There comes a time....

wintermute

wintermute

Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
3,018
(I think) when every knife knut has to dabble on the dark side and venture into the Busse arena. I've been putting it off for years due to a few reasons...cost, the aracane-ness of the names, the business model, etc.

So how did most of you hogs first get on the Busse train, and what recommendations do you have for a babe (as in baby, not as in hot) thinking about venturing into the dark woods?
 
A good place to start would be a website like hogcult.com, which lists a bunch of knives with their names, and you can start to get familiar with them.

To get started, you can troll the "for sale" threads in the forums, although if you're not familiar with the models you'll have a tougher time deciding what is and isn't a good deal.

In many senses, your best bet, price-wise, is going to be to get a Busse directly from the factory. You're in luck, as there is a real beast of a 6" blade (Tank Buster) available right from Ohio in the store at http://www.bussecombat.com

If you want something a bit smaller, the Company Store (limited runs available for immediate shipping, rather than made-to order custom runs like the main website) has the Sus Scrofa. http://www.bussecompanystore.com


As far as the second hand market goes, the various steel heart, natural outlaw, and mistress models seem to be big favorites for large knives with a whole lot of power. Figuring out just which version you want, out of the eleventy different variants, might be a little bit trickier ;)



Edit: As far as how I personally started - I pre-ordered a Scrapper 5 from Busse's sister company, Scrap Yard, and while I was waiting for those to be built and shipped (two months or so), I bought a knife or two on the second hand market, and then I went to the BLADE show in Atlanta and bought a whole pile of knives. Since then I've done some selling, trading, and more buying, and have spent more money on knives than I have on mortgage payments :eek:
 
I've got a Tank Buster on order (with thanks to Mom), my first Busse.

I passed on at least three Battle Mistresses and an AK-47 over the years, but the Tank Buster finally pushed me over the edge. It's a nice medium sized utility design, a no nonsense blade, and you can opt out of the edge consuming choil.

In short this is a knife that I think I'll actually use and appreciate, regardless of who made it.
It just happens to be a Busse on top of all that.:thumbup:
 
Wintermute--- I'm drawn towards good people. The Great knives come with it.
This IS Busse.
 
The Busse woods seem dark to you only because you have not set foot on this hallowed ground with a worthy blade at your side. Once you make the transition your knife world will be set right, revealed in sweetness and light.

As for recommendations, get the biggest Busse blade you think you will use--hard. It will not disappoint. I myself embarked a decade ago with a modest Busse Basic 5, to which I remarked when I opened the box, "That's the perfect knife." I had no idea.

Welcome to Bussedom!

Will
 
What do you mean when you refer to their "business model"? Just curious. I saw a picture of a Swamp Rat M6 on AR-15.com, and though "Now that's the perfect knife". I tried to do some digging on swamp rat's website to see more offerings. Thats when, to my confusion, I discovered Busse/Swamp Rat/Scrap Yard was a limited run production knife company. In the mean time I purchased the M6. I then discovered BladeForums, and the snobbery of INFI compared to Swamp Rat's Sr101 steel. Everyone said "you just have to have the INFI of a Busse knife."

I purchased a similarly sized ASH-1 (which is my recommendation to you) on the second hand market, and then the rest was history. I now own 4 SR, 4 Busse, and 3 Scrap Yard knives in a 3 month period... my bank account is in pain. RUN!!!!! GET FAR AWAY FROM THIS SECTION OF THE FORUMS AND KNIFE EXCHANGE!!!!!!! :D
 
wintermute said:
(I think) when every knife knut has to dabble on the dark side and venture into the Busse arena. I've been putting it off for years due to a few reasons...cost, the aracane-ness of the names, the business model, etc.

So how did most of you hogs first get on the Busse train, and what recommendations do you have for a babe (as in baby, not as in hot) thinking about venturing into the dark woods?
Click to expand...

Buy a big one, chop some with it and fall in love! That's what I did!
 
adrock1978 said:
What do you mean when you refer to their "business model"? Just curious.
Click to expand...

If I understand it correctly, there's 3 Busse companies? (Busse, Swamp Rat, and Scrap Yard)? And each of those produces one model at a time? How long are they produced for? Are they only to-order, with no stock for late comers? Throw on top of that the different names, finishes, options. It's pretty confusing for someone just trying to possibly get into it.

Please don't think I'm trying to malign it, it's a great model because of it's exclusivity. It's kinda like Boba Fett - he was the absolute coolest dude in Empire and Jedi because he looked cool, you knew he was bada$$, but you didn't know much about him, and you only got glimpses.
 
I got started where it sort of made sense ... I bought an AK-47, which for an excellent quality sword is not really all that expensive. I could justify $900 for that much indestructible steel. From there I worked my way down to the smaller blades where at first glance the price seems high relative to what you get, but now I know what to expect in terms of quality, strength and attention to detail, and I know it's worth it.
 
Buy the biggest one you can afford and think you'll use and beat the snot out of it.

Hang around here, make friends, and witness how many good people abound.

Wash, rinse, repeat as necessary.

The end.
 
