I am with you on thinking it is crazy.
I have not been using Busse that long. Just a few years now.
I have had a couple real dogs of edges. The funny thing, is, I swear, it seems to be more common with Busse than either Scrap Yard or Swamp Rat.
I have had reasonably good luck with most of the edges I have encountered, but, that said, I would have returned two out of principle, if the turn around and shipping and insurance were not such a hassle!
I had a lock problem on a folder from a manufacturer (obviously not a Busse, I wish I had a Busse folder). I sent it back, then waited almost 3 months. They sent me a new folder, and it is having the same issue again. So, I am not shy about making it right.
but sending a knife back, and paying the shipping and insruance and the wait is more than I am willing to do on a knife where I can fix it my self.
You are right in saying that you can buy a knife made in a third world country and get a much better edge and more even grind. Case in point would be Cold Steel. Never, ever, in 18 years buying, using, and gifting their knives had a dull edge on a knife. (That lock issue is the first problem I have had withone of their knives) Also, never had a significantly, horribly uneven grind on a knife. I did get a rough uneven edge on a Machete from them. And couple of the hatchets and axes were not razor sharp, which is expected for an axe.
I really hope that repeated addressing of this issue will force a bit more training in the edge grinding, and QC.
I worked in manufacturing (Polycrystalline diamond drill bits, for use in mostly the oil and natural gas drilling business). Quality control was everything! Every single employee had quality control responsibility. You have a bunch of bits blow out on a drill, where you are leasing the bit to companies and guaranteeing that the drill will meet drilling depths and times, and you don't get repeat business. Same principle here.
There are hogs who have left over the edge issue.
We tend to be a bit defensive about Busse knives, and clannish too.
I still love the knives. I will still buy the knives. I will still, occasionally have to fix an edge.
My KZII, I could grab and firmly squeeze the front 4 inches of edge with no concern for cutting my self at all. The rest of the edge, from the belly down was actually sharp enough to shave mostly. But the rest of the grind was a bit uneven. Nothing terribly bad. Just a bit higher on one side.
The tip was super, super obtuse. I have never had a tomahawk from CS with that thick and obtuse of an edge.
It is all good, though, because I convex my edges my self anyway. Even sharp, scary Busse edges eventually get convexed.
I am just really concerned that most new customers who lay out the money on a Busse, and get a terrible, uneven grind won't ever come back, and will spend the rest of their lives badmouthing Busse. (I have seen an edge where the two sides of the edge grind don't even meet in the middle, but there is a butter knife thickness with no edge at all in the center, it seems to happen more at front of the knife, where free hand sharpening a knife is the most tricky).
The great thing is that Busse WILL make it right. They have great customer service. They are great people. They really go the extra mile, and we love them. (Just wish they would crack some heads in the sharpening department, and kick some buts in the inspection dept).
If you send it back in, they will make it better (Just wish there was a way to avoid the expense, hassle and wait!!!!!).
