RAT vs. Busse?

I've only had one Busse due to the cost, but the several RAT's I've had are great. theonew's summery is pretty good there. I will add that I found the linen micarta handles more comfortable and grippy then the Busse.
 
ipm said:
This may be a point to cause argument but...

If a rugged knife for camp/bush use was needed, would you recommend a Busse or a RAT Cutlery to someone who only wants one of the two and not both?

Is one manufacturer preferred, and which specific model?

What is the reason for your choice?

Both seem to be great knives.
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Busse, hands down! Tougher, holds an edge for much longer and it is way less prone to rusting.
 
Day and night, if it were me I would get a RAT (which I have), but then again I cant afford a Busse either
 
I was much happier just getting online and outright buying my RAT's.
 
I like my o busse and I love my rats. I think they are just totally different. For me the rats are great users because I find busse to be just too big and chunky for hiking. They are heavy and overall large. They are build like tanks but carry like one too. There are some smaller busse knives but I don't like theeir designs much.

Rats carry well and function well. For the price you cant go wrong. But busse are just something special. If you hold one youll know what I mean. Kind of like a chris reeve I guess (at least to me)
 
Ken44 said:
For instance at this years Blade show I got a 6" bladed busse in Satin with hand shaped BP for $283 with tax.
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Besides, after using the heck out of it for a year or two, you'll be able to resell it for at least $300...Total cost of ownership: -$17 :eek: A RC6, OTOH, should cost you ~$110, you use the heck out of it for a year or two, and resell it for close to the same amount. Although the Busse required a "larger" investment, usage cost is not more than another brand.

Sure, this is ONE way to look at it; at the end, it's your money...do what you want :thumbup:
 
Both companies make a great knife for the money.

That said, one of the big factors for me is availability.

If I wanted a 3" to 4" fixed blade, here is how it would pan out:

Busse:

Check to see what Busse has available - most likely nothing at the moment, but when something does come up you better be there at the time of release or you'll miss out. You can also end up waiting a while for a upcoming knife to be released

Check online knife distributors - again, most likely out of luck.

Check online knife forums - Here you are in luck, but you may have to compromise on features you want - scale material, color, etc. Also expect to pay more than what they initially sold for.

RAT:

Check to see what RAT has available - Quite a bit.

Check online knife distributors - Again, quite a bit.

Check online forums - Once again quite a bit, and you can even expect to pay a bit less than new.


Not bashing BUSSE/Swamprat/Scrapyard, it's just frustrating. At BLADE 06 I handled the Swamprat Bandicoot LM and really liked it. I was told they'd hopefully have it out by that Fall. 3 years later & it has still not been released. I did manage to grab a Chopweiler at BLADE 08, but my smaller (3"-4") blades see more use.
 
Halfneck summed it up pretty well. If you want a knife to use in the next week, better order a RAT. It'll come with a sheath, too - not just a list of sheath makers.

I do like the looks of many of the Busses my friend Mike has shown me. With my myriad of knife, and other, interests, I find my few denaros better spent on something like my RC-5, allowing the difference between it and an ASH, as an example, going for a Bark River and/or Benchmade, etc. To be perfectly honest, I don't need to filet a Fleetwood. Heck, years ago - before I was 'enlightened' - I thought a KaBar was a great camping knife! I sometimes had my Plumb 'camp hatchet' for splitting/chopping chores. I guess it's that perceptual need.

I have succumbed to the suggestions/enfluence of others... on occasion. A gun-friend suggested I needed more than a mere revolver collection for protecting my abode. My surrender to that line of thought resulted in quite a few moonclipped rounds being kept 'ready'. I try to have backup food, etc, too - survivalist's suggestions. I do like the Busses - but the RC-5 was my concession - for now.

Stainz
 
I have Busses and Rats. They are both great companies that make great knives. Buy one and use it. If you don't like it sell it on the exchange!
 
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I use mine. I just chopped through a nail with my Ash the other day. With a little work it's back to normal again.

To the point though, You are comparing a knife that costs maybe 100 - 200 to knives that run 300-600 on average.

It depends on if you're on a budget or not. If you were, I'm sure Rat is a great knife. If you have the money and want to buy a busse they are excellent knives as well. Personal preference man.
 
RAT (imo) has the best valued FB outdoor knives on the market.

You get an excellent knife AND the best warranty out there :)

As long as you are factoring price, RAT wins hands down.
 
wintermute said:
I think the biggest factor in this decision for most people IS the cost. Yes, we're all knifeknuts here, but knifeknuts of different means. I don't think anyone who's going to chime in on this discussion is going to lambast either knife. They're both awesome. Once you realize that, the question is how much are you willing and able to pay for awesomeness?

One smaller factor that hasn't been brought up is sheathing...RATs are marketed as a system - their sheaths, and the versatility of those sheaths are part of what makes RATs work. Busses - there's plenty of great sheathing options out there, but at an added cost.
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"There is no charge for awesomeness.....or attractiveness"
(Po, the Kung-Fu panda)
 
For me, the differences are mostly mental. Both companies and their products appear outstanding, and I don't think that 99% of the chaps on this board would give a free Busse or RAT back after using it ;). Personally, I seem to have a mental block against putting a $400-500 knife through torture. On the other hand, I have no problem working my RC-6 out hard, and absolutely no reservations carrying my RC-3 in my truck daily.

I think that Rat Cutlery's business model leans more on the side of practicality and "keeping it simple". Busse goes for the extreme of awesomeness. Both have appeal and very loyal customers, so who is to say which is better? Not me.
 
dericdesmond said:
Not if you go to their company store to buy new, they always sell out to fast!!!! Thank god for the BF exchange.
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I agree, thank god for the BF exchange:thumbup:

Some say there hard to find, but you can find many at or below cost right here in BF exchange. I've sold plenty there myself and have sold most all at Busse cost or a bit less. Its a great place to find a good deal on a Busse!
 
If your between those two you may want to take a look at Fehrman knives. I just ordered one, and they split the difference price wise between Busse and Rat. I haven't got mine yet but from what I understand they are in about the same league as Busse and cost a lot less. You can also order whatever model you want at any given time with busse they only make one knife at a time now. So if it's not what you want you can wait god knows how long or buy one for more than its worth on the secondary market.

Fehrman knives,
http://www.fehrmanknives.com/index.htm
 
A lot of the Busse knives really aren't practical, but they are well made. But, the more I think about it, the more the RATs appeal to me. Honestly, they are every bit as nice as the Busse and kin lines and are much less expensive.

If people got out there and used there knives they would be really happy with how even the much cheaper knives out there perform(kabar, buck, camillus and on and on). Dare I say you couldn't tell the difference....
 
buy both. keep the one you like. sell the one you don't. or you may be asking yourself, would of, should of, could of....!!!
 
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imaginefj said:
A lot of the Busse knives really aren't practical, but they are well made. But, the more I think about it, the more the RATs appeal to me. Honestly, they are every bit as nice as the Busse and kin lines and are much less expensive.

If people got out there and used there knives they would be really happy with how even the much cheaper knives out there perform(kabar, buck, camillus and on and on). Dare I say you couldn't tell the difference....
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Couldn't have said that any better myself...way to go:cool:
 
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