Busse or RAT? WHich one and why?

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d.weglarz13

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Jun 4, 2008
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Hey guys. It is between a Busse Satin Jack or something like a RAT 6. I like the size of these. I think that comes down to these two, but of course I am not forgetting about Scrapyard, Swamprat, or Tops. Are these as good? Price doesn't matter. I don't want something that weighs a ton, but something that has good balance too.
Couple of Questions:

INFI steel vs. 1095? I have many in 1095, but is INFI better or no? i hear some of both. your opinion? what knife would you guys pick, and WHY? or, maybe other ideas? thanks a lot for all the help. any info about these and why would you choose over the others would be appreciated. throw anything out there. thanks.
dave
 
I would personally choose a RAT over a Busse. One because I'm spending $200.00 less on a RAT than a Busse. Two RAT's warranty is literally the best warranty I have ever seen on a knife. They're good knives trust me. However I do have to say INFI steel slaughters 1095.
 
Both are good values. If you get what you pay for then all is well. Will the Busse do things that the RC-6 won't do, Maybe, do you need more knife than the RC-6? Probably not. There are many good knives that will perform all of my cutting needs for a lot less money than either of the two in question, How much do you want to spend? Only you can answer that.
 
Both are great choices. It will depend on your budget. Check out the Scrapyard Scrapper 5 LE and SE also, a slightly cheaper INFI blade but a great knife and about the size you are talking about. There are a couple for sale in the Busse Sale Forum here.
 
I honestly don't see a task where I would need a Busse over a RAT, but if I could afford one I'd get a Busse.

I need a big chopper, I'd like to have a Bushwacker, but I'll wait for the Junglas Machete.
 
If you can afford it and really enjoy knives, tough not often seen in the field knives. Go with the Busse. I have been on adventures with lots of different folks and see a ton of the same knives. I have been the only person to have a Busse or even a Scrapyard product on any of them. I can tell that the Busse is the real deal when it comes to use or even abuse deflection. That's my 2coppers...:)
 
Buy em both and sell the one you dont like. You wont loose much cash (maybe just like 20 bucks tops if you shop around before you buy. Busse are heavy but are built like tanks. I prefer busse over my Rats. But rats are great for the price.

Both great knives IMO
 
Both are great IMO. They both have amazing warranties, they're both tough as nails. Owning both, I will say I prefer Busse for a number of reasons.

I find INFI holds an edge better than 1095.
INFI is MUCH more corrosion resistant than 1095. If I look at a 1095 blade the wrong way, it rusts. I've yet to have even a spec of rust on any INFI.
I've yet to chip a Busse, at all, and I beat the leaving hell out of mine. I've put small chips in a rat.

That said, a rat is probably all anyone would ever need, they're great knives, with an awesome warranty. I just prefer Busse combat, even if they are a hell of a lot more expensive.
 
Seriously?

Both cut, both are tough to the bone, both have stellar warranties, one has a sheath of good quality, one is priced in the stratosphere because of mythical metal and magical hardening processes which shall remain cloaked in secrecy lest someone find out the Wizard is three feet tall behind the curtain. :D

So go with the one that fits your hand brother and comes with a sheath.
 
Rat cutlery has a slight edge in warranty.
INFI has a slightly better performance profile over the RC 1095.
TOPS uses 1095
Most scrapyard and Swamprat blades come in something other than INFI.
RC knives come with a sheath, new Busse knives don't.
overall, most of the differences are a wash.

For the cost of a Busse and sheath, you can pick up a Rat Pack sheath with RC6, an RC4 with molle back and pouch, and an izula, but since you say budget is not an issue, I'd say go with the one that feels the best in your hand.
 
Rat cutlery only has a slight edge in warranty if you video tape yourself destroying a knife. Busse will cover any unintentional damage to a knife, meaning if you want to make a sculpture out of a stone and you want to use your battle mistress to do so, it'll be covered, but if you take a cutting torch to it, it won't be. Rat will cover anything, but if you cut one of their knives in half you'll get a replacement and probably be told to never buy one of their knives again. Honestly, both are great. I just really prefer INFI.
 
The big Busse knives are awfully heavy. I had a SARsquatch and I would never have dreamed of actually carrying it into the woods with me more than the first time.

Big, chopper knives and 'light' don't really go together. You might want to look into the Spyderco Rock Salt. They are selling at pretty good prices now because they were just recently discontinued.

Personally if I want a chopper I'll take an axe.
 
First, the OP is talking about a Satin Jack Tac. NOT a big chopper. It's got about 6.25" of blade, including the choil. Not a big, heavy knife. I own two of them.

That said...

to the OP, either of the knives you mentioned will do just fine for you. I don't know how well RATs hold their resale value, though. Busses, however, tend to hold their value quite well. So I would get the Busse, and then if you don't like it, you can always sell it on the Busse Exchange here on the forums, or on evil bay, and then buy the RAT.

But again, they're both good knives. I just like INFI better than any other steel I've ever used.

Scrapyard and Swamp Rat are very good knives as well.

I've never used anything by TOPS, but the ones I've handled at the local gun/knife show didn't impress me that much. I didn't like their appearance or how they felt in my hand.
 
The Chef said:
Both cut, both are tough to the bone, both have stellar warranties, one has a sheath of good quality, one is priced in the stratosphere because of mythical metal and magical hardening processes which shall remain cloaked in secrecy lest someone find out the Wizard is three feet tall behind the curtain. :D
Click to expand...

Is the bashing really warranted here? The last part of the statement certainly suggests that Busses are somehow inferior to their reputations.

I've not found that to be the case at all.

If I were going to do a lot of chopping, I'd go with the Busse. However, the 6" blades are not really best suited for chopping anyway, so I'll agree with the poster who said: try 'em both and sell the one you don't want.
 
I hope The Chef has a flame suit. Talkin bad about Busse on this forum is like, well, you just don't want to do it.

I guess you could say there is a SLIGHT Busse bias around here...
 
I just got a RAT RC6 the other day and used it for making some walking staffs in the bush, along with my swamprat Ratmandu and INFI Scrapper 5. Although I would give the Swamprat and Scrapyard higher marks for handle comfort, the RC6 was a better chopper (bigger knife) and all three knives did well for peeling bark, carving and re-sharpening.

All three knives were roughly the same cost at the time of purchase and all three knives performed well.
 
The consideration I would give, is if you really like the Rat, you could probably order another one Later. The Bussekin knives sometimes are limited runs, so if you might want two or more of a knife you really take too, down the road the Rat might be a better choice.
 
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