Opinions wanted: Busse Basic 5 or Becker Campanion?

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Photog

Joined
Sep 9, 2000
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Which is the "best" choice for a medium-size, moderately priced survival knife....the Busse Basic 5, or the Becker Campanion? Which could stand the most abuse? Which has the most comfortable grip? Can either be used for light chopping? Prying? Does one cut better than the other?

Any opinions appreciated!

Photog
 
I have tried both of the knives you mentioned, and I honestly found the best knife for me so far is the Fallkniven F1. The F1 will do everything you need a knife to do in the woods, and still be undamaged at the end of the day. The Campanion is too heavy for it's length IMO. With the Busse, I feel like you are paying for the name instead of a good product.I used a friend's a while back and while it is a good knife, I don't think it is worth the price, as the F1, the Campanion, and several other knives will work just as well, if not better than the Busse, for a lot less money. To each his own. Another excellent knife is the Livesay Air Assault. This knife will make you smile when you pick it up
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. www.newt.livesay.com The Livesay U.S. Marshal also looks really nice. The thing with Newt's knives is you actually know what kind of steel is used- no secret formulas here
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[This message has been edited by Clayton Hufford (edited 01-24-2001).]
 
I would go with the Busse #5. I my experience the #5 is a good camp knife that can handle everything I have thrown at it. I have used my for breaking wood pallets for fire wood, chopping down small trees 4" diameter, preparing food, and thousands of sharp pointy sticks for hot dogs and marshmellows. I love the handle, perfect size for my smaller hands. Finally, the best thing about the knife is the warranty, best in the industry IMHO.

Darkjedi- "Make mind a Busse, till I can find my lightsaber".
 
I've got the Busse, and love it. These knives are nowhere close in price, though.

I should add that I've got a Becker Brute and love it, too. Prefer the handles on the Basics, though. Really don't care for the Busse's assymetrical edge, though alot of people do.

[This message has been edited by OwenM (edited 01-24-2001).]
 
The Busse #5 has a limited handle space. Meaning a medium hand such as I have will fit into it comfortably but NOT with gloves on. This may be important since survival is mentioned as weather could be less than ideal. The Becker is much beefier overall and would lend itself to chores where a broad blade is required. Such as digging and scooping in a shovel like manner. Its hollow handle design can also accomodate a few emergency stuff such as matches, dental floss, fish hook, purifying tablets, arsenic capsules (in the event of being captured prisoner), etc.

But neither is blade heavy enough for efficient chopping. At least not in my experience. My vote in this category of survival knives goes to my Fallkniven A1 as well. Although I' m not sure if its VG10 stainless is capable of setting off sparks for a fire as the O1 of the Companion is...

Nakano

[This message has been edited by Nakano 2 (edited 01-27-2001).]
 
I'll have to third the Fallkniven. It's truly an incredible blade for the price.

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It's not the pace of life that concerns me, It's the sudden stop at the end.
 
I have a Companion and a Basic 7. The Companion is the most brutishly strong knife ever made. If survival means you have to break cinder blocks that's the knife to have. Otherwise it's just too heavy carry for a short blade and too short to chop effectively.

The 7 chops well, but if I knew I would be doing lots of chopping and prying I would get a Basic 9 or a Becker Brute.

(My idea of a survival knife is one of those hollow handled Rambo jobs. I just stuff the handle full of Ben Franklins and check into a motel.)

Dave
 
My vote would also go outside of your two choices, and land on a satin Stainless Fallkniven A1.
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I received this knife in a recent trade with Murray at ProEdge Knives, and this is one TOUGH knife!.
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Mate it with an On/Scene Tactical Concealex sheath, and you have a great "survival set".

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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
Originally posted by Nakano 2:
Its hollow handle design can also accomodate a few emergency stuff such as matches, dental floss, fish hook, purifying tablets, arsenic capsules (in the event of being captured prisoner), etc.

If you still have your knife, and the wherewithall to remove handles and avail yourself to its contents, you are certainly not needing arsenic. Party balloons perhaps, but certainly not arsenic!
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Three hundred years from now, someone will "unearth" the Busse from the rubble of society, put a new handle on it and it will function as new. It is the toughness that you pay for.
 
Just a quick comment on the Companion. The steel is 0176-C, not O1. And I wouldn't count on taking the handles off in a survival situation either.
 
Thanks for all your replies. I saw the busse basic and the Campanion at a recent local gun/knife show, and I think I prefer the Busse. I actually have a Fallkniven F1 and love it, but was looking for something a little "beefier." I never thought about the Fallkniven A1, but it's a good suggestion!

Thanks again.

Photog
 
It is no wonder that my little niece keeps asking me to recite the alphabet with her! I meant the A1 and NOT the F1 as originally posted.

The A1s blade stock is thick enough for abuse. Its clip point is suitable for delicate tasks, and its edge has enough belly for food preparation. The exposed blade tang at the butt area is suitable for when there is the need for hammering. Aditionally, the overall feel is oriented blade heavy, which would make it better than either the Companion or the Busse #5 for light chopping.

Nimrod, I was curious as to when someone would comment on the arsenic capsules! That was just a bit of humor without the smiley.
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Nakano

 
i'll probably get flamed, but here goes.i don't like the busse. i have not had the becker yet, but i felled a tree recently, and the busse just did'nt cut it
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.i used a 10.5 inch 5160 vandeventer custom, an a busse basic 9, alternating between the two. the tree was around 30 ft. tall. the trunk about 5 inches thick. i used an axe to bring it down, then used the two large knives to remove all the branches, and cut them into manageable lengths..after i was done, the busse edge was not sharp at all, where as the vandeventer still cut well. it even shaved a little!!perhaps i expected too much, but i was dissappointed with the busse. i had really wanted to try a busse, and when i finally got it and used it, well you see how i felt.over a period of 2 or 3 months, the busse was traded back and forth between myself and garyz several times. he used it at his deer camp. he was not thrilled either. while the busse is a "good" knife, it just was not up to par for me. a pic of the vandeventer can be seen in my link below. i hope this helped, i'd definitely try the becker!

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a cat almost always blinks when hit in the head with a ball-peen hammer.
The only thing better than a good knife is a good woman
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A few of my Knives
russ aka blade zealot



[This message has been edited by russ (edited 01-27-2001).]
 
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