What's so special about the Busses?

[Magnum22]

hey guys. i just thought i'd let you know i'm a big jerk because of these knives and only two of the busses have seen any use. ignore all the users in the second pick, the ones i use to avoid tarnishing my pretty infi, which are more effective at their designated tasks anyway.

point is we're all collectors. we all have more than we need and pointing the finger at those who spend the extra cash on one expensive knife rather than many cheaper are hypocrites, nothing more to it than that. if your collection amonts to no more than a single machete/axe, swiss army, and a mora, you may have grounds to speak ill of the rest of us but even in that case, it's still just self righteous bull.

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

It really irks me to no end, some of the inflated prices I see on the secondary market, It makes me think that some buyers are just amateur dealers, and the whole "ganza" buying frenzies is frustrating on a couple of levels.

That said, I have been hemming and hawing for months over getting a GW. Are there better 7" knives with 3" blades out there? Sure. Do I have any knives better than a GW? Probably. Do I need a GW? No. Did I just pull the trigger on one last week? Yeah, I did. My whole dilemma was the whole "Man, do I wanna pay @$250 for a 3" bladed production knife?" The truth is, for me, It is way expensive for what it is, and it did hurt to spend the dough. However that knife is damn sexy! I wanted it, I work damn hard at work and at home, I could afford it, sort of, and I got it. Simple as that. I EDC fixed blades so I will enjoy carrying and using this one.

All Busse bashers is bitches and all Busse collectors is Hoes.

 

[Magnum22]

All Busse collectors is bitches and all Busse bashers is Hoes.

HAHAH, can we switch it around?! i think it's more appropriate that way. pretty much nails it, actually.

 

[Jaxx]

Will you let me heat your Busse to 1,100oF for an hour. If you will then I will consider buying one. I will pay the freight both ways and video the entire process. Then I will test first hardness and then practical use and edge holding. And what is INFI? Seeing that Busse is not in the steel business he has some other company roll steel to his secret specifcations that no other knife maker can duplicate. Or he uses 1095.

I thought about buying a Busse some years back but then Jerry posted about using his knife to pry open a car door and rescuing the driver. Bullstuff! I trained firefighters for years in vehicle extrication and I know how to open doors with the Jaws of Life". I also know field expediant methods. If anyone will send me their Busse and allow me to cut a door bolt with it or pry open a door with it I will buy one. I will video the entire evolution and send your knife back to you afterward. Takers. I didn't think so. The problem isn't the knives, it is Jerry's attitude and it carries over to a few owners. In closing I always get a laugh when someone talks about how he owns the toughest knife on the planet and then shows a picture of a drawer queen.

Well, gee... Will you let me drive your car into a brick wall for an hour? If it is drivable after that, I'll buy one. I'll even pay the freight both ways. Heck, I'll video tape the entire process... Nice. Why would any one of us send YOU a knife for a test like that after a rant like this? It's like saying... "Let me try my hardest to kill your knife for free just so I can feel better about buying one myself."

So wait... you go through this rant about the knife, and then say... "The problem ISN'T THE KNIVES, it is Jerry's attitude and it carries over to a few owners"????? Ok, um... well, thanks for making the point that you believe the KNIVES aren't the problem. As for Jerry? Well who cares? Are you buying the owner or the knife? Personally, I couldn't care less if you would buy a Busse... or not. Ya don't like them, so what. You don't like Jerry Busse?? Again, so what. Here's what I know. The knives are great, and the customer service is the best I've personally encountered in ANY field, period. NO OTHER owner or president of any company has EVER personally called me to see if I was satisfied with their product. Jerry has., and Busse's main customer service rep, Amy has on more than one occasion. Both have shown me that they care about the customers in many ways. Say what you will, but until you actually KNOW... You're blowing smoke. Ya don't care for some of the owners of these knives?? So what? Is THAT really important in making a decision in buying a product? Here's what I know... We have one of the most active & interactive sub-forums anywhere on BladeForums.com. I've met MANY great folks there in the year plus I've been over there. Say what you will, but there has to be something to that.

