My first Busse: NO or SJ???

L

Larsy

Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
17
Here it comes, my first thread ever at bladeforums.com!!!

Well, after extremely many hours you have finally convinced me: I want a bombproof BUSSE!!! So as soon as I have saved up some of my hard earned cash, I'll go directly to bussecombat.com and order one. But which one?
I want a knife that can be "the one and only" knife I bring fishing, hunting or hiking in the mountains here in Norway (the possibility of me bringing only one knife with me is quite small, but I think you all know what I mean;-). It will be used to clean everything from trout and pike, and it will also be used in camp cutting down some wood for the fire, and to some foodprep. All in all, I have all sorts of tasks waiting for this knife.
I have narrowed it down to these two: Natural Outlaw CG and Satin Jack CG. The length of those two knives is just the right one for me. Love the LE models, but as a student with a sidejob, I just can't afford the extra US$100 for the LE-models.
When I first laid my eyes on the NO i thaught: LOVE THE DESIGN!!! MUST HAVE IT! But now I've come to doubt. Altough I know many of you have the NO as your favorite, I don't know if it is the knife that suits my needs best. And that is, after all, the most important criteria.
It was after reading Buzzbaits (I think?) initial impression of his NO, which made him send it back for a SJ (Jerry Busse must be the gentleman over all gentlemen providing such great service to his customers. I'm IMPRESSED), I really started thinking of the Satin Jack. I do think that the NO-E-handle will suit my rather large hands good, but it's the thickness of the blade that worries me. As I remember Buzzbait didn't think it could do the finess-work very well since the blade whas too thick, and thought of it as more of a small chopper. I have a 1/4" thick Gerber BMF (I guess you all laugh now;-) and I must admit that it doesn't perform nearly as well at small tasks as my smaller puukkos. That's why I'm wondering of going for a 3/16" SJ, despite mye love of the NO-E design.
Is the SJ really that much better at small tasks compared to the NO? Or is it just slightly better.
What knife would you reccomend me, with my needs in mind.
If you could write down some of your thoughts I would be very grateful!


Lars
 
I think the NO is a heavier duty blade, better as a pry bar. I love the E handles, so I'd go with the NO. If you get the NO, ask for the penetrator tip; it'll make the tip sharper and pointier.
 
IMHO, I think the SJ is great for field work like gutting, skinning, cooking needs, etc.

I don't see it as having the chopping ability that the NO has. The NO's combination of blade length, heft, and E-handle give it a definite edge there.

Guess it just depends on the amount of chopping requirement you forsee.
 
I agree with thatmguy. If your not going to do to much chopping,
IMHO, get the SJ.
 
Originally posted by Larsy
Here it comes, my first thread ever at bladeforums.com!!!
I want a knife that can be "the one and only" knife I bring fishing, hunting or hiking in the mountains here in Norway (the possibility of me bringing only one knife with me is quite small, but I think you all know what I mean;-). It will be used to clean everything from trout and pike, and it will also be used in camp cutting down some wood for the fire, and to some foodprep. All in all, I have all sorts of tasks waiting for this knife.
Lars
Click to expand...

For your stated uses, my advice would be the NO!
 
Larsy,
First off, welcome to the Busse Forum. I'm glad you stopped by and I hope you stick around and join in our discussions. :D:D


For your stated needs, I'm going to say the SJ. The SJ will suit you better in most camp chores. However, the NO is a better chopper. If the chopping will be more than light consider the NO.

Let us know what you decide.

:D:D
 
I feel the NO blade is to wide and thick for your stated uses.The SJ will slide thru thos fish easier depending on cleaning method.Food prep with 3/16 is easier and more efficient.Lighter,quicker,more easily concealed(where applicable).Better all around field blade in my opinion(leave me alone NO SH fans LOL!)I have used both and the SJ is my fav as anyone who knows me here will attest.However I also am not acquainted with your enviroment of Norway.If it were a cold env. as I think it is I might opt for the NO,because I feel a larger knife is warranted in a cold env.,due in part to fuel gathering,and having gloves on.In my experience a knife works harder in the cold for the specific reason of fuel gathering.I also have read that cold temps also may effect a blades performance.You cant go wrong with either,but please dont try to listen to all these NO fans,they're incouragable LOL!
 
