INFI??? Second thoughts.

Steelhog

Steelhog

Joined
Jul 2, 2009
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Ok a few other threads got me thinking. I have been wanting a Busse knife for awhile now, and it seems that they are about as good as a knife can get. But I find myself wondering that maby they just have the best business/marketing plan. I have never owned or used a busse. EVER. Dont think I am just trying to make problems. Its just a thought running through my head. The reason I say this is INFI. INFI is kind of a mystery a holy grail, and the specal heat treatment also. When I buy a knife in say VG10 I can look up the specs and even see charts on its performance in graphs. By the time I look up the specs my mind is alredy made up on what it will do. I am not aware of such a thing for INFI. And yes, if I had a specal steel/heat treatment HELL yes I would keep it a secret. But still, with no data on exactly what it is the only thoughts on the steel are what you find out for your self. I just wonder if some one took say A2 a super thick blade and told you that it was a one of a kind specal steel, had lots of fame, and was also a specal heat treatment I wonder if I would think it was amazing also. I may be the only one who basicly has his mind made up before even useing a kinfe, buy I dont think so. Tell me your thoughts.
 
I hope to be suprised when I get one some day. I had thoughts like this before geting my first sebenza to.
 
Just to make sure that you know once you buy your 1st one you will end up with a lot more. :D
 
A bit of both I think: great proprietary steel with some unalloyed marketing. Nothing wrong with marketing in a free world of course.
 
Do yourself a favor. Don't buy a Busse. If you do, you'll just end up buying several more.

Trust me on that.
 
Nothing wrong with being a skeptic. Beats being a rube.

You can read all of the reviews you want, look at charts, watch videos and overboard destruction tests, but the only real way to know if a steel is right for what you will use it for (not just INFI) is to try it yourself.

The good thing about Busses is that if you do that and decide it's not for you, even users tend to retain most of their value on the secondary market. If you're not happy with it, you can just pass it down the line to someone else. And if the durability is all hype and you chip/break it, Busse will replace it for you under warranty.
 
Even worse. After having bought several Busses, I ended up with some Scrapyards and Swamprats too. But I guess I have enough knives from Busse and co. I just need the M9LE, NMFBM and D.Mutt....
 
Jimmy Fikes used to go to ABS hammer-ins with a blade forged out of a "new super steel". People would cut and chop with it and cut and chop some more and be blown away with the edge retention. Only then Jimmy would reveal that the "super steel" was just 0-1 heat treated correctly.

I am certainly not saying that INFI is anything mundane. I have heard from independant sources I trust that it is worth the hype. The power of marketing a "mystery" or "exclusive" product is very powerfull and should be looked at critically.

I too am skeptical about anything that I can't varify myself. Having met Jerry and knowing what I know, INFI is not snake oil.

Cheers,

Nick
 
INFI's alloying elements are listed in lots of places. As for its listing in CATRA abrasion tests, notched and unnotched Charpy tests, and all of that good stuff, I don't believe it's been submitted to SAE and ATSM. Other than some CATRA testing from Spyderco, I don't think VG-10 has, either.
 
Marketing seems to be a good part of the equation but I don't doubt the quality of the product.
 
IMO Busse knives aren't special because of INFI. I would trust any of the Bussekin knives made of 52-100, S-7, and even the old ones that were made of A-2, just as much as anything made of INFI.
Heat treat and quality control are the best things about a Busse, steel is a secondary issue.
 
Rossi Knives said:
Jimmy Fikes used to go to ABS hammer-ins with a blade forged out of a "new super steel". People would cut and chop with it and cut and chop some more and be blown away with the edge retention. Only then Jimmy would reveal that the "super steel" was just 0-1 heat treated correctly.
Click to expand...

I hear Jimmy's wife has taken up making knives and Jimmy's returned to working iron. Unfortunately, visits from Oleyfermo to brag on Maggie May's latest don't happen here. :(

I've seen some vintage video of Jimmy, the late Hank Reinhardt, and some of their friends cutting all sorts of things with barely-tempered 1095 in knives, swords, and cleavers and it was amazing.
 
You have summed up how many people see it and there are VERY strong opinions both ways. In my opinion each person just needs to do some research and decide what's right for them....
 
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