My Busse FFBM review

[voracious]

i had a big fermann (i forget which) about the size of a steel heart E, i liked the size, handling, performance. my only beef was that i could not sharpen it.
granted, i'm not good at sharpening. one more :thumbup:for INFI.

 

[giant1]

PI,

I haven't been around Busse knives for long, but here's what I see: Jerry Busse began by creating great knife designs geared toward the combat/operator sector, but as his knives grew in popularity among other sectors Jerry smartly altered his marketing strategy to accommodate new demands. Now he makes knives for all sorts of uses and users. I would venture to say that besides Randall, no other knife company garners the sort of fervor that Busse Combat does. There's no question; Jerry Busse is a marketing genius. He also happens to make good knives, which in some instances can certainly be a bit overbuilt...but hey, people are buying what he sells because they're great products AND they're aesthetically appealing. I, myself, love having knives that I don't question even a bit. There's no doubt that some of these knives just don't have any real justification, but thanks to the crazy variety there's something out there for everyone.

As for Fehrman knives, I owned a Last Chance for a little while and will say that it was in no way an inferior product. They are no-nonsense tools. I like to compare them to Glocks. They aren't as beautiful as a Busse (or 1911), but they will do exactly what they are asked to do every time with no problems. The fact that Cliff Stamp got some questionable results from his Extreme Judgement doesn't really bother me at all. I don't know anyone who uses his/her knives in the manner that Cliff did when he beat the hell out of that EJ. If I were an operator, I'd be VERY comfortable with a Fehrman for way less money than a comparable Busse. They're great knives, with fantastic ergos and a warranty which sounds as good as Busse's. With CPM3V and a good heat treat (which Eric Fehrman happens to have a great reputation for) a Fehrman knife is a great alternative to Busse Combat.

Which leads me to this:


I hate to hafta disagree with you here, Grim, but I would venture to say (and I'd get some support from fellow hogs on this) that Fehrman quality stands up to Busse. Believe me when I say that they are great knives. Hell, last I spoke to him, Brian_T on this forum avidly called his Last Chance his favorite knife, and he owns MANY different makers'/manufacturer's knives. If you go over to the HoodsWoods site/forum you'll find that renowned woodsman Ron Hood swears by Fehrman knives...to the point that he even designed a pair of knives and had Eric and Ron Fehrman make them for him. Needless to say the backorder on the Hood Hunter stays around 12 weeks.

I don't say any of this to attack you at all, but simply to let you know that while Busse knives are beautiful, functional, super-tough tools made out of a great steel, there are other options out there with different design philosophies which are as good (and I've said it before...I've never held a Busse with as ergonomically well-designed of a grip as those of Fehrman's knives). Yes, some of these knives are less expensive, and sometimes that IS a consideration, but other times it's just that the non-Busse knife just floats a boat that the Busse knife sinks.

Btw...here is Fehrman's guarantee:
"Fehrman Knives are Guaranteed not to fail… for life. (If you unintentionally damage your knife, we will recondition or replace it.)"

That's pretty much what Busse's warranty says. Ranger knives has a very similar guarantee, and they are even less expensive than Fehrmans. TexasTony will also verify that RAT Cutlery has a great warranty, too. For the money, you can't beat RAT. Man it's great to see some American knife makers who will stand so unflinchingly behind their work. Makes me proud. :thumbup:

Great post. I agree with what you've said on all counts. I also own both brands and would trust either in a heart beat.

Both companies take different approaches to knife making and in both cases the result is excellent. It's great that we have the choice to own both.

It does not have to be either one or the other :thumbup:

 

[privateisland]

i had a big fermann (i forget which) about the size of a steel heart E, i liked the size, handling, performance. my only beef was that i could not sharpen it.
granted, i'm not good at sharpening. one more :thumbup:for INFI.

I have a BM-E. It also is a pain to sharpen and has a horrible edge. I think they improved the edge with the FFBM.

But, with the thinner edge, it seems weaker. My friend played with the blade FFBM for around 10 min chopping things up. Well, it was all wood and small branches. I checked the blade and around 4 little 2mmx1mm nicks have formed in the blade. From what though? I'm not sure, only dead wood was chopped.

