Busse v. Reeve

Sproles

Sproles

Joined
Jan 11, 1999
Messages
700
OK - I am wanting to add a mid-sezed fixed blade - a real worker - to my bag and I was going to look at the GB 5.5", but then discovered the BIGGGG world of Busse. Once I was able to figure out the nomenclature, I realized that liked a few of them:

What are your thoughts, overall, on the knife and the company and how do they stack up to Reeve, or other manufacturers that I would be aware of?

Badger Attack?
Natural Outlaw?

Any others?

David
 
Boy, this is going to be a can of worms for sure! 99% of my fixed blade knives are either Busse or Swamp Rat. My one and only folder is a Sebenza which I had traded a CRK Project 2 for. The only reason was I had a boatload of 7" knives and no folder, so I traded a Reeve for a Reeve.

I like Busse's better, but that's just me. Either one would serve you right if you find one that suits your needs just so. Check out Bad Mojo if you really want to get a good look at a bunch of Busse blades, or the picture archives at the top of the Busse forum here in BF. Also, check out the Chris Reeve forum here also.

Good luck!

Rob
 
From everything I've read, Busses are real hard-use performers. The GB 5.5" is certainly a quality knife, but more likely a fighting/military knife than a camping/general use kind of knife. As an alternative to Busse, you could always get a Swamp Rat. Heck, rather than deciding on just one Busse, you could afford at least two Rats! :D
 
I also own products by both makers. Both are excellent--among the best performance knives available. The balance of CR knives does tend to be more central, and they are faster/livelier in your hand. The Busse knives are built very stockily and meant to shrug off the hardest work you put them to. Busse edges are typically thicker and don't slice quite as well (in order to be very tough), but if you want a thinner edge grind you can request it. I tend to prefer Reeve's standard factory edges on small knives and Busse's on large ones.

Either way you're getting a knife from one of the best makers out there. The Busse line is somewhat limited right now, only selling the Natural Outlaw and the Active Duty. As time goes by, more models will become available again. Old models are available quite frequently on the sale forums here, and the same for the CRKs.

I also heartily recommend Swamp Rat--incredible performance and less painful on the wallet. :)
 
Just so you understand, these guys are recommending Swamp Rat because it's the "basic" division of Busse. They really are Busse knives, and very nearly as tough as the originals, which they often match model for model. I have the Ratchet myself, and it's an awesome version for a cheapie :D

Chris Reeve knives are my personal favorites. They have a lot of class, but Busses are close to indestructible. Just to add to the confusion, so are Striders.

Keep in mind, these are all expensive and very individual designs. All of them are high value for the money, but you can't tell how they will fit your hand unless you hold them. All of them balance and cut differently. Hands-on examination is a real good idea.

You probably know by now that all of them have great customer support.
 
Get a Camp Tramp. Don't let the lower price (compared to Busse's line) confuse you: the Swamp Rats come with better handle ergonomics. Sure, their handles do not look as cool as the raw Micarta Busse uses, but Resiprene C is not comparable to cheap rubber like Kraton. It's plenty tough and feels very comfortable and secure in my hand.
As far as blade steel is concerned, INFI is only marginally superior to SR's proprietary steel. The latter seems to be a little less corrosion resistant, but that's about it.
 
Since you also asked about the Badger Attack and the Natural Outlaw I just have to say, my EDC is an older straight handled BA. The BA's come pretty much in 3 flavors, all good. The first is the straight handles, second, the ergos and then the BA3"s. The fourth, the fusion hasn't been released yet. All are similar yet different, mainly IMHO, just sharing the name and size, but fairly different blade shapes.

The NO-E and the BA-E are about identical except for blade length. I have both and love both. The new NO is larger going up to a 7" blade from the 6". I don't have one yet, but they look awesome.

What are you going to use it for? You said mid sized and mentioned the GB's length of 5.5" That falls right between the NO-E and the Badgers. I like the smaller blade for most chores other than chopping. Just easier to work with and a nice size.

Have fun in your search.

Rob
 
As soon as you said "real worker", I thought about the Camp Tramp. I just received mine 3 days ago. This is my first big knife (big for me anyhow). This thing is flat out the toughest knife I have ever used. I beat the tar out of it. The handle is great and it is quite blade heavy to be a very good chopper. It has essentially laughed at what I did to it. Amazing toughness.

