Busse knives really worth the bux ?

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I recently stocked up on a few Moras. :thumbup:

I like all kinds of knives, to the detriment of my wallet. :p

Cheap binos suck!
 
UffDa said:
Consider this. You buy a Busse knife and use it. You beat the hell out of it and a few years later you decide that you want something else. It is very likely that you can sell your Busse
for what you paid for it and probably much more. In the unlikely event that you damage the Busse through neglect and/or abuse, Busse will fix it or replace it.

There are very few knives that you can say that about. What will your Esee be worth after you use it?

If you are happy with a cheap knife, gun, binocular, car, whatever, more power to you. A lot of folks like to own the best that they can afford.
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A beat up used yet unbroken Busse certainly wont yield the return you invested. If it is barely used...then you would do alright. I do like them quite a bit but for my purpose it is a waste of money.
 
I got a Busse basic 9 over 10 years ago for $199.95, used it a lot, beat the hell out it it.
Last year, I sold it for $300.

:)
 
UffDa said:
...Some folks drive Chevy and some drive Mercedes.
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True, but only those who drive Chevy's count. :D ;););) (Only joking, of course! Drop those flame throwers and step back, OK?! :))

soapboxpreacher said:
A beat up used yet unbroken Busse certainly wont yield the return you invested. If it is barely used...then you would do alright. I do like them quite a bit but for my purpose it is a waste of money.
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Not true...but of course it depends on the Busse models in question. Even heavily used straight handled Battle Mistresses will sell for way over double what they were new. Now something newer and more common...yes this may be true, depending on what it is and how hard it's been beaten.

ETA: See glockboy's post above mine. Enjoying the hell out of a Busse Basic series knife, and then getting an extra c-note above what was paid is pretty sweet, yes? :)
 
I love mine. I have owned 12 different models and used all of them.

I currently only have 6.

Busse, Swamprat, and Scrapyard are all stellar. The Scrapyard and the Swamprat are, as noted, much closer in price to average knives. The steels are top notch with fantastic heat treat.

Infi is great too. Fun knives. Tons of designs. Hard use, and they hold their value. I used some of mine for years, and did not loose any money on them.

They make big, small, thick, thin, shiny, Green, Blue, red, orange...........


I have modified them to my taste, and still not lost money. I bought one model (SS). I stripped the finish off, reground the blade to remove the re-curve, used it for a few years, and still sold it for almost what I paid for it.

I had another Ash1 CG. I stripped the finish, convexed the edge. Threw it, chopped with hit, batonned with it, stained the handles, and sold it for what I had into it.
 
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I think that the group that Busse appeals to tends to be one different from the one to which I generally belong. I generally like to match my purchases to my needs, with a reasonable and modest buffer of functionality in excess to cover any unexpected demands. As such I tend to make most of my purchases in the middle range of the the price spectrum--some pieces being at the lower end as outliers (performance being greatly in excess of pricepoint) and others at the upper end. There are also people who want the absolute best that money can buy, and they're willing to pay the high prices once you cross the point of diminishing returns. The hype engine/culture that Busse has built around their knives is what has allowed pre-owned and used models to fetch the prices they do, and that adds both a layer of prestige and a financial safety net for Busse-buyers. Virtually all aspects of the business is well thought out and they put out a very fine product. They're just unlikely to ever end up in my cutlery stable unless they come out with a SR that REALLY appears to me and based on their present design paradigm I find it an unlikely circumstance. The price is not the only hurdle for me--the majority of their designs just don't appeal to my very particular tastes, and those that do do not appeal to me so strongly that they would motivate me to do anything more than say "oh that one doesn't look to bad."

I just want to be clear--while I may be critical in my observations I do so from an evaluative perspective as pertaining to my own personal preferences alone. This means that just because I feel a certain way about them it doesn't necessarily mean that I think they should be doing anything different. Another company that doesn't appeal to me is Kershaw, and yet I don't hesitate to recommend them to folks that I think would enjoy them. Great company, but I'm just not their target consumer. :)
 
glockboy said:
I got a Busse basic 9 over 10 years ago for $199.95, used it a lot, beat the hell out it it.
Last year, I sold it for $300.

:)
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What cost $199.95 in 2001 would cost $253.80 in 2011. Inflation not counting any tax or shipping. Knives, generally speaking, are poor investments.
 
Codger_64 said:
Knives, generally speaking, are poor investments.
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You got that right! Great investments for increasing the range of cutting tasks you're able to handle, but not so great for return on invested capital. :p
 
I'm admittedly just an old Codger and I have special tools for certain jobs. A knife designed and produced in 1911 works as well today as it did then for the majority of cutting tasks. I don't normally go into the woods to dig and cut roots or cut down trees. For those tasks I have shovels and digging bars, picks and mattox, axes and hatchets and saws. I do understand the attraction of buying and trying a newer knife design just for the fun of it. It's all good. And it keeps cutlers working in a social environment that is not nearly as consumptive of traditional knives for traditional uses as it once was, in spite of a hugely increased population. Obsessive consumerism has it's place in today's economy. And Gary Busey & Co. seem to be very successful at promoting it via their business model. Kudos to them.
 
Remember the old debate, "is 9mm as good as .45"? Ever notice how nobody ever says, "is .45 as good as 9"?? .45 is the undisputed manstopper. I haven't heard anyone say "is INFI as good as __"?

Pete
 
AV8R said:
Remember the old debate, "is 9mm as good as .45"? Ever notice how nobody ever says, "is .45 as good as 9"?? .45 is the undisputed manstopper. I haven't heard anyone say "is INFI as good as __"?

Pete
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Never tried Infi. 1095 up to 100 years old? Yes. It takes a licking and still keeps ticking. :p

9mm or .45? I prefer .357 but to each his own. With proper training and use, all three will get the job done equally well.
 
AV8R said:
Remember the old debate, "is 9mm as good as .45"? Ever notice how nobody ever says, "is .45 as good as 9"?? .45 is the undisputed manstopper. I haven't heard anyone say "is INFI as good as __"?

Pete
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I have. When asking questions pertaining to edge retention and corrosion resistance. Steel performance is multi-dimensional.
 
The 9mm and the .45 are both good rounds.
Busse and Becker are both good knives.
But if you want INFI... :D
 
IMO Scrapyard delivers exactly what they say with the slogan "superior price to performance". You will not find better, more usable knives, and I would say "at any price" than Srcapyard (since they use Res-C on everything).

If you change the topic to "Bussekin", then it's unquestionable that they're worth it.
 
Jaxx said:
ETA: See glockboy's post above mine. Enjoying the hell out of a Busse Basic series knife, and then getting an extra c-note above what was paid is pretty sweet, yes? :)
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An there's a reason for this.
You really do get what you paid for.

glockboy said:
I got a Busse basic 9 over 10 years ago for $199.95, used it a lot, beat the hell out it it.
Last year, I sold it for $300.
:)
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Codger_64 said:
What cost $199.95 in 2001 would cost $253.80 in 2011. Inflation not counting any tax or shipping. Knives, generally speaking, are poor investments.
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Yes, but try doing something like that with any other knife brand, or a car.
 
If you compare one bad financial investment to another, they're still both bad. Just sayin'. :p
 
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