Are all the Busse knives really hard to get and a long wait. How about the mainstays like the Natural Outlaw and Steelheart? What should I expect for a wait time being realistic. I have heard some horror stories. Also is my credit card going to be charged before the knife is shipped? Hope not, cause that would cause a no-go.
Average wait for main knives in line.
- Thread starter Mike990
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averageguy
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Yes, your credit card will be charged when you place your order. And yes, it could be a long wait for your knife. I ordered a ZT set in July and cancelled that order in mid December - it would have been my first Busse knife purchase and I was very excited about it. I got tired of waiting and I became upset when Busse would ignore inquiries here on the forums about the disposition of these knives. According to a post by Busse here on the forums his customers don't mind waiting extensive periods of time for his knives because they are so good. After waiting two months for these knives which I expected to receive within 30 days I would have thought Busse would have begun contacting his customers - detailing the reason for the delays and indicating when they might be delivered. And then follow up at least monthly with an email updating this information. I believe Mr. Busse shoul be mindful of the fact that there are many good knives available to people willing to pay $300.00 to $400.00 for a knife. In fact I would argue - given that I have several drawers full of these that there are in fact better knives for the money. I still look forward to owning a Busse but I will and suggest you do so also call in advance and confirm availability and shipping dates before placing your order. Mr. Busse seems nice enough but he appears to have taken his popularity for granted. Something I would not do in a market chock full of makers and new makers emerging on a regular basis.
Eric Isaacson
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Mike,
There have been horror stories about the wait for knives, this is not something that Busse Combat hides or is afraid to discuss.
The ZT series could probably be described as one of these horror stories. There have been numerous equipment problems while these knives were in production. These equipment problems along with Busse wanting to get knives to the servicemen that were being deployed, has caused quite a delay in completing and shipping these knives. I'm sure Jerry would tell you there is no one on this planet that would rather have those things out of the shop than him, as they have caused quite a headache.
Averageguy brings up a good point about calling the shop and checking on the availability of a specific knife. You can also try contacting some of the dealers that post on this forum or put a wanted to buy post in the appropriate forum here on BF.
Yes, sometimes you order a knife and wait, however, Busse Knives are WELL worth that wait.
Averageguy,
I'm sorry that your first experience with Busse Combat Knives ended in such a manner. They are really some of the best if not the best knives money can buy. Hopefully, you will give them another chance sometime in the future, I'm sure you won't be disappointed with their performance.
There have been horror stories about the wait for knives, this is not something that Busse Combat hides or is afraid to discuss.
The ZT series could probably be described as one of these horror stories. There have been numerous equipment problems while these knives were in production. These equipment problems along with Busse wanting to get knives to the servicemen that were being deployed, has caused quite a delay in completing and shipping these knives. I'm sure Jerry would tell you there is no one on this planet that would rather have those things out of the shop than him, as they have caused quite a headache.
Averageguy brings up a good point about calling the shop and checking on the availability of a specific knife. You can also try contacting some of the dealers that post on this forum or put a wanted to buy post in the appropriate forum here on BF.
Yes, sometimes you order a knife and wait, however, Busse Knives are WELL worth that wait.
Averageguy,
I'm sorry that your first experience with Busse Combat Knives ended in such a manner. They are really some of the best if not the best knives money can buy. Hopefully, you will give them another chance sometime in the future, I'm sure you won't be disappointed with their performance.
RokJok
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Another alternative is to go to a show where Busse has a booth set up. You can then buy and take immediate possession of your Busse knife. You can also feel a bit smug for the rest of the day while perusing other knives at the show and thinking, "These others may be nice knives, but I've got an absolute BEAST right here under my arm!!!" 
By checking out Busses at a show you also have a chance to fondle a wide selection of current shop offerings and possibly some rare or out of production items as well. This personal handling of the knives affords you an opportunity to find out:
1. which of the Busse handle styles fits your hand the best.
2. which knife provides the weight/balance combination that most appeals to you and your needs.
To find out when & where Busse may be at a show in your area, just call the Busse shop.
By checking out Busses at a show you also have a chance to fondle a wide selection of current shop offerings and possibly some rare or out of production items as well. This personal handling of the knives affords you an opportunity to find out:
1. which of the Busse handle styles fits your hand the best.
2. which knife provides the weight/balance combination that most appeals to you and your needs.
To find out when & where Busse may be at a show in your area, just call the Busse shop.
