UH OH! Help me justify the $250 Busse

DaveH

DaveH

Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Messages
12,249
OK I got a Busse Active Duty today, the handle is pretty comfortable. But in tests so far (whittleing) I don't find it significantly better or different than a CRK sebenza or Mountaineer which I have and can compare it to.

I plan on try it out on some boxes and in the kitchen later. Does anyone have an idea of 1) Characteritics or behavior I might not recognize as superior to the other knives mentioned. or 2) Some tests I could perform that would make and differences more clear?

Thanks,
 
I happen to have all three of the knives in question, Sebenza (Large and Small), a Mountaineer (II) and an Active Duty. I use all three regularly and am very satisfied with them. Reeve and Busse are my two favorite makers in their class. Moreover, both men are gentlemen, class acts if you will and I consider both as friends. Their reputations with respect to products, service and style of business are models for others to follow.

With that said, the Reeve knives come with a fine edge that is very sharp. Busse knives, particularly the AD, are plenty sharp as well but are ground with more steel behind the edge. This is designed to avoid chipping and/or rolling in the course of impact tasks. The Busse design, like all designs, is a compromise. Busse trades off some of the attributes of a fine edge in exchange for hard use and imact durability.

I do not say any of this to imply the Chris Reeve's knives, especially the One Piece Range, are not designed for tough use, quite the contrary is the case, it's more a function of a different approach towards severe service. When afield I will often have a Chris Reeve knife and a Busse depending on where I'm going, what I anticipate I will be doing and whether or not weight is a consideration.

A2, especially the way Chris Reeve does it results in an excellant knife. INFI has an almost surreal reputation for toughness and is an amazing blade steel. Either company will be there if/when you need them.

A Humvee and a Jaguar are both fine examples of automotive design and execution; just each in their own ways.
 
I think of the AD as a fixed blade Sebbie. I also have both and really like them alot.

Main thing I consider when reaching for the knife for the day- If I'm wearing shorts, its the sebenza. If I'm wearing any pants/jeans with a belt, its the AD all the way.

Or you could always lock them in a room together and keep which ever one survives the battle ;)
 
Reeve makes very efficient cutting blades. The Sebenza in particular is one of the most efficient folders on the market with a high and deep hollow grind and a thin and acute edge. Even his fixed blades have small edge signatures and do a lot of shallow cutting well (the hollow grind and short profile can limit deep cutting on the fixed blades). So in terms of cutting, his blades can stand with the better knives.

The advantages of the AD from Busse will come out in terms of corrosion resistance over the A2 fixed blade, and overall toughness and durability over both. So as Nimrod noted, you are looking at harder work in general to showcase the advantages of the AD. The wear resistance of INFI will also be much greater than A2, and INFI is ran much harder than Reeve heat treats his A2, so the AD will stay sharp longer.

-Cliff
 
Cool guys, thanks for the help.

I guess for some reason I was thinking that the AD would be, well, magic somehow. I understand now that it would shine are higher/harder usage levels that would not be appearant during casual use.

I will say though I already appreciate the shorter blade lnegth, more comfortable handle and the improved corrosion resistance.

Last night after some whittling and some kitchen work, the A2 mountaineer already has some staining on the edge bevel, even after I rinsed/wiped/dried pretty quickly when done.
 
I can certainly search, but for the pure joy of laziness, does anyone with an AD know the weight by chance? Thanks :)
 
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