New Busse Handles

Andrew Lynch

Andrew Lynch

Joined
Feb 6, 2000
Messages
3,021
As some of you know, I was never a huge fan of the E handles. They were OK, and quite decent when rounded nicely, but they just didn't seem to fit perfectly. The new handles on the Battle Mistress and Steel Heart, however, are amazing.

They are significantly thicker, not quite as tall, and a lot more contoured and rounded. Also, the rear guard is dropped more away from the pinkie area, which is now covered with micarta, spreading the load.

Also, the texturing is quite unique and revolutionary; towards the front of the large handle (which allows choking down and forward) the texturing is quite aggresive, because if your hand is choked forward you're probably not doing stressful cutting. Toward the back, for the choked down grip, it is just lightly textured for less abrasion under high-stress chopping. I don't know how this will work in practice, but I am optimistic.

In all seriousness, the new Busse handles for the BM and SH are the best chopping handles I've ever felt. I even prefer these new handles to handles I custom made to fit my hand. If the texturing works well for me, and I think it will, it will complete the package.

The new handles on the smaller knives also fit my hand well.....but the big ones are just out of this world :cool:
 
Andrew,

I was wondering how are the new handles on the smaller knives (NO, SJ) in reverse grip?
 
They feel pretty nice. They are rounded on the edges and comfy. There are a bunch of new knives with the smaller handles and while I'm not as berserk about them as the big handles, I certainly like them.

BTW, I've gotta mention the new Satin Jack Tac....too cool :D
 
The new handles look to be a massive advancement over the previous designs. In fact if you look back over the last few years, the speed of evolution has in fact increased.

While it is obviously premature to question / look at future designs with the new ones not even started to be explored with user feedback, this trend does make you wonder about the line a few years from now.

The new MOAB also finally looks to be entering into the realm of having enough length to be a functional brush blade, though its weight and heft look to be designed for small gorillas.

The new line is however missing a bomb proof in house sheath. While there are lots of aftermarket sheaths, many are simply not up to the same level of relative performance. It really begs for your kydex/kevlar/kydex combination.

-Cliff
 
I'm looking forward to future designs too Cliff....although I think Jerry's gonna be hard-pressed to improve much over these. Then again, he may just blow my mind again.

On the MOAB....you're gonna LOVE it. After handling it off and on for three days, I would describe it as having the same niche as a khukuri but with more reach (than most). It is a real beast. I would LOVE to do some chopping with it.....but with a $1600 base price..... :(

Sheaths are no longer standard with Busse knives. He is offering a basic in-house sheath as well as sheaths from custom kydex/leather guys I think. I may be offering a kyvlex and/or kydex-leather combo.

I've got the SH and BM on order, BTW, Cliff, so I should be able to take care of you on the kyvlex rig...although the BM's spine humps will give me fits I'm sure :mad: :D
 
Andrew,
I am also really looking foward to the new models. I love the new handle. I have done similar handles on my knives with some success, but I anticipate the new handles being very comfy. I am also looking foward to the symetrical convex edge, which should be really good for chopping and be easier to sharpen. Andrew, were can we see some examples of your sheath work? How do you charge your work? Maybe you could email me @ cyclebiker@hotmail.com and give some details! Thanks!
Cliff,
Are you going to buy the BM-F? From what I might have guessed, this might be your ideal knife. I guess time will tell though. Do you think that the inflated price is really fair? It would be one thing if they didn't include a sheath and still charged $347. But geez, $398!?!!?!? thats a lot of dough!
P.s. I too am not sad at all to see the E handles go bye bye!
 
I should have the threads bookmarked, but don't :o

Do a search of the Busse forum for kevlar and a few threads, some with pics, will come up.

Yes, I have a Fusion Mistress on order. I think it's gonna be a helluva knife :D

About the price: I don't think it is at all unreasonable, but that's just me. These things must be a lot harder to make than the E's, given the more complex designs and textures.
 
Luke :

Are you going to buy the BM-F?
Click to expand...

I have adapted well to the handle on my BM-SH, which has a similar blade style to the BM-F. I may pick up the MOAB in the fall though, it seems almost ideal for what I need.

Andrew would you be interested in comparing a BM-SH to the BM-F, as I can send you mind. You have also used the BM-E, so are in a good position to write up a user perspective on the evolution of the design.

Do you think that the inflated price is really fair?
Click to expand...

Look at the price of some "customs" in that price range. Busse is using an in house developed/researched steel their own high grade heat treating and extensive QC testing and R&D methods, full warrenty, and open disclosure on blade performance. Compare that to using whatever steel is popular, little or no blade testing, out shopped heat treating, heavily claused warrenty and a less than frank approach to performance issues.

