Tactical Knife

kdstrick said:
The HG55 is .25" INFI steel! Many Busse's are not that thick but are still incredibly tough and durable. You are fairly new around here and may not realize that such blade failures are extremely uncommon with INFI. I truly hope that doesn't sound condescending.. but if you do some searching you will find that broken busse's are not seen often, despite the abuse thrown at them.

The SAR4 mic's out thinner than the HG55 at .22, so you may want to rethink your statement. I don't know how .22 is stronger than .25 stock INFI.
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Nope, still not rethinking it. And that's not meant to be arrogant or anything like that either - I just think the fighter geometry - longer, thinner, more drawn out point, along with the corrugated bevels on the HG55 make it somewhat more prone to failure under extreme prying than some of the sharpened prybars out there.

I'm also aware that INFI failures are far from common, but I still think there is merit to choosing the right tool for the job. I'm not dissing the HG55 at all, and I've read some impressive reviews of its slicing capabilities - and that's exactly the point: thick steel or not, the HG55 isn't built like a prybar, it's built to slash and slice the crap out of stuff.

I don't have a single one of the blades I commented on, but I do know a thing or three about physics, and I'd place good money on the sar4 being harder to break by bending it in a vice than the HG55. Some of that is simply going to be lack of leverage due to the differences in the lengths, but those funky corrugated bevels and good-for-stabbing point on the HG55 won't be helping its case.
 
You might want to take a look at the Scrapper 5 up for sale now at one of the three trilogy of Busse companies Scrapyard Knives. www.scrapyardknives.com A lot of tool for not a lot of money and still guaranteed for life. It is also relatively light.
 
CG ASH -1 32 thick built like a tank i always liked the vidio of it going through a 2 x6 point first it will also punch a hole through the roof of a car like a can opener plus life time warrenty but dont think u will never use it with that beast
 
Mean Street (older version if you can afford it) would be what I'd put my money on. I have a brother in law who is SWAT and that's his preference - small but with enough blade to do serious work and even fend off an attacker.

Some of the more recent Busse EDCs/small-mid-sizers have handles the size of a Winnebago and some even have a giant pointy "crusher" sticking out the back, which make them useless for concealment or lightweight carry or even for agile handling. IMO.

Yeah. Get the Mean Street. But the Meaner Street (newer one) would work too if you grind its butt off.
 
MustardMan said:
Considering what happened to the last HG-55 that was used to pry a car door open, it might not be the best choice for "pretty tough abuse" ;)

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=645806
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I based that suggestion on the OP's request for a tactical knife. Perhaps its only my personal definition of "tactical" that requires it to be a fighting knife along with having utilitarian applications. I did NOT read in the OP anything about him wanting to pry open doors with it. Your response is to basically say that since one HG-55 broke prying open a car after an accident that the knife itself can not be counted on for anything hard use.

He asked for something that could fit on his duty vest and you are saying that the camp tramp is a better choice, damn that is one big duty vest. He also stated that he was concerned about finances, every knife suggested is going to cost at least $100 more than the HG-55. The SAR-4 does not have a coating, which may not be a bid deal but it will not resist humidity as well as a coated blade.

I do like the fact that you posted the link to the HG-55 breakage thread, that way the OP can read it and make up his own mind.
 
a standard combat grade Batac would serve you well. It certainly did for me. And it's not that big. Only downside is you would need to find one from the second hand market.
 
iamtoast said:
I based that suggestion on the OP's request for a tactical knife. Perhaps its only my personal definition of "tactical" that requires it to be a fighting knife along with having utilitarian applications. I did NOT read in the OP anything about him wanting to pry open doors with it. Your response is to basically say that since one HG-55 broke prying open a car after an accident that the knife itself can not be counted on for anything hard use.

He asked for something that could fit on his duty vest and you are saying that the camp tramp is a better choice, damn that is one big duty vest. He also stated that he was concerned about finances, every knife suggested is going to cost at least $100 more than the HG-55. The SAR-4 does not have a coating, which may not be a bid deal but it will not resist humidity as well as a coated blade.

I do like the fact that you posted the link to the HG-55 breakage thread, that way the OP can read it and make up his own mind.
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I think we each just focused on different parts of the original post - I focused on the hard use and abuse part, and you focused on the combat part.