With a price that is MUCH better than the Busse or Reeve knives, I can't imagine a better work horse. It doesn't look that pretty which is often better if you need to beat it up. That way you won't feel guilty...
 
There is no comparison between a Reeve product like the Green Beret and a comparable Busse knife, or one from Swamp Rat. The Busse / Swamp Rat blade will have better cutting ability, durablity, versatility, handle ergonomics, and the customer service / user interaction is *much* higher.

-Cliff
 
The Busse is a sharpened pry bar design, thick clunky edge and will chop frozen tree limbs and cattle bones the best of today's production knives. Slicing and general cutting is very poor compared to Reeve.

The Reeve is designed for efficient cutting and general outdoor use for a fixed blade.



Regards,
FK
 
FK said:
The Busse is a sharpened pry bar design, thick clunky edge
Click to expand...

This is an incorrect assumption if you are referring to all Busses. Especially regarding any of the newer ones.
 
I've had knives from both of these makers, but in the end, I sold the Busses and kept the Reeves. I wasn't a big fan of the Busses with the asymetrical edge, although I'd bet the newer knives are much better slicers. If you plan on hacking at things that might break a normal knife, buy a Busse, otherwise I think they are both good knives made by good men.


and the customer service / user interaction is *much* higher.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what Cliff means by this, as I've talked to both Jerry Busse and Chris Reeve and their staffs multiple times and found both to be pleasant, and customer service to be good. If he means that some Busse users have a tight knit group and meet up at shows, etc, then he is correct.
 
Reeves grinds his edges thinner than Busse / Swamp Rat in general but the angles are similar and the Busse / Swamp Rat blades have higher primary grinds. For example the Green Beret I have is 0.025-0.030" behind the edge, and ground at 18.3 +/- 1.1 degrees per side, on the Camp Tramp the edge is ~0.058" thick and ground at 16-18 degrees per side. However the Reeve has a narrow hollow grind and the Camp Tramp a high flat grind which greatly compensates for the thicker edge especially on deep cuts.

You have to go back quite far to find Busse blades to have thicker than average edge profile (compared to other tactical blades), my old straight handled Battle Mistress for example was ground with an edge more acute than the Green Beret.

-Cliff
 
I will reply to Cliffs comment about one CS dept over another. I have had experience with CS depts from both companies and I have found REEVE to be superior in each instance. Received items when they were stated to arrive, friendly answers to questions and cordial when inquiring about status of order.

In my experience the Reeve is a better slicer, absolutely top drawer materials and superb fit and finish.

All this being said, I think the original poster has decided on a Busse knife so further discussion is probably mute.
 
To clarify my comments about customer service and user interaction, they were in regards to trying to get feedback on the design of knives, why choices in materials were made, and responce to critism of said choices. No issues with orders, time and such, never noted any on the forums either.

-Cliff
 
I normally carry Busses for my fixed blade rotation. I carry nothing but Chris Reeve Sebenzas for my EDC folder rotation. Each fills its respective niche superbly. That said, I have a SRKW Camp Tramp in my truck just in case I need a large knife. I have used the Camp Tramp quite a bit and I have never found fault with it in any way. I have the new fusion Busse Natural Outlaw and for all around use, it may be the best yet. Great balance, good symetrical edge and tougher than nails. I just don't want to leave it in my truck for someone to "discover" after they smash a window to rob me blind. (Don't laugh, this just happened to my wife). You really can't go wrong with any of the Swamp Rat/Busse products, or any of Chris Reeve's knives either. Choose one that fits your hand and your intended use and never look back.
 
I'm confused.

Can you actually cut things with Busse knives???

I thought the large, combat grade Busse blades were better suited for pounding tent stakes and chopping nails....you know, all the things for which a fixed blade knife is designed.

The Reeve would be a much more practical knife.
 
No vote here (no experience to base a suggestion on), but I do want to thank Sundsvall for the link. Those Rat's look awesome! Thanks man. :)
 
Both are made by famous makers, made famous for a reason, and either will serve you very well. Pick the one whose blade shape and size seem to make the most sense to you, and get it--for general applications both will do just fine. This thread has actually done incredibly well up to a point (I think we all remember the Busse vs. Mad Dog days) but it looks like it's finally going the way of feuding temper tantrums.
 
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