Jerry Busse
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I would argue - given that I have several drawers full of these that there are in fact better knives for the money. Average Guy
Well,. . . . . you may like the designs of your other knives better, but there are NONE that will come close to our performance. . . not even slightly close. . . . NONE!
I still look forward to owning a Busse but I will and suggest you do so also call in advance and confirm availability and shipping dates before placing your order. Mr. Busse seems nice enough but he appears to have taken his popularity for granted. Average Guy
If you order on the phone, you will be asked if you want to put down a deposit, the full amount, or how you would like to be billed. If you order on the internet, the software automatically charges your card at the time the order is placed, we cannot control this at this time. . . We are working on this problem and should have it solved very soon. As for delivery times, we are very much caught up except on anything with a satin finish. New satin finishing equipment, that is now in-house, will be up and running very soon.
Yes, we have experienced delays due to a variety of different factors. Often it is being told by a sheath supplier or laser etcher that deliveries are to be made within a few days or couple of weeks and we in turn pass that info on to our customers. When they do not deliver on time, we look like the bad guys who are lying or spreading untruths. I guarantee you that this is not done intentionally. We have thousands of satisfied customers and continue to experience dramatic growth. I know of no other knife company that has endured such enormous growth for as many consecutive years as we have. If you see complaints on the forums about Busse, be wise enough to measure it against all of the positives that you read. Five disgruntled or anxious customers can make a big splash on these forums. Imagine for a minute how well you would appear if everyone you came in contact with during your daily routine had a public forum where they could go and post their impressions of you and your job performance. If you are somehow able to do this, and cannot come up with any complaints from anyone at all. . . . then you need to call me so that we can put you on the payroll tomorrow.
Are we perfect? NO! Do we have problems that need to be solved? Yes, and we are striving to solve these problems. Do our knives stand alone in the performance department? Yes! Isnt that what you really should care about anyway? I hope so.
It is important to note that we operate on the premise that the customer is ALWAYS right and should be treated with a great deal of respect when a problem presents itself. We are not afraid to go the extra mile when it comes to making things right with a disgruntled customer. I have never concerned myself with finger pointing when someone drops the ball, I have only concerned myself with noting how that person or company picks the ball back up and puts it back into play.
Average Guy,
As I recall, we not only apologized for our delay, but went the extra mile to make it up to you. Did we not? If not, then please contact me directly at (419) 923-6471 Ext. 105 and I will be sure to see that you are taken care of and are ultimately satisfied with Busse. When we screw up, we make it right. We dont stand by our mistakes and defend our own stupidity. Feel free to search out a customer who has ever been cursed at, or yelled at, or intentionally treated with disrespect by me. I can assure you that I have had many opportunities to do so and would have been more than justified in doing so had I chosen to handle the situation in that manner. That is simply not the way that we do business at Busse Combat and it never will be. . . EVER.
Thanks, now if I could just get back to my grinder I can get some work done,
Jerry Busse
Well,. . . . . you may like the designs of your other knives better, but there are NONE that will come close to our performance. . . not even slightly close. . . . NONE!
I still look forward to owning a Busse but I will and suggest you do so also call in advance and confirm availability and shipping dates before placing your order. Mr. Busse seems nice enough but he appears to have taken his popularity for granted. Average Guy
If you order on the phone, you will be asked if you want to put down a deposit, the full amount, or how you would like to be billed. If you order on the internet, the software automatically charges your card at the time the order is placed, we cannot control this at this time. . . We are working on this problem and should have it solved very soon. As for delivery times, we are very much caught up except on anything with a satin finish. New satin finishing equipment, that is now in-house, will be up and running very soon.
Yes, we have experienced delays due to a variety of different factors. Often it is being told by a sheath supplier or laser etcher that deliveries are to be made within a few days or couple of weeks and we in turn pass that info on to our customers. When they do not deliver on time, we look like the bad guys who are lying or spreading untruths. I guarantee you that this is not done intentionally. We have thousands of satisfied customers and continue to experience dramatic growth. I know of no other knife company that has endured such enormous growth for as many consecutive years as we have. If you see complaints on the forums about Busse, be wise enough to measure it against all of the positives that you read. Five disgruntled or anxious customers can make a big splash on these forums. Imagine for a minute how well you would appear if everyone you came in contact with during your daily routine had a public forum where they could go and post their impressions of you and your job performance. If you are somehow able to do this, and cannot come up with any complaints from anyone at all. . . . then you need to call me so that we can put you on the payroll tomorrow.
