Oinkficial "How My SAR-4 Looks And Feels IN Real Life" Thread.

[Guyon]

hey doby, got your knife back from the engravers today, looks good, a lil more sanding on the handle it it's ready to go!! very cool!!! :thumbup:

Skunk sent me an advance pic of it. Lookin' really good...

 

[GregS]

Skunk sent me an advance pic of it. Lookin' really good...

I want one of those!:foot:

 

[barrabas74]

Man I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting mine. I really hope it gets here by the weekend. I have PLANS for it. Got a big cookout Easter Sunday with lots of wood to split, fuzz sticks to make, steaks to cut, marshmellow poles to make. I hope I get the same Super Fast shippment everyone else has gotten!

I gotta say this is the most excited I have been over a knife since the first CGFBM I think. This looks about perfect for what I have been looking for from Busse.

 

[Guyon]

Quick cut and paste from my thread...

I was fortunate enough to be home today when USPS pulled in. Out came the knife, and I was surprised to get #5. Always wanted a number 5. :thumbup:

First off, I like it. It's beefy and fills the hand. The SAR4 is a stout knife that begs for stout usage. It would do well for camp duties and for big game dressing in my estimation. Mine did not have the iridescent orange pictured in Ken's photos, and so I decided to oil the slabs. Wound up looking like the photos in one of Skunk's thread. Actually, this darker color is fine with me as I am going to get Dwayne to make a sheath for it with a darker shade leather. Here is the SAR4 before and after mineral oil.

Here's a shot of the knife in hand.

Mine came extremely sharp with a great convex edge. I tried a quick fuzz stick. The thumb notches do give good control over the blade and with the small choil, you can use the back edge of the blade for close work like this.

The rounded spine is nice for batoning. I whacked mine through a 3-4 inch log. The tip is not so fine that I worried about beating on it, and the knife made short work of some splitting.

After a quick wipe with a Mr. Clean pad, it was back looking as good as new, which is one reason I really like these satin blades and am willing to pay for them.

One thing I didn't try was to spark a fire steel using the thumb notches. Maybe someone else can report on that one. I usually carry a striker anyway, and I only use a steel if my Bic won't flick or my waterproof matches won't strike.

If you don't have one, you might want to find a way before they're gone. This is a very nice get-it-done blade with several remarkable features. Feels good in the hand and functions well in that Busse "bomb proof" sort of way.

 

[barrabas74]

I dont usually use knife blades to strike my firesteel. Does it mar up the blade much? I would imagine it would, I dont know how messed up it would make the thumb grooves look.

If I were to WANT to make the SAR4 good for striking I'd probably create a flat edge on the exposed back part of the handle so the blade doesnt look messed up. Its kinda flat there and wouldnt mess up the look of the blade.

 

[JGarrison Knives]

No love here yet.

 

[1whobuys]

Damn skippy! ...Funny thing is that I think that I had to throw back #11 to get it! Ain't that 1whobuys' favorite number (other than #1, of course! )

...Don't tell me, 'Skunk!!! ...I don't wanna know!

Yes, Number 11 is my number....too bad I didn't get it!?

 

[Grandsuave]

Guyon,

It is amazing to me how different your handles look when oiled. I totally would have expected to see a lot more of the layers show through but in the photo it appears they fade out to orange. I think I like the un-oiled look better. IMHO

Edit: Which oil did you use, I tried Bore Butter on mine.

.

 

[mymindisamob]

Guyon,

It is amazing to me how different your handles look when oiled. I totally would have expected to see a lot more of the layers show through but in the photo it appears they fade out to orange. I think I like the un-oiled look better. IMHO

.

From just seeing the pics, I agree.:thumbup:

 

[Grandsuave]

I'm surprised nobody else has said it . . . from the pictures it sure looks like the handle pattern is the new "mashed cat" grooves. Look good! Hopefully I'll get mine today. :thumbup:

I had to do a double take, but now I am LMAO, I suppose one could see a squished skunk in those slabs.

From an email I sent:

Just a side note: In Idaho a lot of skunks get squished in the road, also known sometimes as a Polecats because of there close relation to the species.

