INFI vs. SR-101 Steel

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I've owned plenty of both.

In my experience, SR-101 chips more easily. Just to be clear, I'm not saying that it is a "chippy" steel – except in comparison to INFI.
 
AKs were for sale for quite some time, hard to say if the final numbers were more or less than the Waki. Ruck were a one time offer, so fair to assume much more limited numbers. I have one of each, but the AK has never been used, so it's getting sold soon. The Waki is a very good value as a user. I do my own convexing on a belt grinder, and assume that the warranty is therefore void.

I always thought of SR101 as having 90% of the performance of INFI at 50% of the cost.
 
on_the_edge said:
Dan,
Please reveal the final production numbers. I always thought only Jerry and Garth knew this kind of information. :confused:
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Well, I don't know what you know, but I know you can't really get a AK47 from Busse but you can still order a Waki... so demand for the AK47 would be higher then the WAKI, but then again what do I know...
 
I think for collectors it is just fine to buy and safe stash infi.

For one who has to pick and choose users, I would use the heck out of a Waki, or an AK, or a Ruck (which feel great in the hand for sure!)

If you have the money, buy extra to stash and keep pristine.

If not, buy one and use it!
 
rega25 said:
The bow that the ninja duo use in the hospital stairwell that take the detective out is badddd. using movie ballistics, the 15 inch bow sent an arrow across a wing of a hospital to another wing , went thru psycho-rated glass, and pierced the neck of the unknowing detective before he was done with his sushi. need one. what is the bad guys name??? kenshi or kenji? i think the best part of the movie is when he hits him in the head with a rock till he can count to 5
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The bow was laminated with INFI, that is why it was able to perform so well. ;)

SR-101= 90%INFI
 
i seem to remember ak's being available for about 2 years at the store after they were available on the home site.
 
INFI is more ductile than SR-101 at equivalent hardness, so as others have said it's "tougher" in that it'll take more impact--especially against hard targets--without chipping, though it will blunt of course. SR-101's edge durability is a bit greater when it comes to abrasive degradation like slicing fiberous materials. Having processed a bunch of dead four-legged critters with both an Active Duty and a SR Howler at extremely similar edge geometries, I'll say that SR-101 will consistently out-skin INFI; and yes I know, the Howler's blade is longer, but I'm only using the front couple inches of either one. :cool:

Both superb steels, and among the absolute best "all around" blade materials available, meaning that they'll perform well whether made into a fillet knife, skinner, or chopper...something decidedly untrue of S30V, for example. ;)
 
t1mpani said:
INFI is more ductile than SR-101 at equivalent hardness, so as others have said it's "tougher" in that it'll take more impact--especially against hard targets--without chipping, though it will blunt of course. SR-101's edge durability is a bit greater when it comes to abrasive degradation like slicing fiberous materials. Having processed a bunch of dead four-legged critters with both an Active Duty and a SR Howler at extremely similar edge geometries, I'll say that SR-101 will consistently out-skin INFI; and yes I know, the Howler's blade is longer, but I'm only using the front couple inches of either one. :cool:

Both superb steels, and among the absolute best "all around" blade materials available, meaning that they'll perform well whether made into a fillet knife, skinner, or chopper...something decidedly untrue of S30V, for example. ;)
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Good post!:thumbup:
 
You are probably right, the bow had to be laminated with INFI, thats good, thanks for the breakdown of Infi vs, sr101 by the way, very useful,. so if you convex and edge yourself Jerry will void the warranty??
 
rega25 said:
You are probably right, the bow had to be laminated with INFI, thats good, thanks for the breakdown of Infi vs, sr101 by the way, very useful,. so if you convex and edge yourself Jerry will void the warranty??
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If you convex by hand, then no worries. As I use power tools, there is a theoretical risk of overheating the steel, and hurting it's strength. It would not be fair to assume that Jerry will cover damage that I have caused in that fashion. AFAIK, that principle has not been tested in practice, ie we have not heard about a modded knife failing and Jerry having to deny a claim.
 
resinguy said:
If you convex by hand, then no worries. As I use power tools, there is a theoretical risk of overheating the steel, and hurting it's strength. It would not be fair to assume that Jerry will cover damage that I have caused in that fashion. AFAIK, that principle has not been tested in practice, ie we have not heard about a modded knife failing and Jerry having to deny a claim.
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Having a Busse knife fail and then having Jerry deny the warranty is kind of like someone beating Han Solo in the Kessel Run... I mean, theoretically it could happen... but no one has ever seen it. :D

I love my Ruck. I use it, and it works well. Some forum members have a lot of experience and success in the stripping/convex department. NorcalBlacktail being one of them. He did one of mine and I never once worried about breakage or lack of warranty coverage.
 
