Is a Busse Worth it?

M

Merost

Joined
May 16, 2009
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As an avid knife guy and avid survival student I am always trying to improve my survival kit. I have been in search of MY ideal survival knife. I'm a big fan of the RC-5 and RC-3, and would like to own a Fallkniven someday. I also really like the Busse SAR4, but they around $400. I don't know anyone who owns a Busse so I don't have a first hand account of how good the INFI steel is or how nice these knives are in person.

My question is.....is a Busse, used as a surival knife, worth it? What is your opinion?
 
It would really depend who you asked. For my personal tastes and uses, I cannot justify that kind of dough for somthing that will only marginally out-perform a $6 tramontina machete. I think it was Pict that said you get the first 80% of the function with the first 20% of the cost.

Now, I will wait for the Busse folks to yell at me.

Edited to add: If you are looking for extreme durability, I think a Fallkniven would do well for you. I cant imagine anything else being any noticable amount tougher than laminated VG-10. Plus, a Fallkniven will come with a better grind.

But, to each his own.
 
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I own several Busse knives and I will give a solid...it depends.

If you are going to use your knife for everything from a shovel to axe to splitter to pry bar and don't mind a heavier knife then yes they are worth it. The INFI steel will take an incredible amount of abuse that would destroy most knives.

But there are trade-offs. Weight, thickness plus other things. A do everything type knife will not do as good a job as tolls specifically designed for them.

My FMB wouldn't do whittling as well as a Skookum or chop as well as a Wetterlings, but it can do them.

It all depends on what YOUR priorities are.
 
The answer IMO is NO. If you have the bucks to lay out for one, you would probably get a fine knife, maybe one of the best. For the average guy, they are way to much. I have no desire in the world to own one and I can say for sure that I have been camping and wilderness roaming for 50+ years and never needed one for anything. They are a rich mans toy. Most will disagree big time with me on this one but IMO They would be a good buy at about a third of what the cost.

That said, This is still a free America (for a while yet) and if a Busse is a priority to you or anyone else, Jump on it. I will pass. I can get several fine custom knives or pay for a vacation or two with the money.
 
I have not use busse's extensively in the woods. I have handled a couple and found their grind to be too steep and too thick overall for efficient slicing. The infi steel may be stronger, but what are you doing in the woods that requires more strength than the rc5 or rc4? My knives aren't used as prybars, I'm not chopping down red oaks with them. Even if I was, I'd be confident in either of the knives you listed holding up under even the most extreme conditions.

But the money is yours, buy what you like!
 
quietmike said:
I own several Busse knives and I will give a solid...it depends.

If you are going to use your knife for everything from a shovel to axe to splitter to pry bar and don't mind a heavier knife then yes they are worth it. The INFI steel will take an incredible amount of abuse that would destroy most knives.

But there are trade-offs. Weight, thickness plus other things. A do everything type knife will not do as good a job as tolls specifically designed for them.

My FMB wouldn't do whittling as well as a Skookum or chop as well as a Wetterlings, but it can do them.

It all depends on what YOUR priorities are.
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Good point. I guess I am looking for a knife around the size of the RC-5 or SAR-4 that will handle most cutting chores and light batoning. I guess the real difference is how good the steel is, i.e. how well the edge holds up, etc.

I think what really made me start thinking is when I was shopping for a Fallkniven. If you consider the Northern Lights line from Fallkniven, they are probably pretty comparable in price to a Busse. Then I was thinking...would a Busse be better?

Since you own a Busse...if you were thrust into a survival situation and you could only take one knife (but lets say you had an ax or saw), would you take your Busse over other knives that you might own?
 
I have a Game Warden and a BAD.

They are nice little knives.

As far as the price if you are talking about performance then you can get something as good or better for less. I love the design of both of the ones I have but the grind leaves a LOT to be desired.

However if you are talking about buying a knife as an investment should you decide to sell yours with a Busse you have a good shot at making your money back PLUS sometimes. So they make a great "economic survival" knife because they hold their value:thumbup:
 
IMHO
It's worth it if you love it. nothing wrong with that, i buy things because i want them all the time.
As far as needing something, i believe, through my experience with some great makers that i have yet to find a task that a knife is used for that needs anything more than what is offered by a sub 200$ knife or even a sub 150$ knife.
in my opinion after those prices you're paying for what you want, but you don't need it. great heat treat, design, materials and workmanship are all available for those prices plus you'll likely get a sheath from any maker other than busse.
 
