Request for newbie primer and recommendations.

A

Ancient

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Jan 4, 2010
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In my recent search for a good bug-out survival knife, I have come across the name Busse. (Almost immediately, in fact.) A quick perusal of this site or the Internet in general reveals that they have a cult-like following and probably deserve it. Now, I don't buy many things, so when I buy, I like to save up and buy the perfect item, and if these Busse Combat knives are all they're cracked up to be, they might just be the ticket. Therefore:

1) How does Busse Combat work, as a business? I note they only have a couple of models on their website at any one time. I assume, then, that they make one or two runs at a time and then move on to a new model, and all previous models are to be found only in the secondary market. Is that correct? Any quick overview of how Mr. Busse produces knives and how one acquires the particular model one desires would be appreciated. If there's such a primer out there and I haven't found it, by all means link it.

2) I'm looking, as I said, for a survival knife. Tough, probably in the .20 to .25 inch thickness range. Not short, but not too long; six to seven inches of blade would be ideal, though I might go as long as eight, just because I'm a big guy with big hands and could still get some finesse out of it if it were properly designed. Finally, shaped for all the myriad tasks a survival knife must serve: a strong chopping/hacking edge, a refined tip for digging/drilling and whittling, and a tough pommel and back (all the way to the tip) for batoning. If the pommel can be used for striking and hammering, that's a bonus. What models exist which might fit this bill? If you have pictures, please post or link them.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.
 
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Welcome!
Choose your favorite Busse Model. They all work exceedingly well. :cool:
:D
 
You may want to look at an SFNO, NMSFNO, SAR8, and the SARSQUATCH.:cool:
I think you may just like the Bush Wacker Mistress though:)
 
Welcome to the Busse Forum. Glad you stopped by.

Be sure to look at the SFNO. You can't go wrong with any though
 
1) - You pretty much nailed it. A few knives are produced at a time, and after those runs they are only found on the secondary market. The exception to this is knife shows. Busse blades are sold at a handful of various shows, and at those shows, otherwise out of production knives can often be found. However, it's sort of a crap shoot, and you often go into the show having no idea what will be available until you walk up to the table.

2) There are many out there that fit your needs in a 6-8 inch blade. For a full summary of most of the models Busse has ever released, check out http://hogcult.com/chart Some of those are pretty rare, though, so be prepared to pay a hefty chunk of change if you want them.


Others will be able to offer more insight into the models they prefer, but I'll give you my thoughts on a few that I personally own...

SJTAC - A good quality woods knife for reasonable carry, with a 6" blade. It's not much of a chopper, but will chop in a pinch, and can be used to baton very easily. Good for smaller tasks as well as some pretty big jobs. It was available in a variety of thicknesses and grinds, so you might be able to tweak your preferences a bit. I love the TAC style handles, which are very comfortable and provide a nice secure grip. Here are two of mine, in different thicknesses with different grinds:

4153877337_6960f44cab.jpg


NMSFNO - A phenomenal 8" camp blade. Full convex grind, so it doesn't bind up when chopping, and a nice comfortable handle. If you can get one with the hand-shaped handles (instead of machined), it will be even more comfortable to chop with. This is an amazingly capable chopper for an 8" blade, and still reasonable to carry, if a bit heavy and long. Left hand knife in the picture below.

FSH A very very beefy chopper. Available in a variety of thicknesses and grinds - mine is a Heavy Heart thickness, but full flat grid, so not quite so heavy to carry. I like the full flat grind for batoning, but honestly this knife is thicker than I like to carry for extended hikes. If you want a pure tank, though, the FSH is a great choice for an 8" knife. Right hand knife in the picture. Some people love the Fusion handle style on this one, but I'm not a huge fan. It's very secure in the grip, but can tend to cause blisters on your pinky. It's good to wear gloves if you plan to use Fusion handles for an extended amount of time.

4044784508_3b9b99e907_o.jpg


Mr. Mojo A cool recurve that is a great vegetation slasher and batoning blade, but suffers in chopping. The saber ground MoFo version is a better chopper than the full flat ground version I have. The full flat ground Mojo is very light though, so it's a great choice to strap to a backpack, especially if you expect to have more machete type chores where a light and fast knife works well. Recurves can be tough to field sharpen, so keep that in mind. It has an 8.5 inch blade, but is lighter than many 8" Busse's. The ergo handles on this one are phenomenal - very comfortable.

3817751054_86ac4ed220.jpg


Lastly, you might want to consider the Bushwacker Battle Mistress, which is available right now, directly from Busse. It's longer than what you asked for, but nice and thin, so again a great slasher for machete tasks. However, since it's thin, you get a lot more length for the weight compared to a lot of the 8" knives, and with that length you gain great chopping ability, as well as all the other benefits of a longer blade.

