Busse knives really worth the bux ?

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upnorth

upnorth

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I figure that my best FB knives now are ESEE's considering my knife use\interest\philosophy. I tend to, but not always, buy with outdoor use in mind. Am I really gaining much more in a knife by going from ESEE to Busse ? If I'm paying 3-4 times more for the knife, will I get a 3-4 times better knife ? I know about the Busse mystique and have read up on INFI, which sounds impressive. I'm asking here because we generally buy for practical outdoor utility, not status. But I will admit that my attraction is growing for Busse.
 
Busseland is most definitely rarified air. You are quite a ways into the area of diminishing returns. They are the cream of the crop of survival blades. Only you can say whether they are worth the coin for the relatively small increment of performance increase over ESEE blades. I have some of both, and will probably purchase more of each. But honestly I cannot fathom a situation where a Busse blade would get you out of something that an ESEE blade would not. Would trust my life to either.

Doc
 
I've been wondering this myself lately.

Just up until recently I thought Busses were no longer made thats why they were so expensive and sought after. I thought they were made overseas for some reason? Just in the last few weeks I found out their made just next door to me in Ohio.

I'm sure Busses are hell of a blade and from what I've read they very much are, but you're not going to ever catch me buying one. They seem to have a type of cult following if you will. But I dont know that is just my very ignorant opinion.

I have looked at some of the scrapyard knives though
 
Depends which one you get.

The swamp rat and scrapyard stuff is only a little more than the ESEE gear.

I have the ESEE 4 and rat rodent solution.

I like the rodent solution much more. Much better handle design and feel and well worth the money - IMO...
 
IMO Busses are the Hinderers of fixed blades. I've never held one so I can't say whether they are worth it or not, but I can tell you that as much as I want a FBMLE, I would NOT pay that much for a fixed blade because I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to get myself to use it.
 
Busse, Scrapyard, and Swamp Rat knives are most certainly worth the $.
There's a great sense of security in knowing that your knife can chop through materials that would ruin other knives.
ESEE makes good knives, but they use one of the most common knife steels, so there's more concern about damage.
With Busse, you can chop roots, hard materials, and...whatever you want without worrying about damaging the edge, sharpening more frequently, and/or breaking the tip.
Not to mention, Busse makes / has made some of the coolest fixed blades on the market, and they offer more options for customization.
Of course you can get by with a cheaper knife, but as a knife knut, why not go all out.
 
You can only answer that question yourself after you've tried them.
I own a few, and to me they feel better than Esee or Becker, nothing against either of brands, just my personal preference. Guess the ergos are better.
Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard, to me, are making knives that are oriented towards outdoor use, camping and hunting.
Busse knives, some are 'outdoorsy' some are more towards fighting blades.
All 3 brands' knives will take you to hell and back. I'm not saying that Esee will not, just that I'd have more trust in Busse & Kin...

Plus the business model is different, it's not a factory that churns out thousands of the same basic designs for years on end. With Busse you pay more because you order your knife, you choose the blade finish and handle options. Usually when there is a new design the old one gets retired and you can only get them on secondary market.
 
Hm...I cant justify 500 for a knife. I have too many. I know the busses can chop thru roots, cinder blocks, etc....but I will at no cost ever do that with any blade I have! EVER! Because you can doesnt me you should or ever will. As for ESEE...yeah it is a common steel but the heat treating is where the magic happens. They make a knife that will do everything you can pretty much do with a busse and if you break it...they will give you a new one and the knives are nearly 3x cheaper! I like busse because they are limited releases and rare. I could careless about the abuse they can take for I would once again never put a knife thru that kind of beating. End of the world you would be stupid to put your blade thru what noss does at knifetest. I do like noss and respect what he does but it is not realistic! In a survival situation being smart is gonna keep you alive and used your knife for something you shouldnt is stupid. Just my 2 cents and once again I am a very big fan but I wouldnt spend the money on one. My falks, ESEE, and Beckers have taken on more than I have asked of them and they are all I need!
 
soapboxpreacher said:
Hm...I cant justify 500 for a knife. I have too many. I know the busses can chop thru roots, cinder blocks, etc....but I will at no cost ever do that with any blade I have! EVER! Because you can doesnt me you should or ever will. As for ESEE...yeah it is a common steel but the heat treating is where the magic happens. They make a knife that will do everything you can pretty much do with a busse and if you break it...they will give you a new one and the knives are nearly 3x cheaper! I like busse because they are limited releases and rare. I could careless about the abuse they can take for I would once again never put a knife thru that kind of beating. End of the world you would be stupid to put your blade thru what noss does at knifetest. I do like noss and respect what he does but it is not realistic! In a survival situation being smart is gonna keep you alive and used your knife for something you shouldnt is stupid. Just my 2 cents and once again I am a very big fan but I wouldnt spend the money on one. My falks, ESEE, and Beckers have taken on more than I have asked of them and they are all I need!
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It should be noted that scrapyard and rathmandu are much closer to the $100-150 for a knife the same size as the F1, ESEE 3.