BarberFobic1992 said:
It would really depend who you asked. For my personal tastes and uses, I cannot justify that kind of dough for somthing that will only marginally out-perform a $6 tramontina machete. I think it was Pict that said you get the first 80% of the function with the first 20% of the cost.

Now, I will wait for the Busse folks to yell at me.
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Never. Not even once.;)

I've had many, many Busse knives. I still have quite a few. From huge choppers to mid-sized utilities to teeny, tiny slicers. I've enjoyed them all, and they are definitely worth it ... to me. Only the OP can tell if they are worth it to him.

I believe I've still got two SAR-4s and they are excellent outdoor knives, provided you don't mind real, hand-filling hefty knives. A great edge that lasts and lasts and is easily renewed. Somewhere, one of the Busse fans must have a SAR-4 they will part with for less than $400.00 ... that seems a bit steep to me.

When you buy a Busse knife ... just one ... you have a fine, high performance knife forever. They are very difficult to damage, unless you favor shooting your knives with a 30-30 or pounding them in a vice with a 20lb sledge. Should you damage the knife, Jerry Busse will make it right for you. A very satisfying warranty and I haven't ever used myself, but I have seen 3 others use it in the past 3 years.

That said, I have a fair number of R.A.T.s, Fallknivens, Fiddlebacks, Kosters, Hortons, and other excellent outdoors-use knives. They are also excellent, they are cheaper than Busse knives, and some of them (I'm looking at you, Andy Roy and Jeremy Horton!) are about as sharp as a knife can ever get. If I wasn't such a Knife Knut, I suspect I'd be quite satisfied with these.

If you are still interested in Busse knives, hang around the Busse Sub-Forum, and just lurk through the posts. Do a little research here and there. Ask a few questions. You should be able to score a smaller Busse like a Game Warden, Active Duty, Cultellus, or Meaner (of some variety) in the low $200s or maybe even in the high $100s. Try it out, see how you like it, and you'll generally find it's not hard to re-sell it in the quest for your perfect Busse knife.

You can also look for Swamprat and Scrapyard knives. They are less expensive but still outstanding Busse "family" knives (often called Bussekin). They represent 90% or 80% of the "Busse Experience" for quite a bit less money. There's a Swamprat sub-forum right here. Yes, I've got my share of these knives, also.:D:thumbup:

If you're uncomfortable with the raucous Bussekin forums, just shoot me an e-mail or PM and I'll answer your questions in more detail.

Right now, I've got to batch a complex fluid dynamics problem to a central computer farm. And take my wife out for a bite.

Bye, all.:thumbup:
 
I bought one (ASH-1 CG) just to see what the deal was. Big 0.250" blade [edit: 0.33"?], and they say the steel is good.

Its not really for me for the reasons that Mr. Barber stated, and I'd just as soon have a BK7. I've just never had the need to hack through a concrete block, and if I did I'd use an 8 lbs sledge hammer.

Now, for the guys that are into it, they are really into it, and thats groovy. I like to see people be energized about something and get some joy out of life. And spending big bucks on a Busse is less nutty than a lot of things I've spent money on, like owning about half a dozen Spydie Militaries.

So if you would like a fixed blade with some apparently pretty awesome steel, and want to spend $300+, and deal with the Busse business model that make's 'em really hard to get, jump right in. I find the Busse drought interspersed with feedings frenzies to be a real turn off. Other folks like the anticipation and the thrill of the kill. I also think that a spendy knife should come with a sheath, but the Busse guys argue in favor of finding one on your own.

Its ok to use fixed blades costing 1/6 as much too. They have a sharp edge just like the Busse. Its all good.
 
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Merost said:
I think what really made me start thinking is when I was shopping for a Fallkniven. If you consider the Northern Lights line from Fallkniven, they are probably pretty comparable in price to a Busse. Then I was thinking...would a Busse be better?

Since you own a Busse...if you were thrust into a survival situation and you could only take one knife (but lets say you had an ax or saw), would you take your Busse over other knives that you might own?
Click to expand...

