- Joined
- Oct 8, 1998
- Messages
- 5,403
After I had posted a number of questions about the Busse E models, Andy Prisco of Sharper Instinct offered to send me a knife, so that I could get a feel for the product, and answer my own questions.
The knife arrived Tuesday morning, just as I was starting my day. What a way to start the day, huh?
So, the knife....
The knife is the Busse Natural Outlaw. It is full tang, with quilted micarta handle slabs secured with hollow brass flare tubes. The knife is coated in a black epoxy coating.
Andy Prisco's site Sharper Instinct for the Busse Combat Line... http://www.sharperinstinct.com/busse-combat-knives/
And an image of the Natural Outlaw...
http://www.sharperinstinct.com/busse-combat-knives/natural-outlaw.jpg
I am not going to go with a full review, I am going to address a couple of questions that I had, plus a few other issues. I want to finish this so I can answer any questions before I send this back, so I am going to type this stream of concious, faster that way.
To start out, I can say nothing from experience about the standard sheath, Andy shipped this knife in a Kenny Rowe leather sheath, very nice. A word as to the standard sheath, I usually disregard the sheath that a knife is offered with. I have yet to meet a standard sheath I was completely pleased with, consequently I usually plan on having a aftermarket sheath made. So, if you like the standard sheath, great, if you do not, oh well, contract for the one you want.
One thing I was interested in was the fit between the handle and the slabs. You see, the two are shaped separately, and then combined. In similarly constructed products by other manufacturers this method of assembly yields a handle/tang fit that is inconsistent. Not the Busse though. The tang protrudes a hair past the slabs on the spine, and slightly more at the edge side. To enhance comfort, the edges of the tang have been rounded, not just dehorned, but rounded.
In shape the handle is very comfortable to hold. The double round shape allows me to adjust my hold forward or back with no discomfort. The micarta slabs are contoured, the highest area stretching from the back top corner of the slab to the to front corner, with the the slab reducing in height as it moves towards the spine and towards the inside, being the thinnest where the slabs meet the talons on the edge side.
The quilting on the handle slabs would most likely cause some irritation with extended use, but a glove would alleviate that problem, and the texture does improve grip.
Comparing the drip of the Natural Outlaw to the grip of my Becker, I found that while torquing the blade, the Busse resisted shiffting much better, but there is a increase in friction, and therefor potential for discomfort.
The knife balances right behind the first hollow handle tube. Given it's balance, I would not choose this knife to chop, though with it's well rounded spine and secure handle it would work with batoning techniques quite well. That being said, given a choked-back grip, holding the knife with the pinky behind the rear talon would increase chopping power.
Much has been made of the small choil, I believe that I have medium to large hands, and the choil is sufficiently large, though not roomy.
Some have commented negatively about the bright brass, but given just a little natural corrosion or some bluing, the brass can be darkened.
Just ahead of the front edge of the micarta slab, the spine has been raised to provide a sort of thumb rest. Thankfully, the thumb rest is not serrated or filed.
One thing that still impresses me when I inspect the knife is the finish details, the way the parts come together, especially the rounding of the spine. The rounding of the spine serves two purposes, so far as I see, when using a baton, the rounded spine will be less likely to fracture the baton, and when placing pressure on the spine, the rounded surface will be far less likely to cause discomfort.
The blade is fairly wide, this is good because it allows one to grasp the blade for scraping and other tasks with a greater margin of safety.
There has been some talk of warranty as of late, and I have to say, the Busse warranty is one among many great things about the knife. The warranty, through it's simplicity, communicates a confidence that is seemingly lacking in many other offerings.
If I can answer any other questions or clarify any of my statements, please let me know.
------------------
Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com
My website, guided links, talonite/cobalt alloy info, etc....
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff
>>--->Bill Siegle Custom Knives<---<<
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-
"To wait for luck is the same as waiting for death." -Japanese Proverb
"Place you clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark." -Lazarus Long
Edited to include a link to an image of the Natural Outlaw.