Tell ya what... I'll send you a Busse CG FBM, & you send ME your toughest knife of approximate size & equal value. We'll take a week giving each other's our all, then let's compare the damage. Deal? I didn't think so...

Yeah, I got safe queens too, as I am a collector of many knives & types of fixed blades 'n' folders, but I do use a few of these as well.

Jaxx

 

[g30ff]

It seems that you have to want to believe or you have to believe that others are brainwashed. Believe in God, yourself, a knife your skills......whatever, but do the research for yourself. Busse isn't just a knife, yes it's a community. If you don't like that, then stay the hell out. If you do, welcome. I used Cold Steel, SOG and Spyderco for years, but ended up with Busse. Why? Not because I have lots of disposable income. Because I chose to go with what is best for me. I traded and made friends, until I ended up with my current users. If it's not best for someone else, sweet. I don't need followers, I desire companions that are courteous and witty, and choose what they want for themselves. Not nay-sayers and people who argue over why something can't be that good. What, are you afraid it might be? Just about any tool is useful and can be used to produce a favorable income within it's realm of function. My oldest son is still using the Cold Steel Recon Tanto that I beat the heck out of for 5 years. We have a pretty positive group involved with Busse, and yes I am a fanboy. I don't need to convince anyone here that my knife is better, because I don't care. But, I am sick of people constantly commenting and bad talking folks who feel so positive about a knife or the company that makes them because we are a big group of people who are excited and share their experiences based on said knives.
I don't care if you like Corona Machetes or Randalls, if you're happy, cool. Let's hear about it and go out to play in the woods. But, if you just want to complain, criticize or talk down, then don't buy into it and shut up.

Keep in mind that this is the Wilderness & Survival skills forum. The discussion of Busses has generally been quite positive, but as always there are a few who don't agree. Big deal. It isn't a big attack on anyone's masculinity to have a few folks who disagree. A lot of the people here think that Moras are just great. None of the Busse companies make a knife that is anything like a Mora (that I've seen). It seems like more than half the forum prefer <4" blades. The <4" Busses are mostly hampererd by the too-small-to-be-useful-but-big-enough-to-get-in-the-way choils and they're mostly too thick for my liking. Not a big deal for some applications but when it comes to whittling wood it is a pain. I brought mine camping last month and hardly used my GW or AD the whole time. I did baton some wood with my Swamp Rat M6 (probably safer than a hatchet when you're pounding back Maker's Mark straight from the bottle) but for whittling I gave up on the Busses and used a folder. The company name is "Busse Combat" for a reason, I'd imagine if it was "Busse Bushcraft" he'd have made some different design decisions. Nobody here is trying to bash other people for collecting whatever knives they please or Busse knives as being anything but great for what they were designed, but that the question was posed in the W&SS forum says something about context in which the original poster is interested in using them. Since that's the case I'd say if he's a big monster chopper man he should go for it--I don't think he'll find better--but if he's an 'I don't need anything bigger than a 4" blade' kinda guy, he should probably keep looking. The original poster asked for peoples' opinions because he was interested in what they had to say. It seems a tad perverse for you to suggest that anyone with a complaint or criticism should just shut up. I haven't been here that long but it seems to me that W&SS is a community too, and the tradition here is to let people speak their mind.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Morimotom,

The problem here is pretty obvious, you guys over the Busse forum have too many nice knives, martinis, cigars, and hot women. Soon you folks will want live in a free, democratic, capitalistic society where men appreciate that kind of crap....

:thumbup::thumbup:

but alas, im missing several ingredients in your equation.


if anyone cares, i shot a fusion battle mistress with a .22 lr from about 15 feet. there is no "why", just some beers, guns, knives. (yes im aware of the rule about mixing guns and alcohol, i wasnt drunk, just a little stupider than usual).

wanted to see what would happen. put a nice dent right near the edge.

another member here realigned the blade, gave it a good sharpening, and it appears good as new.

trust me when i say i wont be doing that again.

