Busse vs Swamp Rat

[Creamer]

I am fairly new to some of the knife makers and I am trying to understand what is the difference in a Busse knife and a Swamp Rat knife. They are made in the same shop, so I am wondering if it is the material, heat treatment, quality of workmanship, or exactly what it is that makes one so much more/less expensive than the other. The knives seem similiar in shape and handles but I am perplexed at the cost difference. Maybe handling each one would tell me immediately but I have not had the pleasure of picking up a Busse and doing a comparison. Any enlightment would be appreciated.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

perhaps this thread could be moved to the Busse or Swamprat Forums, as they do not make Automatic knives.

 

[yermom]

i'm pretty new to all of them, but this is what i have gathered...

the steel. Busses have INFI vs the SR101 that Swamp Rats use, also Scrapyard knives are similar with SR-77. these are not hard and fast rules though, just most of the time.

i think the F&F is also somewhat lesser on the Swamp Rats and Scrapyards, but i'm not that sure, just an impression

 

[Hawaiian]

The Swamp Rat is an economy version of the Busse. It is still a very very good knife.

 

[Bastid]

Moved to the Busse forum, but a Busse auto would be intersting .

 

[coyotesniper69]

Moved to the Busse forum, but a Busse auto would be intersting .

Yeah but you would need a crossbow crank to reset the blade.

The big difference between the 2 companies is the steel used which leads to the big price difference. The second biggest difference is the designs, Most notably the handles. Some of the new SRKW knives are adopting the busse style handles but for the most part they are very different. The old style SRKW handles are the best I have ever used. Both a good value and very tough knives.

 

[Evolute]

The two companies are, of course, related, and, as has been mentioned, Busses are higher end, while Swamp Rats are more economical. One difference is the steel Busse generally uses: INFI, which is a considerably more expensive, proprietary steel which offers better chip resistance and better corrosion resistance, compared to Swamp Rat's SR-101. The finish on the Busse line also tends to be a little better than on the Swamp Rats. Another factor is customer service. While there is certainly nothing wrong with Swamp Rat's customer service, it is not offered at the same level as Busse's. For example, if you want to place an order for a Busse, or if you want to have an issue rectified, you can call the shop, and will be very likely to talk to Jerry Busse, himself. If you'd like to place an order with Swamp Rat, or have an issue rectified, you would handle this by emailing Swamp Rat.

While both knife lines are well designed and both are extremely durable, I find that the Swamp Rats tend to place a little more emphasis on efficiency, and the Busses tend to place more emphasis on durability.