First Busse - can you help me decide?

Barrabas

Barrabas

Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
1,135
Been watching, parusing, enjoyed a passaround, and took the step of getting a Basic 5, and a Yard Guard.

Looks like God made a way though that I can hopefully have the $ to get into One of the Combat Grades :thumbup:

The reason why I am posting this is needed to ask your opinions on which model to get - will have hopefully $450 - $550, and that will need to cover knife and sheath.

It will be a while again before I can get another - so need this one to be the closest to an all around knife as possible.
This will be my primary carry for the woods, and will be used for skinning, whittling, chopping from time to time, and batonning.

Cutting ability however is paramount over all the other stuff.
Will wear gloves from time to time (if it is really cold) but for the most part won't, so not really sure as to what kind of scales to look for in the handle. want grip - but not to much that would make it uncomfortable for extended chopping with bare hands, or skinning

Due to what I'm using this for would like to keep the blade under 1/4 thick?

Thanks, and sorry for the length of this.

sp
 
Barrabas said:
Been watching, parusing, enjoyed a passaround, and took the step of getting a Basic 5, and a Yard Guard.

Looks like God made a way though that I can hopefully have the $ to get into One of the Combat Grades :thumbup:

The reason why I am posting this is needed to ask your opinions on which model to get - will have hopefully $450 - $550, and that will need to cover knife and sheath.

It will be a while again before I can get another - so need this one to be the closest to an all around knife as possible.
This will be my primary carry for the woods, and will be used for skinning, whittling, chopping from time to time, and batonning.

Cutting ability however is paramount over all the other stuff.
Will wear gloves from time to time (if it is really cold) but for the most part won't, so not really sure as to what kind of scales to look for in the handle. want grip - but not to much that would make it uncomfortable for extended chopping with bare hands, or skinning

Due to what I'm using this for would like to keep the blade under 1/4 thick?

Thanks, and sorry for the length of this.

sp
Click to expand...

Find a Hell Razor. re-bevel it a bit. Vastly under-rated Busse in my opinion.
Saddly I sold my two to fund some BATACS and some other crap. HUGE BLUNDER.

Also Consider the SwampRat Ratwieler
 
I think the swamp Mojo's are a great all around knife.
1/4 inch thick sr101, canvas micarta, OINK!
The recurve makes it a mad slicer.
At around $200 you can beat it and not feel bad!!

Best of all,,, they are still at the Swamp company store!
Picture.jpg
 
Barrabas said:
- will have hopefully $450 - $550, and that will need to cover knife and sheath.

- so need this one to be the closest to an all around knife as possible.
- This will be my primary carry for the woods, and

- skinning, whittling, chopping from time to time, and batonning.

Cutting ability however is paramount over all the other stuff.

Will wear gloves from time to time (if it is really cold) but for the most part won't, so not really sure as to what kind of scales to look for in the handle. want grip - but not to much that would make it uncomfortable for extended chopping with bare hands, or skinning

Due to what I'm using this for would like to keep the blade under 1/4 thick?
Click to expand...

I would say that you look for a user SH-E or FSH. The SH-E will be cheaper and will do everything you need it to do. The big FBM may kust be too much for you right now size wise and for your other tasks.

The other knife that should be making it to the Busse Sale is the SHI which just might be the ideal knife for you.
 
Something Hell Razor sized seems right for an all arounder, but do you think you can chop with it? Ratweiler is a good possibility, meets the price point, but is a little on the thick edged side. SFNO is good, but too expensive, unless someone passes along one from Knob Creek at the cost of $287 ( hey, a guy can dream ) BATAC is the right size and price. ASH-1 is the right size, but too expensive.
 
Get a BATAC. Now they are quite easy to find even under 300$. BATACs are 3/16" full flat ground - mine cuts very well. You can also chop with BATAC - just enough to help you make a small fire while in the woods. I have rather small hands and the standard handle suits me fine. The handle is quite large - so no worries working in gloves. BATACs are VERY useful knives! :thumbup:
 
I think if you have 450 to spend you should jump right in to Busse, even as good as srkw and scrapyard are.

Go for a user SH-E or a new SHI when they hit the busse site very soon you will not regret it.
 
