As mentioned by Dan57, it would be nice to see the test replicated in a documentable manner. Are there CATRA scores available on it?
I'm not saying it's not high quality steel, nor that Busses themselves are at spring-level RC hardness. Just that softer heat treatment (vs. glassy hard) and thick (vs. thin) blade geometries are inherently going to be stronger. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. However, you'll note that on the spectrum from razor-thin to cold chisel-thick most Busses rank towards the cold chisel end of things. And even if run at glassy hardness I would have a hard time breaking (warning--more hyperbole here) a 6" thick, 12" long piece of steel through flexion. Again I just think that MOST (not ALL) of the extreme toughness comes from geometry.
Out of curiosity, has anyone ever done abusive testing on a thin INFI blade? I haven't exactly gone digging for it, so I have no idea, but would be interested to know.
Yes, there has been. A member batonned a thin BAD (very thin, and higher hardness than standard infi) with the spine of another knife.
I have flexed .17 Infi pretty far without taking a set. That was one of their slicers. A SS. I have had a few models in thin range, and they are plenty tough.
BAD (owned two), CABS (which is an anorexic model is thin), SS, SARQ with a nice thin edge (3/16 in about a 7 inch blade).
INFI is not at the top of the pack at abrasive edge retention. It has decent edge retention. But it won't chip out. I have chopped a small stone in half with a thin edge, and the edge took very minimal damage. I took a screw driver and realigned the edge for a minute, and that section was still shaving sharp. The stone was on the chopping block, having come from one of the pieces of wood I picked up.
I have hit concrete and other steel and done mischief to the edge and it has been much easier to fix that other steels I have used.
It is just a very tough steel that has great lateral strength, and impact resistance. I think it is not as special a steel when you get into smaller blades, because frankly, I don't need to chop or pry with my small thin blades (though, I have with short thin INFI just to be a rascal!)
It holds an edge better than my 1095, and some of my stainless, but not all (My CPM 154 outshines it, but it is on a custom folder, that will never see prying!)
I have, enjoy, and use 5160, 1095, other 10xx, CS's Aus8a, Their SanMai (let me tell you it does not suffer hard use with edge damage as well. The last time I made accidental contact with the edge on my old Tralimaster in Sanmai, it took me DAYS to fix by hand! Literally Hours and Hours over the course of several evenings to even get near past the chips in the edge).
I have damaged a lot of edges in my time (normally accidental contact with stones, steel, Nails).
Any medium or high quality steel with a good heat treat is fine with me. Shoot, I don't even care if it stains easily.
On choppers, I do put more of a premium on tough, and I have not used anything that is quite as tough as INFI for oopses. But I can't claim to have used many of the steels out there either. Just some of the basics, like 5160, and 10XX and a few of the stainless offerings like Vg10 laminated.
In smaller blades, I am migrating toward other custom knives in higher edge retention steels. Ankerson's (SP) edge retention list is informative for that.
I would still own a BAD (the thin higher hardness busse) if not for the choil. It was too big on that little knife for my tastes, but I still miss both of mine. They were perfect EDC sized, held a great edge. Were thin slicers, and still tough.
I am not, nor will I ever, be a concrete chopping, pipe cutting, logging chain chopping fool. If I ever have to rescue some one from a car and for some reason, I have to pry open the door, I am grabbing that heavy duty pry bar from my rig. Not my $600 knife, so there is that.
I edc mostly slip joints, and mostly 1095 (though I have ATs34, D2 and CPM154 and a few other steels thrown in).
INFI is not the be all end all. Busse is working on Infi 2.0 with even better edge retention. They have other great steels used in the family of knives (they have used D2, A2, CMP154, Elemax, 52100 (still use and a bit better in edge retention from a wear resistance stanpoint), Sr77 jack hammer steel (which is arguably a bit tougher than Infi, though is not stainless, and supposedly just a bit behind Infi in edge retention).
There is a ton of great steel out there I have not tried. 3v, etc that I think I need to try next.
I think the higher hardess Infi held an edge a bit better than the CMP154, but I am no expert, and no scientific testing has ever been done by my self!
It is important not to get too wrapped up in edge retention as the top criteria either. It is important to note that in Akerson's tests, the knives that are in the top categories are using steel that might not be so great in a large chopper at 65+ RC!
Rope cutting on a hard backing with spine pressure or sawing, is not the same thing as swinging a big knife at a rope target, or chopping hard wood on a dirty tree! So if you are doing those things, the top edge retention might not be the best factor to look at.
Most steels are a balancing act, and INFI is very balanced for tough use, hard impact, and stain resistance.
I have used it in that capacity with enjoyment. I can also say, it is stain resistant when satin finished. I have swam with it, and not dried it off all day. Canoeing for two days in summer heat, and covered in my own steamy sweat, mixed with several swims (all intentional). It did not discolor anywhere. It got a spot of red on the laser engraving, but as soon as I ran my thumb over it it was gone.
Some of their designs are too thick behind the edge. My B11 is great, once I put he edge angle where I wanted it. My FBMLE (before it moved on for the cash) was perfect in edge geometry. I got that one from Bill Siegle in a trade, and I put a low angle wicked convex edge on it (it was laser sharp when Bill sent it to me!) My .32 thick Ash1CG had a super thick spine, but thin edge because of the wide flat ground blade. It had pretty nifty slicing capabilities, for such a thick blade (same with the FBMLE). My SS and both my BADS were very very thin!
I have left it wet, including with pool water. I have left it bloody, and still no rust.
I still love to carry an Opinel! Nothing I have ever used has cut a easily as that little Opinel in carbon. It just has a thin blade, and I put a thin convex edge on it.
As another poster put, Bill Siegle can make you a fantastic tough knife out of 5160, and you will be pleased as punch with it.
I would note that Bill Siegle him self still buys and uses Busse knives. I have seen him write, in explanation, that he buys/trades/uses them because he can't make INFI.
He can make any design he wants. He is a skilled maker. Some of his best customers also buy and use and sell INFI and other Busse family blades too.
I've never told any one that they have to buy Busse, or that other knives and steels aren't good enough. (there are brands and designs I will steer people away from!).
I have my Size and Uses basically covered in by the 4 pieces I have left. I have owned 12 different models and never had a bad one. They all did fantastic at what I bought them for.
My tastes have turned toward customs, and I am moving in that direction, not because I don't like the Busse's, but because that is where I have my investment in knives tied up (mostly), and those are the ones I can sell for no loss (and often an increase in value even after using them for years). I sold a couple recently to pay for a custom slip joint, not because I wanted to, but because I was not willing to lay out any more money on steel, and wanted a custom that I would use more daily.
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