when I get a busse I'm going to beat the SNOT out of it

A Druid,

A couple years ago, I was in that mindset where you are now. I was in Baghdad, and looking for reliable fixed blade. I had a lot of stuff back home that I liked, but couldn't bring with me. I went to the PX and bought a couple Cold Steel SRKs that were priced right, and I already owned some Cold Steel back home and liked it enough. I could've also gone for some KA-BAR, but went for the Cold Steel instead. I started looking at what many of the soldiers were packing, and I noticed that while a lot of the lower ranks packed KA-BAR, Cold Steel, and whatever else they could find at the PX, the mid level enlisted (corporals and seargents)were toting more exotics stuff, like Randalls, and Ontarios, and the Busse knives. I started checking them out, and thought to myself why would I ever pay more than $100 for a production run fixed blade that wasn't a custom? Then I started talking to some of the soldiers who had these knives, and I thought maybe it would be prudent to follow their example. So I finally broke down and bought a Swamp Rat Desert Battle Rat, a big fixed blade made by one of the Busse off-shoots. This was unlike any knife I ever owned, and while not much of an EDC tool here in the states, it is an ideal knife for what I wanted in Iraq.

I've since gone on to spend about $3,000 in the last two years buying Busse knives made of INFI. I could elaborate much more on how I became an avid convert, but like you said, you will have to find out for yourself. I've chopped rocks, 10p nails, and other knife edges with my Busse knives. They are not indestructible or immutable. They are easier to maintain and more robust than any other knife I know of. I still have my Cold Steel knives, and a whole bunch of others. Most of them are good quality, and fairly desirable for their intended use. I see no reason why you won't come to the same conclusion, as I have determined that the Busse knives made from INFI steel are the most rugged and usable knives you will find. Morimotom did properly identify what makes these knives so good.

Just do your research, understand the metallurgy and realize that no knife edge lasts forever, but the ability to absorb a helluva lot of abuse without failing and be easily brought back to ideal sharpness is what the Busse line does better than anyone else out there.
 
Cinder block huh! Hmmmm. I chopped one with my AK not long ago. Not too hard. I miscalculated and hit the corner which focused more pressure on the edge than had I hit the flat of the block. It was a balance thing which involved my dog and a neighbor cat. (It's best not to ask. ;) ) It rolled the edge a little. (Duh). As I knew it would. It's just one of those things we knuckle heads have to try. But as mentioned above it was a "roll" and not a chip and cleaned up nicely in short order.

I think I will leave the cinder block chopping to the guys at the shop who are doing it under the right context. But my neighbor's utility pole is going down. :D
 
thombrogan said:
A druid,

As a Spyderfan and Busse-enthusiast, the Sus Scrofa's hawkbill shape should be a natural for you! The first step in your INFI-addiction - fear it! :p

INFI is designed to be very tough at a high hardness and easily resharpen*. Unless the steel is very fatigued, it will roll, dent, or tear instead of chip. Being a physical entity, it still follows the laws of physics and will still require elbow grease when cutting through your car or stabbing through a brick wall. If you can't do that with lesser steels, you won't be able to do it with INFI. If you can do that with lesser steels (only to have them shatter or otherwise fail), you'll be able to do it with INFI only your knife will be less dinged.

S7 and SR-77 are tougher than INFI and offered in knives which often cost less, but INFI is more of a total package of toughness, wear-resistance, corrosion resistance, and overall ease of care. If you see a toughness difference between S7 and INFI in use, you're more often than not seeing a difference in edge-thickness. My thicker-edged S7 bowie knife cuts deeper in mild steel with less damage than my Muddy FBM, but both needed belt-sander loving and the FBM outcuts it in materials knives normally cut. Incidentally, my not-tough-at-all hacksaw cuts mild steel much better with less damage but falls further behind when used as a knife.

Try the Mini Sus-Scrofa (and fear it!) and see if it starts a ruinous addiction to INFI (I mean glorious affinity, not ruinous addiction :o ) and if it's what you want, that's awesome. If it's not what you want, your curiosity has been satisfied and you have a knife to sell for more Spydies.

*= INFI will strop from bone dull to hair-popping very quickly, but when thinning or regrinding the edge, it feels unpleasantly gummy on coarse hones. Don't know what that's about, but it takes a polished edge so well that it's worth any weirdness during the rare regrind. If you use a belt sander instead of a coarse hone, it's all good from soup-to-nuts.
Click to expand...

For anyone interested in INFI steel, this is a fantastic post! I just saved the text to my private file...priceless information.

