Are Busses really that great?

Roodog

Roodog

Joined
Apr 9, 2004
Messages
466
Hear me out. Ive never handled one, never even seen one up close. They seem very expensive but I can definately understand the high price for a high quality piece of steel with excellent tempering and durable handle material.

What has me asking this question is the incredibly high percentage of sale threads that are for Busse's. Seemed like for a little while there every other "Production Knives for Sale by Individual" was for a Busse. Why such high turnover in ownership? Im figuring if they were that great, owners would never want to sell them.

Any hardcore Busse fans, please dont take this as an attack. I intend in no way to offend. Im just puzzled over the fact that so many high quality blades from a single maker are for sale. :confused:
 
The way Busse makes models only for a short time before moving on creates a binge and purge system among the buyers. Buy 20 as soon as they hit the site, sell 10 immediately once there's no more left, 5 later once the prices goes up, etc. That doesn't have anything to do with the knife though.

Are they tough? Yes. DO they cut well? um no, not IMO. Unless you reprofile it.

Is it worth it to you? No one can say.
 
Here are some of the reasons, IMO...
Handles...as you stated, it can be hard to try out a Busse before you buy. Some of the handles are radically different from the orignal straight handles, to the Ergo handles (love 'em), the Special forces handles (my mini Eu-17 is going in the dirt with me), Fusion handles, and now TAC handles. There are also magnum handles available. I have small hands, so I like the smaller handles.
Duplicate models...as stated, many people buy different blades of the same style or size, and then (like me) realize they are not going to use 3 blades with a 6-8 inch blade, you may part with a couple.
Timing...currently you have the impending Anniversary Straight Handle Steel Heart release, Knob Creek show, and Knob Creek ganza, so some of the guys are offloading to have money for more or custom INFI.
Some Busses cut great out of the box (Skeleton Key, Game Warden, Basic 7), some have a 'chopper' edge, and do need a reprofile to be good slicers or shavers, no doubt. But that edge is great on concrete!
 
Thanks guys, that explains quite a bit. Ive been considering a smaller one to use as a hard use outdoor knife but was getting a little concerned about the sheer amount available for sale.
Thanks again.
 
Roodog,

Busse's knives are really that great, but, as DaveH says, the factory edge can be a little thick. There are plenty of other great outdoors knives, too, though, so if you can't find a Busse that fits your needs and budget, look elsewhere for now.

Aunt Yangdu (Himalayan Imports), Justin Gingrich (Ranger Knives), John Greco (Greco Knives), Bill Siegle (Bill Siegle), Lloyd Harner III (butcher_block), and several others all make knives which will let you reshape parts of the wilderness without depleting your 401K. You might even have a look at knives made by Bark River, Ontario, and Scott Gossman.
 
DaveH said:
The way Busse makes models only for a short time before moving on creates a binge and purge system among the buyers. Buy 20 as soon as they hit the site, sell 10 immediately once there's no more left, 5 later once the prices goes up, etc. That doesn't have anything to do with the knife though.

Are they tough? Yes. DO they cut well? um no, not IMO. Unless you reprofile it.

Is it worth it to you? No one can say.
Click to expand...

That's a fair and accurate assessment.....

Busse knives can be had at a fair price if you buy them at the time they are available through Busse Combat. After market prices are a little out of control, unless your a Busse collector.

However, as already said, there are plenty of other very good knives out there costing much less than Busse, which would make a great outdoor knife. One of my favorites is Fallkniven. It's a lot of knife for the money.
 
I think that they're good knives, but I don't think that they're worth the asking price.
 
I have owned a few but have yet to drink the kool-aid--here is my take.....

The key thing is the proprietary steel, INFI, which based on various tests, does seem to be an ultra high performance steel. There are less expensive options for those not pushing things to the limit.

Yes, they are very savvy at marketing...There is a collector mania surrounding their products- they cater to collectors on the web with only a few models available at any one time. Undoubtedly that drives the price.

Fit and finish is not the best, and frankly I was a bit disappointed with the grinding and handle fit on those that I have purchased at their price point.

They make a lot of large blades with serrated backs, knuckle guards, etc., which seem to be more fantasy then practical. Many of the collectors on this site seem to like them for chopping bowling pins and trees in the backyard. An axe would cost less and probably get the job done easier if that is what you are looking to do...