Well Larsy..... Here’s the deal, as I see it. If you’re after something capable of cleaning trout and pike, the NO is definitely not the knife. The edge is much too thick for cleaning fish of this size. In fact, the Satin Jack will barely perform this task. You may very likely end up having to grind the Satin Jack to a thinner edge, if you want to clean freshwater fish. Thinning the edge would be A LOT of work, unless you have a grinder. A Busse edge is MUCH thicker than a puukko. Busse knives are very durable, but generally not ground for fine detail work.

I would suggest that you still carry your puukko, and maybe supplement it with a larger Busse. That would give you two knives, each of which excel at different tasks. The puukko could do the fine detail work, and the Busse could do the chopping, prying, and other tough chores. In this scenario, I’d go with the heaviest Busse you feel comfortable with. This may be the Satin Jack, Natural Outlaw, or perhaps even something larger.

The Satin Jack is a terrific “does everything” knife, and would be a great choice in a survival situation. It won’t do small tasks as well as a thinly ground blade, and won’t chop like a larger Busse, but it will do all of these things in a pinch. “In a pinch” is the key phrase here. With that said, I firmly believe that the Satin Jack should be ground thinner than it is. I don’t think that a thinner grind would greatly impact the knife’s durability, and it would greatly affect the knife’s performance at small/medium sized tasks. These small/medium sized cutting chores are the most common uses for a knife of this size, so it just makes sense. I guess that Jerry and I part company on this issue. Some people prefer a knife of this size that cuts exceptionally. Some people prefer ultimate durability. It’s all a matter of personal taste.
 
I would either get a larger Busse for chopping (SH, BM) and combine it with a smaller blade (like your puukkos), or, if chopping is not a large concern, get the NO or even the SJ (for light chopping).

No matter which you choose, I'm sure you'll love it! :D
 
Buzz, you old slicin' dicin' thin edged knife lovin' maniac!

I think that you and I are about to come together on a knife design. . . I'm pretty sure you're going to think I got it right this time!!!! ;)


Jerry
 
Oh yeah Buzz. . . I'm all about holdin' out. . . Wait 'til you hear the name I'm thinkin' of for it!!!!


Jerry
 
So far I only have one Busse (I'm saving for the folder :D) and it does all my camp chore with flying color. It slices like the devil (3/16" stock with thin profile at the edge), and chops extremely well for a knife of this size (6" blade). It is a ZT NO, look for it in the used market.

Happy Busse shopping,
Barnaby
 
A big thanks to you all for helping me out! I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply earlier, but fishing and working has taken all my time the last couple of days.
Well, I have not come to a decision yet, but at the moment I'm thinking of going for the design I like the most; the NO. Mostly because I thought the suggestion on bringing a small puukko for the finest tasks sounded like a good idea.
But let's say that I go for the NO, and with that in mind that I bring a puukko for the finest tasks, could I just as well go for the little larger SH?
Would the larger size of the SH make it more uncomfortable hanging in my belt compared to the NO? Please tell me if you think I'm going in the wrong direction here.
Would like to hear what you guys think. You're all a great help!

Lars


PS: If any of you like puukkos, you should check out Helle knives' "Safari". It is a quite untraditional puukko having a ca. 13 cm long blade and a fingerguard. It's currentlu my favorite knife and it came shaving sharp right out of the box. I think there's a picture of it on ragweedforge.com (hope that's the right address).
 
It seems to be all about weight. Carry as heavy as you feel comfortable with. I do quite a bit of hiking on unsteady terrain, so weight is a big issue to me. It's less of an issue to others. If you think you can handle the weight of the SH, than go for it!!!
 
As you mentioned,Buzzbait; weight is quite important to me too, as I love to go "peak-wandering" as we call it here in Norway. The SH-E is only 2 ounzes heavier compared to the NO, so the difference isn't that big. And if it's one part of my mountaingear that I can allow weighing a little bit more, it would be a great, always dependable knife. Those two ounzes could easily be lost on som other gear I don't really need. I always seem to bring way too much, even tough I always think of this before I set out hiking or anything else outdoors.But do you think the lenght of the knife would be more uncomfortable, considering I would have it hanging from my belt?


Lars
 
The SH is actually almost half a pound heavier than the NO, so there is a bit of weight difference.

I personally don't have much of a problem with a good sized blade, as long as it hangs low and the bottom of the sheath can be strapped to my leg. That's just my preference though. Many people prefer their knives to run high and tight.

My SJ also spends a lot of time tied down to my pack, where the bulk is kept out of my way. In these situations, I usually just have a large Victorinox SAK on my belt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top