- Joined
- Feb 26, 2002
- Messages
- 618
I just this moment received a beautiful pristine combat grade ZTBM-E from the Skunk. It is in absolutely brand new, pristine condition - a beautiful knife. The combat grade is different to the normal ZT. This one has the black, crinkle-cut coating and the asymmetric edge. If you go back a few weeks in the "For Sale" threads you will find a picture of the knife (or its twin) for sale from the Idahoskunk.
My initial thought was to compare it to my venerable Basic 9. Even though both have been described elsewhere before, I can't ever remember seeing a comparison between the two and in many ways they are very similar. In fact, come to think of it, I don't know whether there ever has been a thread describing the combat zero tolerance BM in any detail. I think the Skunk said there were only about 20 ever sold to the public.
The first thing that struck me about the BM was how uncomfortable the handle was compared to the Basic 9. The E handle was wider and yet thinner, harder on the hand, and less well shaped and rounded. I can remember reading a thread a few years ago where Jerry and Cliff discussed the small handle size of the E series in general (and I suppose mine is even smaller being a ZT blade - I don't know if the micarta is thickened to compensate for the thinner steel on the ZT series but I suspect not). Jerry basically said that handle size was the hardest thing to complete on a knife to make everyone happy. There were simply too many different sized and shaped hands out there. He believed it was better to err on the side of making the handle too small so material could be added rather than to make it too big and have owners try to remove material. I agree. In fact the first thing I did was to wrap a squash racquet handle around it and this significantly improved the feel. However, I think I still need to go and buy an even thinker rubber grip. I sure this will also help to dampen any vibration through the blade when using (I haven't had a chance to use it yet). I may even try using some cord wrap eventually.
The next thing I noticed was how the E handle allowed more versatility. I could close up on the grip or move my hand right to the end of the handle but still maintain a secure grip. The Basic 9 handle, although very comfortable, tended to lock my hand in one position in comparison. I think the flexibility of the E handle has been mentioned many times before in other threads.
Next I compared the blades. Both have the standard busse asymmetrical edge and the black coating. The E blade cutting edge is 1/4 inch longer than the Basic 9 and the E knife is about 1/2 inch longer overall. The stangest thing from my point of view was that I found the drop point of the E more appealing in appearance than the clip point of the Basic 9. I had viewed lots of photos of the E series before and had never taken to the drop point. I thought the drop point on the Busse Battle Mistress looked - well, I hate to say it - it looked ugly compared to clip point knives. But holding it in my hand, I love it. I like it more than the clip point. Maybe it is the swedge on the ZT series that makes it look so appealing. By the way, that swedge looks awfully tempting to sharpen.
A surprising feature I hadn't expected was that the 3/16 inch E knife was heavier that the 1/4 inch basic. The Basic 9 weighed in at 15.77 ounces, the E knife weighed 18.41 ounces. I suppose the extra length of the E blade had something to do with it. I can't feel the difference in hand but that may have something to do with the more forward heaviness of the Basic 9 compared to the more neutral balance of the E blade.
One more comparison - I have read about the super strength of 1/4 inch blades. I can assure you that holding the 3/16 inch ZTBM-E blade in my hand, there is no way I am going to bend this so-called thin blade. I have total confidence that it would easily support my weight and will be indestructible for any normal use I can conceive of. From memory, I think Jerry has reported how it is generally easier and cheaper to make blades 1/4 inch because that is the size the INFI comes in. It would be interesting to see someone do a comparison of the strength of the 1/4 inch versus the 3/16 inch in the BM length.
The only other point of note is that the BM came in the factory sheath (cordura covered kydex). I love this style of sheath. The only problem is that with the handle now thickened, I cannot clip the top strap on the sheath around the handle - a minor problem really because the blade sits nice and firm without this.
All in all, I am very happy chappy and well pleased with my new knife. By the way, a big thankyou to the Idahoskunk for the ZTBM, the Skunk is a pleasure to deal with.
My initial thought was to compare it to my venerable Basic 9. Even though both have been described elsewhere before, I can't ever remember seeing a comparison between the two and in many ways they are very similar. In fact, come to think of it, I don't know whether there ever has been a thread describing the combat zero tolerance BM in any detail. I think the Skunk said there were only about 20 ever sold to the public.
The first thing that struck me about the BM was how uncomfortable the handle was compared to the Basic 9. The E handle was wider and yet thinner, harder on the hand, and less well shaped and rounded. I can remember reading a thread a few years ago where Jerry and Cliff discussed the small handle size of the E series in general (and I suppose mine is even smaller being a ZT blade - I don't know if the micarta is thickened to compensate for the thinner steel on the ZT series but I suspect not). Jerry basically said that handle size was the hardest thing to complete on a knife to make everyone happy. There were simply too many different sized and shaped hands out there. He believed it was better to err on the side of making the handle too small so material could be added rather than to make it too big and have owners try to remove material. I agree. In fact the first thing I did was to wrap a squash racquet handle around it and this significantly improved the feel. However, I think I still need to go and buy an even thinker rubber grip. I sure this will also help to dampen any vibration through the blade when using (I haven't had a chance to use it yet). I may even try using some cord wrap eventually.
The next thing I noticed was how the E handle allowed more versatility. I could close up on the grip or move my hand right to the end of the handle but still maintain a secure grip. The Basic 9 handle, although very comfortable, tended to lock my hand in one position in comparison. I think the flexibility of the E handle has been mentioned many times before in other threads.
Next I compared the blades. Both have the standard busse asymmetrical edge and the black coating. The E blade cutting edge is 1/4 inch longer than the Basic 9 and the E knife is about 1/2 inch longer overall. The stangest thing from my point of view was that I found the drop point of the E more appealing in appearance than the clip point of the Basic 9. I had viewed lots of photos of the E series before and had never taken to the drop point. I thought the drop point on the Busse Battle Mistress looked - well, I hate to say it - it looked ugly compared to clip point knives. But holding it in my hand, I love it. I like it more than the clip point. Maybe it is the swedge on the ZT series that makes it look so appealing. By the way, that swedge looks awfully tempting to sharpen.
A surprising feature I hadn't expected was that the 3/16 inch E knife was heavier that the 1/4 inch basic. The Basic 9 weighed in at 15.77 ounces, the E knife weighed 18.41 ounces. I suppose the extra length of the E blade had something to do with it. I can't feel the difference in hand but that may have something to do with the more forward heaviness of the Basic 9 compared to the more neutral balance of the E blade.
One more comparison - I have read about the super strength of 1/4 inch blades. I can assure you that holding the 3/16 inch ZTBM-E blade in my hand, there is no way I am going to bend this so-called thin blade. I have total confidence that it would easily support my weight and will be indestructible for any normal use I can conceive of. From memory, I think Jerry has reported how it is generally easier and cheaper to make blades 1/4 inch because that is the size the INFI comes in. It would be interesting to see someone do a comparison of the strength of the 1/4 inch versus the 3/16 inch in the BM length.
The only other point of note is that the BM came in the factory sheath (cordura covered kydex). I love this style of sheath. The only problem is that with the handle now thickened, I cannot clip the top strap on the sheath around the handle - a minor problem really because the blade sits nice and firm without this.
All in all, I am very happy chappy and well pleased with my new knife. By the way, a big thankyou to the Idahoskunk for the ZTBM, the Skunk is a pleasure to deal with.
