Three Busse or One Custom???

F

FrodotheHobbit

Joined
Jan 5, 2003
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127
I have saved up $1k in my knife fund, and have the oportunity to get three desert ergos (Battle Mistress, Steel Heart, and Natural Outlaw) from Busse. I have been considering ordering a large custom with that money, but am having a hard time thinking that one custom will "beat" three busse knives.

Right now I am set for user folders and only have a small Buck and Benchmade Outbounder for fixed. I guess the big draw for the Busse is it fills an area I need. But I may not have a large chunk of change again for a while, and would like a nice custom at some point.

I hate the fact that I don't have a large knife right now, even though I have no specific use for one yet. It just seems natural to me to have a well rounded knife collection, with the thought that any of my collection could some day be users. I can always buy a user Busse when I move to the country next year.

I guess my challenge would be this. What single custom knife maker, that is actually taking orders at this time, can make me a knife that will beat these three desert ergos for the same price? ($800)

Nothing will probably "beat" a Busse for performance at the task it is designed for, but I probably won't abuse, or even use, what I get, so I am thinking of "beat" in the overall sense of the word. What custom would any of you trade these three busse to get.

I have two days to decide, and any honest advice is welcome. :)

Frodo
 
Get a hold of Nick Wheeler,Tom Ferry,or Jim Rodebaugh. I would rather have one of any of those makers than 50 of the Busse's.IMHO
 
What Randy said!! I don't always practice what I preach, but you've
been able to save for something special, spend it on a custom.Look around at the different dealer sites, read some more on the Forums.
I'm not going to go into names but $800.00 will put you into an awesome fixed blade, maybe a couple if you really search. Good luck!!

Win
 
Originally posted by Win Heger
I don't always practice what I preach, but you've
been able to save for something special, spend it on a custom.
Win
Click to expand...

Ditto.., no doubt! You'll thanks us! :)
 
You need to really decide what you want in the knife you buy. With that budget, you can get any number of knives that all have outstanding quality.

Myself, I have a Trace Rinaldi Armegeddon for the big knife role in CPM 3V. You would still have enough left over for at least one Busse and some beer money to boot ;)
 
That is exactly the information I was looking for. I love what I have read about the Trace Rinaldi Armegeddon, and if I could find or order a knife like that I would be thrilled.

The makers you have mentioned above (Nick Wheeler,Tom Ferry,or Jim Rodebaugh) are probably great makers, but I'm not in the custom loop yet and don't know them or their work. I have found some info, but if anyone can suggest good web sites to read about them I would appreciate it. I haven't been able to find personal web sites of them.

Again, thanks for any advice!

Frodo
 
If it's a big custom you're looking for, this would be outstanding, if it's still available http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=241042 It's something I wish I could buy. But i have a custom Lytlle and a Lightfoot axe on order...

There is something special about a custom, and i would heartily recommend a Lightfoot or a Wally Hayes. However, Busses are outstanding hard use knives and 3 for 1 is extremely attractive. You might consider getting one of the Simonich, Lightfoot or Hayes and a Busse. No 1 knife is perfect for every use. you might keep 1 as a collector and 1 as a real hard user. If you spend your entire wad on 1 knife, you may be reluctant to beat it up. But if you have two...
 
I'll second the recommendation for the Rinaldi Armageddon...heck, you could even get the SKS version (survival knife system) with a Talonite parasite blade.

If you really want a custom and a busse...why not get both? As in something from the Busse custom shop like this Arctic Team???

picture.JPG


Oh, and HJK, what are the specs on your Lightfoot axe?? I hope it's not exactly the same as mine ;)

RL
 
http://www.knifeart.com/dennisriley.html

Knifeart has a good collection of Forged knives to look thru. The link above takes you directly to Dennis Riley. I got a beautiful Damascus knife from him around Christmas time that was a steal considering what I paid for it.

