Buying a Busse FBM, couple of questions...

H

hawkinsa21

Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
543
Hey guys, I'm new to this forum... Basically I wanted to make custom knives for a hobby, but since the birth of my first gorgeous girl 4 days ago, looks like that'll get put on hold for a while :rolleyes:


So, I have been scouring the market for a good outdoors knife, as I love the outdoors and really enjoy camping and hiking, but don't get to do it often enough... also I really like fantastic knives... I started just getting knives when I was in my late teens, simply for collecting purposes, but then realised that the local camping shop was only supplying rubbishy Spanish steel blades which holds an edge about as well as I speak Spanish.. lol


I used to think that Cold Steel blades were great, and that there was no better, then I saw CR knives, and immediately wanted one... And then I joined this forum, which was a breath of fresh air knowing that so many like minded people were all in the same place... and this was my first introduction to Busse...

:eek:

.... is all I can say... are these the GREATEST blades in existence or what??!


So, to cut a long story short (well, you've already heard it so sorry bout that), I want a Fusion Battle Mistress - but when you see one for the first time, who wouldn't?



My first question is this: is it worth the extra money for the LE one with the satin finish and thicker steel??? It looks so good, and the performance and gumph I've read regarding the INFI steel has simply amazed me...


My second, is that does the black coat on the cheaper of the two models protect the blade with regards to corrosion any better than the satin finish??


I've not seen any other Busse models available on the site... are they not being made anymore??? Or are they just as hard to come by as the proverbial Rocking Horse s**t? :p


Thanks to anyone who can offer some advise on these matters... I'm a Busse fan now... for good ;)


Best regards -

Alex
 
hawkinsa21 said:
Hey guys, I'm new to this forum... Basically I wanted to make custom knives for a hobby, but since the birth of my first gorgeous girl 4 days ago, looks like that'll get put on hold for a while :rolleyes:


So, I have been scouring the market for a good outdoors knife, as I love the outdoors and really enjoy camping and hiking, but don't get to do it often enough... also I really like fantastic knives... I started just getting knives when I was in my late teens, simply for collecting purposes, but then realised that the local camping shop was only supplying rubbishy Spanish steel blades which holds an edge about as well as I speak Spanish.. lol


I used to think that Cold Steel blades were great, and that there was no better, then I saw CR knives, and immediately wanted one... And then I joined this forum, which was a breath of fresh air knowing that so many like minded people were all in the same place... and this was my first introduction to Busse...

:eek:

.... is all I can say... are these the GREATEST blades in existence or what??!


So, to cut a long story short (well, you've already heard it so sorry bout that), I want a Fusion Battle Mistress - but when you see one for the first time, who wouldn't?



My first question is this: is it worth the extra money for the LE one with the satin finish and thicker steel??? It looks so good, and the performance and gumph I've read regarding the INFI steel has simply amazed me...


My second, is that does the black coat on the cheaper of the two models protect the blade with regards to corrosion any better than the satin finish??


I've not seen any other Busse models available on the site... are they not being made anymore??? Or are they just as hard to come by as the proverbial Rocking Horse s**t? :p


Thanks to anyone who can offer some advise on these matters... I'm a Busse fan now... for good ;)


Best regards -

Alex
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Busse forum.

I think the LE is worth the money. Do not get me wrong, the CG and LE are both excellent knifes, but the LE feels great and looks great. The full high grind will also make it an excllent chopper.

To find other models you have to look on the for sale forums. (on blade forums)

I am not to sure about the coating question. Someone will come along soon who knows the answer.

Just a warring when you buy on Busse knife, you are hooked and you can not stop yourself from getting more.
 
what Clone7 said. I have an old Straight Handle Battle Mistress and just ordered a FBMLE this week. Absolutely the best knife I ever handled. :eek: CAn't wait for the FBM... :D
 
clone7 and Mushroom... thanks VERY much for your replies... you have really made me want one now!!! I will have to get my savings up for the LE, but I think I will go for that one... and I'm sure they are addictive... they are all VERY nicely put together, simply breath-taking stuff... I'll check back again in a bit, and also will be sticking around these forums... thanks guys

Alex
 
Right now you can order an FBM or you can buy an AK47 or War Boar from the company store.