Here is something I also found on the net:

Q. What is a polecat?

A. I'm glad you asked that! A lot of confusion comes from the name. A
polecat is not a cat that climbs poles, heck, it ain't even a cat! In America, "polecat" normally refers to a skunk - and that's where we get our name.
However, if you want to get technical about it, a true polecat is one of several different species of European weasels which, like our own American skunk, give off a repulsive odor. But there are no "true" native polecats in the Idaho (or anywhere in America), just skunks!

Hence the name Mashed Cat!

I know this is probably more than you ever wanted to know about skunks but hell, I'm a giver. LOL!!

.

 

[barrabas74]

Guyon,

It is amazing to me how different your handles look when oiled. I totally would have expected to see a lot more of the layers show through but in the photo it appears they fade out to orange. I think I like the un-oiled look better. IMHO

Edit: Which oil did you use, I tried Bore Butter on mine.

.

I agree with you as well Grandsuave, I usually love the oiled look but on this particular model with this pattern I see more depth with the un oiled version. Course they are pics and things always look different in person.

 

[Dennis in MA]

Got mine. No pix. #90. (20 minutes after GO.) GREAT scales. Just like Lunde's.

HYUUUUUUJE!

Great handle. Not just the material but teh feel. Reverse grip is AWESOME. You can choke back and whack stuff with it. And the small choil allows you to get close to the edge w/o having a finger in the choil.

SUCCESS!

 

[Guyon]

Guyon,

It is amazing to me how different your handles look when oiled. I totally would have expected to see a lot more of the layers show through but in the photo it appears they fade out to orange. I think I like the un-oiled look better. IMHO

Edit: Which oil did you use, I tried Bore Butter on mine.

.

Just mineral oil. I've found that I typically like the tiger hide better after it's been oiled and handled a while. Some of the oil fades out leaving more definition and depth, but it still retains some of the darker color. The oiled pics above are with the knife freshly oiled, of course.

 

[Grandsuave]

Thought I might as well throw in a picture of the sheaths that are at the BCS while I'm still sober!

.

 

[trukreltrog]

Thought I might as well throw in a picture of the sheaths that are at the BCS while I'm still sober!

.

Thanks, was hoping someone would post a pic of the Sheath. :thumbup:

 

[Maqua]

Just got mine and it is very nice! Looks to be a good user. The full convex blade/edge is very slick, sharp, and well finished. The scales are outstanding. This blade is defintely a must have. Not a small blade though. :thumbup:

 

[stabber]

I love Em, Look great!!:thumbup:

 

[barrabas74]

Does anyone have any pics of it next to a Bravo1? I think they look somewhat similar in Blade shape but I was wondering about the size. I know the handles are different and the bravo has that bump on it.

 

[Dennis in MA]

Wow. I must have snoozed big-time. Haven't seen a # over 90 yet!

Here are some pix.

First a comparison shot of the SHBA, butt-ground BA3, Basic 7, BATAC and NMSFNO. (And the recent black leather sheaths from Dwayne. TY!)

Normal grip:

Close-up grip for fine work:

And set for chopping. The butt is secure under the pinky so it is possible. Is this a chopper? No. Could you chop anyhow? Yup.

All of that is tough to take pix of b/c I had to hold the knife left handed about 3 miles away from my cheesy camera.

If my BA3 didn't have the butt ground off, it'd be about 1/2" shorter in blade length and handle length. But the SAR4 (BA5?) has a much wider blade and thickerer steel. Plus the handle is wider as well. Beefier version of a BA3, basically. Perhaps the steroidal cousin.


EDIT

Dangit if this isn't the kissing cousin of a ground-down-to-5" Basic 7. (Basic 5's have a not-as-wide blade.) WOW! The handle is the same size. Blade width is similar. WOW!

 

[resinguy]

Great comparision photos guys thanks for putting them up. Would'nt it be great if Jerry makes a SAR3 that is: smaller than the SAR5, the shape of the SAR4, and anorexic like .125-.150 thick!! Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!!!

Kinda like a Krein TK4 in INFI. Sweet!

I will never understand you

Well, Amy, you just have to look at other knives besides Busse to understand.

here is a Tom Krein TK4:

To my eye, if Jerry scaled down the SAR4, as tracker suggested, it would look similar to the Krein. Both knives have very nice lines.