I'm looking for a fixed blade...

NjHart

NjHart

Joined
Jan 4, 2013
Messages
715
Howdy yall,

A couple of months ago, I started lurking around and then joined blade forums. First in the quest to find myself a good folding knife. I'm happy to report that as of last week, I've satisfied my first goal with a large Sebenza. It rides perfectly in my pocket, it feels tough enough to handle most of the work I could need and I have absolutely no worries about carrying with me at all times. That being said, I do live on a ranch, I'm an outdoor enthusiast (good booze, outside with fire, red meat, and a good knife- whats not to love), and I think before I invest anymore into my folder collection I'd like to get myself a nice fixed blade. I started looking around a bit, and this seems to be the place to go. So, I'm all ears- what should I be learning about Busse, what should I consider, any especially interesting videos to watch? I'm new to fixed blades in general, but I believe in quality for anything I buy and this seems like the best place to start.
 
Well, you've got a long way to go in terms of research. I will not dissuade you from getting a Busse, they are great, but have a look at the maker section too. You can buy a few models directly form Busse Combat, and a whole lot more on the Exchange. I'd say take your time, find something you like and go for it, if you choose so.

With makers you can find someone who makes knives in style most appealing to you, buy a model they offer for sale or get in touch with them to tweak the design, change materials, or make you something according to your design.
 
From my experience Bark River will not hold up to the same abuse that a Busse will.
Do you think it's appropriate to come to a Busse Forum and talk up another manufactures knife when the OP is asking about Busse?

Sharpnessis said:
Don't overlook bark river knives in your search. Good hunting!
Click to expand...
 
Busse make many different sizes and shapes of fixed blade knives. I personally like the big ones to use as wood splitters and choppers for the fire. I also like the medium sized ones to use in food prep. Here's a couple of vids of me wailing on some large knives. I wouldn't consider abusing another brand of knife like this without expecting it to break, if not straight away, after a while. Anyway, enjoy...

The Fusion Battle Mistress...

[video=youtube_share;V0_L-xE9HPw]http://youtu.be/V0_L-xE9HPw[/video]


MOAB...

[video=youtube_share;7CEedyZNcX8]http://youtu.be/7CEedyZNcX8[/video]


Swamp Rat M9

[video=youtube_share;8rWuNjOB2uE]http://youtu.be/8rWuNjOB2uE[/video]
 
Thanks! Very Impressive videos and I especially like the fusion battle mistress! I think that is one of the ones I had seen before that I liked- that and the team gemini light brigade. I'm sure there are other knives that can hold up fine in most scenarios and plenty of customs too, but I put a lot of stock in things that I can actually research. I'm trying to get myself a nice gear setup that I'm happy with and can research before buying, and I want the highest quality most durable products. In addition to the pretty beastly nature of the knives overall, if INFI steel is 80% as good as I've read I'm not interested in anything else. It unlikely I'd be ordering one in the next few weeks regardless, but I just wanted to start looking into so bigger and badder knives for anything outdoor use.
 
What size knife are you thinking about? The CGNMFSH's just came out and may be available on the exchange. The acronym stands for the Combat Grade (Not Limited, i.e. not a satin finish) Nuclear Meltdown (Ball bearing treatment, i.e. rounded edges, spine) Fusion Steel Heart. It's a hefty chopper and would do a wide variety of tasks, but it's a large chopper. To get a good idea of what's out there, you could always look at the sticky thread of pics only, no chatting and if something catches your eye, you could post the post # from that thread in here and we can give you more information about it. Welcome to the addiction :D
 
Hey NjHart, you have Texas as your Location and I know for a fact there is a lot of HOGs and Piglets down there. This is where the old thing of networking comes to pass. Where in TX are you? Another words you will have to put yourself out there and make some contacts. I am quit sure a lot of folks would be happy to show you some of the blades, i.e. size comparison, style, handle material, coat blades, satins, double cut bead blast(DCBB) etc. Main thing is channel your want to the size blade you want. What will you do with the knife? Is it for hunting? Is it for general outdoor requirements? Are you going to split wood with it? Frankly Busse Combat has made a knife that fits almost every situation that someone could ever encounter, short of performing delicate brain surgery.