 

[Myal]

I thought about buying a Busse some years back but then Jerry posted about using his knife to pry open a car door and rescuing the driver. Bullstuff! I trained firefighters for years in vehicle extrication and I know how to open doors with the Jaws of Life". I also know field expediant methods. If anyone will send me their Busse and allow me to cut a door bolt with it or pry open a door with it I will buy one.

I wouldnt be too fast to denounce as bull a knife that can be used to cut open car doors ...

Im a ordinary guy who makes knives that do this in my backyard using HSS saw blades and an angle grinder , the knives still slice paper after being shoved thru car panels a few times .. had to do it a couple times before I got it to look right for the picture

as far as I know , Busse has his own manufacturing plant a a few more $$ than me and a whole lot more knowledge about steels

it may be very possible his claims are true , I working on the assumption that if me with near 0$ can do what is pictured , surely him with heaps of $ machines tech know-how etc etc etc can do a whole lot more

FWIW , the smaller of the knives pictured has allready been used to cut open a car door skin to give access to the lock rods , and to lever the door open , as well as cut the battery cables and seatbelt ( not necessarily in that order tho ) maybe save a life in the process

It is still serviceable sharp after the exersize

this was done by a backyarder , busse has to be better

that being said tho , I dont own one a busse , I would like to , and maybe will oneday , but right now , no .

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Nobody here is trying to bash other people for collecting whatever knives they please....

there have been more than a few posts in this thread that have done exactly that.

 

[thatmguy]

If someone wants to discuss the merits of the knives, that is the purpose of this forum, correct?

I have seen more to be the case of ad hominem attacks, "fan boy" attacks, "secret code" attacks, "inside joke" attacks, and others far removed from any form of blade merit discussions.

Sad that people have to act that way instead of being adult about it and trying to discuss pros and cons of design, steel, materials, etc.

Bash all you want, not going to change that following, as it is a choice.

Try the knives. If you like them, fine. If not, fine.

If you have tried them, and like or dislike, act like an adult and tell us why, don't whine because someone is talking about something you weren't here for the first time and don't understand...

Amazing responses from some I used to respect the opinions of....

 

[cjpgeyer]

Sun Tzu of the bladeforums eh? Just pointing out the idiocy in the story told, fatalism and pragmatism tinged with experience would seem to be more appropriate. I don't ache for acceptance from people in the chatrooms, with paid memberships or not.

Not alot of others here are answering the original question, what is so special about Busse over Becker. Nothing and 400 dollars in change, thats about it. Can a Busse cut and is pretty? Sure. So are Chris Reeves knives, so are Fehrmans are any of those doing something in the real world that a Becker can't? No.

The rest of this conversation falls under the same useless jibering that the 9mm vs. .45 ACP debate goes into.

Yeah...there's some idiocy here alright. You can say it's not a representative sample, but there is no way your 8" Becker is gonna come anywhere close to beating a 12" custom competiton knife in ANY capacity. Even the guys at the Chop-In said I would be dead last with the SH-E.

Oh, and I do own a Becker, and several customs. I use Busse family knives and have for over ten years. That's why I knew I could stand the heat.

