I know you've had this happen~ Knife Etiquette struggles - My short story

Leonardo63

Leonardo63

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May 24, 2017
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Momma always said, if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all ... Sometimes it's kind of a struggle am I right? I always try to be kind and supportive to a point but as one who knows the value of tough love it's not always easy.

I've shared all my Busse Bliss with guys and gals at work, show and tell with each new blade. Everyone now asks "get your knife of the week yet? and hey, don't get mad at me, I don't want you whipping out your Busse" and various other sack slapping that guys do to one another.

So I'm walking through the shop today and one guy goes "Hey, I got a new knife to show you" .. oh dear, .... let me prep for this mentally .... He pulls this thing out of his tool box and I say "this better not say SOG on it or I'm going to kick your ass for buying a piece of sht" They seem to be interested in those because they think it means "Special Ops" until I explained, that is not the original meaning, it's "Studies and Observation Group", as in the LRRPs from Vietnam, Men with Green Faces kind of thing? as I see their eyes glaze over .... He hands it to me, it's in a nice plastic sheath, got a Ruger logo on the handle so I know what it is - CRKT, I pull it out and it's nice looking, of course thin as hell like all the store bought stuff is, it's called a "Muzzle Brake" clip point, plastic molded handle. I look at it and he's so proud, "How much did this set you back?" ... "Oh man, it wasn't cheap" .... "yeah? less than $100 I hope" it's a $60 knife .... So I say nice, look at the edge, it's made well enough but I'm thinking, man if I drop it I wonder if it will break like a piece of glass? .... But, being the nice guy I am I was easy - Then he says, man, I know it's not a Busse, but man I can't justify that kind of money in my mind. I just laughed and said Dude, You just pulled a $60 knife out of a 10 thousand dollar tool box with 50 grand in tools inside and you struggle with a few hundred bucks on a knife? Get the fk out of here and talk to me when you snap that thing in half skinning a chicken: .... LOL! .... I walked away thinking boy, I've got a lot of work to do here with these cats but there's hope, they're getting interested ;) .... I struggle to find really great wisdom with style, never had to before because upside the head reality seems to last so long and it's efficient :D
I have one guy ask me every week "Did you get that dagger yet?" ... I had explained how that whole Nuke option thing went down and he saw how excited I was to nab one so I keep telling him "couple 3 months out bro! but you'll be the first to see it" and he's like "I don't know how you can wait so long" I tell him it's easy, got 4 others coming before that to keep me broke, soon enough, soon enough :D so... I'm planting those seeds! I see a little germination happening ;)
 
You handled it pretty well, I'd say.

We were all there before-- proud of our sub-production folders.

Only thing I'd add is that when I engage in that kind of blade "dirty dozens" I make 100% sure my target knows I'm yanking his chain-- because I realize I'd look like a huge horse's ass and a snob, to boot if he didn't know I meant nothing by my wise cracks. With that in mind it's BIG FUN and a great way to build rapport and like you said "sow" some good will about our favorite blades!

BTW, I'm sure you recognize there's some quality SOG blades...almost exclusively vintage models...but they're great. They're a bit thick for slicing but really nice F&F. I own a TREMENDOUS Arcitecht like this one...
sog_a01-p_1.png
 
tonj1199 said:
Sounds like you have a couple of good hearted co-workers who take an interest in your passion for Busse knifes. Thank you for sharing. Best of luck!
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Oh yeah, great bunch of good guys all the way. Even got some guys from another business across the road all getting into it too-
 
My 1st expensive blade (I thought it was at the time) Gerber LMF 2, than BK2, than a bunch of Back rivers, spydercis, brnchmade, than Busse.
Sold off everything except LMF2, and BK2 (sentimental value, I guess lol)
 
PeteyTwoPointOne said:
You handled it pretty well, I'd say.

We were all there before-- proud of our sub-production folders.

Only thing I'd add is that when I engage in that kind of blade "dirty dozens" I make 100% sure my target knows I'm yanking his chain-- because I realize I'd look like a huge horse's ass and a snob, to boot if he didn't know I meant nothing by my wise cracks. With that in mind it's BIG FUN and a great way to build rapport and like you said "sow" some good will about our favorite blades!

BTW, I'm sure you recognize there's some quality SOG blades...almost exclusively vintage models...but they're great. They're a bit thick for slicing but really nice F&F. I own a TREMENDOUS Arcitecht like this one...
sog_a01-p_1.png
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Yeah, horse's ass is not something I'm known for, quite the opposite, I take it even better than I dish it and it's always expected - actually, I compliment the guys constantly because I know they go through hell compared to what I deal with on a daily basis, good for morale and they always know they can lean on me when their having a crap day. I bet I google 20 knife things a day so I'm still learning every day.
 
bubbaskyjacker said:
Took me 15 years to drop 500$ on a blade. Still expensive in my mind.
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Tell me about it - I'm still taking baby steps and dipping my toes in the pond LOLO!!! Yes, it's crazy! but you don't know what you don't know...sometimes I think we're all crazy! .... but it's a fun crazy that's for damn sure.
 
My first Good blade was a CRKT m16. He is on his way.


I find that the expensive knives I buy now are better , not because of what they are it’s what I can sell them for, a safe investment that’s what really kicked it up a notch.

