What you look for in Busse vs other knife companies...

I've collected for a long time different knife manufacturers and knives so far.
After having really loads of knives i started to hardcoreuse some single pieces of different brands and get sobering experiences.
I realized that most massproduction blades just live from advertising and a hype but mostly not from the product quality itself.
Also i had to realize that many manufacturers just have a poor support btw. customer service.

So far i sold like 95% of my non busse blades meanwhile, i just keep some small amount of special blades which are rare or i just like, the rest doesent really interesst me anymore.

Busse covers everything which i prefer:
- limited amounts of production
- means value conservation
- incredible quality of the product
- nice customer service
- cool designs
- Busse is at my point of view a heavy part of modern knife history
- compared to other brands, even if some Busse blades are more expensive, i guess theyre worth it!
- since i started unprofessional leather sheaths crafting i found a hobby inside the collection hobby which gives me some kind of balance to the stressful workdays


Busse doesent cover yet:
- i simply can not keep the pace Jerry is releasing new blades with my sheathcrafting, Busse is telling me via telepathics: you need more and more and not just one of each model lol
- Where is my folder Jerry? :(:rolleyes:

over all i like the way the company handles the sales and its a pretty cool community tough !
 
Cobalt said:
So, instead of the typical thread based on what knife someone likes, I thought I would state what I look for in Busse vs what I look for in other companies. This just came to me last night thinking about the new fussion huck fin. Then see what your take is on this because I am sure we all buy other brands of knife, especially, ahem, folders, as we don't really have a choice.

So With Busse, I never have to worry about the steel or handle material. I know it is top quality and fits my liking. So the design of a specific knife is what I am in search of. Regardless of the design, does it fit my taste and my usage. I am sure most of you are in that boat. I don't look at it from a collection standpoint, but from a preference standpoint.

However, with other knife brands, and I will specifically mention the two that I like in the folding knife world, Spyderco and Zero tolerance, I look at it differently. To me the design of these folders is partially important, but I am always looking at what steel they will use. If I see S30V I almost always pass on it. 35VN, Elmax, Cruwear, etc peak my interest if the design fits. cpm3V sucks me right in as does 52100 and 5160 or even D2. I love ATS34 and 154cm and even 440C if done right. But the steel is a major part of the package and I have passed on many beautiful and useful spyderco's because of the steel that was used.

How about you guys. Do you even care what steel the folders you buy, have? is it a major part of your decision making like it is mine. I would be happy if every folding knife came with cpm3V or z-tuff. I would not even worry about steel, but I am not sure why these companies find it difficult to make knives out of these steels.
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I like your list of steels,and completely agree. I would definitely add Maxamet to that list. Its really impressing me so far.....
 
facehugger said:
I've collected for a long time different knife manufacturers and knives so far.
After having really loads of knives i started to hardcoreuse some single pieces of different brands and get sobering experiences.
I realized that most massproduction blades just live from advertising and a hype but mostly not from the product quality itself.
Also i had to realize that many manufacturers just have a poor support btw. customer service.

So far i sold like 95% of my non busse blades meanwhile, i just keep some small amount of special blades which are rare or i just like, the rest doesent really interesst me anymore.

Busse covers everything which i prefer:
- limited amounts of production
- means value conservation
- incredible quality of the product
- nice customer service
- cool designs
- Busse is at my point of view a heavy part of modern knife history
- compared to other brands, even if some Busse blades are more expensive, i guess theyre worth it!
- since i started unprofessional leather sheaths crafting i found a hobby inside the collection hobby which gives me some kind of balance to the stressful workdays


Busse doesent cover yet:
- i simply can not keep the pace Jerry is releasing new blades with my sheathcrafting, Busse is telling me via telepathics: you need more and more and not just one of each model lol
- Where is my folder Jerry? :(:rolleyes:

over all i like the way the company handles the sales and its a pretty cool community tough !
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Well said, not to get too carried away but imho modern knife history has two periods, before and after Busse.
 
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My current pocket favorite is a tactical pterodactyl mini tanto 3v. Carried for about 6 months use it on everything , even cutting backyard vines. Cool designs beefy solid Constuction. He is on instagram.
 
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DamascusBowie said:
Well said, not to get too carried away but imho modern knife history has two periods, before and after Busse.
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Randall made doesn't get much love on blade forum but modern knife love started in ww2 with Randall. Busse would not be what it is without the advancement of Randall made. That's where people started collecting high end knives.
 
Murman said:
Randall made doesn't get much love on blade forum but modern knife love started in ww2 with Randall. Busse would not be what it is without the advancement of Randall made. That's where people started collecting high end knives.
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Agreed about the significance of RMK; I have a 5-6 and absolutely love it. It's surprisingly tough for a hidden tang knife. Busses are a whole other kind of tough, granted; but for a more classic design and a forged blade, Randalls are top notch. If I'm just cutting stuff or doing light splitting (kindling), that 5-6 is tough to beat.
 
Not just knife technology, but a society of knife collectors. People who buy multiple knives they don't need
 
Murman said:
Randall made doesn't get much love on blade forum but modern knife love started in ww2 with Randall. Busse would not be what it is without the advancement of Randall made. That's where people started collecting high end knives.
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Randall was definitely a marking point, and they are a great quality knife maker without a doubt, and have set a foundation for others including Busse. But what makes Busse truly unique is their unique approach to solving the riddle of steel, and making and designing knives in a totally new way, and raising the performance bar while lowering costs in the process.