The HR is a good choice if you can find one. I prefer the BATACLE myself. It is shorter than a HR but it is a fatty. I find that I can chop better with a BATACLE than I can with a HR. The added weight from being a fatty does help the BATACLE to chop very decently. I normally am not crazy about fatties as users but the BATACLE is one of the few exceptions.

You can still pick one of these up from the BCS for 400 and still have change for a nice sheath which I think the BCS also carries.

Another great option is a SH-E as recommended by Cobalt. That is really a great all arounder.

I think the most important criteria for selecting is fit and comfort. Try to hook up with some Hogs near you to see if you can get a chance to handle and even preferably chop with them first. Pick the one that you are most efficient with.
 
I second (or third) the suggestion to buy a BATACLE. If you also order a Chuddy Bear sheath, you'll be close to $450 in total, and will have a superb cutting, chopping, and prying tool that can be carried very comfortably. Best of all, the BATACLEs are still available for $397 at the Busse Company Store. If I didn't already have five of them, #148 and #799 through #802, I'd be buying one (or more).
 
How much skinning are you planning on doing???

a Steel Heart ergo (SH-e) will do everything great, but not skinning. You could do it if you had to (i actually ended up using a BM-e to finish up a pig the other night when my gerber [hang head in shame] gave up), but the SH-e is certainly not a skinner.

I think this is the one function you need to define before we can give you really good advice.

The BATAC would do everything you listed above. But a SH-e would spank it at chopping / batoning, if you weren't really going to do much skinning.
 
Tyrkon Lawson said:
BAN: What about an anorexic BATAC? :D
Click to expand...

I like the 3/16 BATAC also ;) It would also fit the bill if a person knew what to do with it. The BATAC is in that funny size category of neither a chopper or small utility knife. In the 3/16 configuration it can do well with most tasks except for chopping. It really is a tad small and light for decent chopping. However, that can be compensated by batoning. If it was slightly longer like a HR then it would be able to chop fairly decently. The longer blade and handle helps bring the balance forward and also increase speed and momentum.

Now the BATACLE.....helps to compensate the lack of length and speed with mass giving it more momentum. As I said before... in the fatty configuration it chops very decently and can pass for a good all around knife for that very reason.

Personally, if I can only have one knife then it has got to be my FABM. A big knife can do smaller knife jobs but not the other way around.
 
I'd get a Busse Basic 7. It can do all that and it has some heft to do light chopping. Better tip for skinning and it is generally sold with a sheath. I use to recommend the Hell Razor until I saw one of these.

But it seems to me that you should get a Basic 9 and piggy back the B5 and you’d be way better covered than one knife that can’t do any one thing you want to do all that well.



compare.jpg
 
Wow guys - Thanks for the great info! I really appreciate all the help, and would appreciate any other suggestions.
I sent the mods an email to ask if they could pass along the info to Mr. Busse for his opinion but I'm sure he is busy making knives :)

I absolutely love the ergos on my Basic 5.

Looks like the SH1 - is the closest I have seen to matching up with it.
Are they readily available, and do you think I can get into one for the $ I have?

Tony G - thanks especially for the side by side comparisons - very helpful.

I have been Interested in the Hell Razor too, but they sound hard to come by, and it's been a while since I have seen a pic, would love to see one beside the SH1.

Cobalt, you mentioned that the ASH 1 maybe coming out in combat grade - is that anytime soon?

If all goes as planned would like to have something in hand in the next couple of weeks (to be ready of Deer Season).

Xaman - Only will be skinning during Deer Season, with helping others, probably the max 3 or 4 Deer yearly.
 
Cobalt said:
not it won't be. I bet the combat grade will be in the low 300 range, high 200 range.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but I was referring to the Satin ASH-1 from Blade, those are too expensive. Who knows when we will see the Combat Grade version on the Busse site, plus months after that for delivery.

Barrabas, where are you, in case someone wants to help you out by showing their toys?
 
Hi Barrabas,

I'm very impressed with my batacle, the ergo's are better than those of my razors (for my hands). However my advise is to find a Razor. The longer cutting edge, thinner blade, the balance and blade design (subjective) makes it one of my favorite Busse blades.
Better still is going for both...:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top