Better outdoor fixed blade

E

elzorro

Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Messages
11
I hope I am posting this in the correct forum. For some time now, I have been looking for a good fixed blade in the $200 to $300 range. I am looking for:
-6" to 7" blade
-full tang
-No rubber grips

I have been looking at the Busse Natural Outlaw, Satin Jack, and Steelheart. I have heard good things about them, but are there high-performance knives in this size range that I don't know about?

I have owned (or own) a Becker Campanion and Brute, and several Cold Steel and Buck knives. I just want a higher class knife.

Any help from anybody's experience would be helpful.
 
I've been down the same road as you. Buck was always my fancy. I still have many of them and really like them all.

When I went looking for a knife in criteria you now seek, I went to Chris Reeves and have a bunch of his very well made and well designed knives.

Then I got the Busse bug and never looked back. It's not that I do not still like the Bucks and Reeves One Piece Range, but the Busse Natural, Steel Heart and Satin Jack are three of my most very favorite knives. Depending on your specific application, carry mode and circumstances, you would do well with any off the aforementioned three. I have the thee Busses you mention and would not do without them for any other fixed blade I own.

Happy Hunting.
 
I second the Busse vote. Durable, dependable, simple, powerful....the list goes on. For more info, the Busse forum is full of it, feel free to stop by :D
 
I think you need to ask yourself a few questions first.

Are you working from a vehicle or primarily by foot? The weight question.
Do you want the knife to cut or chop? The steel stock and dexterity question.
What are you using it for? The material you want to cut question.
Are you going to carry it on the belt or on a daysack? Length.
How are you built? What sized hands?
What other tools will you have with you?
Are you harsh with your knives?
Does it really matter as this won't be your last high end knife purchase?

You already have some fairly good knives so you really do need to be careful that this purchase does a little more. At this price bracket there are quite a few custom makers that could make what you want. Take your time and handle all the knives on your short list first because the pictures and hype don't tell the whole story. Many are much more specialised than you might want/lead to believe. Most manufacturers have a couple of brilliant designs, however, the rest of their range isn't quite as clever. Its a minefield. Good hunting.
 
Greenjacket asked some excellent questions, all of which are very important. I didn't do my full homework ahead of time, and ended up with an inappropriate Busse for my needs. I ended up sending back a CG Natural Outlaw, and should have my LE Satin Jack arriving in a couple days. Hopefully, the SJ will be more to my liking.

1. I prefer to carry a lighter knife, as I do a large amount of trekking.

2. The knife will stay strapped to my pack

3. Cutting is most important to me, with some limited chopping

4. I have smaller hands

5. The knife will be used in addition to a SAK

The Natural Outlaw was a good chopper, but not a good slicer. The LE Satin Jack is made from a thinner blade stock, and has a more convex grind. The SJ is also significantly lighter. The e-handle on the NO was also much too big for my hands, while the straight handle on the SJ should be a much better fit. I wish I could have found a 5 inch blade, but the SJ will have to do.
 
Clarify your needs, as Greenjacket suggested...lots of great knives out there. I really like the Busse NO, and if the handle fit my small hands a little better, I would still have mine. Other than that it was about perfect for me. The designs are very heavy duty, and INFI is an incredible steel. The claims of its abilities are not exaggerated in my experience. Check out the Busse forum here and on www.bussecombat.com We love these things for a reason;)
You might find a custom maker that can make you something in that size/price range and then you can choose your options.
Check out:
www.thrblades.com
Great guy, great knives.

Originally posted by Andrew Lynch
the Busse forum is full of it
Click to expand...
And there you have it!
The rest of us appreciate your leniency in our description:p
Yours in nuclear misquotes...
 
Thanks for the informative replies.

I am looking at the Busse Natural Outlaw and Satin Jack, and will probably order one or the other next month (camping season is here!). I am pretty hard on my knives (I shattered a Buck Nighthawk and ruined a CS Recon Scout).

I like the appearance of the Satin Jack, but is the Natural Outlaw a stronger blade? Or are they both pretty much unbreakable? (like my Becker Campanion ;) )

I have fairly large hands, am 6'1", 255 lbs.

I considered the CR one-piece knives, but I would expect better steel than A2 for that price (now, if they would only use S30V...).

