Busse vs. Fehrman vs.Strider

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bearcut

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Sep 3, 2006
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This is a nutshell review of 3 similar knives. All have lifetime warrantees. All are considered among the ‘best’ available. All have different edge geometries which the manufacturer considers to be optimal. The geometries are factory stock and would initially push cut paper with ease.

The purpose of this review is to give my opinion of the merits of these brands/designs and steel. My intention is to offer some thoughts to those who may be in the market for one of the ‘Grail’ knives. In other words, are you missing out if you don’t own brand X?
Could you really be happy with brand Y? Is brand Z really the ‘best’?

The knives:
• Busse BATCLE- 5” blade, .270, 11 OAL, INFI, $397.
• Fehrman Last Chance- 5.5” blade, .250, 11 OAL, 3V, $240.
• Strider MK1/Mod 10 GG- 6.25” blade, .260, 10.6 OAL, S30V, $350.

All knives have blade cutting edge lengths of 5 - 5.5”. OAL does not exceed 11”.
I choose this size knife because it is the largest knife I am willing to carry for most activities. I don’t want or need a larger knife for hunting or survival. These are plenty big enough for me.

Tests included skinning/slicing, piercing/prying, chopping/batoning, general use and edge holding.
I did not try hacking through any rocks or steel pipe, nor did I hit the blade spines with a steel hammer. I did accidentally stab the tip of one knife into some concrete. This forced me to repeat the action with the other two knives. None suffered a broken tip or any major damage.

Handle ratings are subjective. They are just my preferences. The Busse and the Strider have handle upgrades compared to the standard versions.

Two of the knives are upgrades from the standard versions.
The Busse is a ‘Limited Edition’ model. Standard versions have thinner handles and aren’t as nicely finished.
The Fehrman is the standard version. Upgrades have polished steel, otherwise, fit and finish is identical on all models.
The Strider has an upgraded handle.

All blade edges have factory angles. No excuses.

Skinning/slicing:
1st-Fehrman
2nd-Strider
3rd-Busse

Piercing/prying:
Equal. No bending or breaking of any kind.

Chopping/batoning:
1st-Fehrman
2nd-Busse
3rd-Strider

General use:
Equal. All work well as a tactical/survival knife.

Edge holding:
1st-Strider- S30V is the hardest of the three, so no surprise there…
2nd-Fehrman- 3V held an edge extremely well.
3rd-Busse- Tended to roll the edge after a while.

Handle design:
1st-Busse / Fehrman-Tie. Both are good designs.
2nd-Strider

Corrosion Resistance:
1st-Strider
2nd (Tie)-Busse Fehrman

Overall fit and finish:
1st: Fehrman
2nd: Busse
3rd: Strider

Availabilty and price:
1st: Fehrman- Any model is usually available, or minimal wait. Somewhat expensive.
2nd: Strider- can be hard to find certain models. Expensive.
3rd: Busse- wait time for certain models can be years. Expensive.

Assessment:
1)All the knives worked very well. None bent or broke. No edges chipped or deformed.
2)There is no ‘magical steel’ and no holy grail knife maker.
3)Hype does not equate to a better knife. Overblown claims are just that.
4)A Fallkniven, RAT or Becker will do anything these knives will do. You don’t have to spend $400 for a good solid knife. Edge holding may not be as good on a less expensive knife, but they will not ultimately fail you.
5)Any knife can be damaged or destroyed. Human stupidity trumps human technology every time. Dead fools never get a new knife under warrantee.
6) There were no major weaknesses in any of the knives. I would stake my life on any one of them without hesitation.

The winner:
Fehrman. It does everything as well or better than the other two. It won because it holds an edge better than the Busse and is a better survival design than the Strider. I could own any brand, and be very happy. However Fehrman would be my first choice.

Hope this clears the air a bit.

Get what you want and don’t look back.
 
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I do notice distinct differences in the blade shapes in your chosen 3. I would have to say that yes, 'any knife will do', until someone begins prying with it or using it in a much heavier fashion than it's intial design dictates. Also, the weight of a knife certainly does bear merit in it's ability to chop efficently, though that is but one task a knife may be called on to do in the field. Mainly one needs a sharp edge and a decently comfortable grip on a knife; everything else IMO is bells and whistles...
 
I love Strider folders, but I honestly think their fixed blade handles leave a lot to be desired.

Nice review. Can you comment on the properties that made one knife better then the other?
 
