Fehrman reviews

A

Academic

Joined
Nov 8, 2007
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I am a long time lurker and have read a great deal about the virtues of Busse knives. I have also read (Mr?) Hood's comment(s) that Fehrmans CPM3V performs on par with INFI, or at least is as "robust". Can anyone provide more info on this? Can anyone refer me to a comprehensive knife steel testing site, other than here or Cliff Stamp?

A Busse of the right size will be much more difficult to shop for than a Fehrman or other, and I am looking for at least one premium quality survival fixed blade. I have read on this site that Chris Reeve, Ranger, the other Busse brands, Fallkniven are all great.

Anything would be helpful. I am a knife noob who hopes to become a collector when I am older and richer. I also intend to use this knife for more primitive backpacking/camping trips than I currently undertake.
 
They both will be MORE THAN ENOUGH KNIFE...I have both a Fehrman and Busse...and they are both tough, tough knives...either one would last a life time.
 
I don't think you can go wrong with either maker, I have a Busse BATAC myself, and I would feel totally confident on the trail with that knife and a OH SAK like the Trekker.

However, I don't think its necessary to go to that expense to get a great fixed blade. Steels like A2 and other high carbon steels such as 1095 and O-1 are equally up for the task. CPM S30V (found on CRK knives like the Pacific) is also highly regarded by some.

In terms of availability I have an idea that Fehrman knives are also not that easy to come by. If anything Busse might be more common.

Also consider the Busse family items like Scrap Yard and Swamp Rat. Also super tough knives available for quite reasonable sums.

If you want to read up more on the various steels, moderator Joe Talmadge has done an excellent run-down that can be found under Maintenance Tinkering and Embellishment.

Good luck and enjoy! :thumbup:
 
Cliff Stamp really ruined it for me when he said, in one of his reviews, that the CPM3V was prone to chipping. I know he got booted off the forum for acting like a horse's ass, but still....I'm concerned that that stuff will chip. :confused:
 
Troop said:
Cliff Stamp really ruined it for me when he said, in one of his reviews, that the CPM3V was prone to chipping. I know he got booted off the forum for acting like a horse's ass, but still....I'm concerned that that stuff will chip. :confused:
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I know Cliff does some pretty rough testing, but I have a First Strike, Extreme Judgement and the Last Chance. I've done some pretty rough hacking on and battoning seasoned oak with both the EJ and FS...never experienced any chipping. I'm quite pleased and a Fehrman would do well for an outdoors (or survival) knife.

ROCK6
 
ROCK6 said:
I know Cliff does some pretty rough testing, but I have a First Strike, Extreme Judgement and the Last Chance. I've done some pretty rough hacking on and battoning seasoned oak with both the EJ and FS...never experienced any chipping. I'm quite pleased and a Fehrman would do well for an outdoors (or survival) knife.

ROCK6
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Thanks for that post, Rock. Apparently, that stuff hold an unbelievable edge, and everybody you ask loves their Fehrman's. I'm glad somebody that's battoned oak with it says it's cool. Oak is how I test my blades, too.
- Thanks again. :thumbup:
 
I read a couple of comparisons before, but I can't find them now. I'll post the link if I do find it.

I have Busses and (at the moment) just one Fehrman, a First Strike. I would rate the two very closely for almost anything you could do with them. Short of deliberate destruction testing I don't think you'll find much difference.

Both makes are fantastic!

The Fehrman feels a lot different in hand to the Busses. It has a very good, comfortable grip. The rubber liners in the handle absorb a little impact; there is a slight difference in perceived jarring of the wrists when chopping.

The main test I read compared the Fusion Battle Mistress (CG) with the Final Justice. I don't recall the exact words, but the point was that the Fehrman stayed slightly sharper than the Busse and was more comfortable for prolonged chopping. Remember that this is personal to the user though and may not be the general case. Only way to know really is try them yourself and see what works for you.

I find my First Strike performs similarly to my Heavy Heart, although the HH chops better due to being a fair bit heavier. I also find the Fusion handle on the Busse more comfortable for chopping than the Fehrman. On the other hand, I like the Fehrman's grip for more accurate work on this size of knife.

Really, you won't go wrong with either choice as long as the knife suits you. Same can be said for Fallkniven, Swamprat, Scrapyard and Chris Reeves; although I would rate the Busses top, Fehrman very close second and the others pretty much joint third. I've no experience of Rangers myself. Difficult to pick between really as they have different mixes of characteristics and potential drawbacks. Depends what you want/like/need.

Rick.
 
For the price you can get a Ranger rd4 and Rd7 plus have money to take your girl out camping for a weekend where you can experiment with bushcraft and fire making. Of course you won't get the cache of being in the Busse clique on a forum. Tough choices buddy, good luck.
 
