Sorry if this has already been covered..

t1mpani

t1mpani

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Jun 6, 2002
Messages
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I am a 1st Lt. in the Army and will likely be heading over to Afghanistan pretty soon. I am looking at what knife to take, and have narrowed it down to Swamprat and the Combat Basic series. I know that this is the Busse forum and not Swamprat, but am just looking for an opinion. I hear that INFI is the superior steel, but the Combat Basic series uses "Modified INFI" and I'm curious as to how this stacks up with Mrs. Busse's new knives. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
W. Higgins
 
LT:

I've been an MP for 18+ years and the BEST Busse knife by a wide margin is the Steel Heart. It will get you through everything that you can expect and I suspect, several that you can't expect.

For a more budget model with similar, but not the same performance, get the Swamp Rat Camp Tramp. The sheath needs a little tweaking for our use, but it's a great buy. Excellent quality for the dollar.

I have both. The Steel Heart is for Battle use and the Camp Tramp is going with me on training this summer.

Bottom line: Buy the Steel Heart E.

I suspect if you call the shop, they'll rush you the SH E so that you'll have it in hand before you go.

Good Hunting!

Ed
 
First, thank you for your service to our great country. I wish you well in your efforts.

Next, ditto, do whatever you have to and get the Steel Heart. You won't regret it.

And yes, call the shop direct. You will be taken care of (I think active gets a bit knocked off the price also... ;) )

The number is 419-923-6471

Also, never worry about asking questions. The group is helpful, and will direct you to any recent discussions about anything you bring to the forum. The great thing about this group is that if they don't know the answer, their made up stuff really sounds good...:D :D
 
T1 I know I might get flamed for this but I disagree with the guys here,I would suggest either a SJ or a NO.Simply because I dont know if the extra weight of a chopper is warranted in a rocky arid enviroment.The SH is harder to conceal and larger on your pack or belt.The no lends itself to pry, dig,light chopping,concealability,etcc..All that being said I still like the satin Jack for an all around utility blade.If I were goin to a northern woods cold enviroment it would be the SH,or BM.In the desert a NO or a SJ.I will soon be taking my SJ to the jungle,but I will have a machete as well.You cant go wrong any way but I prefer the SJ as an all around utility,concealable blade.Just my .02.
 
t1mpani,
Welcome to the forums and Thank you for your service my thoughts and prayers will be with you.

As far as which knife, either the SH or the Swamp Rat CT will perform well for you.

On another note the Busse Basic line is now discontinued and somewhat difficult to find. If you can find one, you won't be disappointed with it. Although not equal in performance to the full Combat line it is still very good. :D

Keep in touch with us and let us know what you decide. :D:D
 
First of all, thanks to all of you for your help, thoughts, and making me feel very welcome.

Second: Curse you all for seducing me into going and looking at the Steel Heart and his brethren! Now I'm sitting here, figuring how long I'd have to live off of Cambell's soup and Kraft easy dinners if I click on the "Add to Shopping Cart" button!! :)

Seriously though, price is somewhat of a concern for me. I have a source (after HOURS of web-searching) that still has Combat Basics, and I can get a Basic #5 for $129.00 and a Basic #7 for $158.00. In short, I'd have both for the price of one Steel Heart. However, you guys definately have got me thinking, and I'll let you know what I decide.

Thanks again to everybody.
 
If your source for the basic 5 and 7 is the same one I found.
(Dirt Cheap)make sure you call and actually talk to a human.I don't believe that they really have any. You might also check the Good,Bad,Ugly discussion on Blade Forums.
Sorry to post a negative type response. But the prices look the same.
I tried them for weeks and couldn't get an an email response or a human on the phone. You might be better off not using your time on them.
 
Sorry LT, but John is right. Unless there is confirmation that they actually have one in stock (which is unlikely), you are not likely to get one. It would be rare, but not unheard of.

The only ones you will probably find are used or in a sports/pawn shop somewhere with someone who doesn't know what they have.

Listen to an old (jeesh!) NCO. Get the Steel Heart. You won't be disappointed. Darn near unbreakable. If money is an issue, get the Swamp Rat Camp Tramp. Nearly the same quality as the SH, and just as good of not better than the Basic line.

You can't really go wrong with either.

Also, If you want one of these right now, talk to someone at the shop. Give them a call on the phone. Most will bend over backwards to get the knife to you before you leave.

As I said before:

Good Hunting!

Ed
 
Good luck to you and your Men
Make sure you take enough camelbacks with you

With theese knives you can't make anything wrong. If you can spare the bucks, go after the combat line.
 
t1mpani
Welcome the the Busse forum. I agree with Marsupial, don't
overlook the Satin Jack. And I also want to thank you for your service to our country. Take care.
 
Welcome t1mpani,

If you can't find a Basic 7, definitely check out a Steel Heart:D
If you want something not quite as large though, the Satin Jack or Natural Outlaw may be better choices.

I would call the shop to see what kind of wait there is. Since your planning to deploy soon they probably tend to fill military orders first and you may luck out:cool:

(pick Jerry's brain a bit too;)) He's been pretty busy sending blades out to military personel and may have an idea what the blade preference may be.
 
For the budget, the Basic is best for what you want. The modified INFI will stand the torture tests just fine---you won't know the difference in the real world out here, and the grips are more appealing to some. The 5 or 7 would be all I would want over there.

Get in touch with Papathud---he's a softy for you boys in uniform.
Just don't tell him I told you so.

Bless you and all the ones either there or going.
 
First of all thanks for your service to our country!

I would raise another issue, your're getting lots of good suggestions on the various sizes and models. I think an important difference between the basic or swamp rat knives versus the busse CG models like the NO, SJ and SH is the exposed metal(INFI obviously) in the CG models. Without gloves in extreme hot or cold that exposed metal in the tang will contact your hand and affect your grip whereas the basic/SWKW Res-C handles have no exposed metal and the Res-C will not be affected by temp at all (or anything else for that matter!)

Finally, I would comment that the 2 active military guys that I know of who are active on the Busse forums (Nick and Edward B) Nick seems to be a fan of the NO-E and Edward B a fan of the SH.

Honestly, Let your needs for weight, blade length and style guide your choice of model and whether you chose a basic a swamp rat a NO, SJ, or a SH It will not fail when you need it!!! It will do what you ask of it and sharpen easily and if you ever don't need it anymore, you can sell it for darn close to what you paid for it and there's probably a 50/50 chance that you'll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it down the road. You're greatest worry with it should really be LOOSING IT!

Good luck and God's speed to you!
 
the Res-C handles of the Basic series would serve you best as they will not slip with blood, guts, muck, slime, grease or anything else on them or on your hands
 
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