First post in swamp rat, need some help please

T

thantos1858

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Jul 3, 2009
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Hey everyone, this is my first time posting in the swamp rat forum and I have a few questions I hope someone can answer. First of all, I would like a small overview of the whole busse/swamp rat/ scrap yard story. What I mean by that is, what is the difference between them all and how did they come to be? Busse combat is like the "parent" company correct? Also, what are the differences between INFI/SR-101/SR-77? I have heard INFI is like the best steel ever and I know its much more expensive than the other two. Can someone also give me an (unbiased :p) opinion on swamp rat vs scrap yard, even though this IS the swamp rat section. All help is much appreciated :D
 
They are a family.
Jerry Busse "Busse"
his wife "Swamprat"
his brother "Scrapyard"

should be a song right?! :D

They also have great people that work for them, like Eric (we think he's an alien but can't find the space-pod)

For exact details of how it all came about I think only Jerry and maybe a few others know the whole story! Lets just say Jerry made INFI and we are very happy because of it!

Yes they are super steels and amazing and INFI is "Big Daddy" of them all but they are all (SR101, SR77, even 154 cm) created, heat treated, tested, (I even think they do a funny little dance) and brought to us like no other, and all Super!

We really don't know the details. (business secrets, can you blame them?!)

Swamprat is the middle ground, not INFI but great materials and colors and workmanship with all the quality and warranties of Busse.

Scrapyard is by no means least but I think Dan Busse wanted to give us something more affordable yet tough! "Superior Performance to Price Ratio" he calls it. The handles are "Resiprene C" the colors are limited (but more lately) and with the same warranty.

I hope that helps ;)
 
thanks for the links paddling man they were very helpful
So basically SR-77 is tougher than SR-101 but doesn't hold an edge as well
 
I've found that SR101 has about the same edge-holding capabilities as INFI and SR77 isn't quite up there with them. However, where SR77 really shines is in toughness. You can beat on Scrap Yard knives all day without worrying about walking away with a crooked blade. That's not to say that SR101 and INFI aren't tough either. Let's just say that the capabilities of the three steels are rarely tested in full by those who own Busse-kin knives.
 
We gotta get some real-life demos of all of this. To find out for sure once-and-for-all. If SR77 has enough edge-holding ability vs. SR101, we can "scrap" (HAHAHA!) it in favor of the cheaper better steel. If not, let's find out and custom tailor our wants to the knife in question.

I will say this: In the normal course of action, it is unlikely that most of us will bring any of these steels to their testing points. Slicing an apple, hacking down a tree, etc., isn't gonna bring it to it's knees. Handing it to Noss will - but when do we beat on stuff that much?

Heck, I'm still torn between selling my stock SAR4 and getting a RMD. . . but the SAR4 is INFI and it's already a convex blade. But I'd have to mod the handle just to get it to comfy stages. I wish this was easier. LOL
 
@OP
Don't worry too much about the specific steel, frankly you will be hard pressed to destroy any steel with normal applications on 1/4". Also Busse isn't exactly a huge corporation, their R&D budgets are certainly limited so assuming that they found the holy grail in steelmaking is naive. Think about hardness and rust resistance. If rust resistance is a major question for you then go for infi, it is harder but more stain resistant than S7 or 52100. And they are tough, no doubt about it.

The sister companies give you more bang for the buck and IMO better performance (in particular 52100) but they do rust so better treat them well.

From my perspective I've never even considered steel an issue when selecting knives, the design & the handles are far more important. I consider stainless if the knife will get wet often but beyonds that I don't lose any sleep over it. I know that any knife I get from the Busse group will be more than good, besides their warranty is excellent.

Forgot one point, if sharpening the knives in the field will be an issue you may want to avoid steel types that are extremely hard. For example I struggle with D2.
 
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1095 can suck or be phenomenal. Quality of 1095 is largely dependent on how it is treated. RAT (ESEE) is a great 1095.
 
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