Busse or RAT? WHich one and why?

Either one will serve you well. Both great companies with outstanding warranty service, should anything ever happen.
 
RATs are great preformers. In my opinion they are a much better value. They're putting funcion over form and they still look pretty sweet. I'd go with the rat if I were you.

Plus, busse's are unnecessarily thick imo.
 
Guyon said:
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.
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The Busse Knives should not get a pass for being overpriced on the consesus of what the market will bear and what the sub-forum leaders say to think about them.

IMO, No knife is worth 347 dollars, plus 85 bucks for G10 (same as on a 13.99 KaBar Folder on sale at Big 5, or is the INFI G10 magically better too?) and a super special "famous" cardboard blade cover to boot.

Speaking of the RAT-6 and BWM I have to compare apples to (Oranges) with Busse knives because they don't sell knives customers want, they sell knives they feel like making. If anything I am writing is factually wrong let me know, because my source is here:

http://bussecombat.com/miva/merchant.mvc?

(Where is the Satin Jack the OP wants? Not on the Busse site, how about a Swamprat? Wakazishi's only...sorry How bout them Scrappy's? Nope not there either)

I would love to buy another ASH-1 or Hellrazor if they come around again, but to recommend them over a company that cares about what customers want, is cheaper, fits the hand better and has a warranty that blows Busse away?

Nope, can't do it.

See, it's hard for me justify recommending Busse when a working man is paying such outlandish prices for nothing more than status and mythos.

I respect alot of what you post Guyon, I like Busses, I would just never tell someone else to buy a tool for nothing more than love of the name. If you want to start a fire on this thread go fish, this is my sole response, it's all here.

If I want a knife to speculate on, look at or otherwise have for an occasional trade I buy a Busse if I take a knife to work, camping or use it at all, it'll be a RAT.

https://combat.apollohosting.com/mi...PR&Attributes=Yes&Product_Code=BWM&Quantity=1
 
exactly how does the rat warranty blow the busse warranty away? and how exactly does busse not care about its customers? visit the forums or give them a call and make that statement again.

busse combat has made thousands of different knives (including variants) over the years to fit a wide variety of tastes and needs.


lest we forget busse combat has offered the basically unconditional warranty for many years and has replaced many a knife along the way.


both make fine products, buy what you like and what fits your budget.
 
honestly for the money you could consider something custom too and get whatever steel you want (sans infi)

here's busse's warranty

We guarantee against any and all unintentional MAJOR damage forever.

so as long as you dont purposely break your knife they will replace it. i really dont know how you could ask for more. and really even if u you intentionally break it you could just say you didnt, theyre not going to like research how you broke your knife
 
sweet_hitch-hiker said:
honestly for the money you could consider something custom too and get whatever steel you want (sans infi)

here's busse's warranty

We guarantee against any and all unintentional MAJOR damage forever.

so as long as you dont purposely break your knife they will replace it. i really dont know how you could ask for more. and really even if u you intentionally break it you could just say you didnt, theyre not going to like research how you broke your knife
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pretty sure the hockey mask got replacements when he intentionally broke his busses.

ive had minor damage like cracked scales replaced at no cost as well.

whatever the warranty description on the site, they have replaced knives damaged in all sorts of conditions, intentional and otherwise.

from what i have read and seen, both warranties appear to be identical for all practical purposes.
 
A guy used a busse to cut through a metal chain for fun. He had his knife fixed up for free. That is a pretty good warranty IMO. Rat has an equally amazing warranty and I think both knife companies are amazing. Youll also notice both companies have a lot of fans (and sadly fanboys as well).
 
The Chef said:
The Busse Knives should not get a pass for being overpriced on the consesus of what the market will bear and what the sub-forum leaders say to think about them.

IMO, No knife is worth 347 dollars, plus 85 bucks for G10 (same as on a 13.99 KaBar Folder on sale at Big 5, or is the INFI G10 magically better too?) and a super special "famous" cardboard blade cover to boot.
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I don't understand "getting a pass." Busse makes a good product and charges a premium price. Lots of people pay it. Either you are willing to pay the price or you are not. The company is not twisting arms and forcing people to buy the knives. :p

To this, I would add that the Busse folks I know have brains of their own and tend to be discriminating about knives in general, not just about the Busse line. Slights about brainwashing aside, people who buy Busse knives are all adults, and they judge and make up their own minds. If you actually read the subforum, you'll see critique of various models with both pros and cons in mind.

The Chef said:
Speaking of the RAT-6 and BWM I have to compare apples to (Oranges) with Busse knives because they don't sell knives customers want, they sell knives they feel like making. If anything I am writing is factually wrong let me know, because my source is here:

http://bussecombat.com/miva/merchant.mvc?

(Where is the Satin Jack the OP wants? Not on the Busse site, how about a Swamprat? Wakazishi's only...sorry How bout them Scrappy's? Nope not there either)
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While I respect the line-up of knives that Jeff Randall and Mike Perrin has designed, there's no way that they've made as many different models and variations as Busse. In that respect, Busse has certainly catered to what people want. The Busse line has spanned the spectrum from tiny little neckers (the Bear Cub HACKs) to giant choppers (MOABs and Killa Zillas) and everything in between.

