Differences between Infi and SR101 for small blades

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jeffbird

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Looking at the current small SOS offering.

What is the practical difference for a user between Infi and SR101 for a knife in this size other than corrosion?

Obviously it is not going to be a chopper or doing the duties of a BM.

Long ago I had an ASH, which was double cut. It started to rust just looking out the window at humid weather, so I'm wary of uncoated Infi for a user. My coated BM never rusts despite being outdoors in all kinds of weather and real use.
 
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Double cut is a bit more prone. Are you sure it was a double cut INFI? If it was an original ASH, it could have been A2.

Even double cut INFI should not be too prone to rust. I have seen it happen in coastal areas.


Satin finish, even ghetto satin done by the end user, in my experience has been rust free.

I like both steels. But Sr101 is a carbon steel, so much more prone to staining and corrosion than INFI. But I honestly feel it might have a slight edge in edge retention, especially in the smaller knives that are not going to see big chopping stresses.
 
Double Cut is my least favorite finish for the reason you specified...

Can't go wrong with INFI, but I love to maintain my blades and Bussekin SR101 is hard to beat and it's a pure joy to sharpen!

For a pure user, SR101 is great bargain and rust will not be a problem unless you're skindiving with it daily
 
I would say SR101 might be better than INFI for a small knife as it holds it edge better. Both are amazing but INFI is...well...INFI !:cool:
 
Under most circumstances you wont notice the difference in edge retention. Satin infi requires almost no mantainence in my experience. Satin sr101 you will want to wipe down from time to time with a tad bit of oil. Either way.......they both rock.
 
Yes, it was a double cut ASH1, so Infi. Used it on a ranch with 10 miles of the Texas coast, so conditions were hot and humid even during deer season most of the time.

Infi for the big blades has some obvious apparent advantages. On something small, is it really worth the extra cost for the small sized blade uses?

Doubt these will see Noss like use. Wish his old website and videos were still up. They would good for hours of entertainment and what put me onto Busse in the first place.

Apopis,

thanks for that link. Reading it right now and it has some helpful info.
 
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I chose the BG SWATsondu (son of swat), for the cost, and for the reason Timmy says above.

Not saying you're wrong about the ASH, but I've had a SWATmandu with the DC finish for a while now. Coastal Washington, and now coastal MD. No special care, and it's spotless. That could change tomorrow. But so far, so good.

As someone asked, could the ASH have been A2?
 
Under 7-8 inches I am a fan of Infi-Over 8 inches, I am fan of INFI-Do not know much about Double-Cut except from some of the people that have them, and have used them-Mixed Results!!
tinfoil hat timmy said:
Under 7-8", I'm a fan of slimmer than .25" thick sr101. Otherwise, INFI.
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jeffbird said:
Looking at the current small SOS offering.

What is the practical difference for a user between Infi and SR101 for a knife in this size other than corrosion?

Obviously it is not going to be a chopper or doing the duties of a BM.

Long ago I had an ASH, which was double cut. It started to rust just looking out the window at humid weather, so I'm wary of uncoated Infi for a user. My coated BM never rusts despite being outdoors in all kinds of weather and real use.
Click to expand...


My uncoated INFI is more corrosion resistant than any other non stainless I have ever had. And Double Cut is as resistant as satin because it actually takes on some of the ceramic from the beads it is hit with. Also refinishing DC is a breeze. Sand Blast cabinet with fine grit ceramic beads and wallah, the knife looks new. It also does not reflect. Which I like.
 
Cobalt said:
My uncoated INFI is more corrosion resistant than any other non stainless I have ever had. And Double Cut is as resistant as satin because it actually takes on some of the ceramic from the beads it is hit with. Also refinishing DC is a breeze. Sand Blast cabinet with fine grit ceramic beads and wallah, the knife looks new. It also does not reflect. Which I like.
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I love the idea of being able to quickly, easily, and consistently renew the finish.

I saw a cabinet from Harbor Freight for $115. Take 20% off. Buy the media. Is that the most economical way to get a setup for this? Any suggestions?
 
xxwarderxx said:
I love the idea of being able to quickly, easily, and consistently renew the finish.

I saw a cabinet from Harbor Freight for $115. Take 20% off. Buy the media. Is that the most economical way to get a setup for this? Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I used 320 grit media and it worked awesome. You can even roughen up micarta with it
 
Cobalt said:
I used 320 grit media and it worked awesome. You can even roughen up micarta with it
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Cool. Thanks.

I think I'm going to have to get a set up for this. Any prep needed prior to putting a double cut finish on say a scratched up stripper or some other finish? I imagine sanding out any deep scratches, but that about it?

And I imagine will need to plan on sharpening after one of these media blasts?
 
xxwarderxx said:
Cool. Thanks.

I think I'm going to have to get a set up for this. Any prep needed prior to putting a double cut finish on say a scratched up stripper or some other finish? I imagine sanding out any deep scratches, but that about it?

And I imagine will need to plan on sharpening after one of these media blasts?
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You can blue tape the edge if you want. I usually blue tape the handles. You have to play with the pressure. Higher pressure takes off more metal but destroys the beads as well. Start at 80 psi and work up from there. The more damage to your blade the more pressure you need. or more passes
 
difference is sr101 will have rust on the edge very easily. never had a problem with infi, and that is leaving it outside over the weekend in rain, etc. it has proven itself to me. seems people are high on sr101 now with o2w putting out so much, but hit a rock and you will be glad you got infi. nothing wrong with sr101, but it ain't INFI
 
legaleagle said:
difference is sr101 will have rust on the edge very easily. never had a problem with infi, and that is leaving it outside over the weekend in rain, etc. it has proven itself to me. seems people are high on sr101 now with o2w putting out so much, but hit a rock and you will be glad you got infi. nothing wrong with sr101, but it ain't INFI
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My thoughts exactly.

I love Busse knives for many things, but the ultimate catch is INFI.

There's just too many other knives I'd like to have, Survive!, Winkler, Randall.... when I choose Busse it's because of the proven INFI.

Besides, you never know when you have to do some heavy prying with your little knife, a pleasure to do with INFI and something not many small knives can do comfortably.
 
Having used both for just a bit now, I must admit I'm ambivalent about INFI. I just can't say that I've seen a big advantage of it over SR-101, other than its ability to resist corrosion better. I don't dislike it. Just am not hard over for it. I guess I don't have the experience of bashing around with a big hunk of it, which might change my mind. But in a small knife like the INFImandu, SWATmandu, or the SWATsondu, the big advantage of INFI is just the ability to have it naked and not worry about corrosion. IMO. YMMV.
 
rockspyder, I think that like with most steels, the advantage of INFI in toughness will not be noticed until you go extreme but it is definitely there. Since 99.9% of knife users would never go to the extreme unless they had no choice, that advantage is null. The edge holding is also something that is not so noticeable in either steel. I have heard of both steels being better than the other. Very close. Corrosion certainly favors INFI by a huge margin.
 
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