Battle Mistress or Steel Heart?

AntDog

AntDog

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Apr 3, 2001
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Guys, I'm trying to make up my mind between the Battle Mistress and the Steel Heart. I have a basic 9, and I really like it for a general purpose camp knife. It is an excellent chopper, but it feels kinda large to me. I was just wondering if the extra 2 inches makes the BM hard to control vs. the SH. I have heard that the SH is very well balanced and easy to control which sounds good to me...

So, does anybody out there have both? Could you give an unbiased opinion of which you like better and why?

I am planning on getting one or the other and a Badger Attack to cover the smaller end of the spectrum. Any help, opinions, advice, etc. would be appreciated.
 
antdog, you answer your own question when you say the basic nine seems large to you... the steelheart is a standard to judge to and against though the BM is awesome, you already have a nine incher and it seems big I would try the SH - they are capable knives to say the least :D You will want a BM before it is over anyhow seems like one can not own just one Busse anyhow....
 
Antdog,

My belief is that a Busse Battery of Knives is required for proper application. Certain conditions warrent a particular knife. My stomping grounds are the lighly wooded foothills of the Sierra Nevada range.

I'm in the field, shooting outdoor photograghy in this terrain. Since overall load weight is always a concern, I want a blade that can do the job with minimal incumberance. For me, My battery is built on the BA/E, A Shake, and SH. The BM is a fine Blade, but for what I encounter, in my normal terrain and needs; it's a bit too much weight.

The SH is likely the number one pick for overall multi-purpose Busse.

Since you already have a Basic nine, your chopper needs are somewhat met. Depending upon your field conditions and expected usage, the SH might best compliment the basic nine.

-just my take...

Good luck,

Seth
 
Well, under different circumstances, I'd choose different blades.

If I was carrying a hatchet/axe, I'd go with a SHE and a BAE. If your knife would be your largest chopper, I'd take a BM and a BAE. This is, of course, if you plan on doing some chopping. If you're just hiking, I'd take the SHE, because of weight and that one probably won't be doing too much chopping when hiking.
 
Thank you for the suggestions gentlemen. I will be using the knife for camping and hiking. When I hike, I don't chop much and I don't bring an axe. I would just want a knife that could do everything.

When I camp, I bring an axe to chop wood and I would bring the basic 9 for my big knife needs. (I don't give a **** if it will be a collector's item now - I bought it to use it!!) SO... I guess the steelheart would be the more versitile choice.

I just wanted to see who has a BM and a SH, and which is taken along more often. My main fear now is that I will get the SH and think - DOH! I could have got the BM! I think the SH will have my needs covered well enough though. Thanks once again for all the helpful advice.
 
I sympathize with your dilemma. I have both the BM and the SH II [old straight handle] I bought them both because I couldn't make up my mind as between one or the other. I knew the SH II would get more use, but I just couldn't pass up the BM.
And that's how it's worked out for me. My SH II gets much more use. It is more versatile. My BM is better for clearing brush/trail blazing and for working on fires where the length is a plus. But you do have a 9.
You won't be disappointed in the SH II and you will get more use out of it. Personally, I'm looking at the ZTs which would make the midsize knives even more useful, but I do have other knives for field kitchen, cleaning etc.
 
Originally posted by AntDog
I will be using the knife for camping and hiking. When I hike, I don't chop much and I don't bring an axe. ... When I camp, I bring an axe to chop wood and I would bring the basic 9 for my big knife needs.
Click to expand...
Since you will have an axe & Basic 9 for chopping when you need them, instead of the SteelHeart how about going to a smaller blade for the second knife??? The SH is still pretty much in the chopper range, so doesn't buy you a lot of capability that the Basic 9 wouldn't also provide. A smaller blade buys you more coverage in the area of finer slicing & dicing and whittling & carving that are also camp chores.

For a smaller general purpose blade I'd recommend checking out the Basic 5 or Badger for their easily manipulated 5" blades, convenient carry, and lower weight. I find the size so handy & convenient that the #5 is the knife that is on my belt virtually ALL the time. It's so unobtrusive that I forget that I've even got it on me. That is, I forget about it until I need a bombproof blade.

However, if you view the second knife as a pure cutter/slicer since it won't need to function as a chopper or general purpose blade, you could look at going to a blade with much thinner stock (1/8" or thinner), steels more specifically made for cutting (or Talonite), and an edge lower than the handle for camp food prep ala' chef's knives. The much thinner blade profile makes for a huge increase in cutting efficiency. Granted, this moves you out of the Busse world, but that Basic 9 beast frees you from chopping considerations for your second blade. There's something good to be said for the "Big Knife plus Little Knife" combo. It's not coincidental that a Swiss Army Knife in the pocket coupled with a belt knife wound up being a ubiquitous camping combination.

Yours in nuclear knife diversity,
Greg
 
I subscribe to the "big knife/little knife" philosophy. I often use the SH II as my "big knife". The "little knife" is usually a Blackwood or Simonich talonite. I always take more knives than I really need, but two is a very efficient number.
But I wonder whether the Zero Tolerance series is thin enough for kitchen/cleaning/etc use. If so, 4"-6" would be about right for me. Alas, I have too many good knives of that sort to justify buying another Busse of that type. Until the folder arrives, this is :)
 
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