Done correctly, there's no reason a grinder should affect the temper. When I pull out the belts and grind on finished (already HT'd) knives, I always use new ceramic belts, and match the grit to the amount of material I need to take off. Doing only a couple passes in between dunks in water, moving at about one width-of-belt per second, and--most important--having my hand that isn't holding the knife on the non-belt side of the blade to act as both a guide and a heat gauge (physical pain starts showing up around 180 degrees F, which is well below anything that will have an effect on almost any cutlery steel) is something done more out of habit than necessity on most Busse knives, as almost all are are thick enough to provide a tremendous heat sink. Still, it's absolutely needed as the knives get skinnier, and I figure it's best just to apply the same rules to all. I've reprofiled/fixed/reground literally hundreds of knives and chisels and only ever messed up one temper---a Fiskars fillet knife. :( The only excuse I can offer was I was young and stupid, using AO belts intended for wood at too fine a grit, and lingering WAY too long in one spot.

Like anything else, it needs to be done correctly.

FACTORY GEOMETRY






NEW GEOMETRY




NOT A SECONDARY BEVEL, JUST A SHADOW


TOP-DOWN ON THE TIP, LEFT SIDE NEW GRIND, RIGHT SIDE ORIGINAL GRIND


BOTH SIDES DONE, HASN'T BEEN STROPPED YET BUT SHOWING PROMISE


Edit to add: I know the paper cutting is a little superfluous, but it's impressive to anyone who ever had a BK1 with original geometry. :D
 
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Agreed, done properly, grinding should not affect the HT. My point was that Jerry has no way of knowing if we are doing it properly. This modding/regrinding of Busses is relatively new, and the possibility exists that someone will ruin the temper, then blow a huge chip out of the edge while chopping, and send the knife in for replacement. That will present Jerry a dilemma, that's all I meant. AFAIK, that has not happened yet. When I grind my own, I assume that I now am my own warranty, and any damage is on me.
 
Worry not--he can determine very quickly if an edge is below or above correct hardness. If it's only the edge, and the rest of the knife (spine or tang will work as INFI is thru-hardened) is fine, it clearly was an issue with the re- grinding being done improperly. If the whole knife is off, it's a manufacturing issue.
 
I have an satin S5LE (infi) and a stripped CGS5 (SR-101). Both convexed by Nate (norcalblacktail). They are smaller blades, so I have yet to use them hard. The geometries are almost identical. But, in my limited use (kitchen, light batoning, making fuzz sticks, cutting twine, breaking down cardboard boxes) the SR-101 blade holds an edge a bit better, but stains faster.
 
The most accurate--in terms of performance--analogy I've been able to come up with for INFI when people ask me about it is, "It's kind of like 5160 if you made it stainless, only a bit better." :D
 
The answer to whether the warranty would be upheld if you grind and re-profile a blade was answered by Jerry in a thread done by 260 Grains regarding a Sasquatch he had re-ground by way of convexing it which broke when he was batonning wood on an ice lake fishing trip .... the wood was frozen .... he was'nt going to send it in .... Jerry said Busse have never refused a warranty claim so long as it was not intentional abuse .... meaning the re-grind was not an issue .....

Finding old threads is a bit of a slow process for me .... others seem to have quicker results .... but if anyone reads this who also remembers that thread .... they can confirm re-profiling does'nt invalidate the warranty....regardless of using power tools ....
 
This one Peter ?


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=713599&highlight=sarsquatch

Yup

Jerry Busse said:
Hey gang!!!!

Been from one doctor to another all day today with the twins . . . . They're doin' great!!!!

Came home. . . pased out on the couch. .. just woke up!!!!. . . . This has been my first chance to see the forums today. . . . . and I just read this post!

Cool Squatch. . . . No worries. . . . All is well. . . . That edge looks just like INFI looks when it is too thin for a high impact application. . . no biggie! Doesn't look like actual chipping. More like severe denting and ripping. If it had chipped, it would have gone right back into the sheath. . . .

Ain't nothin' wrong with beating your Busse knives stupid, that's what they're designed for. . . . AND if you're gonna convex grind them with a belt sander, there's a good chance that you're gonna thin them out. . . perhaps more than they should be for a certain application. You should see the deeply hollow ground straight razor that I made with a 62 Rc blade after I chopped into the vise with it!!!!! Using the phrase "Denting and ripping" along the .004" edge would be an understatement!!!

Judging by the pic of the fix below, I would venture to say that the edge looks extremely thin right in front of the choil. Very common occurrence when resharpening with a belt.

So, PLEASE MAN!!!!!! Before you use it again, PLEASE SEND IT BACK! We've got lots of frozen wood in Ohio and we'll make the edge right for the application. . . Give us the chance man!!!. . . Put us in coach!!!!!. . . . . We'll make you proud!!!!. . . .

Let's Drink!!!!!!

Jerry
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