Are we perfect? NO! Do we have problems that need to be solved? Yes, and we are striving to solve these problems. Do our knives stand alone in the performance department? Yes! Isnt that what you really should care about anyway? I hope so.
It is important to note that we operate on the premise that the customer is ALWAYS right and should be treated with a great deal of respect when a problem presents itself. We are not afraid to go the extra mile when it comes to making things right with a disgruntled customer. I have never concerned myself with finger pointing when someone drops the ball, I have only concerned myself with noting how that person or company picks the ball back up and puts it back into play.
Average Guy,
As I recall, we not only apologized for our delay, but went the extra mile to make it up to you. Did we not? If not, then please contact me directly at (419) 923-6471 Ext. 105 and I will be sure to see that you are taken care of and are ultimately satisfied with Busse. When we screw up, we make it right. We dont stand by our mistakes and defend our own stupidity. Feel free to search out a customer who has ever been cursed at, or yelled at, or intentionally treated with disrespect by me. I can assure you that I have had many opportunities to do so and would have been more than justified in doing so had I chosen to handle the situation in that manner. That is simply not the way that we do business at Busse Combat and it never will be. . . EVER.
Thanks, now if I could just get back to my grinder I can get some work done,
Jerry Busse
averageguy
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I should have said that even though there were problems with my order, my experience with Busse knives was in the end a positive one. I had occasion to speak with Mr. Busse on the phone briefly after I cancelled my order. He was apologetic and made a kind offer to me. I insisted he not take any further action but he indicated he would take certain steps to make things right. He did not, but clearly he is busy and this is a very minor matter to me.
Mr Busse is correctly proud of the knives his shop turns out. And, they are demonstrably superior in a variety of tasks. I believe it is the consensus that there is no perfect knife. I also believe that given another set of tasks there are other knives that would perform equally well or better. As an example - depth of penetration into some ballistic gel. Instinctively I would choose a Hossum design.
As I said previously I look forward to owning a Busse knife soon. This is the only "Maker/Manufacturer" forum that I frequent regularly so I'm sure I'll end up owning several assuming Mr. Busse doesn't get too p***** off with me.
Mr Busse is correctly proud of the knives his shop turns out. And, they are demonstrably superior in a variety of tasks. I believe it is the consensus that there is no perfect knife. I also believe that given another set of tasks there are other knives that would perform equally well or better. As an example - depth of penetration into some ballistic gel. Instinctively I would choose a Hossum design.
As I said previously I look forward to owning a Busse knife soon. This is the only "Maker/Manufacturer" forum that I frequent regularly so I'm sure I'll end up owning several assuming Mr. Busse doesn't get too p***** off with me.
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All I can say about the delivery times are that if they promise that a knife will be delivered by a certain time they make good on their promise. My parents ordered a Paul's Hatchet for me for Christmas. Busse said that it may take 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. Busse's team asked if in was a Christmas present and if they needed it before Christmas(Well of course!!!!! hehehe). Well Busse's team sent it next day air, with no additional charge to my parents. My parents rarely order anything over the phone, but they said they would order from them anytime(YES MY birthday coming up sooooooon!!!!!!!hehehe).
By the way I am trying to come up with a review on the Paul's Hatchet. Jerry your Dad was a genius, this is a wicked little hatchet. It is good for chopping, slicing when you choke up on it, and throwing.
Darkjedi - "May the Force(of INFI), Be with You Always.
By the way I am trying to come up with a review on the Paul's Hatchet. Jerry your Dad was a genius, this is a wicked little hatchet. It is good for chopping, slicing when you choke up on it, and throwing.
Darkjedi - "May the Force(of INFI), Be with You Always.
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- 957
Hi Jerry,
Just a polite question; you also emailed me in December (first time since August 12 2001) with an apology and the same "make it up to you" 'offer' as you seem to have done with Average Guy, only you leave it up to my immagination what "making it up" should be translated in.
I had some nuclear dreams about my wall covered with Busse's (It's the Dutch Genepool ).
Only I haven't figured out what you meant "with make it up to you"
as you didn't say anything more.
I have sent an answer to your email but haven't received an email back so I have no clue if you received the email etc.
I'm still waiting on the ZT's and will do so patiently, the next opportunity to have a colleague taking them with him to France is january 18 after that I don't know.
