Infi and their non-existant competition

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mister_wilburn

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So I was thinking and came up with a question. How is it that Busse has managed to develop Infi and no other knife company has developed its rival? I mean, its patented and all, but have carried one for my last few months in Iraq, I was overwhelmingly impressed by that blade. I have yet to come acroos a blade that is its equal. Sure there are other great blades, but none that took a beating like that SJTAC i got on loan from a generous forumer here on BF.com...Maybe its a rhetorical question.
 
It is my understanding that Infi is exceedingly expensive as a raw material.

Other manufacturers just don't want to play that game.

A2 is almost as good but not many use it because it's expensive.

Busse quality (and price) knives are a niche product. The big boys go after volume.
 
The raw steel is part of the picture, the heat treat process is the rest. The combination is the key to INFI. :thumbup:
 
A2 isn't that expensive. You can find it in $100 range knives. I don't think it's as good as infi either, no more than any other premium knife steel.
 
swamp rat uses 52100 to acheive close to similar properties to infi. Not completely chip resistant, but close.


If your looking for individual qualities, there are plenty of manifacturers and different steels that surpass it - complete chip, impact and shock resistance, wear resistance, wear resistance and strength in extremely thin cross sections, corrosion resistance, etc

You just cant combine to many of them, or else infi will win out overall.
 
From what i've gathered it's not the raw material that is expensive. Fällkniven AB experimented with INFI but discarded it as a bad job because of how it stood up to the testing, not because of the price. Perhaps they didn't do as well with the heat treat.

I'd say there are many rivals out there. Busse makes quality knives... as do many other makers. Don't get me wrong... i love my Busses. I just don't think they are beyond comparison.
 
peter469 said:
From what i've gathered it's not the raw material that is expensive. Fällkniven AB experimented with INFI but discarded it as a bad job because of how it stood up to the testing, not because of the price. Perhaps they didn't do as well with the heat treat.

I'd say there are many rivals out there. Busse makes quality knives... as do many other makers. Don't get me wrong... i love my Busses. I just don't think they are beyond comparison.
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Fallkniven has NEVER used INFI in ANY of their blades!. . . Please direct me to this mysterious testing. . . This is an unfounded rumor. . . PERIOD!

As for our rivals that compare, we have yet to see any "LIVE" testing done by any other manufacturer, like Busse Combat has done at numerous shows.

Let's drink!

Jerry
 
Words of wisdom from the Boss hog himself! :thumbup: :thumbup: That about sums it up.:D
 
Last Visible Canary said:
You just cant combine to many of them, or else infi will win out overall.
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INFI manages to balance a group of attributes that are effective over a pretty broad range of blade types and sizes. The impact resistance and ease of restoration are very good in the large knives. The small knives will take a fine edge. Corrosion resistance is also very good relative to the other properties.

I think you're getting into the realm of pretty specialized tools once you're outside the INFI spectrum, and that's a consideration in terms of practicality. For example, what good is a super refined edge if it rots off the blade before you can use it?

Accumulating Busses over the years, it's always struck me as unfortunate that Jerry doesn't venture further into more acute grind geometries. I think INFI would work very well for small, fine utility slicers... just as well as it does at the BM scale.

In any case, INFI is a damn good all-around steel, and in the real world, most knives are all-around tools.
 
Jerry Busse said:
Fallkniven has NEVER used INFI in ANY of their blades!. . . Please direct me to this mysterious testing. . . This is an unfounded rumor. . . PERIOD!

As for our rivals that compare, we have yet to see any "LIVE" testing done by any other manufacturer, like Busse Combat has done at numerous shows.

Let's drink!

Jerry
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I read it in a post at knifeforums.com. The author was Peter Hjortberger, the founder and owner of Fällkniven, who goes by the name of VG10 there. I'll email him and ask for more details.

Here's the thread: http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/s...04/post/1163396/hl/infi/fromsearch/1/#1163396

Peter Hjortberger said:
We tested the INFI steel quite many years ago with regards to the bending strength and, compared to the VG10 steel, it was much weaker. By then we were interested in distributing that brand on the Swedish market but after the test, these plans were cancelled.
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Edit: There... i've emailed Fällkniven. I'll let you know if i get any more info.
 
I will test any piece of INFI anytime, any where, any how! Period! In fact if someone would lend me, oh I don't know, say an FBM SE or BATAC SE :p , I will get right to it. :thumbup: ;) :D
 
All that guy says is he tested the INFI "base" steel. Without the heat treat it isn't INFI to begin with. And the claim they were going to distribute knives made of "INFI" but decided not too after testing sounds like marketing baggadocio... Especially after hearing Jerry chime in on the subject. They (Falkniven) seem to be good knives with a solid following and I have nothing against the brand but springing to their defense even after hearing from Jerry it never happend is funny.
 
Dunner said:
All that Peter guy says is he tested the INFI "base" steel. Without the heat treat it isn't INFI to begin with. And the claim they were going to distribute knives made of "INFI" but decided not too after testing sounds like marketing baggadocio... Especially after hearing Jerry chime in on the subject. They (Falkniven) seem to be good knives with a solid following and I have nothing against the brand but springing to their defense even after hearing from Jerry it never happend is funny.
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Excellent point! :thumbup:
 
I think the biggest thing behind INFI and the busse family of knives is very nicly summed up on the scrapyard site.

It is in this process that the very soul of a blades performance will be born. It can also be the most expensive process involved in the making of a fine blade. Sadly, the knife buying public has been led to believe that Rockwell Hardness is some sort of gauge by which to determine performance. This is ridiculous! Following standard ASTM heat treating and tempering protocols, a blade made from a standard tool steel can be "properly" heat treated and tempered in less than 1-1/2 hours and brought to a hardness of 57-59 Rc. So what! Take one of our blades that has received our proprietary heat treat and tempering protocol of over 40 hrs. and it will also test out at 57-59 Rc. The fact is that one of our transversion wave tempered SR-77 blades that tests out at 57-59 Rc will spank the living hell out of a standard heat treated knife blade out of the same material that also has a 57-59 Rc hardness.

Grain structure and carbide distribution, are the keys to great performance NOT Rockwell hardness!
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Also, he mentions they determined this "infi" steel was inferior in bending tests. Well real INFI is supposed to be a great steel because it is a well rounded steel, it does everything pretty well. To make this claim they must have INFI that did not return to true after testing(?) If flex is what I want most I will go get a pastry knife. I don't mean to pounce on anyone who has honest questions which I believe is the case here but even the quote provided has so much meat in it that raised questions.
 
Dunner said:
All that Peter guy says is he tested the INFI "base" steel. Without the heat treat it isn't INFI to begin with. And the claim they were going to distribute knives made of "INFI" but decided not too after testing sounds like marketing baggadocio... Especially after hearing Jerry chime in on the subject. They (Falkniven) seem to be good knives with a solid following and I have nothing against the brand but springing to their defense even after hearing from Jerry it never happend is funny.
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I did not intend to defend anyone, and i certainly didn't intend to be funny. I was asked where i'd got the information and i answered the question.
 
Pillow fight at Zardoz's

Guys.... let's keep everything civil. We are not out to get eachother. Busse has proven INFI's reputation and while someone may have stated otherwise, let's leave it up to Jerry to speak with that person behind the scenes. ;) Infi is bendable and hopefully someone has the AK-47 destructive pics.
 
Agreed, nothing but respect for brother in INFI Peter469. As posted above I do believe your curiosity was sincere and I was dubious of claims by knife makers not by the questions raised :thumbup: :cool:
 
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