You're absolutely right that the camp tramp is huge for the job, and my intention wasn't to suggest that he buy that specific knife - I was just trying to throw out a knife from each of the three family brands with a "hard use" design. To me, when someone insinuates abusing their knife, I think of things like prying open doors - stuff that knives aren't supposed to do.

At the end of the day, it's up to the OP to prioritize which features are more important to him, so I'm glad there are lots of different perspectives being offered here.
 
MarshJR,

Please make sure to let us know what you ended up deciding on. Its a buyers market right now with the economy the way it is. Some knives that were very hard and expensive to procure just six months ago are more available and some really good deals exist.

As for the HG-55, there is a military overrun that you can get on the secondary market that adds a reinforced tip, if you like the knife and are concerned, at all, about breakage this may be an option.

I agree with you MM, there are a ton of nice knives out there and he should definitely be able to find the perfect one for him.
 
MarshJr said:
I am sure this has probably been discussed ad nauseum, but with the search button only working for paid memberships i am at a loss to find a recent thread on this.

I am a swat police officer looking for a good "tactical" (whatever that means) knife for pretty tough use. It will need to fit on my vest so it can't be huge, but i need a good solid cutting tool that is capable of handling some pretty tough abuse.

I currently have a strider EB-T knife which i like for the most part. What i dont like is thats its not very corrosive resistant (i work in the south and sometimes spend all day in the humidity and rain), and i am not a huge fan of the tanto style blade. I need a blade shape that is a little more utilitarian in nature. I work with explosives as a breacher and find myself cutting lots of stuff big and small, thick and thin, etc... and the tanto blade just doesn't always work well.

My strider started rusting and strider, to their credit, told me to send it back and they would bead blast it again. That was very nice of them, but i really dont want to have to worry about weather my knife is rusting when i am trying to work.

All that being said, i like the busse line and with the plethora of models available i am sure there is something out there "just for me." I was checking out the batac and ash models. Do you guys have any input on these two for my needs or another model i should be checking out?

I am not wealthy so spending lots of cash on a pretty knife that has features i dont need is not something i am interested in doing. However, i understand a good knife is not cheap and i am willing to pay what it costs as long as i can count on it for the forseeable future.

Any tips or suggestions??
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Yes, beware the advice you get from people who don't wear 50 lbs of kit as part of their in and around clothes. :D

Hi Marsh, it sounds like you know exactly what you're looking for. Having chosen the EB-T in the first place you know what works as a tactical vest knife and what doesn't: 7.5"-9", 3/16 to .20 stock... I suspect you're looking at a "Grass is greener..." scenario here though, you've got the perfect 10 and you're still keping an eye out.

Hands down, the best "ballistic vest knife" made by Busse to date is the Public Defender and its variants like the Desert Defender and Jungle Defender. They'll run you some cash since they've been discontinued so long, but you'll be all kinds of happy with one. Put a little 3M grip tape in the quillion area, or send it out to be made more vertical so you don't slip up on the blade if you have to stab with it. Don't be fooled by the "tanto" description, it has a smooth tip to belly transition and the hollow grind somewhat makes up for its super tough design. It probably won't cut as well as your high grind EB, but it'll definitely handle more lateral stress if you get into that situation.

A sister shop alternative is the Swamp Rat Howling Rat Little Mischief (SRKW HRLM).

The Badger Attack III would be a bit bigger than optimum, and will carry a premium price as well, but could fit the bill.

Get a SAR-4 for your daypack, it's just too much for a vest unless you're 6'8" and wear a custom paraclete. And for adding a Busse to the breacher kit, don't mess around, you might as well go all the way and toss in a Fusion Battle Mistress.
 
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+1 for the meaner street...sounds like you don't want to go too big...
 
rpn said:
+1 for the meaner street...sounds like you don't want to go too big...
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I'll second the Meaner Street, lots cheaper than trying to get a PD and just as good. :thumbup:

And don't forget the Scrap Yard "Scrapper 4", 9" of INFI goodness.


editing to add:
Public Defender in sheath: 9.5 ounces, 10"
Meaner Street in sheath: 8.3 ounces, 9.5"
EB-AC in sheath: 8.6 ounces, 9.25" (... this should put your sheathed EB-T in the 9 ounce range)
Active Duty (.190 stock) in sheath: 7.8 ounces, 8.5" ...hard working little guy
HRLM in sheath: 10.5 ounces, 10" ...this is a bruiser of a package :thumbup:
Scrapper 4 in sheath: 7.1 ounces, 9.5" ...Resiprene-C handle and flat grind give you a seriously light package and a 4" .193 stock blade!
 