Just think about how much work it would take a blacksmith to forge the equivalent of a simple regulator, and how much it would cost. Light brigade and CBT, forget about it. Busse brought extreme quality and performance to the masses, and ushered in a new era in knifemaking technology.
 
I guess what I look for in Busse is the same as what I look for with any brand knife I may buy or carry. With Busse fixed blades it just seems like I find it more often than anywhere else! The design and feel of the knife and if it works good rather than just looks good are what I look for first, before I ever get to the steel. I don't believe in trading practical application for esthetic value in just about any area of life. I say any area, bc there are always exceptions, but honesty right now I cant think of any for me personally. I am by nature a practical man. The fact the Busses heat treated steels are some of the best, if not the best, in the fixed blade business is easy icing on the cake for the Busse blades that do work well for me. Now, my opinion is that Busse makes a lot of great working blades that also look soo good also, and friends that's just more icing imo! Believe it or not the last aspect I look at when purchasing or not purchasing knives is warranty. I don't buy blades based solely on warranties but Busse sure has a great BS free one don't they, not that we're not paying for it, but I think I still consider that more Icing! :):thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
7 or 8 months ago the thought of dropping thousands of dollars on knives never entered my mind- today, I find it quite simple and the reason for that was learning what high performance knives are all about but mostly, I'm enjoying being able to support my home boys in a way I find pretty easy to do.
For me, information and expanding the knowledge base is the real rush and I can contribute the majority of that to all the folks here that help out the fresh meat like me. Simply put, there's a good support group for the similarly addicted pork freaks~ It's pretty trippy to reflect on this whole new world out there helping me understand all the things I never knew I needed LOL! ~

I do look at all kinds of knives but I find I judge them based on Busse- Yeah, a folder would be cool I guess, but fixed blades, my personal preference, there's really no point to look elsewhere as a basic consumer.
 
Aias said:
I used my Shining Mountain to carve a fairly large lamb we spitted a little while back... it sliced meat as well as it hacked through bone:

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Then there was that time my Gunfighter met a 70lbs pig...

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This is an awesome post btw Aias! And I have that same hat. Wore it to work ever sunny day for years now! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Cool thread!

I first discovered Busse Combat through an ad in Blade Magazine in the late 1990’s. The claims made for performance and warranty were unlike anything I’d seen, which was impressive considering I’d been a knife knut since childhood. I ordered a Basic 5, and when it arrived I was ecstatic and promptly ordered a Basic 9, which blew me away again. Soon after I bought an original Battle Mistress, then a Steel Heart II, then a SH-e, which blew me away again and again and again.

In the meantime, I joined Bladeforums and began following the Busse forum. Jerry from the beginning was so easy to talk to and so incisive in his responses about steel, heat treat and design that I couldn’t get enough. Everything he said made sense in such an entertaining way, without the vague, self-congratulatory hype that dominated the industry. And then there was Cliff...:eek::D

Over time, I’ve come to depend on Busse in so many ways—the concept of “what I look for in a knife company” wouldn’t even occur to me, because Busse is so much more than a company to me. But it’s a great question, because it brings into focus what’s so great about Busse:
  1. I want to deal with a company that offers high-quality products which perform better and last longer than the competition.
  2. I want a company that stands behind its products, no questions asked.
  3. I want a company that wants me to be satisfied and shows it.
Busse does all these things to the max, but it does so much more. It entertains me. It educates me. It gives me great fellowship and real friendships. And it makes me feel I’m part of a community that gets me.

Thanks Jerry!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

And thanks for the thread, Cobalt!:cool::cool::cool:
 
Murman said:
Randall made doesn't get much love on blade forum but modern knife love started in ww2 with Randall. Busse would not be what it is without the advancement of Randall made. That's where people started collecting high end knives.
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You can see the influence of Randall Made knives in Busse's designs. Like all knives, they all have influence from somewhere, and I am in no way saying any copyright/whatever infringement has occurred at all.

But Randall Made knives has made some iconic designs that are like a pair of black shoes. Always in style and always will be. I also agree that they probably have a lot to do with modern knife culture.
 
Newb here asking dumb question, are busse and swamp rat knives made more like a custom blade? With less options, obviously; I guess what I mean is that they feel as if they weren’t stamped or heated on a production line in huge batches, but without offending anyone can I ask?
 
Yonose said:
Newb here asking dumb question, are busse and swamp rat knives made more like a custom blade? With less options, obviously; I guess what I mean is that they feel as if they weren’t stamped or heated on a production line in huge batches, but without offending anyone can I ask?
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In my opinion satin/custom shop knives feel like custom knives and combat and battle grade feel like production knives in steroids.
 
Murman said:
In my opinion satin/custom shop knives feel like custom knives and combat and battle grade feel like production knives in steroids.
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Thanks for the answer, but are you serious? You can’t mean a polished blade and $50 makes that difference! If so, I guess I’m gonna save my dollars and lurk on the busse site until I get one!
 
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