Weve seen a number of reviews of the Battle Mistress from Busse Combat, and I wont pretend to have the patience to slice 2000 pieces of 1 hemp rope, or limb eighteen identical pine trees with the Battle Mistress and two other knives in order to get a comparative picture. Rather, Id like to focus on the design and general attributes of the knife. Before I start, I should mention that I purchased this knife used, in new condition. So this is not a factory fresh knife, but I believe it is the closest thing to it.
First, description. The knife as a whole is 15 long, 5+ of handle, 9 of blade, and a little less than an inch of unground ricasso between the end of the handle slabs and the beginning of the edge grind. There is a small choil. The blade is a drop point, with a straight edge up to the last few inches, coated in black. The handle is a full tang affair, with micarta handle slabs. The micarta is described as black, but actually looks more gray-green to me when dry, darkening when wet. The oft-mentioned E-handle starts out like a regular straight handle, and has a dropped butt, rather than being bent directly at the blade-handle juncture like a khukuri. Fit and finish overall is very good, with edge grinds starting perfectly even, and only one or two minor grinds that show less than perfect symmetry. This is nit-picking, and I honestly think that the grinds are exceptional for any knife, let alone a large user of this sort.
The handle fits my hand very nicely. I have large palms, short fingers, and a decent set of calluses. I find it quite comfortable to hold for extended periods in either hammer grip for chopping or saber grip for whittling/slicing. I havent done much difficult extended work with this knife, but I have had no problems with hot spots or blistering. The texture of the micarta, combined with the front and rear talon holes make for a very secure grip, even with cold wet hands. The choil is nice for finer work, but if your fingers are any fatter than mine you will find it impossible to use without slicing them open on the beginning of the edge grind, and forget trying to use it while wearing gloves. A larger choil would be good, as long as edge length wasnt sacrificed. Id also like to see a little more contouring inwards of the micarta towards the front of the handle where the inside of the thumb rests. I think that this would provide for a slightly more natural, comfortable grip.
The general shape of the blade is more for heavy utility than anything else. The drop point provides good tip-strength, though it reduces penetration. Compared to the Spyderco Gunting, the Battle Mistress exhibits almost the exact opposite behavior in stabbing. I took a card-board box and stabbed it with both knives. The Gunting simply slid in up to the ramp, while the Battle Mistress penetrated a little over an inch before knocking the box forward. The blade came extremely sharp, with the hybrid edge that is standard on all Busses now. I notice that the convex edge is much wider than the flat ground portion, and that the portion of the edge closest to the handle is substantially sharper than the portion of edge closest the point. The first few inches of the blade will literally scare hair off of my arm, while the rest of the blade will shave only with a little bit of persuasion. I havent had to really sharpen the blade yet, but touching up the flat edge bevel proved simple with a Spyderco Profile. I havent touched the convex side yet. I guess Ill have to buy a strop. Poor me, more knife sharpening equipment.
Im not sure if the difference in sharpening along the length of the blade is deliberate or not. The general cutting geometry of the edge is excellent, and gives the knife very good penetration while chopping. I would say it is roughly comparable to, or slightly better than, the Cold Steel LTC Kukri, praise of Battle Mistress given that the kukri is three inches longer, with a design dedicated to chopping. The Battle Mistress is also much more durable in regard to prying, with its thicker stock and stronger steel. I have no trouble flexing the Cold Steel knife when it is stuck in a pine tree or between two boards, while I have yet to notice flex in the Battle Mistress, despite the fact that I have purposely done some rough twisting it out of chops. The balance point on the blade is just slightly behind the choil, making the knife feel surprisingly light and maneuverable for such a large blade. Given the knifes purpose I wouldnt mind the balance point moving forward an inch, as this would make it a slightly better chopper, while sacrificing little in the way of handling or general utility. In terms of hacking stuff up just for fun, I was able to cut in half a single sheet of newspaper rolled into a tight tube with a single downward slash, cut a sheet of printer paper in half in mid-air with a single swipe, and demolish a card-board box that viciously attacked me. I think this is pretty impressive performance from a knife that is not a dedicated fighter, and I attribute it to the very sharp edge and the full flat grind.