I have Doc's Fehrman Hood Hunter (and a necker too) and I also have two old straight handle Busses (and a later NO), which were my main hard use knives.
This particular Fehrman, the Hood, is exceptionally light and so unlike the Busses. But in performance, they are very similar.
Whether you choose a Busse or a Fehrman, you will get a knife that is as good as you could ask for. CPM 3V is an amazing steel and Infi is comparable, except maybe in corrosion resistance. CPM 3V does not corrode well, but the Fehrmans are coated and so far have stood up very well for me,although I haven't tested them in adverse conditions on a kayak or climbing trip as I have my Busses.
Any metal that isn't hardened properly or that is abused (or that has the wrong geometry for the task) will chip so reports of 3V chipping may be true but not necessarily a problem. It isn't a problem I've had with any 3V I've used, and certainly not my Fehrmans.
As much as I love Busse, Fehrman is a solid, solid knife.
 
I have seen a Fehrman in action but never used one. They look like high quality blades and performed well in heavy use. There are cheaper options out there however, as was mentioned.

Either way Fehrman makes a good knife.

Skam
 
I love my Fehrman's and would put them against my Busse Knives any day. They both excell in different areas from the others. Both will take anything you can throw at them. Fehrman knives are much easier to get than Busse. Fehrman can normally deliver in a couple of weeks. For what you listed in your in your first post I would suggest a Fehrman Last Chance. It is one of my favorite knives of all time. The fit and finish on my Fehrmans has seemed to be a little better than the Busse's and the Fehrmans have been a tad sharper too. Fehrmans come with a great edge. Good luck and you can't go wrong with either one.
 
I have a First Strike and Peacemaker. I have really pounded on the FS, especially after Cliff's review to see if there was any problem, and it has been quite robust. The primary grind on the FS is thinner than the Busses, if that is a + or - for you.

The PM is probably the best knife in it's size I've ever held. The ergonomics are great, 3V holds a great edge, I just wish they had left the back of the knife with sharp non-beveled edges, so I can use it with a firesteel. I'm sure if asked, they would do that. It is just a fantastic knife, very, very comfortable. Also, it's one of the few knives I've owned that I didn't feel I needed to thin the edge out when I got it. They get it correct at the factory.

If you're concerned about rust, get the coated blade, and no worries.

Good luck!
 
I have several Busses and the Feheman First Strike. You can't go wrong with either company. The FS is a awesome knife, it came shaving sharp and the fit and finish was perfect. I used mine for cutting vegitation, meat and cord, as well as splitting wood and chopping and it performed flawlessly. As far as I can tell the steel is exelent and holds its edge very well.
 
i also have the fehrman hoodhunter. it is my favorite big knife. it is very light weight compared to the heavy busses but it chops very well.

i think Ron Hood did an excellent job designing this blade.
 
I have a Fehrman Peace Maker. I've used it pretty hard on a few courses before I started carrying a BRKT Fox River. I love the integral bearing block for bow drills and the edge is pretty durable. Not the shapest (not fully convexed) but still a great edge for fine work. Perhaps the finest handle for choking up with the choil I've ever felt. Fehrman's knives are awesome tools and they are very easy to get right from the factory.
 
I've got a Ferhman First Strike and I really like it, it came shaving sharp. Frankly I went with the Ferhman over the Busse on price alone and I have been more than satisfied
 
Troop,

Funny, I have the same approach to steel as you. I won't trust it until a lot of people have used it for a long time. I also test my knives by chopping and forming oak logs into spoons, spatulas, etc. I am never able to enter the Busse fray (despite owning and using several) because I don't chop concrete blocks with them, But I do hack on oak for an hour at a time with my Hell Razor, with no edge damage. I don't own a Fehrman, but I am happy with Busse.
 
Academic said:
A Busse of the right size will be much more difficult to shop for than a Fehrman or other, and I am looking for at least one premium quality survival fixed blade. I have read on this site that Chris Reeve, Ranger, the other Busse brands, Fallkniven are all great.
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I have a Chris Reeve Mountaineer II and I think it's wonderful. However, it's done in A2, not a stainless steel like S30V. If I was to buy a woods walking knife in that size again, I'd probably look at Bark River Knife and Tool. They also make excellent knives in A2, and they're considerably less money.

As for S30V chipping, I might worry about that if I was going to go chopping up cinderblocks or cutting open car doors with it. But most of us will never want to do that with a knife, and if we find ourselves in such extreme circumstances that we have to do things like that, chipping our knife is probably the least of our worries.

BTW, I EDC a Chris Reeve Sebenza, which is a folder with a S30V blade. I've never once worried about chipping the thing. Testing steel to failure, and then being outraged that it in fact fails, is one of the reasons NOT to pay attention to people with testing methodologies such as Cliff Stamp.
 
I appreciate the numerous and rapid responses. I look forward to owning some of each make eventually, but it looks like a Fehrman will be my first chopper.
 
witchhunter said:
i also have the fehrman hoodhunter. it is my favorite big knife. it is very light weight compared to the heavy busses but it chops very well.

i think Ron Hood did an excellent job designing this blade.
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I dont see the Hoodhunter on there website...where did you find it?

I have an Extreme Judgment and its a great knife. I do like the Busse all around better with the Fusion Battle Mistress being my tops for a chopper right now. But again thats personal preference. I have never had my Busse chip or anything close to that and its dinged off of rocks and frozen wood. The Ferhman I have not hit anything hard enough with it to cause it to do so, and I cannot comment on whether it would. If your like me...you'll probably end up with choppers from multiple companys finding what suite's you best anyway. Good Luck:thumbup:
 
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