I do find the way they have separate websites for all the knives a real PITA...

I was very surprised by the prices when I first found out (mostly cause I paid too much for mine..) :(
 
DocGP pretty much nailed it.
 
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LMT66 said:
DocGP pretty much nailed it.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. They're worth it to some folks but not to me personally. If I ever need to cut through a chain I'll use the folding hacksaw in my pack. I don't have any use for the majority of the Busse/BusseKin models (though there are some that aren't half bad to my eye) and I find that less expensive knives perform more than well enough for my needs so I invest my money into other things.

I do agree that the BusseKin lines are much more attractively priced and they run an admirable business, but the hype and the designs just aren't for me as a whole.
 
I have owned a number of Busse- my favorites being a Gen 1 Steel Heart and an Anorexic Natural Outlaw- loved both. I stopped buying them due to $$ and limited availability but I would have complete faith in one of them under any circumstance.

Bill
 
I have 3 busse knives. I love them to death and they really are a lot of fun. However when it comes to the most basic cutting tasks they really are too much. So in that regard I think other knives are more suited to the outdoors. It's a lot like using a chainsaw to cut a 2 by 4. Sure it will work but there are better tools for the job. Cool knives for sure but more for fun factor than function IMO
 
Yes Busses are worth the bucks. Then, you have a Busse.
Please come over to the Busse Forum.
Rolf
 
DocGP said:
Busseland is most definitely rarified air. You are quite a ways into the area of diminishing returns. They are the cream of the crop of survival blades. Only you can say whether they are worth the coin for the relatively small increment of performance increase over ESEE blades. I have some of both, and will probably purchase more of each. But honestly I cannot fathom a situation where a Busse blade would get you out of something that an ESEE blade would not. Would trust my life to either.

Doc
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Thanks. I think that I'll have to get one. That compulsion\obsession worm is knawing at the base of my two brain cells, relentlessly. Xmas is coming soon though so maybe toward spring.
 
nuckingfuts said:
I've been wondering this myself lately.

Just up until recently I thought Busses were no longer made thats why they were so expensive and sought after. I thought they were made overseas for some reason? Just in the last few weeks I found out their made just next door to me in Ohio.

I'm sure Busses are hell of a blade and from what I've read they very much are, but you're not going to ever catch me buying one. They seem to have a type of cult following if you will. But I dont know that is just my very ignorant opinion.

I have looked at some of the scrapyard knives though
Click to expand...

Don't worry about the ignorance bud. I am on the learning curve also. Better to admit it than to miss learning oprtunities. I have been tempted by Scrapyard also. But it just seems like I keep making slow incremental steps to better knives\gear. Almost want to go straight to the top, if that's what Busse is.
 
pap11y said:
Depends which one you get.

The swamp rat and scrapyard stuff is only a little more than the ESEE gear.

I have the ESEE 4 and rat rodent solution.

I like the rodent solution much more. Much better handle design and feel and well worth the money - IMO...
Click to expand...

Interesting.
 
The Logical One said:
IMO Busses are the Hinderers of fixed blades. I've never held one so I can't say whether they are worth it or not, but I can tell you that as much as I want a FBMLE, I would NOT pay that much for a fixed blade because I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to get myself to use it.
Click to expand...

Finally ! Someone else that admits what I felt also. I was in a pickle a while back with an original C95 Manix that I had. On one hand it is a collectors piece, but my nature is to have users. I traded it off as I want to use my knives. I have finally come to the conclusion that whatever I get will be used. I'll be darned if someone else has fun with it after I'm feeding the worms.
 
Busses are great knifes but you are really paying for one heavy thick piece of steel. Of course, you can't break something that is almost a half inch thick. ESEE are great also but I really feel both are overpriced. I own a few of each of the Bussekin knives as well as a few ESEEs and have been happy with all of them. Although, I have knives that were cheaper that perform just as well. Out of the Bussekins, Scrap Yard makes a great knife for the money. Swamp rat has better designs and most of the Busse Combat knives are just that, Combat knives (heavy). Although, they are now trying to lighten their blades a bite. For the money, I am really liking Blind Horse knives. I got their Lumberjack Toothpick and I love it. Great woods knife.
 
HuntBomb said:
Busse, Scrapyard, and Swamp Rat knives are most certainly worth the $.
There's a great sense of security in knowing that your knife can chop through materials that would ruin other knives.
ESEE makes good knives, but they use one of the most common knife steels, so there's more concern about damage.
With Busse, you can chop roots, hard materials, and...whatever you want without worrying about damaging the edge, sharpening more frequently, and/or breaking the tip.
Not to mention, Busse makes / has made some of the coolest fixed blades on the market, and they offer more options for customization.
Of course you can get by with a cheaper knife, but as a knife knut, why not go all out.
Click to expand...

This is actually pressing all of my yes buttons, and pretty much my thinking.
 
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