Why Are Busse Knives So Expensive?

goldie said:
I can see why custom folders can be expensive,with tight tolerances,locking mechanisms,many parts,but fixed blades like busse's are one piece of steel with handles,seems much easier to make,why do they cost so much??
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To anyone who asks this question of any knifemaker, I ask the following...
Have YOU ever made a knife? If not, I suggest you try.

How long did it take you? Was it easy, or did it require a great amount of skill, patience, and time? Now please understand, there's a big difference between making a knife, and making knives. The latter requiring the addition of a considerable capital investment in a building(s), machine tools, heat treating equipment, raw materials, consumables, personnel, etc. Lets break it down.

Now what about tools? How much do you think machine tools cost? Answer: Thousands.
What about consumables such as belts, saw blades, cutters, drill bits, specialized tooling, etc, etc? Lets not forget electricity to run all this equipment, plus light the shop areas.

Oh yea, the shop! First we gotta build it or rent it, then heat/cool it too. Gonna need an office with some computers, desks, phones, and file cabinets! You'll want internet access and phone service. With all this stuff coming and going you'll need a place for shipping and receiving too. Gotta protect this investment, so throw some business and liability insurance into the pot. Who is going to photograph your knives? Wait, what about advertising? A web page perhaps? How much will that cost to make, host, and maintain? Time is money.

What about raw materials! Is any high grade tool steel cheap? What about Micarta, brass and stainless steel rod and tubing? I suggest you research this and see for yourself.

As a skilled craftsman, how much would you like to make an hour?
Would you like health insurance? dental? How about a retirement plan, or maybe a matching 401(k)? Everyone wants a paid holiday, vacation, personal day, or a sick day now and then.

Brothers, a little piece of each of these, and more, has to come out of every single knife. Fact is, I wonder how some full time custom knifemakers sell their knives for the (low) prices they do. I only own a few Busse Game Wardens, and I think they were priced appropriately.

Thanks,
Scott
 
It is not just supply and demand, if they were in it only for the profit then they could easily double or triple their prices and still sell them. The fact that they don't do it is amazing. And they didn't jump on the super duper tactical gravy train, the designs tend to be quite conservative in a positive sense: they work.

They also live their hype; the knifes are tough, ergonomic and almost unbreakable. Their warranty is NO questions asked, besides they also have two "cheaper" lines which in some cases made knifes that even looked better than the original.

I don't own any Busse myself, have a couple of rats and dogs but so far no hog.
 
Tanguay Custom Knives said:
To anyone who asks this question of any knifemaker, I ask the following...
Have YOU ever made a knife? If not, I suggest you try.

How long did it take you? Was it easy, or did it require a great amount of skill, patience, and time? Now please understand, there's a big difference between making a knife, and making knives. The latter requiring the addition of a considerable capital investment in a building(s), machine tools, heat treating equipment, raw materials, consumables, personnel, etc. Lets break it down.

Now what about tools? How much do you think machine tools cost? Answer: Thousands.
What about consumables such as belts, saw blades, cutters, drill bits, specialized tooling, etc, etc? Lets not forget electricity to run all this equipment, plus light the shop areas.

Oh yea, the shop! First we gotta build it or rent it, then heat/cool it too. Gonna need an office with some computers, desks, phones, and file cabinets! You'll want internet access and phone service. With all this stuff coming and going you'll need a place for shipping and receiving too. Gotta protect this investment, so throw some business and liability insurance into the pot. Wait, what about advertising? A web page perhaps? How much will that cost to make, host, and maintain?

What about raw materials! Is any high grade tool steel cheap? What about Micarta, brass and stainless steel rod and tubing? I suggest you research this and see for yourself.

As a skilled craftsman, how much would you like to make an hour?
Would you like health insurance? dental? How about a retirement plan, or maybe a matching 401(k)? Everyone wants a paid holiday, vacation, personal day, or a sick day now and then.

Brothers, a little piece of each of these, and more, has to come out of every single knife. Fact is, I wonder how some full time custom knifemakers sell their knives for the (low) prices they do. I only own a few Busse Game Wardens, and I think they were priced appropriately.

Thanks,
Scott
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Well put. Jerry employs a crew of folks who are committed to what they do and are good at it. The customer service is among the best I've ever dealt with, and the Busse crew in general is just fun to be around. They're worth whatever Jerry pays them and more.

The knives themselves are well made, aesthetically pleasing, and functional, and they encompass a range from 3" thin slicers to 10" thick choppers to small swords. In addition, you're often getting a semi-custom from the shop, as many of their knives are made in very small batches.

I have no beef whatsoever with the prices I've paid for Busses, even on the secondary market.
 
I think the cost of the Busse knives is on par with the quality and the uniqueness of the designs. What I haven't figured out is why they don't charge more for the Swamp Rat line?? But maybe that is another thread...

Stephen
 
Stephen Tolar said:
I think the cost of the Busse knives is on par with the quality and the uniqueness of the designs. What I haven't figured out is why they don't charge more for the Swamp Rat line?? But maybe that is another thread...

Stephen
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the current swamprat line is more expensive than their previous res-c line, which scrapyard is now using.

the materials are less expensive, and the scrapyard materials are the least expensive.

intent is to offer a line for everyone.
 
Sapper76 said:
I bought a badger attack just a few weeks ago at a price that was very similar to a ZT 0100 that I purchased a few months ago. I'm kicking myself because the BATAC is quite superior to the 0100, well with the exception of not coming with a sheath. I used to have a problem spending this amount of money on anything but pistols/rifles, but now... I have to hide my credit cards
smiley_abused.gif
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Not sure what your criteria is, but I own both, and find them quite different.