If you want some eye candy to go with the THR Armegeddon, look Dennis up. He has posted a few for sale on this site in the Maker's area which is where I found mine. I should also note, that he is only one of many fine bladesmiths who make great knives for reasonable prices. You don't have to spend ~$1,000 to get a good using knife, just shop around and find a maker that has a style, materials and, pricepoint that meets your needs.

Lets see.... THR Armegeddon in CPM 3V for the heavy work and ... a nice forged carbon steel knife for the mundane tasks .... :) Sheer joy :D
 
Thanks for the vote of confidence on the Armageddon guys.. I have suspended taking new orders for a while so I can catch up, and hope to be taking orders again real soon.. In the meantime, Les Robertson will be getting a 3V Arm in Atlanta, dont know if he has it sold already though.. Thanks again, and dont give up, I will be taking orders again as soon as I can quote a decent delivery time..;)
 
Damn Trace makes a nice big knife...
Other good names would be John Fitch or Matt Lamey. How about Bill Buxton?
You could probably get a big Buxton AND a smaller Lamey for the money you are spending.
There are so many excellent makers in your price range, and half the fun will be searching for the best one for you. Any of them will be more personal than a Busse, plus you can always get one later.
 
RL
My axe will be pretty much the standard version except the back of the bladehead will be extended out and sharpened to permit ice chopping and handholds, amongst other things. Maybe we can compare notes on another thread?

I only have of Trace's knives, a talonite TTKK. It is outstanding. Anything by Trace would be an excellent choice and great value.
 
Eight hundred dollars will get you a vey nice custom FB. If you are looking for a knife with about a 6" or 7" blade you might even find that makers like Ron Newton and Jim Crowell would be in that price range, just as long as you aren't looking for anything fancy.

Another maker that I would highly recommend that you take a look at would be Larry Harley/Lonesome Pine Knives. Harley makes superb knives and they are very reasonably priced.
 
With that kind of money, you can get a large blade from most makers. My advice is to check out the annual Knives 2003 book first to familiarize yourself with the new makers. Those are the ones who will offer some of the best value. Nick Wheeler and Terry primos come to my mind, and for something not fancy from them (e.g., micarta handle and no fancy polish work), you would end up with a large bowie, hand forged, and $200 to $300+ to spare - it's unbeatable.

JD
 
Bring your money to the Blade show in Atlanta coming up soon. You will find more than enough stuff to buy there. In fact, you really cannot bring enough money. Don't ask me how I know that. ;) :D
 
Originally posted by Danbo
Bring your money to the Blade show in Atlanta coming up soon. You will find more than enough stuff to buy there. In fact, you really cannot bring enough money. Don't ask me how I know that. ;) :D
Click to expand...

Terry Primos is a good choice, and the Blade Show is another excellent option :D
 
No contest, go custom. Matt Lamey, Terry Primos, Nick Wheeler and don't forget Dan Farr, all make awesome knives for a lot less than you are looking to spend. You could actually get 2. The fit & finish and real world performance are leagues beyond a Busse.

If you are looking for a super serious, hard core knife, take a look at Les Robertson's site and check out the R.J. Martin Pathfinder in CPM 3V. Simply an awesome blade that takes a serious beating and laughs it off. Probably the toughest knife I have ever had the privledge of swinging. You would still have enough left for a knife from one of the above named makers as well.
 
I just got a small utility and the thing is great. I also will have again one of his bowies. He has one of the best hadle designs I have held. They seem to come alive in teh hand. He is a genious with 5160. His bowie was my first true handmade knife, a purchase I will never regret. I made the mistake of loaning it out, to my dad, and he still has it!

Cerberus
 
I'm probably going to get blasted for this one LOL. Buy a Becker Bowie, put the rest of the money back in the bank and start doing some serious research. Spending some of that money attending shows, or hammer-ins might be a good idea also. The idea here is that you can make an educated decision. It sounds like you've been saving for awhile and blowing the money quickly may not get you what you want. Otherwise, if you want a heavy duty survival knife you'll have a hard time beating a Busse. If style is important go custom. If you want a great slicer, buy a Dozier. What I'm trying to say, is buy carefully, try to make educated purchases. Good luck
 
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