OK, here's my pitch. I've no interest in promoting Busse knives (or anything for that matter) for any other reason than they deserve it.
When I first started looking to get myself a new field knife, I decided I wanted one tough enough to handle anything I threw at it, or it at, in the woods. I have fine motor control issues and thus sometimes am, effectively, careless with my tools. I've been using knives since I was a little kid, btw, for about 40 years now.
As well as simply being exceptionally tough, the knife had to answer all the usual things we look for in a good knife.
Another issue I have is that I rarely find knife handles fit my hand. I must be odd, but seriously I have rarely held a knife that really felt just right.
In my search I have been through lots of other knives: Bark River, Fehrman, Fallkniven, Buck, Gerber, Al Mar, a few hand-made knives, etc. Most of them very good knives indeed, and I would happily take them out with me and, in the main, expect them to be reliable if treated properly. But all of them were lacking
something. Maybe they worked for me in one grip style but not another, or rusted a little too quickly in our wet English weather, or chipped if I hit a rock (or just worried me that they might), whatever.
I came across bladeforums and then this forum in my searches. At first, while I sort of liked what I was reading about the knives, I was very sceptical too. What was being said just seemed to far-fetched, almost like everyone had a vested interested in promoting the knives. It really put me off for a while, honestly. But, like you said, I rarely heard a bad word about the knives other than things like "they are too expensive" or "do you really need to hammer your knife through a wall?". Eventually I started to take a close look and decided maybe it wasn't all hype and, if for no other reason than to eliminate them, I should try one.
At the same point intime I was also lucky to be able to try out some knives from Fehrman and Fallkniven, amongst others that weren't quite up to that mark. Nice knives, but as I said earlier, not quite there for me.
Then I found what was to become my perfect knife: an original Busse HHFSH (Heavy Heart variant (a bit thicker) of the Fusion Steel Heart) with magnum-sized micarta grips, sold on a British forum.
As soon as I picked that knife up out of the parcel, my hand locked onto the fusion handle as if they were made for each other. I tried a range of grips from chocked-up-close to the edge using the choil, to gripping right at the tail for maximum chopping length. Every grip was secure and comfortable. I have never held a knife before or since that fit my hand so well.
I have since found other Busse knives with different handle styles fit similarly well in their way, for instance the ASH-1 LE feels perfect too in the grips that you would use with a knife that size. Funny thing there, I really didn't think I would like the grip on the ASH-1 when I saw the design, and only really bought it to look at and then probably move on. That changed the moment I got hold of it and it's one of my favourites now. Not all the Busse handles I have tried quite work for me that well, but most are as close or closer to a perfect fit as any other brand I have tried.
The balance of the HHFSH seemed about perfect too. Just forward enough to be a great chopper, but not so far as to inhibit fine work with a choked-up grip. That's another thing I have found about most Busses knives I have handled. The only exception to this is some of the smaller knives with G10 handles which seem a little too handle-heavy to me at times. Otherwise, they are balanced just right for their intended tasks. Not rocket science I know and something any good knife should exhibit, but it still needs to be said. Busse knives are well designed.
So, I can hold it. What next?
I was used to good steels; VG-10 and SGPS in Fallknivens, A2, CPM-3V etc. Infi didn't disappoint and I have come to prefer it. It is easier to sharpen than many, holds its edge almost as well as the harder steels and, unlike most steels out there, really responds well to being steeled to bring the edge back to life, without suffering metal fatigue too quickly.
I once bought a used (as new, perfect condition
) Hell Razor that looked like the previous owner had been chopping piano wire with it. It had several well-defined half-round notches in the edge. On close inspection, I realised the steel was still there, just displaced to the sides. I steeled the edge on a hardened screwdriver shaft for a while, and eventually got the edge looking almost as good as new. A few minutes on a stone finished it off and really, you couldn't tell now that it had been so damaged. The edge has stood up to use and further sharpening since, with no lasting effect from the notches or steeling.
That says two things about it: One, it takes damage by deforming instead of chipping; two, it can be repaired without resorting to grinding away too much metal. Despite that malleability, the edge does not tend to roll any more in normal use than other steels such as well-tempered A2 or O1. So it's a win-win situation.
Busse knives do tend to come with quite obtuse edges. I always re-profile them a little thinner, and often convex. Infi is quite easy to work by hand I find, no harder than A2 for instance. I generally take my edges to a mirror polish on diamond lapping film when I'm in the mood and infi responds well to this too. I can push-cut newspaper and just about whittle hairs on all my infi blades. So it sharpens nicely and, as I already mentioned, it keeps that edge very well.
On one trip I did to the Brecon Beacons, I got a little drunk at night and tried battoning my HHFSH through a big log. I didn't realise I was also going through the big, hard sandstone rock that the log was leaning against. Wondering why the knife had stopped moving, I just hit it harder and harder until the rock actually cracked and I noticed it. Now that did some damage.
The knife had been used for several days chopping hard firewood, enough to keep a large fire going for six of us for three days continually. I was deliberately testing it out on that trip. At the start, the knife was hair-popping sharp. At the end, it would still clean-shave arm hairs with no drag, apart from the damaged part.
The damaged part was sort of mushed, about 3/8" long and 1/16"+ deep into the edge. I tried steeling that out (at home) but it was too much and I think some of the edge had torn off too, so I was missing steel. Note: not chipped, deformed and slightly torn. Much easier to fix. Given that I had hammered the (thinned-out) edge into hard sandstone I was really surprised at the lack of damage. My big Fallkniven would likely have been ruined by that with the edge totally chipped out. Overall it took about an hour of steeling and some grinding to get the edge back. I can't even tell exactly where the damage was any more on the blade. I'm looking at it right now!
So, tough enough to survive a drunken, clumsy idiot.
My sweat is highly corrosive. I've had arguments with people before who refuse to believe that the spines on my A2 knives rust when I hold them - "A2 doesn't rust!". Believe me, it rusts (not just discolours), within days! O1 rusts within minutes of me touching it. I can leave verdigris fingerprints on brass/copper just by a moment's touch and cannot use any knives that use such materials on the bolsters etc. Plus it's always wet here and I'm not the most scrupulous when it comes to keeping my kit clean. I try, but...
Infi is almost stainless. In all the years I have now been using infi, including satin finished blades, I have only ever seen the occasional tiny spot of corrosion. That has always practically wiped off with a cloth. I do not generally keep the blades oiled or anything like that.
Then, there's the resale value. Not so clever outside the USA if you've had to pay about 25% more for the knives to get them here, but even so I can generally get most of my money back even on a used blade.
Finally there is the simple good looks of the knives. Obviously a purely personal issue, but I really like the way most Busse knives look from both practical and aesthetic viewpoints. I like many others too, of course.
I couldn't care less about prestige, 'hey, I've got a Busse', 'my knife's better than yours', or anything like that. I am enthusiastic about these things if asked though, don't mistake that for any form of boasting. I only care about what I like and what works for me; I wish that was a knife that cost $20, but it isn't. I've never had much money to spend really, but I have few other vices and will spend money where I feel it is appropriate and save it elsewhere. It is appropriate here.
In conclusion (finally, I hear you shout) the Busse knives I have quite simply tick every box for me, except the "I wish it only cost $20" box. We can't have everything.