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Thanks for the replies guys. JWBirch, you are absolutely right, i am sort of looking for an excuse to buy another knife...ie the grass is greener syndrome. I really do like my strider and it is the perfect size for vest carry. I get the sense you know what its like to carry a heavy kit and i do value your opinion.

I guess what i end up buying is going to be based very highly on availability. I like the public defender, meaner street, active duty, and possibly the SAR4.

I noticed this auction on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BUSSE-CUSTOM-PA...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50

and if it doesn't sell i may inquire the owner if he is willing to split up the pair, since its a little out of my price range for the pair. Anyone interested in splitting it with me? The larger of the two knives (meaner??) looks like it would really fit the bill.

I love the busse knives, but i HATE that some specific models are so tough to find. I dont wanna wait a year for one of those models to become available, but what can ya do.
 
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JWBirch said:
I'll second the Meaner Street, lots cheaper than trying to get a PD and just as good. :thumbup:

And don't forget the Scrap Yard "Scrapper 4", 9" of INFI goodness.


editing to add:
Public Defender in sheath: 9.5 ounces, 10"
Meaner Street in sheath: 8.3 ounces, 9.5"
EB-AC in sheath: 8.6 ounces, 9.25" (... this should put your sheathed EB-T in the 9 ounce range)
Active Duty (.190 stock) in sheath: 7.8 ounces, 8.5" ...hard working little guy
HRLM in sheath: 10.5 ounces, 10" ...this is a bruiser of a package :thumbup:
Scrapper 4 in sheath: 7.1 ounces, 9.5" ...Resiprene-C handle and flat grind give you a seriously light package and a 4" .193 stock blade!
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I love my SS4 as a tactical knife. I work in corrections and outside of work, the SS4 is my edc. I think the meaners pop up more often on the exchange...
 
rpn said:
I love my SS4 as a tactical knife. I work in corrections and outside of work, the SS4 is my edc. I think the meaners pop up more often on the exchange...
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They do. I think $225-250 is right for a Meaner in .190 stock and a combat grade coating. If I'm wrong on that it's not by more than a happy meal or two. These are currently the best value in INFI that I know of. But then you need to figure in another $35-60 for a sheath that'll work well with your vest.

$200-225 (I think that's the vicinity they're in now) or so for a SS4 is a lot more than they went for originally, but... until they hit $300 or so I'd still call them good value. After that, into the safe with them :eek:
 
I suggest asking if there are forumites near to you that have a Busse Collection and handling a few before you buy anything.
What's good for one isn't always good for you.
 
i still think of the idea of calling the hg55 a "fighter" is silly. I don't know why people think thick knives with thick edges and tips are good at cutting meat, cause they really aren't.

JWBirch said:
Hands down, the best "ballistic vest knife" made by Busse to date is the Public Defender and its variants like the Desert Defender and Jungle Defender. They'll run you some cash since they've been discontinued so long, but you'll be all kinds of happy with one. Put a little 3M grip tape in the quillion area, or send it out to be made more vertical so you don't slip up on the blade if you have to stab with it. Don't be fooled by the "tanto" description, it has a smooth tip to belly transition and the hollow grind somewhat makes up for its super tough design. It probably won't cut as well as your high grind EB, but it'll definitely handle more lateral stress if you get into that situation.
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the pub defender is WAY overbuilt. the one from the factory I got couldn't cut fabric with the main edge, and the front edge couldn't cut -anything-. it was set at the factory to something like a 50 degree per side edge and took hours of stone work to get it down to 35 degree's per side. I found the tanto style to be frustrating in daily use. it's an okay prybar, but I'd prefer the dumpster mutt over it because it's thicker and has a better edge profile for daily use.

basically - you'll have to remove a lot of metal from the edge to get a good knife out of it. I'd prefer a killer bee, dumpstermutt, or rat tail over it because of the tanto edge.

seconding the basic 5 - its about as good of an all around beater as you can get, small choil, thick enough blade for prying, thin enough edge that you won't get frustrated with it for being to over built, blade heavy balance, really nice res-c handle ergonomics, fairly light for the amount of edge and steel you get.
 
How does the meaner street cut?? How does it compare to the basic #5, and how hard are the #5s to find? Is 340 a decent price for the meaner street??
 
Marsh, I think you mentioned being in the south - any chance you can make it to Atlanta next weekend? :D
 
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