you listed and what you cut but it still depends on what you have planned in your head and the results you want. Light contact with any alloys could potentially affect your edge depending on your edge geometry. If you left it about 17 degrees to 19 dps it shouldn't really matter what you are cutting... I think it would reduce your risk even if you did hit an alloy or if you do a micro bevel and thin the blade out to achieve the thinness you desire. But take those as suggestions as I have not personally experienced any of my Busse hitting rocks or steel regardless of blade angle.... Yet... :)

I am a choil kind of guy, so ask yourself if you are too. It to me is the most important part of finding a smaller blade. I am on the lookout for a hack warden in elmax for that very reason. I like my GW but it could be more comfortable to my hand, but that's not to say its not already comfortable, because it is. I just like me some choils ;) I am about to sell my first Busse INFI because the choil isn't usable to my liking... I may see if I can get one put in first before I do sell it.

The truth of the matter you can take any of the blades you want and achieve the blade geometry that works best for you. My suggestion is to find the one that fits your hand like a glove then make it the into blade angle/geometry that you want and use often with no reservation... Then you will be like me and sell all your other fixed blades for more Busse...
 
My first was a Swamp Rat Rodent Trail I picked up off the exchange while waiting on a RMD from the shop.

Blade is ~4.25" long, .175" stock, relatively lean grind, great handle.

I've thought about stripping it and modding the spine to replicate the drop point variant that a few folks got from the shop, which would probably reduce the blade length to under 4".

Sounds like you've already got some great options on your list though. Good luck with you search!
 
I like FFG for slicers, some guys prefer Hollow ground...I understand wanting a spine with a little bit of thickness, but for slicing, it just gets in the way and wedges in the cut in my experience-- especially in things like cardboard.

I'd challenge anyone to find a "slicy-er" Bussekin than a .095 FFG Scrapmax!
 
NJBillK said:
Sent a PM on the steak, but I am listing two knives tonight to afford it. I was planning on selling them to fund this purchase anyway, so...

I am just slightly questioning the slicing ability of the steak knifes saber grind over a ffg or high saber of a MUK or a CABS. Also, whether the handle shape would be slick under harder usage.

Any input?
Click to expand...

If this is to be used as an outdoors knife, the Steak knife would be right near the bottom of my list of Busse's. I would go for something that is at least .22-.25" thick for the added strength if needed to be called upon. If the knife has an aggressive distal taper and lean grind behind the edge bevel (you will have to regrind to get this here) then the thicker stock is not really a hindrance in the lighter uses.

Steak knife is a great little slicer though… it should slice OK with the hollow grind. I believe slicing is far more dependent on edge geometry/thickness behind edge rather than what sort of primary grind is used. In fact, Buck chose the hollow grind for their slicing knives based on their CATRA testing having the best edge holding… but it very well could have more to do with thickness behind the edge being less.

That being said, I don't feel that Elmax is a worthwhile trade off for me personally in a knife, as it is much more difficult to grind and I'd much rather have something easy to grind with whatever is available that needs to be sharpened a bit more frequently. Sure, it is no problem grinding Elmax with quality man made abrasives… but get out in the wilderness and things start to get much more complicated.

Where the higher carbide steels such as Elmax really begin to make sense is for those who do not want to sharpen their knives much or ever (or don't know how) and don't mind using knives that are virtually dull (sub 5% optimal sharpness) for long periods. I like using sharp knives, it's just plain safer and more efficient… being that I can take a knife from completely dull to shaving sharp in minutes with whatever stones I have (24 grit even) it is literally no big deal to sharpen. High or low carbide knives pretty much lose their high level of sharpness at more or less the same rates, but the higher carbides will hold that low level sharpness much longer.

Personally, from what you have detailed… your best best would be an Ergo Mini Muk. Especially if you don't mind changing the blade profile a bit to suit whatever your tastes are, it would make a great starting point for a custom pattern. This is one I regret not getting in on, another one worth look at might be the Baby Boom. Granted it is not SR-101, but INFI should quite possibly have even more wear resistance than SR-101 due to the chromium content being significant.
 
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Maggot Brain said:
Personally, from what you have detailed… your best best would be an Ergo Mini Muk. Especially if you don't mind changing the blade profile a bit to suit whatever your tastes are, it would make a great starting point for a custom pattern. This is one I regret not getting in on, another one worth look at might be the Baby Boom.
Click to expand...

the more I think about it, I am thinking the Muk might be my best starting point...

I will look into a Baby Boom and possibly even a WTH! (Even though that might be a step back from the minimuk).
If I am going to regrind, I might want as much of a "close enough" as I can muster...
Thanks folks!

Please keep the discussion, ideas, and influx of information coming!
 
Wen I started looking for that one trick pony I picked up a ratweiler le and now I'm looking at 13 blade and hungry for more. Best advice I can give is buy everything busse has to offer because once you start there is no going back
 
How about an Hairy carry ?

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The "Vex" is another good slicer
 
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The Rodent Solution pictured top or the AMS-Ergo come to mind. I sharpen my Rodent Solution to 20º per side and can fully gut and skin a Blacktail Buck without a resharpen and it will still slice paper cleanly when done.

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The steak knife is a perfect first Busse. It slices like a laser, it does an exceptional job processing wild game or chores in the kitchen. I have made several different types of sheaths to ensure optimum carrying. My previous everyday go to knife was the Cultellus, great little blade, but it was a disappointment when it came to slicing apples. Another knife that is great for everyday carry is the Game Warden, this was my first serious edc Busse, and made was a great farm knife.
Steak knife


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Thanks folks, I think I am going to be watching the exchange for a bit and trying to land a BG MiniMuk or a HogMuk and making it suit my needs.

Does anyone have any MUK user photos they would like to share?
 
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