Where to start?

E

Elwin

Joined
Jan 4, 2002
Messages
183
I'm looking for honest suggestions on where to start my Busse collection. The assault shaker seems the most useful, but thankfully I dont have to justify purchases w/ need. I'd really like a BM-e, but would have to sell all my other knives but one folder. Not that it wouldnt be worth it. I'm thinking mostly of current models, though I understand that some new ones are coming.
 
Elwin,
I only see two options. One, start at the top and work your way to the bottom. Two, start at the bottom and work your way to the top. If you want a more specific answer, you'll need someone smarter and MUCH wiser than i am. While I have been successful at selecting the one right woman and our 15th anniversary is comming up this Sept, I have not had ANY success in choosing the one right Busse knife to spend the rest of my life with :confused: It's really looking much more like a harem :D
 
Hi Elwin,

I gotta ask you first, before I can give you a decent answer, "What do you need the knife to do for you??" The answer to that will dictate at a minimum what size(s) we'd be considering.

With that said, you can apply the usual rules of thumb about knives in general. If there's only gonna be one for the time being, probably a mid-size blade (4.5"-6") would be called for as the appropriate compromise. If chopping is one of your needs and you go with a mid-size, you'd most likely want the Natural Outlaw over the Satin Jack, although both are bombproof 6" blades.

Since budget seems to be a concern (ain't it always ;)) you might try to track down a Basic 5 or wait to see what the new models offer before carving your decision in stone.

Let us know what you need your nuclear blade to do & we'll definitely give you an earful. :)

Greg
 
Elwin,

If you read our other recent threads, we all have problems. INFI is worse than crack. Once you get one all you can think about is where the next one is coming from. You'll still use, abuse and love you other Busses but there is no such thing as enough. That said, deal with the debt and order one of the new models (http://www.customknifeshop.com) from Busse (these are just pictures, get ordering information off of http://www.bussecombat.com). After you get one you'll want more and these new blades are going to be even more obscenely expensive when the run ends. You'll have to have at least one of them anyway so buy now before you have to pay through the nose later :)

But if you are still a skeptic I would say go for the BM-E. As Andre Dumouchel (Papathud)once put it "You can use a larger knife for tasks better suited for a small knife but you can't make a small knife do the work of a large knife." You won't regret it, and if you are insane and find that you do you'll be able to sell or trade it and get almost all, if not all, of your money back.

-Jeff
 
Like I said, I have no real use for a BM-e, but it is the flagship of the current line up, so collecting is a reason. I have some light brush and small trees and such that I may need to trim in the summer months, and I may have to take up camping. The main reason is just to see if the reputation is true. The assault shaker seems the perfect edc fixed blade. I was working on a design w/ a 2 inch blade under 6" overall. looks like jerry beat me to it. Make no mistake, once I get started, I anticipate several purchases, and some nights spent in the yard w/ my knives after my wife finds out. I used to live in the middle of nowhere, now I live in the suburbs. I want to move back, and then the BM-e would get real use. Ive been keeping an eye out on the for sale forum. How's the BM-e as a fighter? Ive been doing some training and wonder if it would be a good one for practice on hard targets. Thanks for all the help.
 
The Steel Heart is another one to consider. It has a great heritage with Busse and it can be easily used for both large and small tasks.

However, having said that I agree with you that the AS may be the place for you to start. Good entry level Busse and if you decide you want to buy another Busse later the AS is easy to keep hidden from your Wife ;):D
 
Elwin:

Hi :) Since you don't have to rationalize need for a purchase then I would certainly recommend either the Battle Mistress or Steel Heart. As Eric mentioned the Steel Heart has a very long and distinguished(sp?) heritage. The Battle Mistress on the the other hand, is just in a class all by herself :D I'm one of those who have fallen in love with the Mistress line, so she would be my "first" choice to you.
 
DN, let me turn this around a little. What do you use your battle mistresses to do? I figure once I get one, there will never be another need for a fixed blade of that size in my lifetime. I'm 26 now.
 
Elwin,

I'd have to second the "start in the middle and work your way out" approach. This will give you the maximum versatility up front, and allow you to evaluate your future needs.

I started out with a Steel Heart, worked my way down, and now am ready to fill the top end niche with a Basic 9 right now, and will start the quest for a steal on a Straight Handled Battle Mistress.

The Natural Outlaw is a good central "balance" of big enough to handle chopping requirements, while giving the dexterity of a smaller blade.

The Satin Jack gives you a straight-handled blade that is fantastic for field use.

The frequent monitoring of BladeForums Exchange threads, as well as Ebay, can lead to some great deals on the INFI of your liking.

Have you had a chance/opportunity to do a hands-on comparison? If you can get to a show where Busse is represented. Be careful. Touching INFI will cause a case of serious INFI-purchasing obsession, of which the only relief is to buy more INFI...

I don't know your intended use, but am confident that you can find well founded guidance here in helping you to select your first.

Hope this helps some.

Mike
 
I quit rationalizing need when my friends wife and I had a discussion about the "need" for a gun to fire more than one bullet between reloading. Apparently, she has never missed and will be able to line up multiple house breakers, attackers and assailants so one bullet will do the trick. ****** sheeple.
 
I'd go for the Steel Heart. Over the past few weeks, a fair number of INFI toys have arrived on the Brown Truck of Joy, but the Steel Heart is my all-around favorite - not too big to carry easily, excellent balance, feels like it was made custom for my hand.

I'm also quite fond of the Badger Attack, as I can carry that everyday around here without trouble, and it's so darned cute.
 
Elwin. I currently have a harem of straight handled Mistresses that never get used, and are in my collection for pure personal pleasure of owning them. I also have a BM-E that I use and abuse for hiking trips throughout the year.

You're right about only needing to buy the BM-E once, I don't ever forsee myself having to buy another full sized knife for hiking trips. The Mistress accomplishes any task I throw at it on trips. I might send it back next year for a new coating, but that's all cosmetic :)
 
Well, there's an old saying "When you don't know, everything is easy".

You're right, stinkin Sheeple...
 
Elwin, just get the one that seems to fit your needs or collecting needs first. If you want an excellent EDC, the Killer B or Assault Shaker cannot be beat! On the other hand, if you want a big mama chopper the BM-E is awesome:D...even if you just plan to chop air with it, it IS the king of Busses:D

Of course I prefer the queen of the lineup, Steel Heart E:D:D:D
 
The AS seems like a good place to start. Are there any Busse dealers? There is a fairly good store in town and I wonder if they carry any of the CG Busses. Oh well, Ive been meaning to go anyway. Thanks for all the great advice.
 
Elwin,
Some dealers to check with are Papathud(Andre Dumouchel) and also Andrew Pinchen here on the forums, you can do a search for their names and then should be able to find their email addresses.

Also check with www.bladeart.com and www.2thehilt.com

Of course you can always order from the website www.bussecombat.com or call them at 419-923-6471

Let us know what you think when you receive it.
 
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