Out of the box sharpness

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knife chop

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http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1164060-Factory-edge?p=13320136#post13320136

i posted this thread on swamprat forums. i thought i should post this here as well and maybe i can generate some comments coming from Busse and kin management. as much as i love the knives, i'm one of those long time customers that is not satisfied with the product.

"why do you keep buying their knives if you're not satisfied'? i keep buying it because USA made knives are the way to go.

"do you know how to sharpen knives"? yes, i know how to sharpen knives. my point here is busse's are not producing sharp knives (sharp knives may be a subjective). as i have pointed out, other manufacturers makes knives with an "axe" or "thick" grind but are still able to produce really sharp tools without burrs, just sharp and even with hard use there's no damage.
 
Most of the knives I have received, whether new or a blade that has sat in someones safe for six or eight years have been acceptable to scary sharp.
 
Hey Chop,

This is not the first time that I've heard this said about these knives. I've bought 3 knives and 3 swords so far and they've all been very sharp. I've resharpened INFI with a simple strop. Took a while but that big nmfbm came hair popping sharp.I started buying Busse and kin about 2 years back.... Perhaps this is a problem that they are trying to correct?
 
Some of the people who sharpen are better than others at Busse & Swamp Rat. Still, they're all talented. Of the 5 Bussekin's I've bought, all of them were hair poppers. Even my Rucki, which had a crazy thick bevel, could shave freely.
 
Similarly, Ive had mixed results.

The last set of Elmax steak knives came with an edge that would rip paper, but not slice it very cleanly. Not quite what I expected, but that can certainly be fixed.

Other than that, all of the edges have been very good out of the box; Hogs, Swamp and Yard
 
None of the knives that I have from Busse and Kin were what I would consider sharp.
But I think that is not necessary, I want to put an edge that I like on the knives, I love sharpening and I find it fun. I will never understand people that complain about sharpness, eventually a knife gets dull, what then?
 
I've owned somewhere around 20-25 Busse/kin, and very few, if any, have ever come shaving sharp. It's not that big of a deal to me though, because they will eventually dull when you use them, so you need to learn 2 sharpen. Busses take a great edge, with little effort, and while SR101 is def challenging to sharpen, it takes (and holds) a sharper edge than any other steel I've encountered. If it wasn't for the rust issues, SR101 would be my favorite steel. They don't always come sharp, but they both take wicked edges.
 
No Offense but I do not see the need for this thread

Did Josh not offer to take care of you in your original thread ?
And do everything he could to make it right ?

And most of all did you contact Swamp Rat or Busse privately first ?

sticky post ;

What to do if you have a problem;

Contact the shop FIRST. Give us the opportunity to look at the problem and to fix it. If we DO NOT fix the problem or are so drunk that we refuse to assist you, (This has NEVER happened) then you can bring it to the forums and feel free to vent.

Given the proper tools, it does not take much to destroy a great knife. Given the internet, it does not take much to destroy a great reputation.

We have NEVER left a customer unsatisfied, when given the opportunity.

If you post about a problem before giving us the opportunity to fix it, your post may be deleted or locked.

Email both jerry@bussecombat.com & lexi@bussecombat.com and/or call us at (419) 923-6471 (M-F 9:00am - 5:00pm Eastern)

Please allow at least 3 business days to respond to your email. If you do not hear from us, please call to make sure we received your email.

Let's Drink!

Jerry
 
Just as David states and quotes above.
Please read and follow the 6th sticky on the first page of this forum.
No need for this thread.
 
Depending on what I'm using my busse for I tend to like to thin the edge out a little. As for sharpness, mine have varied but I always have to put my own edge on my knives anyways. Their edges in no way come blunt, so I have a feeling someone can't actually "sharpen". Maybe stick with those other "axe" ground, burr less, sharp, american made tools if Busse and kin aren't up to your standards?
 
I am a maker and have no experence buying Busse knives though when we had tables next to each other about 10 years at EXPO I watched a prospective buyer of one of his knives cut himself when he "tested" the edge.

What I would like to impart to those that may not know is buying a knife with a sharpened edge has only really been around for about 80-100 years or less depending on the maker or MFG. Before you received what could be called a virgin knife.