And don't forget that Swamp Rat has the Waki currently available as well. If you're looking for a small sword to amaze your friends, now is the time.

I would suggest jumping in with both feet and picking up a Tank Buster from Busse for a camp knife, and a Waki from Swamp Rat for taking care of those Zombie chores.

Whatever you pick up, good luck. It is easy to get on the Busse & Busse Kin train, but not so easy to get off.

Best regards,

Les.
 
I'll second the recommendation to go to HogCult.com.
Look at all the models, and figure out which you like the most.
Then look of the For Sale forums to see if there is a model you want on sale. If not, post in the Wanted to Buy forum.

However, if you post a want to buy, be sure to see the general price range on HogCult or something and have that much (preferably more) ready to go.
 
How did I first get into Busse?

Saw an article in a magazine about the Battle Mistress around about 1997, did nothing then but the seed was sewn. Fast forward to 2006/7 (can't quite remember it's a daze now). I was on eBay looking for something else and then randomly Busse popped into my head I did a search and ended up buying a FFBM for $350. It was the single most I had ever spent on a knife, heck it was probably more than I had spent previously on knives total.

Advice?

Get a CGFBM or FFBM. Don't worry about the cost if you don't like it then you can sell it on for what you paid for it. The reason I say get a CGFBM or FFBM is they are the bench mark by which I judge all other Busses and indeed al other knives. Oh and use what you buy then and only then will you know if Busses are for you.

Good luck
 
YES, YES! Waki for zombie defense is a must!

3775580052_ea1b9e557a_o.jpg


And just for a sampling of other large-ish knives from the three Busse family companies

3766894563_0d6afa2b3c_o.jpg


Mischief 9 LE from Swamp Rat
Nuclear Meltdown Special Forces Natural Outlaw (NMSFNO) from Busse
Son of Dogfather from Scrap Yard.

Confused yet? :D
 
wintermute said:
Please don't think I'm trying to malign it, it's a great model because of it's exclusivity. It's kinda like Boba Fett - he was the absolute coolest dude in Empire and Jedi because he looked cool, you knew he was bada$$, but you didn't know much about him, and you only got glimpses.
Click to expand...

You sir... are a very, very smart man. :D "Hell I like you, you can come over to my house and *$@# my sister!" :D

I didn't take offense or anything, I just didnt know what you meant. I was in your exact position when I started out not long ago. From what I gather, all three co. make their knives to order, and the order process seems to stay open as long as there is interest. Apparently some were offered longer than others because they were such a hit. Go check out Swamp Rat, or Busse's site. You'll see the current ordering process.
 
wintermute, my experience is very similar to that of adrock1978. I started looking and reading about INFI and thought I better buy one and see. It was about the time the Tankbuster was being released that I decided to do it and what better time than to get it straight from the source, right?

Well then I thought I better buy one on the second hand market to try it out and see what all the hype was about. The rest is history.

I now have 1 S5 LE on it's way, 5 Swamp Rats, and . . . wait let me go count . . .


16 Busse's (including a FNMOASH that is on it's way:eek:)


All that in about 3 months.

My recommendation is that of others, which is also my go to user, a NMSFNO. You can find some here and on "that" site.


Good luck and I hope you have a lot of disposable cash, cause the INFI bug is gonna getcha!:D
 
I gotta say go for a Tank Buster. You get first hand pricing to start. Everything is jacked up on the secondary market. You pay close to double on a lot of items. The tank buster is 6 solid inches on INFI and you can customize the sh!^ out of it. Serrations/or no, choil or no, swedge or no. plus a poopload of blade finish combos, handle combos and tang combos. I know some of us would like larger or smaller blades but its hard to deny that 6 is prob the most ideal do-it all knife length.
 
Cappy2cap said:
I gotta say go for a Tank Buster. You get first hand pricing to start. Everything is jacked up on the secondary market. You pay close to double on a lot of items. The tank buster is 6 solid inches on INFI and you can customize the sh!^ out of it. Serrations/or no, choil or no, swedge or no. plus a poopload of blade finish combos, handle combos and tang combos. I know some of us would like larger or smaller blades but its hard to deny that 6 is prob the most ideal do-it all knife length.
Click to expand...


That there is some good sound advice. Take it!:thumbup:
 
wintermute said:
(I think) when every knife knut has to dabble on the dark side and venture into the Busse arena. I've been putting it off for years due to a few reasons...cost, the aracane-ness of the names, the business model, etc.

So how did most of you hogs first get on the Busse train, and what recommendations do you have for a babe (as in baby, not as in hot) thinking about venturing into the dark woods?
Click to expand...

I say try out a Tank Buster, and of course the Scrapyard Infi s5 and the Swamp Rat Waki. You will love them all...

I found Busse through the Scrap Yard and bought a DogFather LE first.
My first Busse was the FBMLE, and it is my favorite only because it was my first. I really like choppers/survival knives so I would recommend the Mistress, but all of their knives are awesome.
I think the quality of the knives, and the warranty, allow Busse to have any business model they want.:cool:
Their knives are too nice, to not have any. So start huntin'.
The people around here are great, and the knives are even better.
 
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