Super survival knife!!!

(1) I think we can all agree that skills are first and foremost.

(2) Secondly I prefer a "high quality" knife over a "decent buy for the $" knife. But that is just me. Are high quality knives required for survival? Nope. As has been pointed out already, people have been surviving for a long time with less.

(3) And I think "how you use a knife" is a big factor. If you plan on only slicing/cutting with your knife, which is perfectly fine, then a "mega knife" isn't what you need. Perhaps you have an axe for the heavier work. I love Gransfors Bruks my self. But some of us like to have a knife that cuts well, and chops, batons, prys, etc... And I think that is okay as well.

(4) And please try to understand that if someone asks for knife suggestions that people will offer up brands that they are familiar with and that have worked for them.Every time. So of course I am going to offer up brands such as Busse when such a questions is posed. Every time. Not because Busse knives are the only and the best but because they are what work for me. I have to go with what I know and love learing from other people's suggestions as well.

There are tons of awesome knives out there at many price levels. Busse knives are but one.

:)
 
I will add to what I said above and say that if you are looking for an inexpensive hollow handle the bushman IS a good choice. And yes I completely forgot all about it!
Do I think that it is as good as my F1 or Chopweiler? Not necessarily but that doesn't mean that it isn't a good knife for what it can do.
 
TLR said:
I will add to what I said above and say that if you are looking for an inexpensive hollow handle the bushman IS a good choice. And yes I completely forgot all about it!
Do I think that it is as good as my F1 or Chopweiler? Not necessarily but that doesn't mean that it isn't a good knife for what it can do.
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Is the Bushman a Cold Steel product? Is that the one rated pretty darn tough on Noss4's test? If it is that sounds like a good choice.
 
Since everyone predating modern knives is dead, it's safe to say they didn't survive :D :p

If only they had Busse knives, we would be inundated with 200 year old mountain men. . .
 
Tyrkon Lawson said:
Is the Bushman a Cold Steel product? Is that the one rated pretty darn tough on Noss4's test? If it is that sounds like a good choice.
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Yes it is a Cold Steel product and yes it is the one on the videos. Honestly it is a pretty tough knife for what it is. I also like how versatile it is. It's hollow handle is designed to be easily put into a shaft. It is simple to make a spear shaft or a longer handle to be used for protection/hunting or higher leverage for chopping power.

Not as indestructible as many other knives but still pretty good for what it is and for it's price.

In my opinion it's one of the best knives ever sold by Cold Steel.
 
TLR said:
Yes it is a Cold Steel product and yes it is the one on the videos. Honestly it is a pretty tough knife for what it is. I also like how versatile it is. It's hollow handle is designed to be easily put into a shaft. It is simple to make a spear shaft or a longer handle to be used for protection/hunting or higher leverage for chopping power.

Not as indestructible as many other knives but still pretty good for what it is and for it's price.

In my opinion it's one of the best knives ever sold by Cold Steel.
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Well it sure took one hell of a beating from Noss4! :eek: Pretty impressive IMO. Especially for the $$$.
 
im neither a specialist in survival, woodcraft or knives, im more of a noob. i try to inform myself.

chopping is a lot more dangerous and less controlable then sawing. and definately alot more tiring and exhausting, means need more food and you get sweaty, which is not good in cold environment.
offcourse cant clear a trail with a saw, but a reasonably sized campknife can do the trick. if you cant go through it, go around it, loose time but save energy. i still think choppers are for clearing a trail and saws (ok, and axes) are for cutting wood.

and as far as the expensive tank knives go : you dont need anything of the things stated in the sales pitch.
however : you can put half a pint of beer in a pint glass, but not a pint of beer in a half pint glass.
so if you have the money to spend, go ahead : support the economy.

a big chopper CAN! get you wood fast, but doesnt get you fire, that takes skill as does surviving. and as for getting wood to burn faster... dont you normally just pick that up from the ground rather then chop a tree? wont dead wood burn better/faster then fresh wood?
ild take the advice from survivalists rather then knife enthousiasts.
 
I need a good saw! Perhaps a Link Style Survival Saw! Or pocket saw. Something compact. To go with my economy supporting knife. :D
 
Guinness70 said:
im neither a specialist in survival, woodcraft or knives, im more of a noob. i try to inform myself.

chopping is a lot more dangerous and less controlable then sawing. and definately alot more tiring and exhausting, means need more food and you get sweaty, which is not good in cold environment.
offcourse cant clear a trail with a saw, but a reasonably sized campknife can do the trick. if you cant go through it, go around it, loose time but save energy. i still think choppers are for clearing a trail and saws (ok, and axes) are for cutting wood.

and as far as the expensive tank knives go : you dont need anything of the things stated in the sales pitch.
however : you can put half a pint of beer in a pint glass, but not a pint of beer in a half pint glass.
so if you have the money to spend, go ahead : support the economy.

a big chopper CAN! get you wood fast, but doesnt get you fire, that takes skill as does surviving. and as for getting wood to burn faster... dont you normally just pick that up from the ground rather then chop a tree? wont dead wood burn better/faster then fresh wood?
ild take the advice from survivalists rather then knife enthousiasts.
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No disrespect but have you done some hand sawing lately? That sh*t is hard, sweaty work!

