PLSK1 or Busse TGLB?

J

Joseph_56

Joined
Dec 7, 2014
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9
I'm in the market for a new "survival" knife. Right now I have the Schrade SCHF26 and I like it but I want to get a better, more reliable knife. I have always liked the Pathfinder knife but the busse looks good too. So please help me out!
 
Well, those are two different knives. I have both, and I would give the definite nod to the Busse as the better overall purchase; in fact, I've seen comment that the Pathfinder is priced a bit high for the steel used (obviously an individual assessment).

Having said that, consider your purpose as well as your preferences. The Pathfinder is scandi, the Busse is hollow. The Pathfinder is more "bushcrafty" and will probably be easier to do finer work, the Busse will be more durable and handle the harder work better.

If by "survival" you mean good, all purpose, stake-your-life-on-it blade, then I would advise the Busse. If you want more of a woods knife, consider getting the PLSK1.
 
TGLB is not hollow grind, it's saber (or V, or whatever it's called)
 
A.L. said:
Really? It doesn't feel hollow to me. :confused:
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It's a large diameter hollow, what they call "shallow hollow".

http://www.bussecombat.com/team-gemini-lb/

On the primary bevel we employ an extremely large diameter (42") shallow hollow grind . This ensures a much lighter blade while allowing for a wicked sharp edge. This large diameter also greatly decreases the tendency that smaller diameter hollow grinds have of binding in wood when chopping.
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Thanks for the advice. The plsk1 is marketed as a one tool option but from I've read on the busse is a tank and will take anything I throw at it. What's your personal experience with the busse in the woods? I realize the plsk1 is more for bushcraft but can the busse do finer task like that as well?
 
Joseph_56 said:
Thanks for the advice. The plsk1 is marketed as a one tool option but from I've read on the busse is a tank and will take anything I throw at it. What's your personal experience with the busse in the woods? I realize the plsk1 is more for bushcraft but can the busse do finer task like that as well?
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TGLB is not the most optimal knife for bush. I would say it's more like SHTF knife for overall survival (?). It does work in the woods if you have nothing else but it's bit cumbersome to use. It's not nimble for fine cutting and not big enough to be great chopper.

I personally narrowed the grind a little and convexed the knife to get more power for chopping and whittling. I also added lanyard that I can use to extend the handle to give more power for chopping. Much better now!

Don't get me wrong, I love TGLB! It's bit more like military knife for hard use than bushcrafting/woodsbumming knife. It really depends what you want I guess. But when you get the knife in your hands, you definitely have that DAYMN -moment you know what I'm saying? :D

edit: and to add to that, if I don't know what else to pick for outdoorsy activity, I pick my Busse for sure. It's helluva fun knife to have! I definitely pick TGLB if I need to go deep somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
 
A.L. said:
TGLB is not the most optimal knife for bush. I would say it's more like SHTF knife for overall survival (?). It does work in the woods if you have nothing else but it's bit cumbersome to use. It's not nimble for fine cutting and not big enough to be great chopper.

I personally narrowed the grind a little and convexed the knife to get more power for chopping and whittling. I also added lanyard that I can use to extend the handle to give more power for chopping. Much better now!

Don't get me wrong, I love TGLB! It's bit more like military knife for hard use than bushcrafting/woodsbumming knife. It really depends what you want I guess. But when you get the knife in your hands, you definitely have that DAYMN -moment you know what I'm saying? :D

edit: and to add to that, if I don't know what else to pick for outdoorsy activity, I pick my Busse for sure. It's helluva fun knife to have! I definitely pick TGLB if I need to go deep somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
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I agree with A.L. If I chose to take my TGLB into the woods, I would have a small companion knife for the finer chores. If I chose my PLSK1, I'd be comfortable with just that.....but that's just for woodsbumming; and as a side note, I wouldn't choose my PLSK1 to do any chopping....the length and forward weight just aren't there.

If I was going into any kind of extreme situation, I'd want the TGLB. You can do small chores, it would just be a little more awkward. But that's a good, tough, dependable all-around knife.

As to your purchase decision, consider this: the price difference is less than $100. For that extra, you get a proprietary steel that has been called one of the best all-around cutlery steels for the compromise between all of the desired traits. You also get a knife that has proven to hold resale value; and you can still get it from Busse Combat at their price. I am not knocking the PLSK1; I'm just saying that it is less unique than the Busse. Consider that along with your use requirements.
 
I suggest you take the Schrade SCHF26 out and use it , What do you do? What do you need your knife to do? The more you know about what you need from a blade & what you like the better you can make a more informed decision.
Also take a look at Becker knives.
 
I need my knife to be able to baton wood and do some finer things but not really fine tasks like intricate traps and such, (I carry a CRKT SPEW for those chores.) I like the idea of bushcraft but when I go out and practice my skills, it's more for SHTF scenarios like if I'm hiking and take a bad fall and have to wait for help or effect a self rescue. I'm not going to worry about be ling all primitive with my bow drill and natural tinder. I'll use what I have put in my pack and on my person for emergency situations so I want/need a tank of a knife that I can stake my life on of needed. And I don't want to let $100 come between something I can use for more than just bushcraft.
 
Bk10, all day every day. ( not that I EDC my 10) But it would do what you are asking.
 
LG&M is right. If you are not already set on one of the two in your OP, you would be well-served - possibly for under $100....period - by a similar sized knife from any one of several companies: Becker, ESEE, Swamp Rat, Scrapyard (Swamp Rat and Scrapyard are Busse companies), Tops, Bark River, etc. You won't see too much of a performance difference in standard use, only in the extreme uses.
 
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