Any bushcrafters among us?

Barrabas said:
Thanks for the info on the Tanker...I agree with the 3/16 or less for pure cutting aps, but very rarely do I need deep slicing on something in the woods I'm in..plenty of deadfall for fire prep, and all I generally need to get a fire are some tight curls.
To your point, and how I agree on how versatility is what I prefer as well in a single blade situation:

Once I ran across a downed pine, struck by lightning at a perfect spot where the base of the tree was full of fatwood; I had only one edged tool.
With a less capable knife I would have been limited to slicing/batoning small, thin pieces in an awkward fashion out of the trunk; thankfully, I had the B5 at the time..I could pound in a cross section, twist/pry more out than would have taken me 10 times the time to do with a less capable blade/knife design, at lengths/widths I prefer..long enough to hold with one hand, and thick enough to shave with the other.

In that scenario, I had a more versatile tool for the craft/work that presented itself.
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Agreed that it's all what you want to do in the woods. I don't generally need to make feather sticks or anything like that. A lot of bushcrafting for me is the fun of learning and using the skill. And it's nice to be able to do it if I don't have the gear I usually have in my backpack. In a survival situation I do have enough gear for fire making, water purification that a lot of those skills wouldn't even come into play. But they're fun. And there's a chance it could save my skin some day.
But yeah, something multi purpose and durable wins the day.
 
a lot of those skills wouldn't even come into play. But they're fun. And there's a chance it could save my skin some day.
But yeah, something multi purpose and durable wins the day
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:thumbup:..

On a side note, My favorite skill to practice right now is trap making...like most skills in the woods (even including getting a fire to light from a Firesteel), looks so simple on a web page, but there are so many intricacies/nuances that it takes multiple attempts/fails/trial/error before one would have a real "skill" that they could have confidence in working in the event it was needed.

Back to the thick vs thin blades topic...even with trap making, as long as you have a good edge, even if the blade is thick past the relief, if well designed, is still very effective.
 
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Barrabas said:
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:thumbup:..

On a side note, My favorite skill to practice right now is trap making...like most skills in the woods (even including getting a fire to light from a Firesteel), looks so simple on a web page, but there are so many intricacies/nuances that it takes multiple attempts/fails/trial/error before one would have a real "skill" that they could have confidence in working in the event it was needed.

Back to the thick vs thin blades topic...even with trap making, as long as you have a good edge, even if the blade is thick past the relief, if well designed, is still very effective.
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I agree on both points. Traps look easier than they are. Even a simple figure 4 can fail if you don't do things correctly.
My Satin Jack is very thick. It's the older 1/4 inch version but because it's extremely sharp, it does the job nicely.
 
The figure 4 was the first of many to feed me some humble pie :)..getting it to stand was one thing, getting it to still have enough sensitivity, and yet withstand a good gust of wind (small game version I'm talking about) was another!

My favorite I keep in my pack is a small spring snare set up utilizing one of the strong tension Nikon retractors made for rangefinders with the small steel cable..that bad boy works, and you don't have to worry about a tree/limb losing it's spring, or something finding it's way out from under a Paiute, or even a figure 4 (if something a little bigger than expected stumbles upon it)..much easier to set up than a figure 4, or really any other (small game) trap I've experimented with..you should check em' out sometime.
 
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Back on topic (cause man, I can derail a subject quickly :rolleyes:)..of your collection, which lends itself to the most prolonged use for bushcraftigoodnesses :D/all around use..in a gloveless scenario?
 
Of the Busse knives, the Badger Attack 3, Groove Master, Buffalo Soldier, and the Heavy Duty. Though the HD has a really short blade for some tasks. I also still use a Howling Rat and the Bandicoot is like a Mora that's done a lot of weight lifting. :)
For wood processing I prefer the SH-E or the Ratweiler.
I'm blanking on the name of the un-coated blade in the middle, but it excels at wood carving.
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Here's a Groove Master on the far left.
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The Ratweiler did a great job clearing up a mess in the yard after a storm took a tree down.
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I tried to get some out and get a pic the other day but the pets were tearing through the house and I didn't want any furrballs to get hurt by running into the room and skidding across knives spread out on the floor.
 
Nice...what's the thickness of the Groove master?...I like the pommel..as really like a bushcraft blade that I can do palm/pommel strikes on if I want too..
Ever used a R9?..the blade geometry on that one makes it the best of the Busses I've had for all around chopping, and the grooved micarta/balance/double beveled choil make it hands down the most comfortable/versatile I've used of largish blades for choke ups..though I did have to do a little creative engineering utilizing the holes/paracord:



It has beaten a lot since this pic..

Now:
 
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Barrabas said:
Nice...what's the thickness of the Groove master?
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It's 3/16 thick. It doesn't really have a palm swell. The blade is around 4 inches long. I haven't used any of the newer Rats. Haven't even handled one. The newest Rat I have is a Howling Rat Tac and I believe it's called an M6.
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I just realized I've been away from the forums for so long that I don't even remember what all these knives are called. And I'm really unfamiliar with the newer offerings.
 
I know the feeling bro, I was away for over a year, and just got back on in the last few weeks, enjoying it while I can :thumbup:
 
Just looked and while I've posted periodically it looks like this thread is the most active I've been on the Busse forum since 2007. Went through a CRK phase and a traditional phase but I got away from the forums for the most part. But I decided since I've spent the last couple years bushcrafting, I'd come see who else that uses Busse Kin blades shares this hobby.
 
Yeah, I'm tickled to hear someone else shares the joy of bushcraft in this side of the forum too!
Considering how we share the same perspective on a combo approach..really hope you'll check out the Steak Knife...best slicer Busse has made so far IMO, and since you made the CRK mention (and I have enjoyed many of their blades previously), think of the 3.5 inch Steak knife (in pic above with R9) like a fixed blade Sebbie except it holds an edge better, and has superior ergos..right now it's my combo blade with the R9..Ganza is tomorrow night I think, perfect timing for you to be back :thumbup:
 
Two best Busse bushcrafters IMO are the no-choil CABS and the Muk.

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Old school Lean Street ain't bad either.

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Yeah, that's a nice one, C1 :thumbup:

I just love the Res C so much..It excels at one of my favorite applications for an all around bushcrafter, namely the ability to do pommel strikes into small kindling without hurting myself ;) for the twist/breaks for the 2nd phase of fire prep after the savings :)..another that I love, is having at least the last inch or so of the blade spine that can work on a fire steel..neither are deal breakers, but are mega helpful, just because even more options on what I can craft.

Thanks for the info on the CABs, Guyon.
 
Barrabas said:
Yeah, I'm tickled to hear someone else shares the joy of bushcraft in this side of the forum too!
Considering how we share the same perspective on a combo approach..really hope you'll check out the Steak Knife...best slicer Busse has made so far IMO, and since you made the CRK mention (and I have enjoyed many of their blades previously), think of the 3.5 inch Steak knife (in pic above with R9) like a fixed blade Sebbie except it holds an edge better, and has superior ergos..right now it's my combo blade with the R9..Ganza is tomorrow night I think, perfect timing for you to be back :thumbup:
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Well I just got home, so I missed out on the ganza. With holiday spending I can't really be buying knives at the moment anyway. Looks like that thing would be a great slicer though.
 
Well it was a brisk 8 degrees today so no woods time for me. I dont mind cold weather but single digits just seems to get colder and colder every year.

Garth
 
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