 

[privateisland]

Also, I read all of this thread. A lot of talk about "re profiling" the blade, getting "ban" to fix it etc. Well for $400+ I don't think you should have to get a knife re-done. The design should have been finished before it was sold IMO. Overall I'm not impressed with it. A knife needs to be functional (especially from a "combat" company). Being unable to carry it properly really puts a damper on things.

I'm going to the "hoodlum" dirtime event in June. I will bring this FFBM with me. I will use it and if others want, I'll pass the blade around. I'll see if 5 days of field use changes my opinion, or if I just leave it at camp because of the weight.

 

[new]

I have a BM-E. It also is a pain to sharpen and has a horrible edge. I think they improved the edge with the FFBM.

But, with the thinner edge, it seems weaker. My friend played with the blade FFBM for around 10 min chopping things up. Well, it was all wood and small branches. I checked the blade and around 4 little 2mmx1mm nicks have formed in the blade. From what though? I'm not sure, only dead wood was chopped.

sounds like alot of damage for just chopping wood.....

were they chipped out, or was the edge rolled????

 

[privateisland]

New, I looked for you... The ones near the tip (about 2 inches away) were chipped. They are each 2mmx1mm,

The other 2 (located closer to the choil) are rolled. The first one is bigger then I thought it's 3mm long by 1mm deep and the other is even bigger 4mm long, by 1mm deep

 

[MORIMOTOM]

the edges are thick and obtuse, which allows the end user to reprofile to their satisfaction. one can always remove metal, but you cant put metal back.

some like a thinner edge, some like a thicker edge.

i also tend to like the mag handles better, but granted busse handles are made for large hands or gloved hands. since i have med hands, i have also reshaped the handles. again, one can remove material to suit their comfort, but you cant add materal to make them larger.

 

[Uncle_Jarvis]

Here is a nice example of how infi rolls...
The edge was hammered into the threads of a steel pipe.. ouch!!!
I needed to re profile the entire edge for this one..

 

[new]

New, I looked for you... The ones near the tip (about 2 inches away) were chipped. They are each 2mmx1mm,

The other 2 (located closer to the choil) are rolled. The first one is bigger then I thought it's 3mm long by 1mm deep and the other is even bigger 4mm long, by 1mm deep

this is very interesting.....i guess it must've been some really hard wood.....i am genuinely surprised that wood would be able to chip out infi.....infi has been used to cut metal and wood should've been no problem for a BM....

live and learn, i guess....thanks a bunch for the field report, it was greatly appreciated......



by the way, any chance that maybe your friend chopped down in to the ground and maybe hit a rock or two????

 

[I'mGatMan!]

New, I looked for you... The ones near the tip (about 2 inches away) were chipped. They are each 2mmx1mm,

The other 2 (located closer to the choil) are rolled. The first one is bigger then I thought it's 3mm long by 1mm deep and the other is even bigger 4mm long, by 1mm deep

Whoah...that's totally unexpected. PI, it'd be great if you could get some shots of that damage for us. From all I've read even Busse himself has not been able to chip an edge. A chipped Busse is something almost mythical.

As for the hoodlum get-together, I'm sure you'll get a chance to use some Fehrmans and draw your own comparisons. When you come back, I'd love to read your reviews.

 

[Maghwi]

Oh no! Not the old "Mall Ninja" thing. Does this mean I have to stop "using" my FFBM for chopping, prying, etc...?

Didn't you read the instructions printed on the inside of the cardboard sheath? Dear lord! Better send yours to me before you damage it!

 

[privateisland]

I think it's chipped. I'm getting a new camera, so I'll get some better up close shots. Don't think I can get them with my current one.

As for the chips, I let him "do what he wanted" with it. He came to all the same conclusions I did. I looked at the edge and was very surprised with the small nicks. So I asked him "how did you nick this edge". He knew it was an expensive knife and thought I was going to kill him... Nope, just tell me how you did it....
He said he hit/broke many small dead 3-4" branches, 2x4 etc. I asked about dirt, stone, metal etc. The only think we can think of, was that a dead branch on the ground had dirt on it. So when he hit the branch, he struck small piece of quartz (common in the are and dirt he was chopping).

But, for the rolled metal, I am lost on how he did that...

 

[privateisland]

Uncle Jarvis, Yep, that's what the rolled edge looks like on mine. But, I think yours is larger.