I won't cancel my order, I will wait and I guess with all the improved machinery I'll get my ZT set as last person, but it will be the best satin finished ZT set leaving the Busse shop that's the least I can expect from your 'nuclear highness'
Happy New Year from Holland,
Bagheera
Just a polite question; you also emailed me in December (first time since August 12 2001) with an apology and the same "make it up to you" 'offer' as you seem to have done with Average Guy, only you leave it up to my immagination what "making it up" should be translated in.
I had some nuclear dreams about my wall covered with Busse's
(It's the Dutch Genepool ).Only I haven't figured out what you meant "with make it up to you"
as you didn't say anything more.
I have sent an answer to your email but haven't received an email back so I have no clue if you received the email etc.
I'm still waiting on the ZT's and will do so patiently, the next opportunity to have a colleague taking them with him to France is january 18 after that I don't know.
I won't cancel my order, I will wait and I guess with all the improved machinery I'll get my ZT set as last person, but it will be the best satin finished ZT set leaving the Busse shop
that's the least I can expect from your 'nuclear highness' Happy New Year from Holland,
Bagheera
Jerry Busse
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Bagheera,
We've got you hooked up and I was under the impression that you had received a return email. . . You have one now! Take care my friend and be sure that I'll do a couple of extra passes on your ZT set personally.
Nuke on!
Jerry
We've got you hooked up and I was under the impression that you had received a return email. . . You have one now! Take care my friend and be sure that I'll do a couple of extra passes on your ZT set personally.
Nuke on!
Jerry
First of all please excuse my biased Busse nut opinion,but I have to say from experience that Busse knives are worth the wait I will not carry anything else,and pound per pound they are the best knives especially when compared to other customs such as Randalls which have a 3 year wait.I carried Randalls for years and had a wait of at least a year on each blade,so in comparison it does not bother me to wait a couple of months on a knife.Also I must interject that I rarely have called and talked to the man himself anywhere else other than at Busse knives.Recently jerry rushed me my SJ after doing some major grinding mods with (in my opinion)practically no charge at all.All because he knew I would be usin it on an upcoming hunting trip(great coyote skinner!)really why should he care?but he did.Aww hell before I get to sappy and cry all over my NO I am goin out to chop up a tree or something!
Lots of talk about ZT's. I want to know about the big 3 of the line. Natural Outlaw, Steelheart, Battle Mistress. Since they are in less demand, but still great demand is the wait as long?
Jerry one question about charging the credit card due to a web error. How do you keep from violating the agreement with the credit card companies that say you may not charge for the product until shipped. Am I mistaken here? I thought that doing so and them getting complaints of that, was the fast track to losing your ability to take credit cards? This would not preclude a deposit on custom work, but as fast as you sell finished product, having people pay deposits on even custom works sounds like a bad idea. Lots of room for unhappy customers due to slow work, and you sell it as soon as its finished even if they back out anyway.
Jerry one question about charging the credit card due to a web error. How do you keep from violating the agreement with the credit card companies that say you may not charge for the product until shipped. Am I mistaken here? I thought that doing so and them getting complaints of that, was the fast track to losing your ability to take credit cards? This would not preclude a deposit on custom work, but as fast as you sell finished product, having people pay deposits on even custom works sounds like a bad idea. Lots of room for unhappy customers due to slow work, and you sell it as soon as its finished even if they back out anyway.
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Gotta jump in here and say something.
While I have not bought a Busse directly from Busse Knives (yet!) I now have a few "older straight handled models which are becoming the favorites in my collection, including some nice customs.
I had a "problem" with a "small production shop", kinda like Busse. In fact they make a large knife much like the battle Mistress (except outta 1095 steel). They charged my card and I went back and forth with the owner and his staff and kept gettin promised delivery time after delivery time. Finally got the knife but was soured by the whole deal. Mentioned this "problem" on the Good, bad and Ugly forum here and the owner got on and BLASTED me! Called me a lair and all sorts of other fun things on the open forum. For me (at least) all that did was ensure that I will never buy one of his products again and confirm all I feared about him, etc.
Jerry you are a hell of a guy to stand up and "discuss" any problems you might have and an even bigger man to apologize for ANY inconvinences your customers might have. Shows the sign of
A: A true businessman
B: Someone who knows about "customer service" and what it means
c: One hell of a human being
I work in the service industry (hotel) and misunderstandings can get people "hot" but the employees gotta maintain their cool. Not knockin anyones "complaint" here, they may/are valid but Jerry you are doing everything you can to "make it right".
