- Joined
- Jun 7, 2004
- Messages
- 173
I've been collecting knives for about three years. About a year into it, after doing a lot of reading, web browsing, and participating in innumerable chat groups, I started to understand which designer-makers were among the gold standards for combat knives. It's actually an exclusive fraternity. It goes without saying that Jerry Busse's knives are among that elite group.
For two years I lusted after a Busse Combat knife. I flirted with going a little downstream to Busse's Swamp Rat knives, which seem terrific, and I'm sure I'll acquire at least one eventually, but, let's face it, if you want a Porsche, you don't want a Mercedes, and if you went a genuine Busse, it's really that or nothing.
Recently, a Bladeforums gold member, whose handle is Idahoskunk, posted an ad for a Busse Camo Badger. The price was excellent. Heck, I'm just as broke as many members of this website, especially at this time of year. Nor was this a Christmas present to myself--at least I didn't think of it that way. It was the right knife at the right price. So, impractical as it may have been, I went for it.
Well, it was a huge mistake.
The knife arrived today. Totally new in the cardboard wrapper. I had never seen or held an actual Busse knife, mind you. I'm a thorough researcher, but nothing replaces firsthand experience. Before I had slid the knife out of its wrapper, I knew I was in trouble. I was in trouble when I first set eyes on the black linen micarta handle. And when I wrapped my fingers around it, the handle felt like it was custom-molded to my hand.
Then there was the incredible weight of the knife. I have small hands, and the Busse Badger, a midsize knife (4.5-inch blade, 9.5 inches overall), makes more sense for someone like me than, say, a Busse Steelheart, which is the size of a Bowie knife and approaches the size of a short sword.
This is a weighty, super-solid-feeling knife. It's beautifully balanced. The knife is gratifyingly weighty without seeming heavy. Because the knife is both weighty and balanced, it gives even someone like me, who was physically never a candidate for Force 10 Recon, an exquisite sense of control. I feel that I could deliver considerably more precise strikes in a self-defense situation than would be possible with lighter fixed-blade knives from slightly more downmarket manufacturers.
The quality of craftsmanship of the Busse Badger (and, presumably, Busse knives in general) is as evident as the postimpressionist artistry of Monet. Of course, unless you're a very weird kind of psychic, you can't simply look at a blade and know its metallurgical composition. And I'm sure others can better rhapsodize about Jerry Busse's recipe for the optimal blade steel, which he calls INFI.
The virtues of the INFI formula is that it produces a blade that is exceptionally durable in hard-use situations, holds an edge like it was a matter of life and death, resists corrosion by blood, oil, saltwater, and the various gunks of life, and takes to resharpening like a purring cat.
You'd think you'd need to read this to know it. That's what I thought. And I had read it. But when you hold the knife in your hand and feel its comforting, secure-feeling heft, when you run your fingers along the top of the blade (nearly a quarter-inch thick), when you run your thumb (gingerly) along the edge, which is razor-sharp, all this is silently conveyed. The knife reeks quality and durability in every way.
This is why I began this missive by saying that acquiring my first Busse was a huge mistake. Once you see and hold a knife of this level of quality, your consciousness is permanently raised. Settling for a lesser knife--those days are instantly gone forever. It's like: What on earth was I thinking about before? Of course, the typical Busse costs three times what I used to pay for a knife. Inexpensive Busses are not, and yet they can be had for attractive prices. Which brings me to my second mistake.
My second mistake was buying the knife from Idahoskunk, a gold member on this site. That's because he makes it so easy and tempting to buy from him. If you have a Busse jones, Idahoskunk is either a good person to contact or avoid like the plague, depending on how out of control your addiction is.
His real name is Scott and he's based in Meridian, ID. Scott sells Busse knifes on behalf of Busse Combat, via an online outlet store for discontinued styles.
(The word "discontinued" makes me wince. It implies something negative. Jerry Busse only offers two types of knives these days in a given year. They seem to be getting progressively bigger and more baroque. But previous Busse designs--the Badger, Steel Heart, Natural Outlaw, and several others--are classic designs that have earned their place in the history of combat cutlery.They are as out-of-date as a 1960 bottle of Chateau Margaux.)
Anyway, back to Idahoskunk. People who buy, sell, and love knives are an unusual group. They are among the nicest, most polite, most civilized, most honest people you would ever want to meet. No reason why this shouldn't be so. And yet it is exceedingly rare. Why here and not elsewhere? Who knows?
Idahoskunk fits this description to a tee. He's sort of like buying something from L.L. Bean. You know it's what you want at a good price from a company you can trust.
Well, that's not entirely true. Scott's prices for brand-new Busse Combat knives are generally substantially less than those offered by private collectors looking to unload the odd knife, he offers more different types of Busses in absolutely pristine condition (no "minor scratches from withdrawing a knife from a kydex sheath"--a roundabout way of saying the knife isn't mint) than anyone.
And Scott regularly has new Busses for sale in the "Exchange" part of this site. Most of the knives he offers, I figure, are available for $100 or more off list. This is even a bigger bargain than it seems. Ordering a knife directly from Busse Combat is expensive and time-consuming. But ordering a Busse knife from someone other than Busse Combat is usually even more expensive--because it isn't time-consuming. You pay a premium to get the knife now rather having to wait weeks or months.
Not with Scott, though. He offers instant gratification--and below-market prices--which should please your accountant or money manager if not your spouse. He also offers good communication. And--this is new--he now takes PayPal.
When I bought my Badger from him, I had to send him a postal money order, which was a royal pain to get. It's also kind of risky to send a money order to a total stranger. If he decided to screw you, there's not a heck of a lot you can do other than bay at the moon. This wasn't true of Scott. I never for a moment felt he would treat me other than professionally. But, still, I'm glad he now takes PayPal. It's so much more convenient. You can conclude the financial portion of your business instantly, which speeds knife delivery time.