A couple of notes:

The LE Badger Attack was 1/4 inch thick instead of 3/16. This may have accounted for the deficiency slicing compared to the others, but I'm not sure how thick the others were. Also, the regular version was only $257. The LE version is more for collector's and brand enthusiasts.

I would have liked to have seen how the regular version compared. I've found that the LE versions don't make as good of users as the regular CG versions in most cases due to unnecessarily thick stock and flat grinds where saber grinds are more useful.
 
J85909266 said:
A couple of notes:

The LE Badger Attack was 1/4 inch thick instead of 3/16. This may have accounted for the deficiency slicing compared to the others, but I'm not sure how thick the others were. Also, the regular version was only $257. The LE version is more for collector's and brand enthusiasts.

I would have liked to have seen how the regular version compared. I've found that the LE versions don't make as good of users as the regular CG versions in most cases due to unnecessarily thick stock and flat grinds where saber grinds are more useful.
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Did you even bother reading his post? He listed the thickness of each knife. Sounds like you are making excuses for his belief that another knife was a better slicer than a Busse.
 
"3rd: Busse- wait time for certain models can be years. Expensive"

availability on the secondary market is quite good right now. i've seen many batacs both cg and le, new and used at the bf exchange recently.

also very good prices, some below the original cost. as this economy goes to chit, the prices will get even better. it's been a buyers market for at least a year.
 
csmaz said:
Did you even bother reading his post? He listed the thickness of each knife. Sounds like you are making excuses for his belief that another knife was a better slicer than a Busse.
Click to expand...

i think he is just trying to say that the le batac is one fat blade. while the cg version would make a better slicer. also it might not get wedged (stuck) while batonning.

all are great knives, made of good steels and quality materials. i don't think you could go wrong with any of those choices.
 
1kimo4u said:
i think he is just trying to say that the le batac is one fat blade. while the cg version would make a better slicer. also it might not get wedged (stuck) while batonning.

all are great knives, made of good steels and quality materials. i don't think you could go wrong with any of those choices.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

I was just trying to say that I think the CG is a better user than the LE, and would have performed better in slicing and probably chopping than the LE. Way to jump the gun, csmaz.
 
csmaz said:
Did you even bother reading his post? He listed the thickness of each knife. Sounds like you are making excuses for his belief that another knife was a better slicer than a Busse.
Click to expand...

that sure seems unecessarily confrontational.
 
Bearcut is one strange individual.

Apparently we are to believe he went out and bought a Busse, (a company he has trolled against repeatedly for years?)

seems a lot of expense to go to just to play his old "hype" and overblown claims card. . . (it expired the same time as his objectivity card)

2)There is no ‘magical steel’ and no holy grail knife maker.
3)Hype does not equate to a better knife. Overblown claims are just that.
Click to expand...

bearcut said:
There is SO much misinformation on these forums sometimes.
Click to expand...

Yep.
 
Well, I own both Fehrman LC and Busse BATACLE and I can underline the outcome although I keep my Fehrmans well oiled and never had any problems with rust/corrosion. Perhaps a comparision between the new SAR4 LE and Fehrman LC could also be made. In that perspective (I have never done any extensive comparative tests on both knives), I find the balance of Fehrman LC a bit better although both knives are on the heavy side to use it as an EDC.

But if I had to choose one blade to depend my life on it: Busse.
 
I would choose Fehrman, for all those like me who have spent ten grand plus on Busse knives, why not buy one Fehrman Knife and compare them yourself, The handles will stay on the Fehrman, something I have had problems with in the past.With the NEW busse rivots
 
This review seems to me like test driving a Ford F450 Super Duty truck, a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith sedan, and a Ferrari Enzo sports car, for a few blocks around town at 35 miles per hour, and then writing an assessment:

1)All the automobiles worked very well. They all transported me. None broke down.
2)There is no ‘magical engine’ and no holy grail auto maker.
3)Hype does not equate to a better auto. Overblown claims are just that.
4)A Volkswagen, Kia or Saturn will do anything these autos will do. You don’t have to spend a lot for a good solid car. Comfort or performance may not be as good on a less expensive auto, but they will not ultimately fail you.
5)Any car can be damaged or destroyed. Human stupidity trumps human technology every time. Dead fools never get an auto repair under warranty.
6) There were no major weaknesses in any of the vehicles. I would stake my life on any one of them without hesitation.
 
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