I bow in your direction with all sincerity and courtesy and may just call extension 105 myself to tell ya what a hell of a job you are doing!
This (and of course many others) is one of the reasons that I love my Battle Mistresses' (got two now) and Steel Heart.
Aloha!
Thomas
While I have not bought a Busse directly from Busse Knives (yet!) I now have a few "older straight handled models which are becoming the favorites in my collection, including some nice customs.
I had a "problem" with a "small production shop", kinda like Busse. In fact they make a large knife much like the battle Mistress (except outta 1095 steel). They charged my card and I went back and forth with the owner and his staff and kept gettin promised delivery time after delivery time. Finally got the knife but was soured by the whole deal. Mentioned this "problem" on the Good, bad and Ugly forum here and the owner got on and BLASTED me! Called me a lair and all sorts of other fun things on the open forum. For me (at least) all that did was ensure that I will never buy one of his products again and confirm all I feared about him, etc.
Jerry you are a hell of a guy to stand up and "discuss" any problems you might have and an even bigger man to apologize for ANY inconvinences your customers might have. Shows the sign of
A: A true businessman
B: Someone who knows about "customer service" and what it means
c: One hell of a human being
I work in the service industry (hotel) and misunderstandings can get people "hot" but the employees gotta maintain their cool. Not knockin anyones "complaint" here, they may/are valid but Jerry you are doing everything you can to "make it right".
I bow in your direction with all sincerity and courtesy and may just call extension 105 myself to tell ya what a hell of a job you are doing!
This (and of course many others) is one of the reasons that I love my Battle Mistresses' (got two now) and Steel Heart.
Aloha!
Thomas
Regarding dealings with Jerry Busse: In 1994 I ordered an A1 SH Steel Heart II. I was so pleased with this first experience with Busse knives that I then ordered a Badger Attack. When received, it was obviously not up to the standards of the first knife, so I returned it. Jerry himself called me, agreed with my assessment, and offered to either refund my money or send another knife with some special touches thrown in. Having never handled another Badger Attack, I am still not sure what the special touches were, but I do know that the second knife delivered was all I expected, and more. Absolutely no complaints here!
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Hoss,
Excuse me but I copied the next piece of text that you posted because I can't write it better and it doesn't explain the email from Jerry himself that I received better:
"Jerry you are a hell of a guy to stand up and "discuss" any problems you might have and an even bigger man to apologize for ANY inconvinences your customers might have. Shows the sign of
A: A true businessman
B: Someone who knows about "customer service" and what it means
c: One hell of a human being"
And ".... Jerry you are doing everything you can to "make it right".".
I fully agree with Hoss'es words and I will hapilly wait until it's time to receive my "super satin" ZT set.
Jerry, just like Hoss worded so eloquently "I bow in your direction with all sincerity and courtesy" and I might also give the 105 extension a try I guess you're on a 5-6 hour time difference? (San Diego is 9 hours earlier then Holland).
Best Scouting wishes from Holland,
Bagheera
Excuse me but I copied the next piece of text that you posted because I can't write it better and it doesn't explain the email from Jerry himself that I received better:
"Jerry you are a hell of a guy to stand up and "discuss" any problems you might have and an even bigger man to apologize for ANY inconvinences your customers might have. Shows the sign of
A: A true businessman
B: Someone who knows about "customer service" and what it means
c: One hell of a human being"
And ".... Jerry you are doing everything you can to "make it right".".
I fully agree with Hoss'es words and I will hapilly wait until it's time to receive my "super satin"
ZT set.Jerry, just like Hoss worded so eloquently "I bow in your direction with all sincerity and courtesy" and I might also give the 105 extension a try I guess you're on a 5-6 hour time difference? (San Diego is 9 hours earlier then Holland).
Best Scouting wishes from Holland,
Bagheera
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My SH II and NO were very fast! Keep up the good work!
When I ordered a Randall 14 it took over a year to get! When you get into custom/semi custom you have to expect a wait! I have heard of some makers having a 5 year wait!!! Phil Heartsfield(sp?) used to be a 2 year wait and is probibly longer now!
Keep up the good work!When I ordered a Randall 14 it took over a year to get! When you get into custom/semi custom you have to expect a wait! I have heard of some makers having a 5 year wait!!!
Phil Heartsfield(sp?) used to be a 2 year wait and is probibly longer now!