- Joined
- Feb 18, 2003
- Messages
- 496
I just received my Busse Fusion Battle Mistress along with a Semper Paratus sheath. I had a Busse Zero Tolerance Battle Mistress before which I had elected as my expedition knife. I found it almost perfect. For financial reasons I had to sell it. I have been waiting for a long time to buy another Mistress so I took advantage of the fact that they finally came out on the Busse site and acquired another one. First off, I am a knife nut but not much of a collector. I find joy in using my knives. I am a wildlife and nature photographer and have run for many years a Nature Expedition Company.
I am going to do a preliminary review on the combat grade Fusion Battle Mistress because I would like to share my thoughts on the subject. I will analyze the chosen knife on the basis of its funcionability for one of the tasks it was made for - Jungle Expeditions. I believe doing jungle expeditions is very similar to combat expeditions. The main uses would be for digging holes, chopping wood, opening trails, food prep, cutting emergency lines and ship cables, and in some rare instances -self defense.
First off, Let's talk about the quality of the knife itself and later its practicality.
The knife I bought is the Fusion Battle Mistress with the magnum handle. I chose the G-10 brown and black handle with the urban grey blade. I have had many similarly sized knives in the past. I believe this knife to be one of the finest I have ever seen in terms of fit and finish. The handle slabs are very beautiful and comfortable. I was afraid that the G-10 would look too shiny and plastic-like. I was wrong. The G-10 is very attractive and I would say that it is in extreme good taste. It kind of looks like a brown tweed. The magnum handle is much better than the ordinary handle and makes the knife feel like a real custom piece. The finishing around the handle and its attachment to the tang are really perfect. I have never seen a finer fit. The blade has some grooves on it that are supposed to make the knife lighter and stronger. I don't know if they do that. When I orderred the knife I complained that Busse didn't offer a "normal" blade without grooves but actually the grooves look quite nice. The grey finish on the knife is really well done. I can say that the Fusion model is much more sophisticated than my old Zero Tolerance model. It is obvious that this is a well thought out design. Although the people at Busse come across as a bunch of drunken partiers and jokers I think that behind all the hype you have a very well trained group of professionals. This knife is a very sophisticated and perfectly produced design. If Jerry Busse designed it himself or if one of his assitants designed it, I congratulate whoever it was for making a very modern smooth-flowing and attractive knife.
I normally prefer Busses over other custom knives because when I am using my knife I often go through native communities and meet hunters, poachers and even smugglers in the middle of the South American bush and I don't want a flashy knife. I prefer a low-profile (but sophisticated) knife which doesn't call too much attention . This Busse knife while not flashy looks as if it was made by some German auto company. Get the picture?
As far as the materials go, Busse is well known for its heat treat and its propretary INFI steel. I have found that this steel holds it edge quite well and cuts fine right out of the box. This particular knife was no exception. It was perfectly sharpened and cut quite well right out of the box. The G-10 handle material makes one of the toughest possible handles. So here we have a very resistant and tough knife. I had a Sempre Paratus sheath made up for this knife so that I could crawl around in the mud and even ford streams without any problems. The sheath is well made and has a nice pouch for a sharpener or other survival gear. I will probably use a DMT duo- sharpener in it.
With the extras I ordered, this knife cost me around $400. I think it is well worth the money I spent.
For chopping your way through the forest this knife works really well. For chopping wood too, but I must admit, for long expeditions and treks, I believe this knife to be a bit heavy. I found the size of the Zero Tolerance a bit more suitable for hard-core expeditions. I think a G.I. would have the same opinion. If a soldier were always in a truck or a tank, this would be the perfect knife. If he was in the infantry I don't think he would appreciate having to lug it around all day. I would say that this would be the perfect knife for a campground, a barbecue, a ranch owner, or for short day trips. For the pro expeditioner where weight of gear is at a premium I think that he would prefer something lighter. I myself would think twice about bringing it on a full day expedition where I have to already bring a lot of camera equipment, food, etc.
I think thjat lately Busse is catering more and more to collectors and to "Backyard Cowboys" who like to handle and play with knives. I believe a Combat Grade knife should be lighter and that this CG Battle Mistress is overweight. Busse also made a special Limited Edition FBM which is even heavier. I would think that the LE version on one's belt would keep pulling one's pants down from its sheer weight. The CG model is already too heavy.
I still think that this is one of the most beautiful and well made knives around, but I think Busse should try and get back to its core business which is equipping people in the field. I myself will be waiting for the Battle Mistress to come up again for sale but this time I'll be hoping that they make a L.E. version in 3/16ths of an inch thick. Then I will have found my "perfect Knife".
I will continue to use this knife and see if its extra weight doesn't have some advantages. Back in pioneer days the heavy bowie was popular. The weight of this knife really packs a punch so maybe after having get used to it, its extra "punch" might be useful in the field. We will see, but I still think I wiould prefer a lighter vewrsion. For thoise of you new to Busse, I can say that you don't need an LE - the CG is enough and that it is really worth it to upgrade to the Magnum handles. I will try to post pictures of my knife. The Tan and Black G-10 with the Urban Grey blade REALLY makes a statement. I am VERY glad that I bought this knife. Thanks for your attention, Alex from the Jungles of Brazil.
