Just because one can do a thing, does not mean that one should
do that thing. ... Someone said that somewhere.
I have a wild imagination, but even I can't entertain a scenario where I would need to chop through cement blocks or scaffolding poles with my knife. Mostly because the only places I would find those, carrying a knife would be illegal and I would likely have access to more appropriate tools in the car anyway.
Personally I see little relevance of the literal 'break it and get a new one' other than as a curiosity. A lifetime replacement for faulty materials etc is different, but any good manufacturer should offer that.
Of much more interest is what happens to the knife if it is 'accidentally' abused. In my drunken, night-time battoning spree*, I tried to hammer though a big lump of dense sandstone thinking it was a knot in the log that was leaning against it. After four heavy blows I realised the blade had not moved.
I believe that any of my knives other than the Busses would have been severely damaged. As it was, I lost about 1/32" depth, about 1/4" long, from the belly of the knife that was protruding from the edge of the log. That was basically rolled/squished to the point that steeling had no chance to recover it. I've chipped a Fallkniven A2 with far less than that, and I doubt any of my other knives would have survived. I bet the Ferhman would have survived like the Busse, but I don't know. It's a similar price point though. Immediately on either side of the damage, the edge would still shave arm hairs easily!
Now, perhaps there are cheaper knives that would have handled that abuse and continued to be perfectly usable, perhaps they would also still be shaving sharp after four days of heavy chopping and batonning. Maybe they would work as efficiently for said chopping and splitting, resist rust as well, have a grip that is as secure in the pouring rain and covered in gunk, be balanced just right, have a handle shape that lends itself to a wide variety of grips from choked up (and perfectly balanced for fuzzy making) to gripping at the end to maximise chopping momentum. If they also have the aesthetic yet practical beauty of the HH, give the same feeling of satisfaction and, well,
power that comes from taking hold of them, and keep their value as well, then I want one!
Oh wait, I have one - it's a Busse! (all except the 'cheaper' bit, lol)
This 'is it worth it' question is a personal thing, and one which each and every one of us will have their own answer for. I would never presume to insist that someone else would find as much worth in my HH as I do, but the knife has enough intrinsic goodness that they
might. Nor would I presume to insist that a Busse, or anything, is
not worth the money to someone else. Often, I find myself in a position of looking at something that is of little worth to me, and yet I can appreciate that it is to someone else. The necessity is that the object has some intrinsic goodness, and Busse knives have that in spades whether they suit a particular person or not.
I've never had enough money to call myself a 'collector' and I look with admiration at the sometimes huge array of blades that some people here have. Users or not, it doesn't matter. It makes no difference to whether a knife makes a good user, simply because people like to put them in drawers and polish them occasionally. I am (well, was) fortunate enough to be able to afford a few Busses amongst others, and for that I am thankful. Using them has given me a great deal of pleasure, as has polishing and admiring them at home. I have used most of the knives I have had in my hands, and
the Busses have given me the greatest pleasure of them all.
*Yes, the abuse was stupid and I would likely not be doing anything like that in a 'survival' situation; at least not the drunken part. But, stuff happens! I had a funny feeling when I realised I had smashed up the edge, a mixture of 'arghh I've just smashed a very expensive knife' and 'what the heck, it's a Busse, it'll be fine'. And it was fine, after a careful hour to very slightly reprofile the belly and get rid of the evidence.
Edit: Cobalt, I was writing this essay when you posted above. It looks like my opening comment might be meant for your post but it wasn't. I see nothing wrong with chucking knives at logs, lol. Sandstone outcroppings, now that's another matter...
). And ya make a helluva sheath 