Andrews Kydex hybrid Sheath :

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=251047
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=256885
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=258922

http://www.bussecombat.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001244
http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000172

-Cliff
 
Thanks Cliff!!

I'm bloody envious.....me wants MOAB :mad:

Sure, I'd be very interested in comparing the too. I have never chopped with a SH BM, but I've handled one quite a lot. Let me tell you, the new handle blows the old out of the water IMHO. However, I'd be interested in seeing if that preference holds up under use. As far as doing a comparison across the board, I'm sure I can do that generally, although it's been a while since I've chopped with the E. Edge geoemetry will make things harder to compare too.....as your SH BM is very thin now, no? I will order my BM-F ground as thinly as Jerry can stomach, however :D
 
After handling the new models, I feel that some of the models still have the funny hump on the top of the handle that made the E-series so uncomfortable. Chopping was literally a painful experience.

The new handle were also confusing. The ridges felt uncomfortable and I generally prefer a grip that gets wider at the rear rather than skinnier.

While the MOAB was certainly a handful, I certainly wouldn't consider it to be useful in the real world. Sure wouldn't want to carry it far or use it for too long, even if I could afford it.
 
Andrew Lynch :

... your SH BM is very thin now
Click to expand...

Yes, primary edge grind of 8-10 degrees with a slight secondary bevel a few degrees higher. There will obviously be some differences in cutting ability due to the varying edge profiles, however the main design differences like balance, swing power, binding in woods, handling characteristics etc. could still be described.

blademan 13, the weight isn't an issue as I frequently use khukuris which are easily heavier. The edge geometry is fairly critical though as are the overall handling characteristics. Plus with a price tag that high, the competion in the custom arena is pretty fierce. I would doubt that it will be large seller.

It would be really nice to see a Swamp Rat version in slimmer stock, 1/4" and 3/16" variants.


-Cliff
 
I've never had trouble with the hump. It seems to fill my palm. My problem with the E's was their thinness and often squareness.

Wider at the rear? That's how I like them :D It's kind of like a khukuri, but in a different shape.

The ridges....I'm not sure. I am kind of worried they will cause blisters, but time will tell. IMHO, the shape is the most important thing as you can always wear gloves if the texture is too aggresive (or toughen your hands over time).

The MOAB? Yes, I don't consider it a very practical camping tool if you're humping your gear....but it wasn't meant to be. Kind of like the Off Duty (3/8" thick Active Duty) it was sort of a goof for us forumites who like blades big and fat. Nevertheless, I bet it would be a helluva lot of fun to chop with :D
 
Handles functionality can vary hugely from person to person. I found the handle shape of the Livesay RTAK to be very uncomfortable due to the massive hump it had, as did Chad, so much so it was almost not functional for me, however it was obviously useful for the designer. Checkering is another problematic issue, the Becker grips for example are very slick, some like them, some don't. Strider and Reeve have the opposite texture in extremes and some like them and some don't.

As for weight, carrying that level of weight has little effect on rate of caloric burn and physical effort in general. This was hyped for awhile for weight loss programs (ankle and wrist weights) but later shown to have an insignificant impact. The amount of calories burned while carrying the MOAB on a hike is insignificant (less than 10). With heavier knives and objects in general, weight distribution is critical. I find the most optimal spot is cross draw in the back. This puts the weight centered and with no leverage issues.

Any work you do with the knife will induce more fatigue than carrying it all day long. Of course the knife should be efficent at the tasks at hand, and the MOAB is kind of specialized. As andrew noted, this is a niche design blade, hence it not being included in the standard line and coming from the custom shop.

-Cliff
 
Our new handle texturing is not yet finalized. The overall profile is finished but the texturing and contours are not. We are developing test teams, comprised of Busse forum members, who will provide us with valuable feedback in these areas. As for the rear of the handle being smaller, we based this design on the fact that the rear of the hand (pinky to palm) makes for the smallest radius. Wet down some paper towels and squeeze them in your hand. Unless you have a few fingers missing, you should end up with the smallest section on the end towards the little finger. You will also end up with a palm swell on the spine of the grip. We are bringing these natural contours to our new Fusion grip design. They should prove to be very comfortable.

We are anxious to hear the feedback from our test team members on this new design.

Thanks for your input,

Jerry
 
Darn!
This must mean that I didn't become one of the new test team.:( Oh well, It was a neat dream. :cool: :D
 
I wouldn't mind more agressive checkering on micarta, because it is so easy to sand it down to the roughness you want. I've added checking to micarta handles before with a file, but it's easier to tame down checkering than to add it. On micarta it wears down a little with use anyways.
 
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