You ether put the edge on it yourself or you had the maker or local cutler do it for you to your instructions.
 
I'm sorry fellow flustered Hogs,

I am a big fan of Busse and Busse kin knives. However, a forum member has respectfully posted that he has had several instances where he felt unsatisfied by the sharpness level of a knife that isn't cheap compared to other production line knives. Whether he knows how to sharpen or not makes no difference. It's a legitimate concern and he may or may not feel that posting on the forum will create a more widespread change that is in favor of all consumers. I think the discussion topic is fair. To the original poster I will say that fellow Hogs and Busse/Busse kin staff are concerned by the fact the their knives could suffer damage to their reputation, hence sticky post #6. However, if the Original Poster's intention is to get the masses to support and put more pressure in sharpness quality control -- then this is the right way to do it. Just my thoughts and of course since I appreciate everyone in the Busse family -- I hope I'm not ruffling anyone's feathers.
 
So having recently had a problem with some "fanboys" in another forum being unwilling to listen to real issues, I can look at this with an open mind. Just because I love Busse/kin blades doesn't mean I think they are infallible. That being said, I like the way Busse does their edges. I'll admit that my first blade was a little disappointing because I thought all high end knives should be super sharp. Having moved past that, I now know that it's much easier to take material away than it is to put it back. Some customers won't want a super sharp edge. In fact some would argue that shaving sharp edges are only good for slicing paper. I got some kitchen knives professionally sharpened a while back. Those things couldn't slice a tomato no matter how hard I tried. I was surprised when my butter knives cut better. I think Busse likes to put wide edge angles on there so you can decide how you want it.

Every Busse I have received direct from factory had a paper cutting sharp edge. They don't look like they will cut paper, but they do.
 
^^ well said

I love the edges on all my Busse/Busse Kin knives. Better to take steel of yourself to your liking IMO -- but others prefer a shaving sharp edge from the factory. Everyone's opinion and preference should be respected and given fair shot at being heard. Additional quality control is always a good thing. Either way -- Cheers to the best blades in the world!!
 
You could always ask Busse to put a specific edge on a knife if you are ordering direct. I'm sure they would help you out.
 
There is no magical edge angle that will please everyone.

The bottom line is that "sharpness" is subjective.

A thread about sharpness is like a thread about color preference. For example, saying that the color blue in our G-10 handles is not blue enough for you, doesn't make what we offer any less blue. It may not be the shade of blue that you prefer, but it is, nonetheless, still blue. :eek:

We include a piece of sliced paper with every knife we ship to show that the knife you received is sharp enough to cut and slice paper. If it doesn't slice paper at the angle you prefer, then you can change that or we can change that for you. It will, nonetheless, slice paper just the way it is when you receive it. :thumbup:

You can return your knife and we'll do our best to accommodate you. However, if you know how to sharpen, then you are the ONLY one who should put your preferred final edge on your blade.

Let's Drink!:thumbup:

Jerry:D
 
Agreeing with above. Everyone has their own perception of how sharp a knife should be. I personally HATE all factory edges, even from Busse, and I prefer to sharpen and reprofile all my knives the way I LIKE. It makes it so I sharpen and touch up MY WAY in the field. That being said, it doesnt detract from the fact that I love Busse and kin knives -- they are the brand I will stick by and trust my life on.
 
Rob_Mob said:
I'm sorry fellow flustered Hogs,

I am a big fan of Busse and Busse kin knives. However, a forum member has respectfully posted that he has had several instances where he felt unsatisfied by the sharpness level of a knife that isn't cheap compared to other production line knives. Whether he knows how to sharpen or not makes no difference. It's a legitimate concern and he may or may not feel that posting on the forum will create a more widespread change that is in favor of all consumers. I think the discussion topic is fair. To the original poster I will say that fellow Hogs and Busse/Busse kin staff are concerned by the fact the their knives could suffer damage to their reputation, hence sticky post #6. However, if the Original Poster's intention is to get the masses to support and put more pressure in sharpness quality control -- then this is the right way to do it. Just my thoughts and of course since I appreciate everyone in the Busse family -- I hope I'm not ruffling anyone's feathers.
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That ^^

And sharpness IS subjective but when a knife won't cut anything cleanly it isn't sharp to anyone. Not saying this is the norm for Busses but at some point you can't just say "Well that knife that won't cut anything just isn't sharp enough for YOU".. (I've had sharp Busses and I've had dull ones but all of mine except 2 or so were second hand and the direct ordered ones were absolutely sharp.) On my last couple I didn't even check the edge because I knew I was going to change it anyway.
 