You should check out the AK before you decide.
 
hawkinsa21 said:
clone7 and Mushroom... thanks VERY much for your replies... you have really made me want one now!!! I will have to get my savings up for the LE, but I think I will go for that one... and I'm sure they are addictive... they are all VERY nicely put together, simply breath-taking stuff... I'll check back again in a bit, and also will be sticking around these forums... thanks guys

Alex
Click to expand...

Make sure you order soon!!! as in a few days (or anytime now) because the FBM (LE) and CG will soon be take off the website and the new knife will be put on. DONT wait. I say call the shop and ask them how much longer you have.
 
Welcome to the forum!
I have an FBMLE on order. So I definitely think it's worth the extra money, but I havent handled either one yet, so can't speak from experience. In the short, Yes the black coating will protect the blade from any corrosion, But after heavy use the coating starts to wear off. Below the black finish is what is refered to as INFI dimples. It's simply rough unpolished steel.
Here's a pic when the coating is removed:
HR7.jpg

Those pits on the flat part of the knife seem to rust quicker, and are hard to keep clean. But don't get me wrong. This knife in the photo had the finish stripped off with a chemical paint stripper. So it would take YEARS to wear this much coating off from use. The black crinkle coating is extremely durable!
The satin finish will bead water and tends not to corrode as easily. But if you let it sit in moisture (ie left it outside in the grass overnight) It may have some rust/discoloration, but that isn't anything that couldnt be removed with some fine sandpaper.

Also, Busse Combat only offers one model at a time on their site. Once production closes for that model, it will not be available directly from the shop again for some time. However, there is the busse company store (bussecompanystore.com) Skunk runs the store, he will have some of the previous models available there. (right now, it's the War Boar and the AK47).
If you'd like to get your hooves on a previous model, then you will need to shop the second market. (the exchange here on the forums, blade shows, ebay, etc) So yes, busse's are hard to come by. So also because of this reason, it is no problem if you need to sell a knife for some cash, or if you just didn't like it and wanted something else. They have a great resale value!
 
They are both worth every penny. So get the one you like and can afford to use. Many people will pay 700 for an LE and never use it because it is just too much money.

As for corrosion resistance, INFI is not a stainless but it performs about as good as ATS34 or D2 in my experience, both of which are barely stainless steels.
 
The LE is a nice catch if you can afford it, but it's so nice do you actually want to use it and scratch it up? For users, you could almost get two CG's for a little more than one LE..

The paint wears well. And, in my opinion, the blade gets a nice patina and looks better with use as the finish gets worn off the blade.

As for rust, from what I've been told, INFI has near stainless properties and does not rust easily. I don't think anybody on the forum has ever complained about any significant rusting in any environment. Mine never have shown any signs of it.

You could search the forum for rust, corrosion or storage and pull up some info and comments.

Here's a couple.
http://bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=447404&highlight=rust

http://bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=447425&highlight=rusty
 
Guys, crickey, I'm really impressed with your willing to help! Thanks to all...

Right, I think that I'll go with the cheaper model with black finish.. I want one, and if its not in stock much longer, then I know I'll regret it.. I'm sure I'll want the newest they bring out as well though... lol


I'm not worried too much about rust... as I would take good care of it... I'll let you know if I order one soon :)


Thanks for all your help, and also for the links that peeps have put in here... I feel very humble with all this support and knowledge that has been put my way... thanks to all for that 'welcomed' feeling


Alex

*************** EDIT:


Oh darn, the site don't accept Paypal like the Bussecombatstore does... oh well... I guess I had better look elsewhere.... don't have a credit card anymore as it was too much hastle... :(
 
I bought two LEs. One to put back and one to use. My keeper "LE" (low number) is already here, and it just makes me wish I'd ordered them together. Can't wait for the other one to get here so I can take it out for a test spin. It promises to be the ultimate Busse chopper.

That said... the CG FBM is excellent as a chopper. I've put one of mine to task a couple of times, and it exceeds every other straight-line chopper I own. These include the SR Rat Daddy, Becker BK-9, Ontario RTAK-II, and Ranger RD-9. At the very least, get yourself a CG FBM.

