Could this be the most perfect camp knife yet?

[ilbruche]

Riddleofsteel...if the rep feature still worked I'd give you a chiclet. :thumbup:

 

[pitdog]

Let me say that I think Busse makes a h*ll of a knife. I have seen what INFI steel can do to a chunk of concrete or even a steel pipe. Most of the big Busse's don't trip my trigger due handle design ect. but.............................




I broke down and bought a Game Warden not long ago. It was mint when I got it. The first thing I noticed was the THICK edge ending in a STEEP V-grind with mutiple grind marks on the final edge.

"Well" I thought Busse sure knows how to build a knife so I just polished the grind marks out of the edge (looked like around 300 grit) until it was a mirror finish that would cleanly engage paper and slice it cleanly. I left the blade geometry and grind angle factory original. I still have office garbage can of sliced paper that proves the final v grind was sharp!!

I started carrying it in a used sheath I bought from a guy. Last Saturday I was out in the yard and trying to jerk some dead bushes out of the ground with my 4x4. The only one of my 1/2 dozen straps I could find in the barn was my oldest one with metal hooks on each end. Those straps are deathtraps so I decided to cut the hooks off and tie a loop at each end for safety.

Not only would the Game Warden not cut the strap but I could not even get the blade to engage strap deeper than the final V section of the blade. I had to saw back and forth and force the steep blade grind angle into the thick nylon to finally cut it in two.

I could not believe it. I went to the truck and retrieved my Bravo 1 and sliced the strap with almost zero effort.

Long story short the Game Warden went off to Bark River Knife and Tool for a regrind to thin the edge, convex it, and make it a cutter.


OK this is my story and it will be far to easy to say riddleofsteel does not know how to sharpen a knife......blah, blah, blah.

I am sure the HOGS will eat me alive now.

FLAME SUIT ON

My question is how does a HIGH END knife company get by making knives that have to be reworked to even make them usable?

I have since been told the steel under most of those painted surfaces is so rough that I have come to believe that its main purpose of the famous tactical paint job is to hide the "INFI dimples."

I do know that one of the best ways to keep a knife from slicing cleanly is to cut groves or ridges on the blade and/or cover the blade with crinkle coat paint.

I had my finger on the button to buy a SAR5 so many times I know the URL's of the sale threads by heart. Then I would always say to myself "I can strip the paint finish, polish the blade, get the edge thinned and convexed and contour the scales." I even had lined up the stuff and contacts I need to do just that.

Why, for a INFI steel bush knife?

Buy a knife for double or triple what most great knives sell for and spend almost that again or hours of work to make it have the features I want?

If INFI makes it worthwhile I guess that is the way to go. However, the last time I looked knives were to cut stuff not be used as a jackhammer.

I can not remember the last knife I destroyed in field use and I have dozens of users. Each to his/her own but my perfect camp knife will never have coated/painted blade, or huge finger grooves between the blade and the grip or an edge so thick my hatchet slices stuff better.

YMMV

Interesting story bro, it's always good to hear different opinions and views.
I don't actually have any Busse's but I do have some RATs and DOGs and I'd guess the edges are all the same !
Doing what I do in the outdoors I have found my knives to be up to all the tasks I have needed but I don't have a Bravo One so can't say if I'd find that any better !
One thing I do know is that someone on the Busse forum sent his Swamprat M6 to a well known knifemaker to put a sharper convex edge on and if you can find the pics you will see it looked awesome. When the said owner came to test the knife however by chopping some wood the end result was a badly chipped edge ! So maybe the edge's used by Busse are a compromise of sharpness and toughness,yes thinning them out would give a sharper edge but at cost to their resilience !!! JMO, I'm far from an expert !!!!!

 

[pitdog]

Hey Pit,

It sure does look cool, but don't under-rate that handle on the chopweiler. Even without any extra additions, you can back your grip up a couple inches to the hump, and make the thing perform like a much bigger knife.

To safely do there, there is an old thread over at the swamp where someone added 2-3" of cord, with a rubber stopper. The stopper allowed them put tension against the side of the hand while hold the knife in the rearward grip. Again, performing like a much bigger knife, all due to the handle shape.

I do no see the same thing as being possible with the Sarsquatch. Althought, it might just be a brute enough to not need that.

Hey don't get me wrong bro I love my Chopweiler and wouldn't swap that for a SARSquatch even if someone offered !!!! But that still don't stop ya drooling eh !!!!!

 

[ilbruche]

One thing I do know is that someone on the Busse forum sent his Swamprat M6 to a well known knifemaker to put a sharper convex edge on and if you can find the pics you will see it looked awesome. When the said owner came to test the knife however by chopping some wood the end result was a badly chipped edge ! So maybe the edge's used by Busse are a compromise of sharpness and toughness,yes thinning them out would give a sharper edge but at cost to their resilience !!! JMO, I'm far from an expert !!!!!

