In Search of the Best Busse

Go with either Armorall Leather, Chuddy Bear, Rainwalker, or MikeyMoto.

Lately, Mikeymoto has been showing off some stunning work, and Leatherhog (Dwayne, from Armorall) has made some beauts as well.

Over on USN someone recently posted a pic of a custom FSH in a Rainwalker sheath that looked fantastic.
 
OK, having found a few more Busse's, I can continue my review, in search of the best Busse. I recently picked up a DC Saber SFNO with standard black micarta, and a satin Banned Saber SFNO with magnum tigerhide micarta. As for the DC w/ standard, I generally like the DC finish, but on this knife the beadblasting tends to obscure the grind lines, which are nice to see on the Saber grind. Between that and the standard slabs, which are too thin for my hands, the DC Saber w/ standard didn't play my custom (the overall winner so far) very closely.

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Now to the Satin/Banned Saber with magnum tigerhide scales (second from the top, over the custom SFNO, current champ).

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This knife put up the best competition to the custom SFNO yet. The Saber grind is nice to look at, although the spine is not much thicker than the flat ground custom (it's a little bit thicker, but not enough to make a big difference). So the Saber gets points for the grind line.

The machined Tigerhide slabs feel great in the hand. Not as good as the handshaped wood handle of the custom, but if I was wearing gloves, I might prefer the machined grooves, and for hard use, the machined scales might tire the palm less.

This Saber was probably stripped, so its satin finish doesn't match the precision of the factory satin finish on the custom. +1 to the custom.

Weight and balance is about the same.

The deciding factor? 1) How great the hand-shaped mags of the custom feels in the hand. And 2) Looks and class.

The custom has a very distinctive look, and the tri-color slabs with stabilized wood and mosaic pins really make for a classy knife. The Saber is a good-looker in its own right, and the tigerhide looks great for micarta, but the machined slabs with industrial rivets just can't compare to the custom's handles.

On balance, the custom SFNO still prevails, although it was close this time. We'll have to see how the new Hog SFNO stacks up.
 
BTW, to bring closure to your sheath recommendations, here are the 2 customs I kept with their shoes. 2 from MikeyMoto and 1 from ChuddyBear.

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I would also like to enter another competitor, the FBM LE. This is one of my favorite Busse knives. This thing looks great, and is just plain awesome. I love how it was tricked out with a D-Guard and lanyard (thanks Jason!). If it wasn't such a beast, and relatively useless as an all-around knife, it might give the SFNO a run for its money.

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First of all, this thing is too heavy to cut anything with. The spine is as thick as Joe Pa's glasses. Overall, its a tad heavy for a long hike. I can see how its a fun party favor, and fun to take for a spin in the woods every now and then, but as a serious all-around knife to backpack with?

But not to criticize it too much. Actually, for a big knife, I can't believe how much I like it. The blade is gorgeous, it's a great design, and the handle slabs are extremely well done and good looking. Now I can see why you Hogs get hooked on the big 'uns. I can see getting used to it, and how it's a great chopper. But I think I'd rather--if its gonna be a long trek--take a mid-size blade and a separate small hatchet for chopping, than saddle this thing onto my waist.

So, despite how awesome this knife is, and I can see myself using it on the ranch, around the house, it loses to the SFNO. I can't see taking it camping or hiking, where space and weight are at a premium, or even trying to use it for much else besides chopping, in which case I'd probably rather have an axe or hatchet. I'm still glad I have it.
 
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Hey George, which custom SFNO did you make a user? How about some pics? You're welcome on the two blades, and thanks for getting me another Sabre. Gotta say, though, if you like the customs with hand-shaped mags, you'd LOVE my 1/1 CS clipped swayback SFNO with desert ironwood slabs.:eek::D;)
 
Jason-no user yet, but narrowing the field so may have one soon.

A couple SFNOs came in, so while I'm waiting on the LE and another one coming in, I'll throw these into the mix. Both of these have snakeskin scales. The first is a flat-ground satin:

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The satin blade on this one is really nice, but I still find the saber grind more interesting to look at. The snake scales are a really great color, but too thin to fit my palms well.

The next is a saber black/snake SFNO:

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The black krinkle looks a little weird in the way it reflects light, but it is very smooth. The snake scales are great, and thicker due to the increased width of the spine on the saber, which is good. Blk/snake is a really nice color combination, but I think I still prefer satin.

Overall, these are both very nice SFNOs, but don't unseat the leader.
 
I'mGatMan! said:
Go with either Armorall Leather, Chuddy Bear, Rainwalker, or MikeyMoto.

Lately, Mikeymoto has been showing off some stunning work, and Leatherhog (Dwayne, from Armorall) has made some beauts as well.

Over on USN someone recently posted a pic of a custom FSH in a Rainwalker sheath that looked fantastic.
Click to expand...

Leatherhog is working on an impressive sheath for a Silent Knight of mine right now.

Wait'll you see it! It's gonna be a beaut!!! :D
 
OldPhysics said:
Leatherhog is working on an impressive sheath for a Silent Knight of mine right now.

Wait'll you see it! It's gonna be a beaut!!! :D
Click to expand...