Rob_Mob said:
I'm sorry fellow flustered Hogs,

I am a big fan of Busse and Busse kin knives. However, a forum member has respectfully posted that he has had several instances where he felt unsatisfied by the sharpness level of a knife that isn't cheap compared to other production line knives. Whether he knows how to sharpen or not makes no difference. It's a legitimate concern and he may or may not feel that posting on the forum will create a more widespread change that is in favor of all consumers. I think the discussion topic is fair. To the original poster I will say that fellow Hogs and Busse/Busse kin staff are concerned by the fact the their knives could suffer damage to their reputation, hence sticky post #6. However, if the Original Poster's intention is to get the masses to support and put more pressure in sharpness quality control -- then this is the right way to do it. Just my thoughts and of course since I appreciate everyone in the Busse family -- I hope I'm not ruffling anyone's feathers.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your open minded response. I've said on my post that it was not my intention to bad mouth busse by starting this thread and it seemed that Insulted a few "fanboys", although I'm a busse fanboy myself.

I've emailed busse and kins customer service a few times and the response I got were all the same. "I'm sorry for the trouble. send it back and we will make it right for you". by doing that I have to spend another $30 just for shipping. (correct me if busse ships knives for free when you send it for a "spa" treatment) Rob_mod was right, I posted this to get the masses support and put "pressure in sharpness quality control" because CONTACTING busse alone does not help.

Jerry, I agree that "sharpness" is a subjective matter BUT if you guys produces knives that "rips" paper when you test the edge then IT IS NOT SHARP. you call that an "AXE". Busse does penetrant inspection and perfects the heat treat on steel. WHY can't they make a satisfying edge? when I purchased a knife a few months ago I clearly noted that I want a hair popping sharp edge and it was still ignored.

AS FOR THE FANBOYS THAT FELT INSULTED HERE (I APOLOGIZE), LET'S ACT LIKE GROWN MEN AND NOT MAKE IT SEEM LIKE A "BARK RIVER" FORUM STYLE WHERE THE POSTER IS BERATED AND IS ALWAYS WRONG.
 
knife chop said:
Thank you for your open minded response. I've said on my post that it was not my intention to bad mouth busse by starting this thread and it seemed that Insulted a few "fanboys", although I'm a busse fanboy myself.

I've emailed busse and kins customer service a few times and the response I got were all the same. "I'm sorry for the trouble. send it back and we will make it right for you". by doing that I have to spend another $30 just for shipping. (correct me if busse ships knives for free when you send it for a "spa" treatment) Rob_mod was right, I posted this to get the masses support and put "pressure in sharpness quality control" because CONTACTING busse alone does not help.

Jerry, I agree that "sharpness" is a subjective matter BUT if you guys produces knives that "rips" paper when you test the edge then IT IS NOT SHARP. you call that an "AXE". Busse does penetrant inspection and perfects the heat treat on steel. WHY can't they make a satisfying edge? when I purchased a knife a few months ago I clearly noted that I want a hair popping sharp edge and it was still ignored.

AS FOR THE FANBOYS THAT FELT INSULTED HERE (I APOLOGIZE), LET'S ACT LIKE GROWN MEN AND NOT MAKE IT SEEM LIKE A "BARK RIVER" FORUM STYLE WHERE THE POSTER IS BERATED AND IS ALWAYS WRONG.
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Did someone insult you here? I think you are expecting "fanboy" responses but I don't really see it. If you read what people have posted, you will see that many agree that Busse tends to have thicker edges. Nobody here has seen your knife so we aren't going to just assume it's as bad as you make it sound. Let's just calm down here and maybe keep this to one post. When you make multiple posts in multiple forums about the same topic, you don't exactly help your case.
 
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