Well my Satin Jack CG came in this weekend and I spend just about all Saturday inspecting it. Here are my first impressions....
Strong points:
When I first opened the box I was like, "This thing is THICK!" Since this is my first Busse (and my first 0.25" knife) you'll have to excuse my reaction.
The edge came razor sharp along its entire length. Asymmetrical grind executed perfectly. Although the knife is has the crinkle coat I expected it to be much more 'crinkled' but I am pleasantly surprised at its finish. The Busse Combat logo was cleanly and neatly pressed in the coating on the obverse side.
The spine and tang were very well polished (not coated) and the micarta scales fitted tight and flush against the tang all around. The handle scales and tang are also ground to exactly the same level, a plus for comfort. I used some q-tips and Simichrome polish to shine the brass tube fasteners (especially inside the tube) and now they gleam. Someone I think mentioned that the brass attracts too much attention, but I figure since the entire spine is polished I might as well make the rest of the knife look great!
The knife has a rearward balance, making it feel more manverable than a blade-heavy chopper. For fighting purposes the SJ can execute pretty quick cuts and change directions easily, but a thinner knife would be faster in hand. If nothing more than light chopping is required, the SJ's abilities really shine.
Some minor flaws:
The included sheath has its critics, and I feel that it could use some improvement. The inner liner, for instance, is a rolled sheet of kydex that overlaps on itself inside. Thus whenever I sheathe or draw the knife a streak of kydex is left on the blade. The retaining strap on this sheath is reversible (a nice touch) but really serves no purpose; the knife is just as easy to draw with or without it. It is also located close to the blade so it doesn't hold down the handle. Finally, the cordura that is folded over to make the belt loop doesn't line up with itself (a quality control issue).
I do like the slimness of the sheath; it complements the SJ well in this respect. The sheath also holds the blade securely with no rattles, so I suppose the kydex liner is doing its job. I would like to see the retaining strap tightened and moved to the back of the handle, or maybe have the kydex liner take advantage of the talon hole for retainment purposes.
The talon hole and lanyard hole at the ends of the handle do not have an even thickness of metal all around. Inside each hole are some jagged protrusions (I'm not sure if its metal or the coating, but it feels like metal) that could wear away at a lanyard cord. Also, on the talon hole the line where the coating ends and the polished tang begins is not straight.
As far as the handle goes, I like the general shape and size. I prefer a fatter handle for a chopping blade, but the SJ handle is great for more detailed work and for really getting your hand around it for control. The grooves and texture of the micarta really look good, too.
However, the micarta scales on the finger-side of the handle had rather sharp corners. I suspect that these were formed when the tang was ground flush with the scales. Unlike the back/palm side, which is nicely rounded, the corners on the finger-side are uncomfortable when I grip the handle tightly (it's like gripping the edge of a table). To fix this I filed the corners a little, just to round out the grip (barely removed any micarta at all). Feels great with those edges rounded. The micarta surface really absorbs your hand's sweat and oil and darkens with use, but a simple scrubbing with a sponge and some dishwashing detergent renews that great tan pattern.
I wish I could post some picts of what I'm talking about (sorry, no digital camera) but I don't think anything compares to the SJ picts that Gator97 has up! By the way Gator97, I'm eager to read your SJ CG review on your website now that it's finally arrived.
~SteelDriver