I am going to do a preliminary review on the combat grade Fusion Battle Mistress because I would like to share my thoughts on the subject. I will analyze the chosen knife on the basis of its funcionability for one of the tasks it was made for - Jungle Expeditions. I believe doing jungle expeditions is very similar to combat expeditions. The main uses would be for digging holes, chopping wood, opening trails, food prep, cutting emergency lines and ship cables, and in some rare instances -self defense.
First off, Let's talk about the quality of the knife itself and later its practicality.
The knife I bought is the Fusion Battle Mistress with the magnum handle. I chose the G-10 brown and black handle with the urban grey blade. I have had many similarly sized knives in the past. I believe this knife to be one of the finest I have ever seen in terms of fit and finish. The handle slabs are very beautiful and comfortable. I was afraid that the G-10 would look too shiny and plastic-like. I was wrong. The G-10 is very attractive and I would say that it is in extreme good taste. It kind of looks like a brown tweed. The magnum handle is much better than the ordinary handle and makes the knife feel like a real custom piece. The finishing around the handle and its attachment to the tang are really perfect. I have never seen a finer fit. The blade has some grooves on it that are supposed to make the knife lighter and stronger. I don't know if they do that. When I orderred the knife I complained that Busse didn't offer a "normal" blade without grooves but actually the grooves look quite nice. The grey finish on the knife is really well done. I can say that the Fusion model is much more sophisticated than my old Zero Tolerance model. It is obvious that this is a well thought out design. Although the people at Busse come across as a bunch of drunken partiers and jokers I think that behind all the hype you have a very well trained group of professionals. This knife is a very sophisticated and perfectly produced design. If Jerry Busse designed it himself or if one of his assitants designed it, I congratulate whoever it was for making a very modern smooth-flowing and attractive knife.
I normally prefer Busses over other custom knives because when I am using my knife I often go through native communities and meet hunters, poachers and even smugglers in the middle of the South American bush and I don't want a flashy knife. I prefer a low-profile (but sophisticated) knife which doesn't call too much attention . This Busse knife while not flashy looks as if it was made by some German auto company. Get the picture?
As far as the materials go, Busse is well known for its heat treat and its propretary INFI steel. I have found that this steel holds it edge quite well and cuts fine right out of the box. This particular knife was no exception. It was perfectly sharpened and cut quite well right out of the box. The G-10 handle material makes one of the toughest possible handles. So here we have a very resistant and tough knife. I had a Sempre Paratus sheath made up for this knife so that I could crawl around in the mud and even ford streams without any problems. The sheath is well made and has a nice pouch for a sharpener or other survival gear. I will probably use a DMT duo- sharpener in it.
With the extras I ordered, this knife cost me around $400. I think it is well worth the money I spent.
For chopping your way through the forest this knife works really well. For chopping wood too, but I must admit, for long expeditions and treks, I believe this knife to be a bit heavy. I found the size of the Zero Tolerance a bit more suitable for hard-core expeditions. I think a G.I. would have the same opinion. If a soldier were always in a truck or a tank, this would be the perfect knife. If he was in the infantry I don't think he would appreciate having to lug it around all day. I would say that this would be the perfect knife for a campground, a barbecue, a ranch owner, or for short day trips. For the pro expeditioner where weight of gear is at a premium I think that he would prefer something lighter. I myself would think twice about bringing it on a full day expedition where I have to already bring a lot of camera equipment, food, etc.
I think thjat lately Busse is catering more and more to collectors and to "Backyard Cowboys" who like to handle and play with knives. I believe a Combat Grade knife should be lighter and that this CG Battle Mistress is overweight. Busse also made a special Limited Edition FBM which is even heavier. I would think that the LE version on one's belt would keep pulling one's pants down from its sheer weight. The CG model is already too heavy.
I still think that this is one of the most beautiful and well made knives around, but I think Busse should try and get back to its core business which is equipping people in the field. I myself will be waiting for the Battle Mistress to come up again for sale but this time I'll be hoping that they make a L.E. version in 3/16ths of an inch thick. Then I will have found my "perfect Knife".
I will continue to use this knife and see if its extra weight doesn't have some advantages. Back in pioneer days the heavy bowie was popular. The weight of this knife really packs a punch so maybe after having get used to it, its extra "punch" might be useful in the field. We will see, but I still think I wiould prefer a lighter vewrsion. For thoise of you new to Busse, I can say that you don't need an LE - the CG is enough and that it is really worth it to upgrade to the Magnum handles. I will try to post pictures of my knife. The Tan and Black G-10 with the Urban Grey blade REALLY makes a statement. I am VERY glad that I bought this knife. Thanks for your attention, Alex from the Jungles of Brazil.
I think the term is "functional alchoholics".
:thumbup: 