 

[mymindisamob]

Keep in mind that this is the Wilderness & Survival skills forum. The discussion of Busses has generally been quite positive, but as always there are a few who don't agree. Big deal. It isn't a big attack on anyone's masculinity to have a few folks who disagree. A lot of the people here think that Moras are just great. None of the Busse companies make a knife that is anything like a Mora (that I've seen). It seems like more than half the forum prefer <4" blades. The <4" Busses are mostly hampererd by the too-small-to-be-useful-but-big-enough-to-get-in-the-way choils and they're mostly too thick for my liking. Not a big deal for some applications but when it comes to whittling wood it is a pain. I brought mine camping last month and hardly used my GW or AD the whole time. I did baton some wood with my Swamp Rat M6 (probably safer than a hatchet when you're pounding back Maker's Mark straight from the bottle) but for whittling I gave up on the Busses and used a folder. The company name is "Busse Combat" for a reason, I'd imagine if it was "Busse Bushcraft" he'd have made some different design decisions. Nobody here is trying to bash other people for collecting whatever knives they please or Busse knives as being anything but great for what they were designed, but that the question was posed in the W&SS forum says something about context in which the original poster is interested in using them. Since that's the case I'd say if he's a big monster chopper man he should go for it--I don't think he'll find better--but if he's an 'I don't need anything bigger than a 4" blade' kinda guy, he should probably keep looking. The original poster asked for peoples' opinions because he was interested in what they had to say. It seems a tad perverse for you to suggest that anyone with a complaint or criticism should just shut up. I haven't been here that long but it seems to me that W&SS is a community too, and the tradition here is to let people speak their mind.

I agree wholeheartedly about most of what you wrote. I am not suggesting that open discussion, even in the negative sense, be discontinued. I am suggesting, if not outright requesting, that the snide and self righteous attitudes of some should cool it in knocking those of us who buy, use and defend a specific maker. It has happened to those who like Cold Steel, Strider, and so on. I would like to hear what most anyone has to say, but not by bashing the majority of any group based on an arrogant few.
My "shut up" comment may have been over the top, but it gets old seeing posts with commentary about Busse isn't worth it and the Busse guys don't have anything but shiny knives. If it's not worth it, then don't buy it. If you think we don't use them, then you don't read much. If you don't think the knives are as good as we say, then they aren't for you, or you haven't done the proper research. It's that simple.
I know this is th W&SS forum, and that's why I come here often. I use my blades for much of what is discussed here. I use Busses and wouldn't own a Mora if someone gave it to me. But I don't knock the elitist attitude of those who feel they are better and more skilled than the next person because they use a small knife and carry less gear. Not everyone here is like that, and many are just very cool. BTW, I don't have any problem whittling or with fire and bushcraft using my Busse ST Ripper or Badger Attack, but I do carry a Superknife 2 for everything else.

 

[Buffalohump]

FWIW I wandered into the Busse forum a little while back, wanting to find out more info about them. I lurked for awhile and finally got up on my hind legs and asked some dumb newb questions that have probably been asked a hundred times.

Not once did I get any attitude or a snobbish vibe from the dudes there./ Everyone was real helpful and welcoming. Within a few days I was up and running and pretty much knew the score about how the Busse company rolls and the whole Swamp Rat/Scrap Yard breakdown.

I have hung on many forums, from watches to flashlights, and have seen the type of clannish, in-joke attitudes that people have mentioned. But not over at the Busse area.

I just wish the damn things were easier to get ahold of. To me this is the frustrating bit. I could understand if the Busse stuff was unavailable, as that's the cream of the crop, but even the Scrap Yard store is totally cleaned out. Not a whistle...

I think they need to ramp up production just a tad, quite frankly.

 

[Noshtero]

The only thing I can't figure out is where all you Busse fans are getting so much CASH! lol. I saw a post on the Busse forums about the prospect of offering roughly finished blades and people were like "Please sign me up for 8 different styles and 3 custom ones, thanks". I'm reading, doing the math, and I'm like WOW that's like $5,000. There was one guy just recently that posted a picture that had to have no less than 50 Busse blades on a big table. OMG!

So my conclusion is this. It would take a REAL a$$hole to financially burden his family by buying a ton of very expensive knives that he really can't afford. Therefore, these Busse guys who own 20 or 30 $300+ knives must be pretty financially stable. So if this were me, and I could afford it, I would honestly most likely outfit myself in INFI since in my opinion it is the best. I can not, alas, afford a single Busse, so I am very happy using my $100 chopper that I feel performs at 90% or better compared to a battle mistress.