For two years I lusted after a Busse Combat knife. I flirted with going a little downstream to Busse's Swamp Rat knives, which seem terrific, and I'm sure I'll acquire at least one eventually, but, let's face it, if you want a Porsche, you don't want a Mercedes, and if you went a genuine Busse, it's really that or nothing.
Recently, a Bladeforums gold member, whose handle is Idahoskunk, posted an ad for a Busse Camo Badger. The price was excellent. Heck, I'm just as broke as many members of this website, especially at this time of year. Nor was this a Christmas present to myself--at least I didn't think of it that way. It was the right knife at the right price. So, impractical as it may have been, I went for it.
Well, it was a huge mistake.
The knife arrived today. Totally new in the cardboard wrapper. I had never seen or held an actual Busse knife, mind you. I'm a thorough researcher, but nothing replaces firsthand experience. Before I had slid the knife out of its wrapper, I knew I was in trouble. I was in trouble when I first set eyes on the black linen micarta handle. And when I wrapped my fingers around it, the handle felt like it was custom-molded to my hand.
Then there was the incredible weight of the knife. I have small hands, and the Busse Badger, a midsize knife (4.5-inch blade, 9.5 inches overall), makes more sense for someone like me than, say, a Busse Steelheart, which is the size of a Bowie knife and approaches the size of a short sword.
This is a weighty, super-solid-feeling knife. It's beautifully balanced. The knife is gratifyingly weighty without seeming heavy. Because the knife is both weighty and balanced, it gives even someone like me, who was physically never a candidate for Force 10 Recon, an exquisite sense of control. I feel that I could deliver considerably more precise strikes in a self-defense situation than would be possible with lighter fixed-blade knives from slightly more downmarket manufacturers.
The quality of craftsmanship of the Busse Badger (and, presumably, Busse knives in general) is as evident as the postimpressionist artistry of Monet. Of course, unless you're a very weird kind of psychic, you can't simply look at a blade and know its metallurgical composition. And I'm sure others can better rhapsodize about Jerry Busse's recipe for the optimal blade steel, which he calls INFI.
The virtues of the INFI formula is that it produces a blade that is exceptionally durable in hard-use situations, holds an edge like it was a matter of life and death, resists corrosion by blood, oil, saltwater, and the various gunks of life, and takes to resharpening like a purring cat.
You'd think you'd need to read this to know it. That's what I thought. And I had read it. But when you hold the knife in your hand and feel its comforting, secure-feeling heft, when you run your fingers along the top of the blade (nearly a quarter-inch thick), when you run your thumb (gingerly) along the edge, which is razor-sharp, all this is silently conveyed. The knife reeks quality and durability in every way.
This is why I began this missive by saying that acquiring my first Busse was a huge mistake. Once you see and hold a knife of this level of quality, your consciousness is permanently raised. Settling for a lesser knife--those days are instantly gone forever. It's like: What on earth was I thinking about before? Of course, the typical Busse costs three times what I used to pay for a knife. Inexpensive Busses are not, and yet they can be had for attractive prices. Which brings me to my second mistake.
My second mistake was buying the knife from Idahoskunk, a gold member on this site. That's because he makes it so easy and tempting to buy from him. If you have a Busse jones, Idahoskunk is either a good person to contact or avoid like the plague, depending on how out of control your addiction is.
His real name is Scott and he's based in Meridian, ID. Scott sells Busse knifes on behalf of Busse Combat, via an online outlet store for discontinued styles.
(The word "discontinued" makes me wince. It implies something negative. Jerry Busse only offers two types of knives these days in a given year. They seem to be getting progressively bigger and more baroque. But previous Busse designs--the Badger, Steel Heart, Natural Outlaw, and several others--are classic designs that have earned their place in the history of combat cutlery.They are as out-of-date as a 1960 bottle of Chateau Margaux.)
Anyway, back to Idahoskunk. People who buy, sell, and love knives are an unusual group. They are among the nicest, most polite, most civilized, most honest people you would ever want to meet. No reason why this shouldn't be so. And yet it is exceedingly rare. Why here and not elsewhere? Who knows?
Idahoskunk fits this description to a tee. He's sort of like buying something from L.L. Bean. You know it's what you want at a good price from a company you can trust.
Well, that's not entirely true. Scott's prices for brand-new Busse Combat knives are generally substantially less than those offered by private collectors looking to unload the odd knife, he offers more different types of Busses in absolutely pristine condition (no "minor scratches from withdrawing a knife from a kydex sheath"--a roundabout way of saying the knife isn't mint) than anyone.
And Scott regularly has new Busses for sale in the "Exchange" part of this site. Most of the knives he offers, I figure, are available for $100 or more off list. This is even a bigger bargain than it seems. Ordering a knife directly from Busse Combat is expensive and time-consuming. But ordering a Busse knife from someone other than Busse Combat is usually even more expensive--because it isn't time-consuming. You pay a premium to get the knife now rather having to wait weeks or months.
Not with Scott, though. He offers instant gratification--and below-market prices--which should please your accountant or money manager if not your spouse. He also offers good communication. And--this is new--he now takes PayPal.
When I bought my Badger from him, I had to send him a postal money order, which was a royal pain to get. It's also kind of risky to send a money order to a total stranger. If he decided to screw you, there's not a heck of a lot you can do other than bay at the moon. This wasn't true of Scott. I never for a moment felt he would treat me other than professionally. But, still, I'm glad he now takes PayPal. It's so much more convenient. You can conclude the financial portion of your business instantly, which speeds knife delivery time.