Congratulation! It would be nice to see more pictures of your SK and its sheath.
 
Make sure you post pics as soon as you get it, Jamie.

So George, have you decided that the SFNO is really your ideal knife? It would certainly seem that way. Show us a group/family shot when you get a chance.
 
Balislinger said:
...but I suspect the SFNO will beat them all, just because I prefer the look of the SFNO profile...
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You may be surprised. I have had SFNOs and I love the way they look and feel. I used one extensively and it is the perfect size for a lot of things.
Well, in the end I've sold all my SFNO handled knives because the handle just didn't fit me like the Ergo or Fusion handles.

Don't always trust in looks;)

btw, go beat the hell out of that Mistress. You'll be surprised at how responsive and friendly she really is. Don't let the size and heft intimidate you. She can bush whack, dig, slice, chop, she fits into backs very nicely, but best of all, she does the splits beautifully when you smack her with a club...try all that with a hatchet:D
 
Strabs said:
You may be surprised. I have had SFNOs and I love the way they look and feel. I used one extensively and it is the perfect size for a lot of things.
Well, in the end I've sold all my SFNO handled knives because the handle just didn't fit me like the Ergo or Fusion handles.

Don't always trust in looks;)

btw, go beat the hell out of that Mistress. You'll be surprised at how responsive and friendly she really is. Don't let the size and heft intimidate you. She can bush whack, dig, slice, chop, she fits into backs very nicely, but best of all, she does the splits beautifully when you smack her with a club...try all that with a hatchet:D
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He's got a point, George. And btw...I don't think you ever gave your impression of the FSHSE. How did that thing feel? A lot of guys think the 8.5" of that thing is perfect...specifically the HHFSH.

My boy GentleBen has played with all the knives I've owned and in the end he bought himself an SHE and an NOE and loves them above all others. Seems like, if you love Special Forces handle, that an NMSFNOLE might be perfect for you.
 
Jason, to answer your question, I think I have settled on the SFNO as an ideal camping/hiking knife. Now it's just a question of which one, which should be answered once the LE arrives. As for the FSH, I like the fusion handle on it (or ergo, whatever you call the curve). That was one of the main reasons I bought it. But I haven't really liked the look of the fusion (ergo) handle on other Busses I've seen, like the NOE.

May sound weird, but since I don't beat my knives silly--only do some light camping and hiking every now and then--looks actually do matter to me, once a certain performance level is achieved. With the FSH, I think it's too big and heavy to carry around for regular use. And the SFNO has better proportions in the way it looks, IMHO. The blade profile of the SFNO looks just right. The FSH blade profile is a little bit droopy in the way the spine curves slightly downward.

I always look for a knife that is both strong, highly capable, and was executed with a good eye for design. It's that combination of the utilitarian aspect of a knife with its artistic design aspect that makes me interested in a knife. If I was about pure utility, then the NOE or something like that might work well. But I've got to enjoy the design of the knife I'm carrying around, since that's part of the hobby for me.

I've let a few nice SFNOs go in the process of distilling the herd, but here's a couple group pics, including one I took yesterday. Still waiting for a couple more brothers, then we'll see what's what.

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OK, another one landed today. It's my last one of the year except for the LE SFNO, which should be landing any day now. Not much new with this one, I'm just refining the kind of SFNO I like the best. This one is an old-school Double Cut Saber SFNO with tan micarta mags. It came with a nice old Kenny Rowe sheath.

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I like the DC finish on this blade alot, it is very smooth, but I have to say I still prefer the satin finish on INFI. The tan micarta slabs on this knife are very nice, nicer than most--just like the tigerhide slabs on the other saber are also nicer than the usual tigerhide--maybe they just made 'em different back in those days. As nice as they are, however, it's tough to beat the nice tigerhide on my other Saber.

Final conclusion? This is a great package, no doubt, but it gets edged out by the tigerhide Saber, which is still in 2nd place behind the customs. The only contender left is the SFNO LE. Well, that is, until I score an old-school Saber SFNO with green micarta.
 
That looks like Noel's (12Bravo) dcbb/tan. I hafta ask...are they really tan slabs, or are they tiger? You got that one from right under me, George, ya Outlaw.;)
 
I'mGatMan! said:
That looks like Noel's (12Bravo) dcbb/tan. I hafta ask...are they really tan slabs, or are they tiger? You got that one from right under me, George, ya Outlaw.;)
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Ha ha, you & me and our SFNOs :D. I'm gonna go with tan on these, the pigmentation of the micarta is even and consistent all the way through, no variation or "layers" like with the tigerhide. Decide how you're gonna customize the LE yet?
 
I've been thinking about it off and on while we've been slaving away on the house. We had custom wood closets built in three of our rooms in preparation for the baby, and it's been hectic. That's why I haven't gotten back to you. We're still trying to get everything organized.

Anyway, I can't sleep, so I'm gonna step outside with a cigar and type that emIl you've been waiting for.

Btw...those mags on the New one look good. Nothing like machined mags on a sabre SFNO. I'm actually kinda vexxed that I couldn't get machined tigerhide on the LE's, but whatever...at least we got 'em, right?
 
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