newbie needs advise on which Busse to consider

[Deadwood]

I've never owed a Busse. For the last two years I've been using a Fallkniven A1 (6" blade). For chopping and clearing. I think I'd do a lot better with a longer and heavier blade. Over time I have inadvertently chipped-up and bent the cutting edge of the Fallkniven blade to a point where it's beyond repair (I now know better). I realize the Busse's are expensive, but would like one that could be purchased new in the $400 to $600 range. Most importantly, I need one that is readily available. Overall I'd call what I need a survival/wilderness/general purpose knife. I am in a humid environment and would prefer a coating that would help with the rust problem. Something that would weigh about a pound and a half and would have an 8" or longer blade and a 1/4" or wider blade with micarta handles. I went to the Busse website and saw that they only had one model available, and it was not what I needed. Any suggestions or guidance as to which model to look for would be greatly appreciated.

 

[onlooker96]

A great overall knife is the NMSFNO

 

[Al-Sheikh]

Looking at your join date it seems like you were much longer in the "business" than me but here is my humble advice: Nuclear Meltdown Special Forces Natural Outlaw (aka: NMSFNO): 8" blade, 14" overall, 0.25" thick, 27 oz., most of them are coated. Nobody here will disagree when I say it is an excellent survival/wilderness/general purpose knife that will not disappoint you. Some will even say it is the best you can get whithin the specs you've mentioned.

Check out the exchange: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/804-Busse-Swamprat-Scrapyard-Knives-For-Sale and you should be able to find something unused (not "fresh from the factory") in your price range. I'd recommend to compare offers and possibly wait a little until a good deal comes up.

Alternatively you can call the shop or drop them an email and ask if they can make one for you. This might take some time though (if at all).

Good luck and let us know how you decide!

 

[Deadwood]

. . . longer in the "business" than me

Not as to fixed blade knives. I've been interested in SAK's almost exclusively for a long time. Have a few Spyderco and Benchmade folders, but never appreciated the utility of the larger fixed blade knives until I started backpacking more recently.

I'll focus on the NMSFNO - and will contact the shop first.

Thank you for your suggestions.

 

[l2lku2]

SAR 8 or NMSFNO. I have seen both on the exchange in the last few days.

Here are pictures of both and some Fallknivens to compare sizes.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/838420-Bussekin-amp-Friends-Epic-Fail

On my Youtube channel there are videos with some chopping with a SAR 8, NMSFNO and a Fallkniven A2. They are not reviews, so not very informative, they just show some short duration chopping FWIW.

http://www.youtube.com/user/l2lku


I will take some pictures with just those and some Fallknivens for you tomorrow.


SAR 8

[video=youtube;hitzdn31pyQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hitzdn31pyQ[/video]

[video=youtube;K0NoteGWrFQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0NoteGWrFQ[/video]

[video=youtube;-a8tEiP2-OY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a8tEiP2-OY[/video]


NMSFNO

[video=youtube;v7wuZwBd7KY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7wuZwBd7KY[/video]

[video=youtube;os-a0A7QBzI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os-a0A7QBzI[/video]


Fallkniven A2

[video=youtube;4f5yCbQPQ5w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f5yCbQPQ5w[/video]

[video=youtube;H4EseDZxSWQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4EseDZxSWQ[/video]

 

[AZTimT]

Don't forget the FSH or the DSF. My choice for your listed specs would be the FSH, and it typically falls in your price range if you don't overpay.

A lot of guys love the NMSFNO, but it would be and has been my last choice out of the 8" range.
I have had 3 different ones and sold/traded them all, but I still have an FSH, SAR 8 and DSF.
In fact, in this pic from last year before I thinned down the collection a bit, it is the only model of the 5 in that range that didn't stay with me. The 5th one is the Mr Mojo.

I have been picking up more res-c handled Bussekin lately though, so a B10, B11 or the SYCKO 711 are great choices with less weight as well. You could get multiple knives with that money that way.
Here's a B11 & SAR 8 above several in the 6-7" range.

 

[<Flux>]

As far as a full tang Micarta or G-10 handled blade goes, the NMSFNO is pretty great for your purposes.

I favor Res-C on blades that I may use for chopping. The Basic 10 LE may be a great choice if you are looking to keep weight down and aren't necessarily looking for just a chopper. It is very light weight, fast in the hand, comfortable, comes with a choilless option, and is a very nice looking piece of satin INFI. If you don't mind carrying a little bit longer and heavier blade, the Basic 11 is a perfect choice.

The Scrap Yard Dog Father is a great blade also. It is noticeably heavier than the Basic 10 LE and is about the same length, which can be good or bad depending on your needs.

As mentioned, the 7-11 that is available now from the Yard is a fantastic blade, as is the Rodent 9 from Swamp Rat. If you are set on INFI, you may want to consider getting a Team Gemini since they are available now from the factory.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

 

[resinguy]

I agree with AZTim, the Fusion Steel Heart, FSH, is better than the NMSFNO. A little harder to get, and they come in a confusing variety of variants. Lately the Shop has been putting out some nice satin ones, 0.22" thick, sabre ground. People refer to them as the Heavy Heart. Not strictly true, as the original HH were Combat Grade, ie black coated.

 

[Super X]

I don't think rust is a issue with Busse Satin blades even in humid area's, or have never read about it being a problem. Whatever Busse Chopper you get, you can rest assured you will unlikely damage it beyond repair and even if you somehow manage to do it unintentionally, Busse will fix or replace it for you. IMO, that is what makes them worth the money you pay. Go to knifetest.com and watch what these knives can endure. It's very entertaining IMO!