I really don't think we can get down on people for choosing what they consider to be the best knife out there. I always will buy the best I can afford. I can't think of anyone who, if price were no object, pick the lesser item just because. I'm talking a lot about price here, and I know price isn't everything, but I can tell you this much: If Busse's cost around the industry standard of $60-100 for a production fixed blade, I don't know a single one of my friends that wouldn't own all Busse.

I say if you can afford it, and you think it's worth it, go with Busse!

 

[Don Rearic]

I don't have a problem with them. I have a problem with people.

 

[mymindisamob]

I don't have a problem with them. I have a problem with people.

Now I understand the majority of your posts!

 

[Don Rearic]

Now I understand the majority of your posts!

You're absolutely right. Most of the time I have a problem with people who preach you need some magic talisman in order to defend yourself or to survive some incident. It's bullshit. If you can't survive with a Mora (and I don't own one, either...) or a Becker or Ontario RAT, it's unlikely a Busse is going to save you.

I'm tired of potshots from anonymous guys with bizarre names who run survival courses but ... don't use their real name? Seems like a missed opportunity for some excellent exposure...

 

[skammer]

I'm tired of potshots from anonymous guys with bizarre names who run survival courses but ... don't use their real name? Seems like a missed opportunity for some excellent exposure...

Don,

I advocate getting the best blade you can afford to have in a survival situation. I happen to think that is a Busse product of some kind in a longer length. Your reading comprehension skills suck. I in the past have good things to say about a lot of steel not just Busse if you bothered to read. I advocate wood matches over paper. Bic lighter over matches. Does this mean a bic is the holly grail of firemaking for survival? Of course not its getting the best gear you can get to make it through a situation. No different than cheap tires on a car in winter, I dont think it is out of reason to want the best for safety sake. Some take things way to personally and read volumes too much into comments.

As per usual it comes down to money, forget about the opinion based on merrit, its afford or not even though its the same idea as matches but the price difference is not an issue.

I dont pot shot. YOU! pot shot. I teach courses in my area mostly for charity so I have no need to go public on this forum to make money for thus charity.
As for not using real names, well, if this must be explained then its a lost cause.

Skam

 

[flatgrinder]

IN MY OPINION......

For 99% of what you will need a survival knife for, there is nothing that a RAT or Becker can't do that a Busse can. They are very nice knives, but they are certainly not neccessary. If you want to spend a few hundred bucks, go for it. If not, you will do just fine with one of the manufacturers that you mentioned.

I agree. A knife is like a car, it gets you from A to B. Whether you do it in a Pinto or a Ferrari, they'll both get you there. However, Busse's are DAMN GOOD knives!!

 

[mymindisamob]

You're absolutely right. Most of the time I have a problem with people who preach you need some magic talisman in order to defend yourself or to survive some incident. It's bullshit. If you can't survive with a Mora (and I don't own one, either...) or a Becker or Ontario RAT, it's unlikely a Busse is going to save you.

I'm tired of potshots from anonymous guys with bizarre names who run survival courses but ... don't use their real name? Seems like a missed opportunity for some excellent exposure...

I must have missed some pretty inflammatory threads. I have just noticed that your posts that I have come across seem pretty confrontational and angry. That seems to be your angle in promoting skills, based on my visits to your site. This is just my perception based on reading on a screen though. I haven't noticed anyone saying that they have the magical device to keep them alive in any situation. Just a lot of conversation as to why we like or dislike gear and how people act over them. I don't think my knife will save me. I will take care of that, but my knife of choice may be involved.

Mike Laxson: Busse Fanboy, OD Green and Camouflage Wearing Survivalist, Opinionated Forumite.

 

[Don Rearic]

Why bother to respond to an anonymous troll?