Can it chop? You bet!

4193054991_3b0ed0ee2d.jpg





There are MANY, MANY more options out there, but those are some of the ones I liked best, which is the reason I bought and kept them.
 
Welcome to the Madness!

Nice first post with some great questions.

SOme great links have already been provided. You are correct in that Busse only produces whats on there website at a given time, but many other models can be had if you are willing to travel to the shows. THe next one will be spring Knob Creek and then Blade 2010 in Atlanta. Honestly, the exchange curreently holds the largest selection of Busse's Ive seen in sometime and most are real close to original cost or less depending on the knife in question.

I dont think you could find a better knife for your BOB:thumbup:
 
Here's the SFNO several folks have mentioned.

SFNOLE-2.jpg


And though it's a RAT (a Busse sister company), here is one of my absolute favorites that fits your description--the original Ratweiler.

RWstripped2.jpg
 
there is a link near the top of the busse subforum for many different knives that are available and they all are busse or bussekin--either swamprat or scrapyard.
very good selections ranging from new to used.

you are on the right track, once you obtain one, there will be no need for further explanation!! enjoy yourself!!!
 
Welcome! Researching for the perfect Busse can be a lot of fun. But above all, you can rest assured that you're in the right place. :D

I'd suggest two already mentioned, the NMSFNO and the Sarsquatch. :thumbup:
 
Wonderful responses so far. Follow-up question about the secondary market: how rare are unused knives there? I think if I spend this much on a knife, that I'd prefer it be in mint condition. Not because the used knives won't be still fully functional, but just for sentimental reasons. Let the scratches be my scratches, the memories be my memories.

Also, given that every one of these knives has a generous cut-out choil, I'm inclining toward the 7 and 8 inch blades, because I can make them KA-BAR length with a choked grip, and I know I can do tip work with a KA-BAR. I have done. Along those lines, someone above mentioned the SAR-8, and that's the only one to which I can't find reference except on Busse's website. Is that SAR-8 SE the only version of this knife? And if so, what do we know about it so far? It looks quite lovely, but I'd be curious to know how its performance differs from the more typical Busse designs (given the SAR-8's more slender profile and belly-free handle).

The only thing holding me back is that it would not be effective as a flight survival knife. Too long for the gear. Lord help me if I end up wanting more than one of these things.
 
You can buy a SAR8 right now from http://www.bussecompanystore.com

There were a bunch of different versions - the only real difference between most of them was the colors of the handles.

The two exceptions to that that I can think of were the original SAR8 LE version, which was numbered, and the Double Cut SE version, which was bead blasted for a nonreflective finish.
 
It's not at all unusual for the things available on the secondary market to be in mint condition. Probably most of them you'll see for sale on the exchange or on eBay will be mint or near mint.

As for the SAR-8, you can find it (and information about it) at the Company Store. It's a recent release, and so far they've ony been avaialble with the satin or double cut blade. If they ever release one with a coated blade and micarta handles, I'd expect it to be a couple hundred dollars cheaper than the current offering.

There hasn't been a whole lot written yet (or at least I haven't read much. There is a comparison thread here, but I haven't seen any field test reviews.
 
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ancient said:
lord help me if i end up wanting more than one of these things.
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Run away right now, before you empty your bank account and run up your credit cards. Once you inhale the INFI dust, you are DOOMED.

btw, Welcome to our little corner of BladeForums, and the best knife community on the web. Also, congratulations are in order, as yours was perhaps the best newbie post we have ever seen. You clearly had done your research and figured out Busse's business model.

Where do you live? It may be that a Busse fan is near you, and you could get a chance to handle some of the knives mentioned here.
 
Money no object, I still think the SHSH is the best all rounder.
It's my go to knife and without a doubt can handle anything and everything.

Here's a pic of "Precious"

SHSH9-25-08001.jpg
 
The Steel Heart and Natural Outlaw models have drawn my interest, as has the SAR-8. As I mentioned previously, the shape of the SAR-8 appeals to me aesthetically and seems like a finesse weapon, while still being robust enough for survival work. I only see the Special Editions on the Company Store website, though. If there's a version with a reduced visual profile (i.e. dark handle and coating), I've not been able to find it on the Internet yet. JohnTheTexcican's link to the comparison was very helpful. Thank you, sir.

Resinguy, thank you. I did read what I could find, on Busse's sites and in the stickies before posting here. I'm not much for Internet fora in general, but I wasn't sure, and also I wanted to hear from collectors regarding specific models. It's paid off so far, with three good models having already caught my eye.

My current location is Corpus Christi, TX, with a 300 mile travel restriction. If a proper knife show comes to Houston or San Antonio, I shall certainly check it out.

Also, what is meant by the phrase "double cut?"
 
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