The old days before INFI

Revolverrodger

Revolverrodger

Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
3,880
I was wondering if you oldtimers could tell us if the days before INFI was invented. What steels did Busse use ?
How was INFI recieved when it was first released (which model)
Any pics if these old knives would be welcome !
 
Last edited:
Revolverrodger said:
Any pictures of those old Busse knives in A2 ?
Click to expand...

DSC_0055_zps2acf54a3.jpg


DSC_0054_zpsf6e69ac8.jpg


DSC_0057_zpsac2355f4.jpg


DSC_0051_zps9ab26e14.jpg


DSC_0069_zpsf48ed69f.jpg
 
Maggot Brain said:
A2, D2, ATS-34… all were used commonly. There are more I am missing that were less common.
Click to expand...

Spot on :thumbup: The knife pictured is the SHBA. They were made in a Fatty version and a more narrow version. The fatty was around .295"-.300" if my memory ain't in the crapper.
The SOB is a close copy just slightly different. Both knives have a great feel!!!

Frankly I would love to see more knives made of ATS-34 or the American version 154CM;)
 
INFI was introduced around 1998 with the Battle Mistress (SHBM), and other models switched over to INFI shortly thereafter. When I ordered my SHSH II, they were advertised as being made from A2 (I think), but by the time it arrived (the proverbial "two weeks" later), ithey had switched over to INFI.

I first read about INFI in American Survival Guide magazine in 1998. I scanned the article years ago and posted it here, but I was using TinyPic as the hosting site bck then, and a few of the images have disappeared. Here's what's left:

JohnTheTexican said:
Last time someone asked this, I posted this:

JohnTheTexican said:
Chris Janowsky, "Choosing th Right Survival Knife," American Survival Guide (July 1996) (I can't believe that I not only still have the magazine, but could even find the right issue):

"In the 25 years I've been testing equipment at WSI [World Survival Institute], there are only two survival knives I consider to be excellent, I've recently given them my endorsement. The two knives are a folding knife made by Benchmade called the Advanced Folding Combat Knife (A.F.C.K. - model # 800S), and the fixed blade Steel Heart II made by the Busse Combat Kinfe Co."

I read that when the magazine came out and kept an eye out for Busses. Some time after that, I read an article --also in American Survival Guide, IIRC--about a new knife called the "Battle Mistress," made from a new steel called "INFI." I ordered three knives (Battle Mistress, Steel Heart II and Badger Attack) at that time.

That was when I learned that a week is as a year to a Busse.

At the time, the Steel Heart II and the Badger Attack were still advertised as being made of some inferior steel--A2 or something, I think. By the time I got them, the switchover to INFI appeared to be complete.

When I finally got them a year or so later, Jerry called personally to apologize about the delay.
Click to expand...

And then someone asked if anyone had scans of the articles, so I posted this:*

JohnTheTexican said:
25aqj2x.jpg


25aqa9g.jpg


25aqcyx.jpg


25aqe15.jpg
Click to expand...

And this:

JohnTheTexican said:
And the other one, from before INFI was born:

25aqkb5.jpg


25aqkow.jpg


25aqmuq.jpg


25aqnhs.jpg


25ar94z.jpg


25arbds.jpg
Click to expand...



* I guess I shouldn't have used TinyPic. They seem to have deleted some of the pages, and the magazine has moved on to someone who deserved it more than I did.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I was into tactical folders when the very first AFCK folders came out, and I was very unimpressed with the knife: Flimsy "squishable" scale that would flex so bad the liner would loosen, or even disengage, from just a hard hold... Towards the handle, you had a choice between a terrible butter-dull plain edge geometry, or partial serrations that were badly designed, coarsely recessed and miles off to one side, so that as you cut you did two widely separated grooves...

Edge holding was nothing special.

For a real knife of the period, an infinitely sharper, stiffer and better knife was the cheaper CRKT Apache. Maybe because of the scales, the Apache wasn't prone to being attacked by sweat, which ATS34 usually was, and this despite the bead blasting encouraging this. (I vaguely remember the AFCK's satin finish took stains for no clear reason)

Gaston
 
I still have my AFCK folder from 1998. Maybe they got better later in the run, or maybe I just got a good one, but I've never had any problem with squishy scales, loose liners, staining, or anything like that. But then again, my knives don't generally get a lot of hard use.
 
The first Steel Hearts were made of ATS-34 Steel. When the slightly longer version of the same knife, originally called the Steel Heart II, and later deemed the bird's beak SH II to differentiate it from the third iteration Steel Heart (which for some strange reason came to be called the SH II also), it was in A2.

The BB SH II was my first Busse, in 1994, quickly followed by the original BA.
 
Chris Janowski was a very good survivalist well before it was popular to be one. I actually posted his article well before anyone else. Actually my wife typed it. Anyway, I spoke with him about the steel heart just after the article had come out. He had told me that it was much tougher than he had let on in the article. He threw everything including the kitchen sink at it. He purposely did things to it that he had broken other popular knives doing to no avail. It was the A2 version that he had. He was (RIP) a great guy and had no problem taking the time to talk to me about survival stuff.
 
It was Mr. Janowski's article that sold me on, at the time, a SHSH.

From the article, I figured all I'd need was an AFCK and a SHSH. Yeah, we see how that worked out.
 
Jerry's flint knapped style knife was O1 steel, if I recall correctly. There's a pic of it on Bad Mojo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top