The sheath that comes with the knife from the factory is functional. It is a rectangle of olive-drab nylon, with a kydex insert that holds the knife ambidextrously. The knife is held in by a nylon strap with button. While this sheath is acceptable, I dont think it is fitting for a knife of the Battle Mistress quality, especially at its price point. The snap-strap doesnt fit the knife particularly well, and the kydex insert has a narrow top, requiring practice to fit the knife in on the first try. I also dont find that it wears very comfortably on my belt. However, the knife came to me used, with another carry option, and I also purchased yet a third sheath. These are a blade-o-leer, and a Kenny Rowe leather sheath. The blade-o-leer proves a nice way to carry the blade when you want ready access and dont need to add anything else to your belt. I carried the knife several times snow shoeing in this sheath, and it worked well for me. The Kenny Rowe sheath is made from heavy duty black leather, and holds the knife securely on ones belt. No fancy multi-carry or any of that, just a well-made, high-quality old-fashioned sheath. Im pleased with it as well, and I believe that that is how I will primarily carry the knife this summer. Were I to buy the knife new, I would rather pay an extra fifteen dollars for one of these sheaths, or a multi-carry kydex one of similar quality, than the stock one.
These are, of course, only my opinions, and I look forward to being able to use the knife more extensively once the snow is gone from the ground and get a better impression of the edge-holding and strength of the INFI steel, and other attributes of the blade. I welcome any polite feedback either here or via email.
First, description. The knife as a whole is 15 long, 5+ of handle, 9 of blade, and a little less than an inch of unground ricasso between the end of the handle slabs and the beginning of the edge grind. There is a small choil. The blade is a drop point, with a straight edge up to the last few inches, coated in black. The handle is a full tang affair, with micarta handle slabs. The micarta is described as black, but actually looks more gray-green to me when dry, darkening when wet. The oft-mentioned E-handle starts out like a regular straight handle, and has a dropped butt, rather than being bent directly at the blade-handle juncture like a khukuri. Fit and finish overall is very good, with edge grinds starting perfectly even, and only one or two minor grinds that show less than perfect symmetry. This is nit-picking, and I honestly think that the grinds are exceptional for any knife, let alone a large user of this sort.
The handle fits my hand very nicely. I have large palms, short fingers, and a decent set of calluses. I find it quite comfortable to hold for extended periods in either hammer grip for chopping or saber grip for whittling/slicing. I havent done much difficult extended work with this knife, but I have had no problems with hot spots or blistering. The texture of the micarta, combined with the front and rear talon holes make for a very secure grip, even with cold wet hands. The choil is nice for finer work, but if your fingers are any fatter than mine you will find it impossible to use without slicing them open on the beginning of the edge grind, and forget trying to use it while wearing gloves. A larger choil would be good, as long as edge length wasnt sacrificed. Id also like to see a little more contouring inwards of the micarta towards the front of the handle where the inside of the thumb rests. I think that this would provide for a slightly more natural, comfortable grip.
The general shape of the blade is more for heavy utility than anything else. The drop point provides good tip-strength, though it reduces penetration. Compared to the Spyderco Gunting, the Battle Mistress exhibits almost the exact opposite behavior in stabbing. I took a card-board box and stabbed it with both knives. The Gunting simply slid in up to the ramp, while the Battle Mistress penetrated a little over an inch before knocking the box forward. The blade came extremely sharp, with the hybrid edge that is standard on all Busses now. I notice that the convex edge is much wider than the flat ground portion, and that the portion of the edge closest to the handle is substantially sharper than the portion of edge closest the point. The first few inches of the blade will literally scare hair off of my arm, while the rest of the blade will shave only with a little bit of persuasion. I havent had to really sharpen the blade yet, but touching up the flat edge bevel proved simple with a Spyderco Profile. I havent touched the convex side yet. I guess Ill have to buy a strop. Poor me, more knife sharpening equipment.
The sheath that comes with the knife from the factory is functional. It is a rectangle of olive-drab nylon, with a kydex insert that holds the knife ambidextrously. The knife is held in by a nylon strap with button. While this sheath is acceptable, I dont think it is fitting for a knife of the Battle Mistress quality, especially at its price point. The snap-strap doesnt fit the knife particularly well, and the kydex insert has a narrow top, requiring practice to fit the knife in on the first try. I also dont find that it wears very comfortably on my belt. However, the knife came to me used, with another carry option, and I also purchased yet a third sheath. These are a blade-o-leer, and a Kenny Rowe leather sheath. The blade-o-leer proves a nice way to carry the blade when you want ready access and dont need to add anything else to your belt. I carried the knife several times snow shoeing in this sheath, and it worked well for me. The Kenny Rowe sheath is made from heavy duty black leather, and holds the knife securely on ones belt. No fancy multi-carry or any of that, just a well-made, high-quality old-fashioned sheath. Im pleased with it as well, and I believe that that is how I will primarily carry the knife this summer. Were I to buy the knife new, I would rather pay an extra fifteen dollars for one of these sheaths, or a multi-carry kydex one of similar quality, than the stock one.
These are, of course, only my opinions, and I look forward to being able to use the knife more extensively once the snow is gone from the ground and get a better impression of the edge-holding and strength of the INFI steel, and other attributes of the blade. I welcome any polite feedback either here or via email.