 

[knife hunter]

I agree with AZTim, the Fusion Steel Heart, FSH, is better than the NMSFNO. A little harder to get, and they come in a confusing variety of variants. Lately the Shop has been putting out some nice satin ones, 0.22" thick, sabre ground. People refer to them as the Heavy Heart. Not strictly true, as the original HH were Combat Grade, ie black coated.

Guy, I believe you meant .27" not .22"on the HH FSH. Just adding to not confuse Deadwood.

Welcome to the madness!

 

[Al-Sheikh]

Yeah, FSH vs. NMSFNO has been a discussion every now and then
There is no winner. No loser either.

 

[l2lku2]

I took this pic for you with some of the knives mentioned in this thread:

Busse
B11 (Was black on black but I stripped it) .... (16 7/8 oz)
B10 .... (14 3/8 oz)
SAR 8 .... (18 1/4 oz)
NMSFNO .... (20 3/8 oz)
DSSF (Was black on black but I stripped it) .... (14 7/8 oz)

Falkniven
A2 .... (14 7/8 oz)
A1 .... (13 1/4 oz)

BTW, I limited my earlier recommendations to your criteria of Micarta handles and stayed in the 8" range. But like other posters, I would highly recommend that you consider some Res C handled knives. I was prejudiced against them before I tried them but once I did, I love them.

If you want to consider carrying a large, light, very good chopper and a smaller knife for smaller tasks (like your A1 or smaller), I would highly recommend the Basic 11 (B11). Surprisingly, it is lighter than almost all the 8" knives and is a better chopper by a large margin and more comfortable to use, also by a large margin. It is my all-time favorite Busse, followed by the SAR 8.

But I have not used a FSH, so, resinguy, I followed your advice in another thread on the NMFBM and my .24 is arriving today so I will follow your advice again and try a FSH. Which version would all you FSH lovers recommend for Deadwood and I (if he decides to go that way)?

 

[leatherman]

There are quite a few choices in the 7 to 8 inch knife category as mentioned, but I tend to agree with the Fusion Steel Heart crowd, its the epitome of what Busse is all about. Well, aside from the Straight Handle Steel Heart II, now THAT is the precious, I have two and it would take an act of congress (well no) to get them outta my hands.

Fusion Steel Hearts, the flag ship.

I'm proud to have had a few Steel Hearts go through my collection

 

[amflud]

I vote SAR 8.

 

[resinguy]

Guy, I believe you meant .27" not .22"on the HH FSH. Just adding to not confuse Deadwood.

Welcome to the madness!

KH is right, of course. The original, first generation FSH were 0.25" and the HH are 0.27"

If you want to consider carrying a large, light, very good chopper and a smaller knife for smaller tasks (like your A1 or smaller), I would highly recommend the Basic 11 (B11). Surprisingly, it is lighter than almost all the 8" knives and is a better chopper by a large margin and more comfortable to use, also by a large margin. It is my all-time favorite Busse, followed by the SAR 8.

But I have not used a FSH, so, resinguy, I followed your advice in another thread on the NMFBM and my .24 is arriving today so I will follow your advice again and try a FSH. Which version would all you FSH lovers recommend for deadwood and I (if he decides to go that way)?

I second the idea of the B11 with a companion shorty.

wrt to the FSH, the original, first gen FSH tended to be pretty thick just behind the edge, and would require some work to get down to a better geometry. I have one that Ban modded for me, it was stupid thick before he fixed it. The original BCS HHFSH (edition of 400) were a great knife and highly sought after at one time. mymindisamob has had some threads about his recently acquired HHFSH. There were also fatter versions, 0.31 - 0.34", generally known as HOGFSH. IMHO, they are too thick and heavy, but YMMV. More recently, as mentioned above, the Shop has been making 0.27", sabre ground FSH that show up at shows and 'Ganzas. Prticed about the same as the old CG HHFSH were getting, these are some nice blades. It may even be possible to order one from the Custom Shop (speculation)

 

[darkaether]

you definitely can't go wrong with a B11, B10, NMSFNO, or DSF/DSSF. I'm sure the B8 will be great too. I've never had a FSH but they sure are popular. a regular SFNO would surely serve you well too. I really like the SarSquatch too.

I liked my SAR8 but the guard can be really slippery and that made me nervous without a d-guard

 

[Deadwood]

Thanks l2lku2 for the footage and the link to your "Epic Failure". You arranged the knives in each of the two sets so as to give a great perspective on a good bit of the high end universe. I can now see that I'll be referring to your link and the other posts here frequently before I make the final fixed blade choice. I've got more work to do than I realized as to selecting my first Busse.

 

[Deadwood]

I'll look into the Res C handled knives. I've not ruled them out. Also, I really have not ruled out the 10" or even the 11". I had no idea they were that light (and would still be good choppers). However, I'm still slightly inclined towards wanting to go with the thicker .25+/- blade such as the NMSFNO, even if it limits me to an 8".

 

[Pokey1]

Welcome to Busse!! We are all glad to have ya :thumbup: Good luck with your search, and if you ever need anything feel free to call the shop (419)923-6471

 

[Deadwood]

. . . the Fusion Steel Heart . . . its the epitome of what Busse is all about. Well, aside from the Straight Handle Steel Heart II

I really like the looks of the Steal Hearts. If I were to get one of those, I'd never let it get away.

Thanks for the high resolution pictures and your excellent suggestions.