 

[Sagittarius]

:thumbup:

Post comparison pics when you get her.

I will post a pic of her with a Busse, when I get her, to stay on topic.


Sag.

 

[perksy]

Well I am glade I own both Busse and Fehrman, both outstanding knives, both great designs and both hard use knives.

NOW LETS DRINK!!!!!

 

[Tyrkon Lawson]

Hey TL, I know you're a gangster when it comes to beating on your knives. What's your favorite and why? (I have a feeling it will be the NOe)

You nailed it. I love the NO-E. I think because it is big enough to do some serious batonning and prying yet it is what I consider to be light and compact. Not really an EDC in the city but definitely easy to carry for me. :thumbup:

Great post. I agree with what you've said on all counts. I also own both brands and would trust either in a heart beat.

Both companies take different approaches to knife making and in both cases the result is excellent. It's great that we have the choice to own both.

It does not have to be either one or the other :thumbup:

Well put brutha!

I have a BM-E. It also is a pain to sharpen and has a horrible edge. I think they improved the edge with the FFBM.

But, with the thinner edge, it seems weaker. My friend played with the blade FFBM for around 10 min chopping things up. Well, it was all wood and small branches. I checked the blade and around 4 little 2mmx1mm nicks have formed in the blade. From what though? I'm not sure, only dead wood was chopped.

Sometimes rocks and such get embedded into trees. I have earned a few dings/rolls this way. But post pics. INFI definitely should not chip on wood. Boss HOG and the crew should have some insight here. :thumbup:

Didn't you read the instructions printed on the inside of the cardboard sheath? Dear lord! Better send yours to me before you damage it!

That's what my dogs were eating. It's all good bro. :thumbup:

 

[Elen]

But, with the thinner edge, it seems weaker. My friend played with the blade FFBM for around 10 min chopping things up. Well, it was all wood and small branches. I checked the blade and around 4 little 2mmx1mm nicks have formed in the blade. From what though? I'm not sure, only dead wood was chopped.

I would really like to see a photo of that. I've never seen my FFBM chip on anything, and most certainly not on wood, including frozen logs on gravel. I've hit some rock with it "accidentally" (that is to say carelessly since I didn't rightly care if it glanced a rock or no), and no chips.

If your FFBM chipped, then I posit that it was one of two things that caused it - either the blade hit something much harder than wood such as rock or metal, or the heat treatment was off in some way.

Thin is the last word I would use to describe the edge on FFBMs - it's massively thick of edge, and certainly should not chip on wood even if the steel was just good old 1095.

 

[RoyalM]

On the topic of edge damage I over thinned my FFBM edge in the pursuit of a stupid sharp blade. Had no problems on any wood I threw at it either battoning, live trees, dead wood or stuff like 2x4"s. I did make the mistake of chopping a beef bone about 35mm in diameter. It was an old favorite of my dog and karma got me for stealing it from him. I chipped about 4mm long by 1mm deep off the FFBM edge. The bone was smashed to hell though so at least I had the satisfaction of that.

Bottom line it was my fault for over thinning the edge so now I have to be a little more careful when using her. No paving slabs, bones or scaffold bars for my mistress i'm afraid.

I've used kukri's, machetes, hatchets, parangs, an RTAK II and countless other chopper types. In the FFBM I have the ultimate all rounder. In the event I don't produce a son before I die then i'll be taking my FFBM to the grave. She was my first Busse and has never let me down. You can't argue with first love, lol.

 

[Moloko Plus]

The knife is a better finished then my BM-E. But, I do not like these handles that much either. It feels like a golf ball in the middle and the pinky area is way to thin IMO. If the pinky area was a little less thin, then the handle would have been better IMO.

I never had words to describe the feeling of a magnum handled Busse but "golf ball in the middle" sums it up nicely. And yes, the pinky area is WAY too thin.

My FBM went to Ban for an extreme makeover, including some handle rework and reduction of blade weight and width. Somehow it just didn't work for me, and I got easily fatigued trying to hold that "golf ball" while chopping with it.

The ASH handles were a step in the right direction (i.e. away from TAC and Fusion handles) and I look forward to seeing more knives with handles that are extremely comfortable and easy to manipulate in the hand.

 

[I'mGatMan!]

Moloko...do you have your FBM back from Ban? Pics?