The knife will probably spend most of its time strapped to an EMS weekend pack. When not on the pack, it will see only a little chopping, some food preparation, etc. I am not paranoid, but I prefer to carry a good, strong blade in the the woods (no SAK's, just a Leatherman Wave and a strong fixed blade).

Also, how good are the Busse sheaths? Should I budget for a custom Concealex rig? I would prefer something as good or better than the Becker sheaths. Also, what sharpeners work best for field sharpening the Busse Blades (I currently carry a ceramic Lansky pocket stone)?

Thanks again. I did not post this in the Busse forum because I did not expect an objective response; however, in every forum there are Busse fans. They can't all be wrong...can they?
 
Given your hight and your weight, I recommend either the Busse Natural Outlaw, or for something a little larger: the Steel Heart:D

Jeff
 
The Natural Outlaw is made from 1/4 inch stock. I believe that Satin Jacks, both the combat grade and limited editions, are now being made from 3/16" stock. So the Natural Outlaw is definitely the tougher of the two knives.

Even though the NO is tougher, you mention that the knife will only see a little chopping. For that reason alone, I’d bet on the Satin Jack. I tried the NO, and could not imagine wanting to use the knife in a role that requires infrequent chopping. The steel is just too thick at the edge bevel for normal slicing and push cutting.

I’d guess that the Natural Outlaw is best suited to a primary chopping and prying roll, where size and weight limitations prevent the use of something more efficient, like a Steel Heart or Battle Mistress. The Satin Jack, at least the limited edition version, seems to be more of a well-rounded camp knife, meant for general-purpose duty.

I just got an email from Busse, saying that my LE Satin Jack should arrive tomorrow. This will be just in time for my weekend trip to the Adirondacks. I’m headed back into the Santanoni Preserve for a couple days. The knife should see lots of camp duty over the weekend. I’ll post up a mini-review of the knife when I get back.
 
Originally posted by Buzzbait
The Natural Outlaw was a good chopper, but not a good slicer. The LE Satin Jack is made from a thinner blade stock, and has a more convex grind. The SJ is also significantly lighter. The e-handle on the NO was also much too big for my hands, while the straight handle on the SJ should be a much better fit. I wish I could have found a 5 inch blade, but the SJ will have to do.
Click to expand...

I have a "Laser Strike" that is about the size you mention (4.5 inch blade) thinner stock (3/16). Its a good cutting/slicing knife and has a ver comfortable (not too big) handle. You can check it out at http://www.jungletraining.com/laser.htm

Its a very nice knife... but then again, I still love my Steel Heart too!

Best Regards,
Eek
 
I'd suggest looking at Mission knives... They have some A2 models that look pretty tough, and the Ti models should be damned light for their size. Hopefully I'll have some personal input on them sometime after Blade... As of right now I've just seen them on paper, and they look good for the time being.
 
Check out the Exchange forum in the Knifemakers Corner. You can get good deals there.

I got a knife from Bill Seigle. It's a full tang 5" blade made from 1/4" 5160 for $125. Strong, comfortable handle, good balance; just oil it to keep it OK.
 
Look at Newt Livesays Air Assault I think his sale is still going,I think he is selling the air assault for 100 bucks.

Newts heat treat is nothing but superb,the handle is the best out there imho.its just under 6 inches blade length.
 
Aweome SJ review, Buzzbait. I've had my eye on one of those babies for awhile now.

Busse knives are amazing, as are some of the others mentioned. TOPS, as many of you know, is one of my favorite companies. They have come a LONG way in just a few years on ergonomics and performance, and they are, in my opinion, also outstanding blades.

One of my new favs from them is the Border Corssing. You can see it at http://www.topsknives.com, click on "What's New" and go to the B.E.S.T. series of knives. it is a stout blade yet actually cuts like a razor. They did a perfect job of combining prybar toughness with a razor edge and profile that cuts.
 
Have one forged out of 52100 or 01 . For the 52100 try Bill Buxton and on the 01 try Little Hen Knives ( ron ) . I have two from Bill and one on the way from Ron . They both could forge you a blade with natural handle materials for the range you are looking to spend . Both guys are great to deal with . Bill is in Mo. and Ron is in Canada. You can't go wrong with either and you'll have the ability to get a custom blade unlike everyone else has . Good luck in your search.
 
Higher class?Check out a Randall model 3,sounds like it just might be your huckleberry.Or maybe a dozier knife,nobody slams his blades.
 
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