In addition, on the previous model (the Tank Buster), Busse offered an unprecedented number of options, including choil/no choil, various coatings, and various handle configurations. Again, while the RAT knives are certainly good knives, there is not near the amount of variation based on what customers want.

What The Chef is talking about is the production model, and it's common knowledge that Busse produces knives in batches. That said, I have never come up short on a model that I really wanted. Finding a Busse may require more patience, but sometimes it's worth it.

The Chef said:
I would love to buy another ASH-1 or Hellrazor if they come around again, but to recommend them over a company that cares about what customers want, is cheaper, fits the hand better and has a warranty that blows Busse away?

Nope, can't do it.
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First, the Busse warranty is iron-clad. I've seen people do some pretty dumb things to Busse knives and get them replaced. Second, if you want an ASH-1 or Hellrazor, it is true you're not going to get immediate gratification based on the Busse production model. But if you're patient and you make a friend or two among the Busse fans, you'd probably have no trouble finding what you want either via private sales or via the several large shows Busse attends each year.

The Chef said:
See, it's hard for me justify recommending Busse when a working man is paying such outlandish prices for nothing more than status and mythos.

I respect alot of what you post Guyon, I like Busses, I would just never tell someone else to buy a tool for nothing more than love of the name. If you want to start a fire on this thread go fish, this is my sole response, it's all here.
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I think people who actually USE Busses recommend them because of design and performance--not just because of the name. Again, if folks don't like the prices, no one is forcing them to buy the knives.
 
I apologize to the OP for the derail. The Chef says he's said his piece, and I've said mine. I like the Busse line and don't like to see the users get lumped together as Kool Aid drinking simpletons. We're actually Scotch and Bourbon drinking simpletons. :D :p

Also, a RAT RC-5 is definitely on my 2010 list, and I'm not trying to elevate one company over the other. Just wanted to add a contrasting, non-bashing perspective.

Edited to add:

VG10 said:
Plus, busse's are unnecessarily thick imo.
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Busse knives do tend toward thicker geometries in general. But there have been lots of exceptions. Even the current batch, the Bushwacker Mistress, is pretty thin for a 10" chopper, coming in at 3/16" including coating. I don't remember the exact specs on the SJTACs, but the coated versions were thinner relative to the LE (satin) versions.

On a separate note, there is this consideration about the Busse warranty and an older model like the SJTAC. If you plan to abuse an older Busse, be aware that you will not get a replacement if you break it in half. As noted before, Busse makes knives in batches, and the company does not hold back old models as "replacement" knives. For an older model, you'll get a credit toward a Busse in the amount of the original sale price.

If you break a RAT, you will get the same knife back. You'd be hard pressed to break a knife from either company, but if you like beating on knives with hammers and you know you want the same knife as a replacement, the RAT RC-6 would be your better bet.

.
 
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I can't speak for the individual, but it just shows an obvious difference in the steels.
 
babakanoosh45 said:
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...:)
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+1 :d
 
Jake Bauer said:
I don't see how infi can be hundreds of dollars worth better than RAT's 1095.
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Buy one, use it, and see for yourself. If you don't like it, sell it for pretty much what you paid for it. I've owned many other companies knives, I'm sold with Busse combat.

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I chopped down this large, extremely frozen, VERY hard birch with my NMFBM. It had been dead for a while and was hard as a rock. After, the knife would still shave arm hair. No dents, no chips, nothing. It laughed at it.

That's the thing with Busse, they have something for everyone. They have thin models, thick models, EDC blades, camp knives, fighting knives.

Hard to buy? Hardly. Any knife i've wanted i've posted a want to buy ad and had it within a day. The exchange is filled with knives for sale. Unless you want some super rare model, you'll be hard pressed to not find one.

Like I said, rat cutlery makes great knives, I just prefer Busse. For some, the cost to performance ratio isn't as favorable, and that's fine too.
 
230grains said:
I hardly hate other knives.
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I was just trying to understand why that link was posted. Searching for the point.



Another thing you guys should consider.

Not everybody can afford, or is willing to pay 400$ for a knife. That why there were much more people at the free SantaGanzaaa than for any other Ganzaaa (me included).

Even my 150$ knives were bought after much hesitation.



Not everybody want to chop concrete either ;)
 
cybrok said:
I was just trying to understand why that link was posted. Searching for the point.



Another thing you guys should consider.

Not everybody can afford, or is willing to pay 400$ for a knife. That why there were much more people at the free SantaGanzaaa than for any other Ganzaaa (me included).

Even my 150$ knives were bought after much hesitation.



Not everybody want to chop concrete either ;)
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Honestly, the knives aren't for everyone. I won't say they're 100% the best out there, but they're certainly the best knives i've ever owned, and i've owned a lot of different knives.
 
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! I never thought this question would bring out so many different opinions. Thanks so much, for all of your input. This is going to be a damn hard decision.
 
i too agree on the money aspect. if all you can realistically afford is 100-120 then rat will suit you find. but if you can drop 300-400 or even more, then i say by all means do it. and as many other members have mentioned, youre not really going to lose much money reselling either one if you dont like it.
 
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