Network Bro, network!!!
 
I'll be going through Texas from Dallas to Austin to Jasper to Blade in May, where are you?
I have a couple of choppers!
 
Thanks for the input yall. I follow KnifeAddictAK's suggestion and a little outside research and found quite a few that tickle my fancy so to speak. My 4 favorites are really quite different, and hopefully I'll eventually get them all, but I'll probably start saving for the first one asap and hopefully in a month or two it'll be time to order! My 4 favorites were: Team Gemini Light Brigade, Natural Outlaw, Pork Shank, and Battle Mistress. I really like the looks and shape of all of those. The natural outlaw and team gemini seem to be pretty similar in terms of size and definitely fit the size bill of what I sort of had in mind starting out. They seem big enough that I could use for chopping, any heavy work I can try to go for, and still be functional and small enough for cooking. They seem like a nice middle of the road size that is pretty well suited for anything. The battle mistress is awesome. I'm sure I could find plenty to do with it, but the sheer awesomeness leads me to believe I'd forever be looking for things to use the beast on. And last but not least the pork shank. Actually I wasn't really even thinking about a smaller fixed blade when I started looking around here, but I'm an avid BBQ cooker and using the pork shank for my universal BBQ tool seems too perfect to pass up.

I'm definitely not ready to buy yet- wallet is still recovering from my sebenza, but I'd love to hear any thoughts any of yall have on any of these knives. If you had to pick a first Busse, what would you go with? Anything that I may have missed in looking through everything so far? I'll be hanging around here and trying to learn all I can. Thanks for helping get me started!

Cheers!
 
Personally, I'd probably go for the TGLB first. I don't own one myself, but they are still available to buy direct and will help you save some cash compared to when they are no longer available direct. Busse's tend to grow in value overtime and become more limited on the secondary at times. If Busse announces on here that they will be taking down the TGLB from the website, you can contact them about a payment plan (Orders take 6-8 weeks). As for the other knives, I would keep an eye on the exchange so you have an idea of prices so you know a good deal when you see it. The ASHBM or Anniversary Straight Handle Battle Mistress is coming down the pipe line soon and not sure on pricing or release day. Another thought is the AMS Anniversary Mean Street that's up on the website right now. Not sure how it would stack up against a Pork Shank though :)
 
I also forgot to mention the Steel Heart. Maybe my favorite in terms of appearance alone, and seems to have a great size, but it is in the same range and the gemini and saving money just means additional knives could come sooner! That was sort of my exact thoughts about the TGLB. I definitely like it, I can get it at the most reasonable price, and it checks a large number of my desirability boxes.
 
I'd recommend looking at the Boss Jack (Combat Grade or Prototypes) if you want something medium sized. The top knife is the Combat Grade with G-10 handle.....

DSC_0004-3.jpg
 
Impressive videos abound on YouTube! NOSS has videos of Busses doing things that will pop your eyes right of your skull! Take an hour and watch!
 
The Team Gemini Light brigade is a great all purpose blade. And like stated above you can still order it direct from the shop and not have to search the secondary market to find one.

Garth
 
Okay, i'll play

This is overwhelmingly subjective, so what follows is purely my opinion

Busse makes some of the best blades you can buy for any price. If you have the funds, your search for a maker is done, you are now looking for the right model to fit your needs. There are more than a dozen excellent options to choose from. You get what you pay for here. Look at the NMFBM, TGLB, NMFSH, and comb through the for sale forum... find what speaks to you

On the other hand, there are several very good options that will cost you less, and won't break on you when you need them

In order of personal preference

Scrapyard knives (i LOVE my 1311)
Swamp Rat knives (look at the rodent 9)
Becker knives (I have a bk7 and a bk9. Both are excellent)
Condor knives (the boomslang is my favorite, but they make several great designs)

Those are the makers I trust. Condor and Becker are in a whole different price category but are fantastic for the price

ESEE also makes great knives. I've never owned one, but i beat a friend's Junglas to death and it never missed a beat.
 
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