[This message has been edited by Marion David Poff (edited 01-14-2001).]
The knife arrived Tuesday morning, just as I was starting my day. What a way to start the day, huh?
So, the knife....
The knife is the Busse Natural Outlaw. It is full tang, with quilted micarta handle slabs secured with hollow brass flare tubes. The knife is coated in a black epoxy coating.
Andy Prisco's site Sharper Instinct for the Busse Combat Line... http://www.sharperinstinct.com/busse-combat-knives/
And an image of the Natural Outlaw...
http://www.sharperinstinct.com/busse-combat-knives/natural-outlaw.jpg
I am not going to go with a full review, I am going to address a couple of questions that I had, plus a few other issues. I want to finish this so I can answer any questions before I send this back, so I am going to type this stream of concious, faster that way.
To start out, I can say nothing from experience about the standard sheath, Andy shipped this knife in a Kenny Rowe leather sheath, very nice. A word as to the standard sheath, I usually disregard the sheath that a knife is offered with. I have yet to meet a standard sheath I was completely pleased with, consequently I usually plan on having a aftermarket sheath made. So, if you like the standard sheath, great, if you do not, oh well, contract for the one you want.
One thing I was interested in was the fit between the handle and the slabs. You see, the two are shaped separately, and then combined. In similarly constructed products by other manufacturers this method of assembly yields a handle/tang fit that is inconsistent. Not the Busse though. The tang protrudes a hair past the slabs on the spine, and slightly more at the edge side. To enhance comfort, the edges of the tang have been rounded, not just dehorned, but rounded.
In shape the handle is very comfortable to hold. The double round shape allows me to adjust my hold forward or back with no discomfort. The micarta slabs are contoured, the highest area stretching from the back top corner of the slab to the to front corner, with the the slab reducing in height as it moves towards the spine and towards the inside, being the thinnest where the slabs meet the talons on the edge side.
The quilting on the handle slabs would most likely cause some irritation with extended use, but a glove would alleviate that problem, and the texture does improve grip.
Comparing the drip of the Natural Outlaw to the grip of my Becker, I found that while torquing the blade, the Busse resisted shiffting much better, but there is a increase in friction, and therefor potential for discomfort.
The knife balances right behind the first hollow handle tube. Given it's balance, I would not choose this knife to chop, though with it's well rounded spine and secure handle it would work with batoning techniques quite well. That being said, given a choked-back grip, holding the knife with the pinky behind the rear talon would increase chopping power.
Much has been made of the small choil, I believe that I have medium to large hands, and the choil is sufficiently large, though not roomy.
Some have commented negatively about the bright brass, but given just a little natural corrosion or some bluing, the brass can be darkened.
Just ahead of the front edge of the micarta slab, the spine has been raised to provide a sort of thumb rest. Thankfully, the thumb rest is not serrated or filed.
One thing that still impresses me when I inspect the knife is the finish details, the way the parts come together, especially the rounding of the spine. The rounding of the spine serves two purposes, so far as I see, when using a baton, the rounded spine will be less likely to fracture the baton, and when placing pressure on the spine, the rounded surface will be far less likely to cause discomfort.
The blade is fairly wide, this is good because it allows one to grasp the blade for scraping and other tasks with a greater margin of safety.
There has been some talk of warranty as of late, and I have to say, the Busse warranty is one among many great things about the knife. The warranty, through it's simplicity, communicates a confidence that is seemingly lacking in many other offerings.
If I can answer any other questions or clarify any of my statements, please let me know.
------------------
Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com
My website, guided links, talonite/cobalt alloy info, etc....
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff
>>--->Bill Siegle Custom Knives<---<<
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-
"To wait for luck is the same as waiting for death." -Japanese Proverb
"Place you clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark." -Lazarus Long
Edited to include a link to an image of the Natural Outlaw.
[This message has been edited by Marion David Poff (edited 01-14-2001).]