I would buy one if you are interested on the secondary market as the company store can be a hassle and the wait buying the one model available at any one time directly can be months. If you don't like it, there are plenty of fans to re-sell it to....
 
Are they worth the money, no but they might be to you. They make a damn strong knife that you should have no problem reselling. If they didnt sell well i might recomend going with a swamprat or something but if you dont like a Busse someone will snatch it up off you and you will be no worse for the ware.
 
allenC said:
I think that they're good knives, but I don't think that they're worth the asking price.
Click to expand...

some of the secondary market prices are indeed high. but the original prices are in line with, and often times far cheaper than, other semi custom knives.
 
I bought a Game Warden because there aren't that many really nice small fixed blades on the market unless custom made (yes, I have some of those too). I had a custom Kydex crossdraw sheath made for it. It's a great knife and I like it better than most of my customs.

As far as large FB's are concerned, there are plenty of great production ones of lesser price to choose from so I won't buy a large Busse. Just my own opinion.

Regards
 
Yes, they are great knives.

If you order from the shop, you can request any type of thinned edge you desire. You can't go wrong with any of the 3 Busse Companies.
 
It's an "investment" knife.Big demand and big price.A lot of these buyers will sell them with (they hope) a good ROI.I bought a few: very strong knives,fit and finish is average.Not very sharp and not user friendly:heavy and clumsy grip.
But it's something special and a lot of my friends find the price fair.And for the marketing, congratulations they are real pro's.But for the REAL Busse users,you have a hell of a knife.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
some of the secondary market prices are indeed high. but the original prices are in line with, and often times far cheaper than, other semi custom knives.
Click to expand...

True, but I still think they're too expensive for what you get.
 
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the design and the ergos. Although ergos are subjective, most people seem to be pretty impressed with how most Busses feel in the hand, and the number of grips that can be used on each knife. I know I was sold the minute I held my FSH in my hand- in spite of the fact that it cost 4 times what I had ever spent on a knife before that.

As far as I have been able to tell from reading here (please let me know if I have missed something) INFI is the best all-around steel available at this time- especially for a "hard use" or "bet your life on it" type of knife. It's strong, tough for it's hardness (or hard for it's toughness?), sharpens easily despite showing excellent edge holding, and very corrosion resistant for not being stainless.

My understanding is that the edges are left thick because you can thin them if you want to, but those who want the extra strength would have a hard time adding steel if they were made thinner. Same reason they don't come with sheaths- they figure at this level you probably are going to have your own ideas about what you want.

These are high-end knives made for high-end users. Now, obviously there are not that many people who really need a knife of this quality, but there are always plenty of people who want the best just on general principles. Then there are the "investors", and the fact that lately Busse has been catering to massive growth in collector interest with about forty-dozen different models of Game Wardens.

Lastly, as mentioned before, with the various different handles and blades and no way to try them out, you pretty much have to buy a knife to see if you're going to like it. After awhile, they start to pile up and you need to sell some to try the new knives.

Add to all this the Busse reputation and guarantee and you have a pretty popular knife that is very actively "traded".

I would advise anyone into knives to try one- you really can't lose- you either find out what all the fuss is about, or you sell it for what you paid for it.

My $1.95
 
The short answer to your question is yes. The busse product is a bit on the expensive side, but you do get sterling quality in exchange. I have an older model basic 9 which has been used, abused and put to all manner of tests. It is still in great working order. The BM style is a great knife also, especially in the 5/16th wonder steel configuration. Most normal folk would have a great deal of trouble putting that knife into a bind. Are they worth the lofty price tag? Yes.
 
In a word, yes.

The reason there are so many for sale is the fact that most can get more than they payed for out of them...

Absolutely not due to a lack of performance.
 
Most of the people selling Busses on the forum own quite a few, or a lot, of them. I have about 60 of the things, and am just in the middle of the pack among serious Busse collectors. Very few are selling their only Busse because they don't like it. Many own multiples of the same model and sell to buy other models, or because of financial emergencies.

Busse sale offerings will hit a yearly peak in the next two months, as people raise funds for Blade. Many Busse fans will also not be buying, as they prepare for Blade. That means that supply and demand will somewhat limit the prices. If there is a discontinued Busse model that you just must have, the next two months will be prime.

Are they worth the asking prices? Only you can answer that. I do not have a single one that I would sell for what I paid for it. Mine are not for sale, although I have traded one (for another Busse.)
 
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