Getting back to the main question...
No, I don't think this reflects badly on "custom" knives. I'd be proud to be beaten by a production Busse, why not?
It's a big-ass, fully flat-ground Bowie. How could I improve on that for a camp knife? I'd make the same general type of knife for that role, as you can see several of the other companies tested did. I'm not saying the Busse is the "perfect" shape, but that it's a smart solution and one I doubt could be much improved upon.
It's in INFI. Do you believe the hype? I'm not 100% sold, but I've read enough to know it's an A-class performer of a steel. I don't expect a stainless to outperform a tool steel (admittedly INFI is solidly a hybrid with a Cr of ~8%) in any category except rust-resistance, so very little I'd make would come close. Maybe if I were using a CPM steel or BG-42, dunno. Differentially treated tool steel vs INFI? Yeah, I'd expect the differential treatment to win if it was done VERY well, but then by definition the edge wouldn't crack or chip if it were "done very well." According to Ed Fowler you can't tell a bad differential treatment from a good one without etching the steel. Does MD?
The handle on the Busse looks decent. Seems one area that could be improved upon, but quite adequate.
So we have a very good design in an excellent steel with a decent handle. Nobody should mind getting beaten by that whether their knife is handmade or factory-made. I'm putting together some knives to send Mike and I fully expect the knives to beaten by the Busses - but mine will be stainless, and that counts for something. I'm interested in how close they come, how they stack up, to get an idea on what I should work on and how far the disparity between stainless- and tool-steel types really is.
So why buy a custom knife (note that I consider MDs "handmade" but not "custom" - they don't build to customer specs)? Maybe you'd like a finer degree of finish. A different steel. A handle made to fit YOU. A different blade shape. Embellishments. A better sheath. You get the idea.
I'm fully prepared to accept that Busse has cornered the market on pure keep-it-simple using knives. CS has been making a valiant (if long-winded) effort for years, but Busse shows many improvements. But this does not invalidate handmades, especially for people like Mr. Ralph, whose focus is on all the art, beauty, and creativity that only a handmade knives can posess. It's only the makers of simple, low-end fixed-blades that I worry about...
------------------
-Corduroy
"Why else would a bear want a pocket?"
Little Bear Knives
Drew Gleason:
adg@student.umass.edu
No, I don't think this reflects badly on "custom" knives. I'd be proud to be beaten by a production Busse, why not?
It's a big-ass, fully flat-ground Bowie. How could I improve on that for a camp knife? I'd make the same general type of knife for that role, as you can see several of the other companies tested did. I'm not saying the Busse is the "perfect" shape, but that it's a smart solution and one I doubt could be much improved upon.
It's in INFI. Do you believe the hype? I'm not 100% sold, but I've read enough to know it's an A-class performer of a steel. I don't expect a stainless to outperform a tool steel (admittedly INFI is solidly a hybrid with a Cr of ~8%) in any category except rust-resistance, so very little I'd make would come close. Maybe if I were using a CPM steel or BG-42, dunno. Differentially treated tool steel vs INFI? Yeah, I'd expect the differential treatment to win if it was done VERY well, but then by definition the edge wouldn't crack or chip if it were "done very well." According to Ed Fowler you can't tell a bad differential treatment from a good one without etching the steel. Does MD?
The handle on the Busse looks decent. Seems one area that could be improved upon, but quite adequate.
So we have a very good design in an excellent steel with a decent handle. Nobody should mind getting beaten by that whether their knife is handmade or factory-made. I'm putting together some knives to send Mike and I fully expect the knives to beaten by the Busses - but mine will be stainless, and that counts for something. I'm interested in how close they come, how they stack up, to get an idea on what I should work on and how far the disparity between stainless- and tool-steel types really is.
So why buy a custom knife (note that I consider MDs "handmade" but not "custom" - they don't build to customer specs)? Maybe you'd like a finer degree of finish. A different steel. A handle made to fit YOU. A different blade shape. Embellishments. A better sheath. You get the idea.
I'm fully prepared to accept that Busse has cornered the market on pure keep-it-simple using knives. CS has been making a valiant (if long-winded) effort for years, but Busse shows many improvements. But this does not invalidate handmades, especially for people like Mr. Ralph, whose focus is on all the art, beauty, and creativity that only a handmade knives can posess. It's only the makers of simple, low-end fixed-blades that I worry about...
------------------
-Corduroy
"Why else would a bear want a pocket?"
Little Bear Knives
Drew Gleason:
adg@student.umass.edu