More thoughts...
A Busse owner suggests a Busse. Non Busse people come down on him or her for suggesting a sledgehammer over a Mora.
If a non Busse owner suggets something non Busse, the Busse owners usually say "great knife, good idea" and the likes.
It's funny how that works.


Also, the OP wants a good version of what historically have been piece of crap knives. You think he's got a "mission" in mind?
I betcha one hundred bucks he wants something cool, like we all do.
 
Mr. Clean said:
No disrespect but have you done some hand sawing lately? That sh*t is hard, sweaty work!

More thoughts...
A Busse owner suggests a Busse. Non Busse people come down on him or her for suggesting a sledgehammer over a Mora.
If a non Busse owner suggets something non Busse, the Busse owners usually say "great knife, good idea" and the likes.
It's funny how that works.


Also, the OP wants a good version of what historically have been piece of crap knives. You think he's got a "mission" in mind?
I betcha one hundred bucks he wants something cool, like we all do.
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I enjoy "cool" knives! As a liberal suburbanite I doubt I'll be doing much "surviving" in the near future, but these regular "survival knife" conversations always peak my interest. Maybe it's because First Blood is one of my all time favorite films or maybe it's just my love for cool gadgets and multitools, but I think the concept of a strong knife that can store stuff in the handle is plain cool. Would I rely on one if I was to find myself in a life or death situation? Probably not, but in the meantime these types of knives just seem to make me smile, I really don't know how else to explain it. But then again, most knives do. :D
 
Mr. Clean said:
More thoughts...
A Busse owner suggests a Busse. Non Busse people come down on him or her for suggesting a sledgehammer over a Mora.
If a non Busse owner suggets something non Busse, the Busse owners usually say "great knife, good idea" and the likes.
It's funny how that works.
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Yeah, it's funny how the Busse crowd gets pegged as one-dimensional, whereas I think they're pretty open to other makers/manufacturers. The Mora-ites can yell "Mora, Mora, Mora!!!" all day long, and they don't get this wrap. ;)

Will someone pass the Kool-Aid? :D

One thing that hasn't been addressed is the mental effect that faith in tools can have. If you know your tools can hold up to the hardest abuse they might possibly receive, then that's one less thing to worry about.
 
While people are still mentioning Busse, how come I can't find much about them on the web? I found what I think is their website but it only has two knives advertised on it. Are they are really small company?
 
EvanBNW said:
While people are still mentioning Busse, how come I can't find much about them on the web? I found what I think is their website but it only has two knives advertised on it. Are they are really small company?
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Smallish, in that Busse puts out knives in batches. Typically, Busse will offer a model for 3 to 4 months, take orders for the knife during that period, and then move on to another model. A few alternative models might be offered at one primary Busse outlet, the Busse Company Store. Other than that, your main sources are the secondary market and certain knife shows.

Try www.bussecollector.com or http://homepage.mac.com/zombiekiller/badmojo/index.html
 
Guyon said:
Smallish, in that Busse puts out knives in batches. Typically, Busse will offer a model for 3 to 4 months, take orders for the knife during that period, and then move on to another model. A few alternative models might be offered at one primary Busse outlet, the Busse Company Store. Other than that, your main sources are the secondary market and certain knife shows.

Try www.bussecollector.com or http://homepage.mac.com/zombiekiller/badmojo/index.html
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Thanks! They look great.
 
They are a small company but they have been around for 25 years.
There are 3 separate divisions.
Busse is the top of the line and uses the very good but expensive INFI steel.

Swamprat is middle of the road and uses SR101 AKA 52100 steel. On the bigger blades it is differentially tempered to make it tough as well as having a hard edge.

Scrapyard is the budget brand and my personal fave.
The steel is S7 which is used for jackhammer bits. Another major difference is the handles on the Busse and Swamprat knives are micarta while Scrapyards are Res-C which is like a hard indestructible rubber. I find RES_C to be much more comfortable than micarta especially for heavy chopping.


Generally there is the same type of knife in all 3 brands.
Big choppers ,6 inch survival knives and smaller EDC fixed blades.
are the bread and butter but there are also unique knives done by each company as well.

The thing people have the hardest time with is you can't just buy whatever knife you want. The demand for their products is so high compared to how many the small shops can produce that they often sell out within a few hours.
The last Scrapyard knife (the one in the photo) called the Yard keeper Combat Grade(stupid names are another Busse tradmark) sold out in 52 minutes. You can either buy them as soon as they are released or buy used ones from the secondary market here on BF ,usually for more than the retail price.

The Combat grade knives have a powder coat and the LE or Limited edition ones have a satin finish.

If you have any questions the Busse or Swamprat forums here on BF can help or the Yard on the Scrapyard site.
 
Chris reeve project 1 pe is my carry choice. Along with a sak multi tool and craftsman hachet and the week in the woods or desert is mine!
 
Seems no one mentioned the EXTREME RATIO KNIFES DIVISION....A BIT PRICEY BUT REALLY ONE OF THE BEST. Also the Cold Steel Master Hunter is a fine piece of steel. A avery tough knife.
 
handyman720 said:
Seems no one mentioned the EXTREME RATIO KNIFES DIVISION....A BIT PRICEY BUT REALLY ONE OF THE BEST.
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I did not mention them only because I have never tested one out. But I am very interested in some of their knives as well as some Fehrmans. :thumbup:
 
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