Who owns a Busse Battle Mistress or an RTAK???

Hello Marion,
I have an RTAK and would love to own a Busse Battle Mistress but refuse to pay the extorted price that they are allegedly selling for. Seems there are more sellers than buyers. Love my RTAK and don't think that for the price (150.00) you can beat it. Have been several reviews here on the forums and at Newt's site. I have not abused mine but it is extremely well made. I also own the RCM, which is very similar but more in a machete configuration. The RTAK was born from suggestions made to Newt about modifying the RCM by Jeff Randall. My next purchase is to be a HKR with burgandy micarta scales.

Tell me a little about Idaho, hate extremely cold weather, getting too old. Could I survive the beauty of Idaho or are the temps to extreme? Cost of living, land prices?

[This message has been edited by sarge (edited 03-28-2000).]
 
I just got my RTAK recently. I haven't used it yet but I will when I go home to the Philippines this year. I'll be using it to cut toe-holds on coconut trees, cut open coconuts and mostly anything else that a bolo is used. Believe me, it will get a full workout over there. I'll let you how it stands up to the tropical clime of the Philippines.
 
Climate is temparate, cold winters, hot summers, though the winters have been much warmer lately.

Land prices are probably not too good, a majority of the state is owned by the federal government, and the rest is prized, Idaho has a rep.

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye, Cd'A ID, USA mdpoff@hotmail.com

Talonite and Cobalt Materials Resource Page

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
I used to own a Mistress, but sold it because I needed the cash in a hurry. It was a HUGE mistake! First off, I waited almost a year for that baby, but in the end, it was well worth it. It turned out to be the best big knife I ever owned, and I have owned quite a few. It is an outstanding chopper, but because of the large choil, it could be choked up on for fine cutting. It held a great edge but also sharpened easily. It is for all these reasons that I am buying another one as we speak from a forum member. As a side note, I also have a Livesay HKR (the only Wicked Knife I own) and it is an outstanding knife. It doesn't hold an edge as long as the Busse, and I can't get it quite as sharp, but hey, it's half the price!
 
I own both knives. Haven't used them extensively, though.

Superficially, the BM "feels" a bit more "smooth", compared to the RTAK. It's finish is better and the balance is really nice.

The BM is heavier, I think..., certainly, the blade is thicker.

It took me about 3-4 weeks to get my RTAK. The BM was about 21-22 weeks, I think.

I have the "older" version BM; one from last August. It has the straighter, somewhat clipped blade.., which I much prefer to the new, spear pointed version (I don't like spear point blades). I think the straighter handle might be a bit more versatile than the offline handle (which might be a bit better pure chopper.) I also think the kydex sheath is a bit higher quality than the RTAK.

The RTAK is a good, basic, solid big chopper, with a thinner blade, a decent finish, and a price tag less than half the BM (with less than half the wait, too.) The sheath is nice.., I think the kydex in it is thinner than the BM.
 
I happen to own a Busse battle mistress. I just mailed to Newt, and orderfor his Recon Combat Machette(The larger version of the RTAK), along with a Woo kneck knife. I'll let you know the differences when I get them.

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Big-Target>>>>>>SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM
 
I have an RTAK and an RCM, both great choppers, both alot of bang for the buck

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The thorn stands to defend the Rose, yet it is peaceful and does not seek conflict
 
I have an BM and had an RCM. I did some work chopping hardwood branches with them and a number of differences became obvious very quickly.

The RCM's handle is too thin and not swelled enough for support, after about 100 chops my palm was feeling the impacts and I had to resort to wearing a thick glove. It was secure enough though, no slips. My BM now has a cord wrapped grip but even when not wrapped wasn't as uncomfortable as the RCM. The new handles on the BM would be much more comfortable.

The blade on the RCM is much thinner and the extra length gives it more tip speed. At low to medium effort, it tended to cut better through the wood than the BM as its penetration was a bit higher. At maximum effort, I could not notice a significant difference between the cutting ability of the blades. With both moving at equal velocity the greater mass of the BM made up for the thicker profile. The BM also has a thinner edge, which is surprising. Anyway, that high a levels of exertion has too high a fatigue rate and is not safe under most conditions.

After 500 chops with each blade, neither edge had chipped or rolled and both were still sharp (I could lop off light weeds with wrist snaps). However the RCM's blade had rippled.The major edge damage was a bend about 1 mm or so to the side for about 3.5 cm. This deformation ran about a cm deep into the blade. There was a smaller similar dent below the main one.

The blade has been returned to Newt who has received it and I am waiting to hear if what I saw was the expected behavior or not.

-Cliff

[This message has been edited by Cliff Stamp (edited 04-05-2000).]
 
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