SwampRat/Busse, Strider, Emerson or Extreme Ratio

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STR

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Ok here is a good topic. My son is coming home from Iraq in 23 days after nearly 18 months over there on convoy duty guarding supply lines for the troops.

For his welcome home I want to get him a "GREAT" knife. Not just the everyday average joe knife but something really great. I want it to be something he'll always love and look forward to using and yet be able to trust his life with for when he gets recalled to go back to Iraq later down the road. Which, at this point I'm sure of.

The four brands mentioned here are what I'm thinking of. But nothing is written in stone. I'm open to suggestions. I'm undecided as to fixed blade or folder for him. Perhaps one of each. I'm thinking fixed but you guys add your input, experiences and opinions. In the end I'll post what I buy him.

Ok. Let it shine.
 
Honestly, I'd avoid an Extrema Ratio, b/c their made oversees,
and for a welcome present, get him something USA made.
Quite frankly a Randall comes to mind first, because they have a long standing American tradition.
You may have a bit of a hard time getting a hold of a Busse, but it's WELL worth it. Actually, they are available on www.bussecompanystore.com.
My personal recommendation is either the natural outlaw or the Nark.
Busses would be my first choice, which I think is the toughest, probably in the world. But Randalls are better finished.
 
I like Randall as much as anyone but last time I checked they were on a 3 or 4 year wait list.
 
Another vote for the Busse Natural Outlaw, and the company store still have a couple listed.

I'd stay away from buying a folder: deserts destroy folders, and years of use wreck locks.

David
 
i speant 11 months in iraq qith the 101st abn div 3/327 inf

i used a few different types of knives over there (mainly because i like so many diff. type)
id recommend the following

1. Chris Reeve Large Sebenza, or his fixed blade line(i carried the green beret model)
2. anything from Jones brothers
3. RD series from rangerknives.com
4. bill siegle knives
 
I'd get him this knife. And I'd get a kydex sheath made for it. I mean, it's big, bubt not too big, double edged, and made out of differentially quenched L6. What's not to like?
 
Justin at Ranger Knives is a great guy. You could get Justin to make a custom knife for your son. It would be a one of a kind, an amazing present, and tough as nails (like all of Justin's knives).

It only took two weeks for Justin to make my custom RD6 in 3V, and it's in transit at the moment.

David
 
Marcelo, I had in mind something similar to the Recon Scout he has had with him over there. I gave him that one used because the two, thats right, two SOG 2000s I got him both came with faulty sheaths and could not be trusted. So, in a last ditch effort to at least give him some type of a good survival knife I gave him my own tried and true RS from Cold Steel.


In truth it has been a good knife for him and held up well but I've always felt a sense of guilt for giving him a second hand knife to take over there with him. At the time I didn't know what else to do though. He has been using a Kershaw Ken Onion Black Out as his everyday routine go to knife which of course is a folder.

Both have been good to him but for his welcome home and for in case he gets deployed again which looks inevitable, I wanted to make sure he had something much nicer.

So far I'm really leaning toward Busse knives. It will depend on availability though.

I was not familiar with Jones Bros. But they are impressive too after visiting their web site. I may get one of their folders for him down the road.

This is great. Keep it up guys. Nice!
 
Although I think Busse is the way to go for that special presentation user . . AG Russell in their Cutting Edge site had a couple of Randles for sale. Happy Hunting and God's speed to your son.

rgc
 
I agree that deserts and sandy areas will be a folder's nightmare. How about a Strider fixed blade? Fighting men have a special place in Mick and Duane's hearts, and they offer a military discount as well. Plus, you really can't beat the Strider warranty. If he wasn't going to be deployed in the desert, I'd get him an SNG folder.
 
Various comments from this thread on "What to take to Iraq.":

"I have a good friend that is on his second tour in Iraq, and from talking to him about what he used his knives for while there, for the money amount you mention, you might want to consider a 3-4 inch bladed folder and a multi-tool.
These are what he has seen being used more than anything else.

My picks would be a Buck 110 and Leatherman Wave."

"I brought some larger knives with me but have yet to use them for anything I could'nt use my Gerber Multi-tool or SAK for."

"My friend is in special ops and won a bronze star during raids in Tikrit looking for Saddam and his pals, and never once did he have to use a knife, FTR he carries a Gerber Applegate folder. The only H2H combat his knife has seen was battling MRE packages."

"Assuming you have the leatherman or multi-tool thing covered, people far more knowledgable than I have already commented that you will probably never have a 'knife fight' over there & thus it is likely that your 'fighter' will pull more duty opening MRE's than it will with "wet work." "

"From my own service in a combat zone a modern multi-tool and a good one hand folder like a spyderco will be the best thing to have. Stay away from expencive stuff- they'll just dissapear when your in the shower."

"Your best choice is a good, strong Multi Tool and a good tactical Folder with good steel like S30V.

Last trip I carried for the most part a Leatherman Wave and a Al Mar Sere 2000 in VG-10 steel. Next trip I am going to carry my new Leatherman Charge and a Spyderco Military.

Most of the Line Dogs from 10th MTN did not like the extra weight of a fixed blade on their gear and there is not a great deal of vegatation in Iraq to be hacking on."

I am not a soldier, but I have done some long-distance hiking carrying a loaded bergen. Your son may be delighted with the knife, but not with the prospect of carrying 1 to 1 1/2lbs extra burden to add to helmet, water, armour, webbing, water, comms, ammo, first aid, more water...

Buy him a SAK and a quality folder for Iraq.

Buy him a Randall. Have it engraved with his name, dates of service or whatever. Put it in a safe and present it to him when he gets home for good.

maximus otter
 
I'd go with a strider. it says a lot and is built for those conditions. I hope you are a proud father to have such a strong son.
 
To me it seems that those who are in intensive combat regularly (or at least SF) are not of multi-tool only crowd.
For general utility all mentioned are more than up to the task but when it comes to using one's knife for fighting, Striders and Emersons have the edge.
 
I have carried and used Busse Combat knives on my deployments and field training. I would recommend a Natural Outlaw or the smaller NARK. Both are great knives.
Some other knives to look at would be Swamprat, Strider, and Ranger Knives. All of these knives will provide years of service and most likely be passed on to your grandchildren.

Since your son is guarding convoys I doubt he is doing any long distance walking with a rucksack. Either way a medium size knife would probably be best. Anything very big tends to get in the way, in and around vehicles. With all the gear we wear it is sometimes a tight fit no matter which vehicle you are in. Also a medium sized knife will be less likely to be frowned upon by his officers and NCOs as a "Rambo Knife" and more likely to be seen as the tool that it is.

Anyway just a grunts .02 . Good to hear that your son is making it back home safely.

Regards,

Nick
 
I like the Busse NO idea. You could couple that with a multitool that has a nice servicable blade on it (along with the other stuff).

The Busse company store would be the way to go if you want it sooner. Swamp Rat is nice, but they have some space-time continuum issues (delays) that seem to be troubling them.
 
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