Thanks, Thom!
 
what a difference a day makes, after making what in the light of day seem like some rather wild comments. And getting an infraction for vulgar language my first I don't plan on getting anymore. but I am wondering how many you can get and what they mean. and mean I understand the context but how severe are thay. I received what may be a decent deal, on a future acquisition of a muddy active duty, these knives are like I said more than I'm used to paying. and I would really have to manage my finance a little bit, to come up with the cash. If I do and I'm leaning toward it,if I'm going to take up time on this forum, and a lot of time reading and talking about knives. I might as well put my money where my mouth and time are. But the prospect of really owning a busse put things in perspective, while I still believe they are meant to be used. if I get one I will break it in gently, and use it as it's designed. I simply do not have the intestinal fortitude, or disposable income to destroy such a expensive and worthwhile tool. reality is a funny thing, it tends to make you act in ways, other than what you might fantasize about. I still like the active-duty more than I would probably like a Hawk Bill. if I was to go the Hawk Bill route I would try to go whole Hogg and get a war boar.
If I had my choice of the entire lineup which financial I do not. I would love to get a hell raiser, which I think typifies everything the Busse is about. big mean and unapologetically different with those weird ridges which probably are functional. The reality of the idea, that in the real world I would actually pay $200 plus for knife and pound a cinderblock with it. well it's just not happening. sorry to disappoint. It is a little of the dilemma for me, because it is easy and comfortable to make trades here and there. pick up the I good deal when I can afford it, and trade with in my comfort level. I have however been called out, and I will try to meet the challenge. and step up to a Busse. I still believe that the custom knives offered on this forum. offer good quality at great prices. I had just recently switched from buying in trading folders only strictly production models. To messing around with a few small neck knife type, fixed blades my favorite right now is a small and relatively tough, Daniel Koster, in 01 with a nice dark acacia handle, that I was able to trade for relatively painlessly. It is mostly a showpiece and a light user, I would try to use my Busse more aggressively. but I am learning so much my chagrin, that I may be intimidated by its price point into babying it more than I should.
 
Druid,
use a busse knife? How dare you. They are only safe queens no one here really uses them:D :

BattlemistressPRYpicture.jpg



 
Tyrkon Lawson said:
Cobalt: those need to go in the INFI time capsule!
Click to expand...

Actually we should have a storage depository of all our videos and action pics. I think between all of us, there are easily 50 or more videos and 100's of pics. Ok, I will make a sight up and we'll put all our stuff in it.:thumbup:
 
Adruid,

You should also take into account one of the most important factors, the warranty.

That is one of the reasons that I have no problems paying what Busse's cost. You can do anything you want to the knives and they are covered by the warranty.

I believe that an official comment about the warranty mentions something about accidentally cutting your knife with a torch being covered by warranty. The general idea is that as long as you did not set out to break your knife in two pieces you are entitled to a new one. And as long as you are testing the limits of your knife you do not intend to break it.

In short you can beat the snot out of a Busse with confidence, and if it happens to fail you are not out anything.
 
When it comes to warranty Busse is top notch. So good in fact that Skunk said that when I damage one of mine I could have my pic from any of the Hogs to serve as a replacement. ;)

Seriously though, THEGRATENATE is right on.
 
Cobalt: how about a how-to describing how you hold your blades when you throw them, and describe how you throw and at what distance for each blade? I'd love to have fun throwing some of mine, but would like to go into it knowing some of the basics first!
 
The warranty and the knives are great, I've tried killing my skeleton warden for quite some time now but it just lives on.
A little askew, but it's alive!
I'll try to bend it back and give it a good sharpening one of these days.
What looks like a chip in the blade is just the edge that has been a little compressed.
All the metal is still there.

(pictures are clickable)













 
mikeymoto said:
Cobalt: how about a how-to describing how you hold your blades when you throw them, and describe how you throw and at what distance for each blade? I'd love to have fun throwing some of mine, but would like to go into it knowing some of the basics first!
Click to expand...

I always throw them from the handle not from the blade as you see in many movies. I guess those were not sharp knives:D

Anyway, the way I throw is I ring my grip down towars the bottom of the handle. I then grip it loosly with my three fingers (no pinky) at the meaty part of my thumb. When I throw the knife I raise my hand over my head and make one smooth motion with my arm slightly turning my shoulders like if I was throwing punch. I try to make the motion fluid enough that can repeat it many times. I do not flick the wrist as it is much harder to repeat that motion. However, when it comes to an unknown distance then I will use the wrist to impart more or less spin. But if it is a nailed down distance my wrist is part of my forearm when I throw. It is hard to explain. Easier to show.


Best way to practice the moton is to get the knife and throw it at the ground in front of you. This will give you the proper motion and technique.
 
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