Vs buying a $250 white river , might get 150 if I sell it.
 
i dont crap on peoples parade when theyre obviously happy with their purchase but i do try to sneak in the busse superiority as much as i can.

i have been on a LT Wright and Bark River kick lately but i always end up comparing them to busse knives and hate myself for it :p
 
Srtr said:
i dont crap on peoples parade when theyre obviously happy with their purchase but i do try to sneak in the busse superiority as much as i can.

i have been on a LT Wright and Bark River kick lately but i always end up comparing them to busse knives and hate myself for it :p
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I hear ya! I look at everything. Everytime one of you posts about this or that - google is my friend :D Being honest, when I see something that really catches my attention I do a little digging and you know what? the numbers all look similar, all similar price ranges because that's just where the good stuff is at and that helps me a lot in understanding the whole "this is what the best is and that's just life" :D
 
Will York said:
I remember when $100 for a knife seemed outrageous—we all have to start from somewhere, I guess.
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For me, that knife was a Benchmade ACFK, followed shortly (at least as far as placing the order was concerned) by a SHBM, SHSH II, and SHBA. All told, that was something like $700 worth of knives back then.
 
My first expensive knife was an ESEE 5 I got with a military discount for right around 100 with the fancy sheath...

Like Will said... We all have to start somewhere.

Now... I won't really buy a blade less than a $100 unless it's on a neat budget flipper that I want to toy around with. I.E. The CKRT bones which is a helluva knife design!!!
 
Well my Emerson collection is certainly smaller now thanks to Busse, and once I get those two David Brown pocket sheaths for my Park Rangers in about two weeks, there will probably be another culling of my folders pile. I have to pay for my Busse Dagger and Silent knight somehow lol. And I have this custom bowie thats quite awesome. This guy at work is quite proud of his Chinese or Pakistani made Switchblades and balisongs, I haven't rained on his parade with show and tell yet, he does like the ZT 301 I always carry though.
 
A guy told me he had a 100 knife collection a while back, so I told him I'd like to see em. He said he'd bring them the next day, so I brought a few Busses to show him. When I saw him the next day he explained he had 100 $5 knives he had bought on a TV infomercial and started telling me how great they were and how I needed to buy one at cost. I thought to myself these knives are all crap, but I didn't say anything and pulled out a Tank Buster to show him. He looked at it, asked me how much it cost. I told him, then he proceeded to tell me I was a lunitic. I'd had enough by then so I held one of his knives down on a work bench with a piece of wood and chopped it into multiple pieces. Then I handed him $5 and left. I guess we were both right.

Probably not good knife etiquette, but I felt way better after.
 
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I have one buddy that is into knives and is kind of a wise-ass when it comes talking knives. One day he comes into my shop with some Gerber fixed blade to show me. I checked it out, told him it was nice and handed it back. I happened to be wearing my SOB that day. He kind of snickers and says "Let's see that cheap walmart knife you're packing." I bit my tongue, pulled it from the sheath and handed it to him. He looks it over and says "Seriously, what can this knife do that my Gerber can't do?". I grabbed a hammer out if my tool box, set it next to my vice and said "I'll show you. I'll give you five swings at mine if you give me one swing at yours.". He didn't take me up on it but he owns a Ratweiler and a Regulator now. Lol!
 
I have to come at this from a different perspective. As a Knife Maker/User/Collector I judge my own production on the quality of of what is available to buyers. I purchased Busse as the level of Quality to judge my blades against. Once Bitten the desire was to judge other knives against Busse and my own...Testing Continues!!! It's obvious I can't produce INFI, but when a customer asks if my blades are any good we go out to the wood pile with my blade and do some chopping. Locally the buying market is on the low end so to see a High End Knife in the wild is rare unless it's on the belt of an out of state elk hunter.
 
clampdaddy said:
I have one buddy that is into knives and is kind of a wise-ass when it comes talking knives. One day he comes into my shop with some Gerber fixed blade to show me. I checked it out, told him it was nice and handed it back. I happened to be wearing my SOB that day. He kind of snickers and says "Let's see that cheap walmart knife you're packing." I bit my tongue, pulled it from the sheath and handed it to him. He looks it over and says "Seriously, what can this knife do that my Gerber can't do?". I grabbed a hammer out if my tool box, set it next to my vice and said "I'll show you. I'll give you five swings at mine if you give me one swing at yours.". He didn't take me up on it but he owns a Ratweiler and a Regulator now. Lol!
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That's a perfect way to stop any further boasting.

A comment on your signature, that may fit here.
My brother just had his birthday and I decided to gift him one of my unused knives. He doesn't own a knife, that I know of, and I wanted his first to be a Bussekin.
So I send him a picture of a black BT6 with green G10 handles, midnight blue Dog Soldier and a black BG Boss Jack with green canvas. These were the ones I had in a size I know he would use (he's not getting my mistresses hah).
I ask him which one he likes the most, and he answers "definitely the right one.." refering to the Boss Jack.
So it seems you two have similar tastes, and I need a new Boss Jack as well. :)
 
It would have been better if it was a SOG, lol. I typically do not say negative stuff when my friends bring up their knives. However, when they make crazy claims is when I have them put up.
 
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