INFI acts more like a semi-stainless from what I've read, so I don't think you have any worries, even if you wear off the coating over time. Have a look here: http://www.bussecombat.com/infi/

Is INFI stainless?
Not supposed to be. However, INFI has demonstrated very high levels of stain resistance in many different climates. Uncoated blades have been tested for years in Alaska and have made their way into the wilds of British Columbia, the High Sierras and tropical rain forests. No rust in Alaska or British Columbia! No rust in the High Sierras, even when exposed to great quantities of blood and left in the wet grass overnight. The tropical rain forest, which has been known to rust plastic (just kidding), did offer the toughest of the environmental exposures and a light speckling of surface oxidation did occur but was easily removed in the field with a hand rubbing of sand and water. No deep pitting was reported. When compared to other cutlery steels in salt spray tests, INFI faired better than ATS-34 and D-2. Although all three grades exhibited surface oxidation, the INFI was not deeply pitted as was common in these other two grades. So, although INFI is not technically a stainless steel, it is certainly not a rust aggressive steel. Couple this with a minimal amount of care and you've got a fairly maintenance free knife.
Click to expand...

My recommendation based on todays mail? :D

FBM1.jpg
 
hawkinsa21 said:
Oh darn, the site don't accept Paypal like the Bussecombatstore does... oh well... I guess I had better look elsewhere.... don't have a credit card anymore as it was too much hastle... :(
Click to expand...

Call the shop they take money orders and such. they rock over there!!
 
hawkinsa21 said:
Oh darn, the site don't accept Paypal like the Bussecombatstore does... oh well... I guess I had better look elsewhere.... don't have a credit card anymore as it was too much hastle... :(
Click to expand...

Call the shop. If you send in payment in advance, Jerry and company will accomodate you.

Order by Mail:

(Please do not send cash via mail.)

Send checks and money orders, along with your contact and order information, to:

Busse Combat Knife Co.
11651 County Rd. 12
Wauseon, OH 43567
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.bussecombat.com/ordering/
 
Warning!

I, too, decided just to get a CB FBM.

Then it arrived.

Now I'm waiting for my FBM LE.

The addiction strikes and strikes hard.

Get one of each, if at all possible. Or you'll find yourself paying 20% more and hassling on the secondary market...:D

And if you need $$ or change your mind -- these knives are very easy to turn back into cash.
 
Guys, yet again, this is great help!

I will contact the shop clone7 and Guyon... thanks for letting me know, I simply have to have one... so I'll email them and see what they can offer :)


Thanks again... your help is so welcome its untrue!

OldPhysics... hmm, I have a feeling that I'll become a Busse addict myself... I've seen various knives over the years... and Im sure I've seen pics of Busse before, but didn't know what make they were at the time... I expect those were the knives I 'needed to know about'... but didn't look further... I'm glad that I have finally found out about them ;) But fear this could get expensive... lol


Cheers

Alex
 
Just to add:

If funds are short, Jerry will take bottles of sealed Johnny Walker Blue as payment.
 
hawkinsa21 said:
Guys, crickey, I'm really impressed with your willing to help! Thanks to all...

Right, I think that I'll go with the cheaper model with black finish.. I want one, and if its not in stock much longer, then I know I'll regret it.. I'm sure I'll want the newest they bring out as well though... lol


I'm not worried too much about rust... as I would take good care of it... I'll let you know if I order one soon :)


Thanks for all your help, and also for the links that peeps have put in here... I feel very humble with all this support and knowledge that has been put my way... thanks to all for that 'welcomed' feeling


Alex

*************** EDIT:


Oh darn, the site don't accept Paypal like the Bussecombatstore does... oh well... I guess I had better look elsewhere.... don't have a credit card anymore as it was too much hastle... :(
Click to expand...
welcome to the busse clan,
remember this, if you can't order one from busse combat you can get one from the bussecompanystore later. when busse combat introduces the next new model we then will be carrying the last model and in this case it will be the fbm in both le grade and combat grade. and we will take paypal and fine scotch as payment. :thumbup:
 
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