Sounds like a steel defect or an edge taken too thin. The convex edge is pretty strong. All my khukuris have convex edges and I've never chipped one. They are 5160 and have hit plenty of rocks.

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

Let me say that I think Busse makes a h*ll of a knife. I have seen what INFI steel can do to a chunk of concrete or even a steel pipe. Most of the big Busse's don't trip my trigger due handle design ect. but.............................




I broke down and bought a Game Warden not long ago. It was mint when I got it. The first thing I noticed was the THICK edge ending in a STEEP V-grind with mutiple grind marks on the final edge.

"Well" I thought Busse sure knows how to build a knife so I just polished the grind marks out of the edge (looked like around 300 grit) until it was a mirror finish that would cleanly engage paper and slice it cleanly. I left the blade geometry and grind angle factory original. I still have office garbage can of sliced paper that proves the final v grind was sharp!!

I started carrying it in a used sheath I bought from a guy. Last Saturday I was out in the yard and trying to jerk some dead bushes out of the ground with my 4x4. The only one of my 1/2 dozen straps I could find in the barn was my oldest one with metal hooks on each end. Those straps are deathtraps so I decided to cut the hooks off and tie a loop at each end for safety.

Not only would the Game Warden not cut the strap but I could not even get the blade to engage strap deeper than the final V section of the blade. I had to saw back and forth and force the steep blade grind angle into the thick nylon to finally cut it in two.

I could not believe it. I went to the truck and retrieved my Bravo 1 and sliced the strap with almost zero effort.

Long story short the Game Warden went off to Bark River Knife and Tool for a regrind to thin the edge, convex it, and make it a cutter.


OK this is my story and it will be far to easy to say riddleofsteel does not know how to sharpen a knife......blah, blah, blah.

I am sure the HOGS will eat me alive now.

FLAME SUIT ON

My question is how does a HIGH END knife company get by making knives that have to be reworked to even make them usable?

I have since been told the steel under most of those painted surfaces is so rough that I have come to believe that its main purpose of the famous tactical paint job is to hide the "INFI dimples."

I do know that one of the best ways to keep a knife from slicing cleanly is to cut groves or ridges on the blade and/or cover the blade with crinkle coat paint.

I had my finger on the button to buy a SAR5 so many times I know the URL's of the sale threads by heart. Then I would always say to myself "I can strip the paint finish, polish the blade, get the edge thinned and convexed and contour the scales." I even had lined up the stuff and contacts I need to do just that.

Why, for a INFI steel bush knife?

Buy a knife for double or triple what most great knives sell for and spend almost that again or hours of work to make it have the features I want?

If INFI makes it worthwhile I guess that is the way to go. However, the last time I looked knives were to cut stuff not be used as a jackhammer.

I can not remember the last knife I destroyed in field use and I have dozens of users. Each to his/her own but my perfect camp knife will never have coated/painted blade, or huge finger grooves between the blade and the grip or an edge so thick my hatchet slices stuff better.

YMMV

I like how you and others always put in thier complaints about how much a BUSSE sucks..(and its always Busse by the way) they always mention another company...or say that the design is flawed. The Gamewarden is a fantastic knife, the thick ones suck....you are a knife collector of a pretty big order. YOu post everywhere. You knew the thick one wouldnt cut...JMHO. I knew the thick ones wouldnt cut..I didnt have to buy one to figure that out.
I have a nice little collection of bushcraft blades going, and my .140 Gamewarden is the best cutter by a mile..its been sharpened..sorry, I ocasionally do that.
edited because what I wrote sounded like I am a jerk
OK..now my flame suit is on.

 

[mapper66]

Won't cut? One stroke:

Shaves mighty fine as well. One of the better factory edges I've seen. Every bit as good as my Bark Rivers. :thumbup:

By the way, I'm no knife companies apologist. I buy what works and get rid of what doesn't, and I'll call a spade a spade. I'm trying out the Busse's with an open mind, and so far, I like what I see. That Sarsquatch is going to be a fine all around utility blade if you need to do some chopping and still have a blade you can carry and do other work with.

 

[gundy]

we want photos T!!!

 

[Fiddleback]

Its light and fast. I got to handle one at blade.

Busse's edges aren't what they're famous for. First thing I do with mine is regrind a real edge into it. I do this because I never intend to chop concrete or pipes with it. They put it on thier rough and steep because a lot of their following likes to do just that.

 

[texastonydobbs]

$280 at the show maybe there reaching $350-400 on the secondary market,I like the design but not at that $$$,I just picked up a second Chopweiler and a FFBM

 

[tknife]

There are exactly two camps when it comes to Busse knives, love them or hate them. There is really no middle ground when it comes to them. I admit to being on the hate them side. I haven't owned a Busse that I liked in about 10 years. The original Steel Heart II and original Battle Mistress were two of the best big knives I've owned. I really like the overall design of this knife too and think it will be a great user. But if not, it will take me a whole 5 seconds to sell it so I'm not too worried about it. Everybody should like and use what they want, no need for high horses or soap boxes here. We're all still friends!