Hmm. I don't go outdoors as much as I used to (yes, I really am old).

However. For me, the Busse would be a better choice than the NL Fallkniven.

Survival situation? Yes, I would choose the Busse. Despite the extra weight.
 
IMHO, the answer is a qualified 'nope'.

For $400, you could purchase a few excellent custom knives from makers with wilderness experience. Heck, you could even commission one to be built to your specs, and still have money to spare. You could even get a nice custom hiking knife and a high-end axe for the big stuff.

I have heard very good things about Busse knives, and have handled a few. They seem like tough, reliable blades. But their cost is prohibitive for me. You are paying for some amazing steel and a terrific grind AND a prestigious brand name, and I’m inclined to believe that the latter accounts for a fair bit of the overall cost.

Finally, I am of the opinion that blade thickness is as much an issue to be overcome as it is an asset for durability, especially in an all-around wilderness knife. I find that well-made knives from thinner stock are more versatile than thicker blades in most situations.

But, that’s just my $0.02 CDN. I don’t want to knock Busse knives or Busse fans. As I said, they have a great reputation (though I dislike the whole hog culture thing …). I’m just being honest – in my subjective opinion, X dollars will buy you one Busse knife OR a range of equally high quality custom products that you will likely be just as proud to own and use.

All the best,

- Mike
 
I don't have any Busses (had a skinny ash and sold it) but I love my Swamp Rat blades (Camp Tramp, Battle Rat and Howling Rat) and have 2 Scrap Yards SS4 and S5- they rock too!

And I like my Rat Cutlery and Spydercos too...
 
Merost said:
My question is.....is a Busse, used as a surival knife, worth it? What is your opinion?
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Yes.
For a "survival knife", ( excepting the hollow-handle serrated store-your matches-fishing line-compass-outboard motor-and -satellite-phone philosophy)Busses have the positive features I need, except perhaps being a little heavy and slow, and expensive compared to more basic knives. But super tough, surprisingly rust resistant and superb choppers.
I moved from my Carbon V Trailmaster to Busse for my main blade years ago ( I still need a thinner blade for the kitchen and a designated kayak/canoe blade) and the upgrade certainly was worth the extra money.
 
The key term is "worth". I bet that most non-knifenuts would read our threads here and think they are all insane for buying any knife of expense. I grew up really poor and did great in the woods with crap knives, I had a batch of Stockman styles with the tips all missing and they were loose, but still functioned. Now I can afford Busses and buy them because I have a disease with no cure. For me, Busse is worth-while, you set the hype aside, these are good, strong knives, and I like the feel. When you see those threads that start with "If you have to count on one blade in the middle of nowhere....." , Busse comes up a lot. I know people that spend $20K on cancer treatment for seventeen year old cats, me, I buy knives....
 
im an hog hunter try an go every weekend do i take my busses,,no ,,why,there awsome knives but to heavy to hike around in the bush all day,if you want to chop a tree down use a busse but try swing that bad boy in the jungle all day it tears me up,,i like bark rivers they have a killa warranty an are made very well,the bay de noc is awsome,PLUS i lost many a knife in the bush including 2 busses,OUCH,,,aloha
 
kind of like cars. a '76 pinto will get you to your destination. so will a tundra.
 
For a big chopper with 20 degree edge bevels INFI is great, for a more well rounded knife with 15 degree per side or less bevels INFI is terrible, rolls and dents easier than most other quality steel I've used.
 
Merost said:
Since you own a Busse...if you were thrust into a survival situation and you could only take one knife (but lets say you had an ax or saw), would you take your Busse over other knives that you might own?
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Probably not. If it was a " one knife to do it all" such as one knife for a BOB, the FBM would get the nod, but knowing I'd have an axe as well I'd take a smaller, thinner knife that would better specialize in slicing whittling, or fine cutting and leave the big work to the axe.

Don't get me wrong Busses are awesome knives and the steel is among the very best out there. If you have the extra cash, buy one and know that you will probably be unable to break it without using a sledge. but to be completely honest, as others have said most good factory and custom knives will do 90-95% of what a Busse will, it just depends on how important those extra percentage points are to you...law of diminishing returns and all that.
 
i would say no , specially if money is an issue, they are built like a tank that's for sure.
 
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