One thing for sure though, is that when I get a Busse, I immediately have to send it off to Bill Siegle for a rework, as I did with my BATAC, that I just got.

While the standard Busse edge is great for chopping, it barely scrapes the hair off my arms, and I demand a sharpened swedge, which I get from Siegle. Adds $70.00 to the cost of the knife, and worth every penny.

The ZT100 was great out of the box....MUCH lighter knife, though, and the 3V WILL rust.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Busse knives are expensive? :eek: Dont tell my wife.

Around about a year ago I thought spending more than a hundred dollars for a knife was ridiculous. I started reading in the Busse forum one night after the forums were shut down due to a ganza. I later bought a skeleton warden and that was the beginning of the end. I now think nothing of spending 4 to 5 hundred dollars on a knife. I think Mr. Busse must have the same size hands as me, as they all seem to fit my hand like they were made just for me, add the syling, which I really like, and the no questions asked warranty along with the fantastic customer service and I dont think Busse knives are very expensive at all.
 
Given all the tales I hear about these things, I conclude that they must be forged in Mordor.
 
I wish the Busse shop / Jerry would allow everyone to buy the knives. Right now it seems that all the knives are swapped up by collectors who buy in large quantities, only to resell in the aftermarket. Nothing wrong with that but it just means that those of us who can only afford Jerry's price can't quite get the knives we want.

I keep looking at INFI but I can't quite figure out the way the supply chain works. sigh.
 
goldie said:
i guess the same positive goes for swamp rat & scrapyard as well?
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In the realm of smaller fixed-blades, I think Swamp Rat's knives are even better. Most don't have the coveted "INFI" steel, but their handle designs are generally more secure.
 
spyken said:
I wish the Busse shop / Jerry would allow everyone to buy the knives. Right now it seems that all the knives are swapped up by collectors who buy in large quantities, only to resell in the aftermarket. Nothing wrong with that but it just means that those of us who can only afford Jerry's price can't quite get the knives we want.

I keep looking at INFI but I can't quite figure out the way the supply chain works. sigh.
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Everyone has equal chance to order knives. I only buy at retail price myself. Poke around the Busse forum to see when extravaganzaaas are being held, otherwise you can order whatever knives are available on the site, or check the Busse Company store for releases (skunk usually notifies the forum when things are being released)
 
I like my Busse blades, my Swamp Rat blades and my Scrap Yard blades. For their performance and service I feel that the Busse blades are a good deal. Take that into account and Scrap Yard knives are down right cheap as they perform extremely well and both Dan and Patti are stellar when it comes to customer service!

I get hard use knives that I don't need to baby or hesitate using hard that will outlast me. I spend more on sheaths now than I use to spend on knives!
 
I found Busse knives to be very expensive, so I bought a Scrapyard Dumpster Mutt. Since then, a Scrapyard Scrapper 6 and a Swamp Rat Ratmandu have found their way into my house (three weeks). These knives are the "economy" line of Busse, and there design and quality is amazing! There knives are not designed for skinning game or other delicate task, they are heavy pieces of quality steel that are designed to be tough. I think it's awesome that they have such a collector following, because you can actually use them, which makes them a lot more fun to collect. Also, a used Busse can be sold for a good portion of the price of a new one, which means it's their design and materials that people pay for, not their perfect condition every time.
 
In the grand scheme of things, Busse knives are somewhat high. There are many people who could not hope to afford a new BM. If you want a top flight knife, you'll have to fork over the dough. A Mercedes is not for everyone. One could easily live an entire lifetime and never pick up or need a Busse product. Many people have never heard of Busse knives.

There are plenty of other knives that can be picked up for a song. They will, and have produced results in the field. The Busse product is simply a premium blade for serious users and collectors. One can get by with far less if need be. Each person will have to make up their minds if the prices are worth it.

After having field tested the DF against my Basic 9, I can honestly say that there isn't that much difference in performance. The BM is the top of the line and still sets the standard in the 10 inch bowie configuration. The Camp Tramp isn't far behind either of these offerings.
 
spyken said:
I wish the Busse shop / Jerry would allow everyone to buy the knives. Right now it seems that all the knives are swapped up by collectors who buy in large quantities, only to resell in the aftermarket. Nothing wrong with that but it just means that those of us who can only afford Jerry's price can't quite get the knives we want.

I keep looking at INFI but I can't quite figure out the way the supply chain works. sigh.
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You can order knives directly from the Busse Combat website. You can only order the knife(knives) that is(are) currently "up". For the moment the "SUS SCROFA". Another option if you don't want to pay aftermarket prices is keeping an eye on the Busse Company Store.
 
michaelmcgo said:
There knives are not designed for skinning game or other delicate task, they are heavy pieces of quality steel that are designed to be tough.
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I think the idea that all Busses are overbuilt tanks is a pretty common misconception about the line. Some are hefty knives, but others aren't. The Game Warden, for instance, comes in some nice .14" slicers that would skin anything out there. There are "Anorexic" or thin models of certain knives. The older ABA (Anorexic Badger Attack) is a great bushcraft blade, though it takes some searching to find one nowadays. Below is a picture of two newer Badger Attacks, the previous knife offered on the Busse site. One is much more of a slicer than the other.

Limited Edition (top knife) and Combat Grade (bottom knife):

BATACLE23.jpg
 
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