 

[hollowdweller]

What somebody said about what is a camp knife is true. Seems like the definition or at least what one considers one varies.

What somebody said about the angle on the Busse/Swamp Rats is true. I have an old Howling Rat and a .200 Game Warden. Both are nice knives. The steel in the Game Warden is outstanding. But somebody mentioned comparing them to a Bark River Bravo cutting power wise? No comparison in my experience. The edge geometry favors the Bravo.

Now I would argue the steep edge favors the Busse for splitting wood or stuff like that. Once again back to what is a "camp knife" Also if we consider the Game Warden's intended use to be hunting I can see how it's edge and design would favore dressing game or even cracking the pelvis without damage.

I don't own a thin Busse but I'm planning on getting one of their Mini Muks that will supposedly be 1/8". I can't see how that with a little work on the edge that that won't combine the superior qualities of their steel with a thinner blade,edge more suited to my "camp" chores:thumbup:

One more comment.

Everyone is different of course but I find that as a chopping knife that a khukuri is much superior ergonomically and in chopping power to any straight bladed knife. Also they are way cheaper. Then pound for pound I find a hatchet will out chop a khukuri.

 

[tknife]

The one thing that does worry me on this one is the handle. Those points and ridges don't look comfortable at all. I haven't held it so I don't know for sure.

 

[mapper66]

The one thing that does worry me on this one is the handle. Those points and ridges don't look comfortable at all. I haven't held it so I don't know for sure.

tknife, that was my first impression when I held it at Blade, so much so that I thought about getting rid of it. Then I used it over the weekend and it felt better and better and better. I have 'medium' size hands, and I think how this knife feels to you is going to depend a lot on your hand size; it's great for me. I like it better than the chopweiler handle.

 

[tknife]

The size and shape of the handle looks good to me, it just looks kind of gnarly. Does it rub your hand wrong or create any blisters? I suppose a little sanding could take care of any bumps that don't fit me right.

 

[mapper66]

The size and shape of the handle looks good to me, it just looks kind of gnarly. Does it rub your hand wrong or create any blisters? I suppose a little sanding could take care of any bumps that don't fit me right.

Feels pretty good to me. Those ridges look more aggressive than they are. I used it for about an hour over saturday and sunday, and no problems. My hands are pretty soft right now from all the office work I'm doing, too. :grumpy:

For sure this isn't a precision whittling blade. The choke up on the choil is surprisingly comfortable, though, and I was able to make a figure 4 trigger pretty easily with it.

 

[Horse]

My Ideal camp knife is a Hickoy Forge boning knife I got out od a garbage can at a DNR deer check station- for free!!! I slightly reprofiled it and rounded a few corners. It has been all over the country and done a ton of camp work.

 

[sodak]

there are many, many most perfect camp knives.

I change my mind weekly, and that's just selecting from my own knives!

 

[eatingmuchface]

What somebody said about the angle on the Busse/Swamp Rats is true. I have an old Howling Rat and a .200 Game Warden. Both are nice knives. The steel in the Game Warden is outstanding. But somebody mentioned comparing them to a Bark River Bravo cutting power wise? No comparison in my experience. The edge geometry favors the Bravo.

as far as swamp rats go, I really don't know, someone told me you can tell them to make your edge thin too, but that's just what I've heard.

but scrapyards and swamprats may tend to be hit or miss.
some knives have really nice/decent edges on them and some are pretty dull...
it just kind of depends.

(and I didn't mean to make a flame war or anything, sorry if I may have been to outspoken )

 

[Return of the J.D.]

I love the idea of INFI. However, I have to say that I wonder which is going to help me, and my family, survive better:

1. I spend $200-$300 on one knife. (Which may never break, but may get dropped in a creek, or stolen, or left in a safe because it's too expensive to carry, or confiscated by disaster-relief cops when they see me use it to pry open a car door after my car gets disabled while I'm fleeing some natural disaster, and they think that only the police should have any tool more dangerous than a vegetable peeler in the wake of a natural disaster.)

or

2. I spend $50 and get 6 Mora clippers--one for me and one for each of my kids. I spend $25 more on eBay and get 2 Ontario Old Hickory butcher knives for myself and each of my kids. That gives each of us THREE good, carbon-steel knives, so we can each lose or trade two, and still have one to work with--even without borrowing from each other. I then put the remaining $125-$225 into an investment account and save up for the day when the health care system has collapsed and I need money for antibiotics or $15.00/gallon gasoline, or whatever. Or I buy a complete set of Ron Hood DVDs and use them to keep the kids occupied while I'm doing some chore, and the kids end up learning a ton about shelter-building and fire-starting, and save my rear end when our car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and I'm too old to remember any of this myself.

 

[hollowdweller]

A few of these and you can get all of the other things.