Need Help w/ Busse Decision, opinions please.

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Tag_McLaren

Joined
Jan 24, 2001
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I'm either going to purchase a Basic #7 or a Steel Heart E within the next few day's. I need help making the decision. Price is a consideration, but should the proformance of the SH-E prove to be worth it I wouldn't mind spending the extra $$.
I want a knife that I could depend on for anything from commercial fishing to surviving a plane crash in a deep dark jungle. I think Busse is the way to go, but I need help deciding which one.
 
Get the Steel Heart-E, but go a head and plan on finding yourself a Mean Street and a Natural Outlaw. You are going to want them.
 
You might consider that the Steel Heart has a finger choil (cutout) in front of the handle and talon. This is particularly useful to choke up high on the blade and whittle, carve, or do more detailed work, something that I don't believe the Basic 7 has. It does make the knife a little more versitile IMHO. If you have big hands the SH is great. The Basic handle is a little slimmer and may be better suited to someone with to someone with smaller hands.
 
actually, what I want to know is weather the SH-E is a better knife than the Basic #7. Aside from the finger notch, which couldn't justify the extra $170.
 
The SH is INFI steel, the Basic is "modified" INFI. The canvas micarta slabs on the SH are pretty much indestructable. I had a Basic 9 once and didn't care much for the feel of the "rubber" handle.
 
Tag,

SH-E, no question.

Ditto MTF3 on the NO or MS as well. You will not be disappointed and they will last your lifetime, and your heirs.

 
There both great knives. The Steel Heart E is definitly the more heavy duty of the two. You should really try to handle both as they both have different feels. Where the #7 will outperform anything on the market, the Steel Heart E will outperform the #7. Personally, I love the Steel Heart E.
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I can't speak for the two you want advice on since I have an E-BM and a Basic 9. However since they're the same except for oal I can tell you what I know.

The Basic series will do anything you want them to do for you without fail.
I prefered the Basic 9 until I modified the handle on the E-BM to make it smaller.
I have large hands, but short fingers and the E-BM was absolutely too big and uncomfortable for me to use. The squareish edges on the handle were the 1st to go. I used a wood rasp to round off the edges leaving the finish a bit rough for a good grip.
After using it that way for a while as I didn't want to mess it up by going to fast I put the handle on my Grizzly Grinder and took a bit off the back and took most of the palm swell off as well.
It's much better now, but I will probably take a bit more off after further use.

The self modified E-BM is a marvel to work with now and has exceptional edge holding abilties.
I have also converted the assymetrical edge to a full convex and I find it easier to maintain.
It chops well cured cow bone with ease, But the Basic 9 will do the same. Its edge has also been converted to full convex.

There are several pros and cons to both, but one of the main ones for me is that the Basic 9 being fully encosed in the handle material is more pleasant to use when it's cold without gloves. The micarta slabs with the exposed tang on the E-BM gets unpleasant without gloves being much colder.
I do like the extra weight the E-BM has and it will edge out the Basic a bit when chopping by taking deeper cuts using a cut and twist motion.

Neither blade will fail you when the chips are down and if you get one Busse you will probably get another.
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I just wish the NO and MS had an option on their handles with the Basic Line handles offered. Then I would no doubt have those as well.
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>>>>---Yvsa-G@WebTV.net---->®

"VEGETARIAN".............
Indin word for lousy hunter.
 
actually, I'd probably never forgive myself if I didn't buy the best. This will be the last knife I'll be buying for a long time.
 
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Tag if I was only going to buy one Busse it would be the E-SH II or the E-BM.

Even if you find the handle to big like I did there's prbably a machine shop somewhere close by, or you may know someone who can work the handle down for you.
That's something that most people don't think of about production knives, even if they're close to custom, is that one style of blade or handle is not going to be as good as it can be for each individual.
It will be large for some and small for others and that's just a fact of life.
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I have been a strong believer for many, many years that if a tool doesn't fit me as I needed it too, and I really liked it, that I would make it fit if at all possible.
Yeah, it may not make it desirable for anyone else, but who cares.
It's your knife, tool or whatever and why shouldn't it fit you as well as possible?
If it doesn't fit or work right no matter how dayumed good it is it will Not be used and there would be no reason to keep it.
And who knows, the E-SH II may fit you perfectly if you're a larger build guy.
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I think you will like anyone you choose to get.
And when you do get it come back and let us all know how you like it And How it Fits... please.
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I for one would be most interested.
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>>>>---Yvsa-G@WebTV.net---->®

"VEGETARIAN".............
Indin word for lousy hunter.
 
Tag,
You said it all right there. If you only buy one knife, this will be it. Try to get to a show where Busse is set up. Check out each model. Buy what feels best. I thought I want a BM also. Then I checked out the SH. It felt better, balanced better, everything.
That is what lives at my house now (along with an LMS, MS-APP, and PR, and a BA and another LMS are on the way..).
You will not go wrong.
Want a knife, take the test. Busse.


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Run and you only die tired....
The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.
Take the Test...
 
Some really good advice here.
All I can add is that my SH II [pre E model] has become my main good sized user. It fits my hand perfectly and the Infi really is superb stuff. Personally, I like the assymetrical edge. I'm sure that a Basic's modified Infi would be more than adequate and you should handle them both to see which feels better for you. I don't know that I'd go through the trouble of modifying the handle of the SH if the Basic fit me better but for me: 1. the SH was perfect and 2. I don't have the skill to do the modifications myself anyway. If I did, I can see how that would be immensely satifying.
Anyway, the SH II is a helluva knife. Is it so much better than the Basic to justify the price difference? For me, yes. But it has to be a personal decision. If you're asking, I suspect the SH II is calling your name...
 
If you get the SH-E, you can rest assured that you will have the best knife in it's class, and one that will be around for more than just your lifetime.
 
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