- Joined
- Nov 15, 2007
- Messages
- 5,268
I've had a blessed life and am truly thankful for many things, but I've waited until today to post this because of the relationship this blade has to this particular forum and more importantly, my sincere appreciation of the MAN this post is about.
As many of you are aware, Will York was the driving force behind the Basic 8 release. In fact, he started a thread, that as of this typing, climbed to 685 pages and had 13,696 replies/posts (a "Busse Combat Knives" forum record that still holds I think). After the successful demand for and release of the Basic 8, the insatiable HOGS squealed loud and demanded MORE...
Many of us felt the nimble Basic 8 was a perfect candidate for being made into something truly indestructible (even JoeX would have a hard time breaking one). The concept of a Thicker Slice of Bacon was proposed, and the original Basic 8 thread evolved and became the HOGB8 (HEAVY Ordnance Grade - Basic 8) thread seen here...
In the meantime, while we were dreaming of thick cut bacon, Will sent his original B8 off and had the top front edge modded into a long clip point. This lightweight variant came to be known as the "WAR FEATHER" and immediately became the envy of all who gazed upon it. It also inspired the boss man to offer the long clip point as an option when the HOG-B8 was released into the wild. Many of us quickly jumped at the War Feather Extreme version and have been genuinely satisfied with the factory option..... or so I/we thought.
Will ended up with a Satin long clipped HOG-B8 as well, but being Will, he wanted/needed his to have that little something "extra". So, he sent his HOG-B8LC off to Bill Seigle (another one of my favorite makers) and had the top edge of the clip beveled. HOLEEEEEE SMOKES, what a couple extra grind lines can make to both the aesthetics and handling of a blade this PORKY. Will had done it, he had conceived, and made happen, the absolute epitome of what the entire thread above had inspired.... a HOG-B8 WAR FEATHER BEAST!!!
Fast forward to July of this year. I unexpectedly receive in the mail, the Grail...
Will had decided it needed to move along to another caretaker and simply placed it into a box (along with a touching letter and a couple of sheaths) and sent it to me to look after from here on out. I was dumfounded, speechless, shocked, befuddled, and all the other synonyms you can imagine, but more importantly I was honored and humbled to be asked to take on this task. In hand, it feels nothing like other HOG-B8s (of which I might have had one or two or.. to compare it to). The removal of just that little bit of material from the clip makes this blade feel soooo much lighter and nimbler in the hand, while still maintaining its bomb proof capabilities.
I've been waiting 4 months (haven't even logged in since this arrived) to post this on Thanksgiving because of the Magnitude of Gratitude I have for the member we all know as "Ironic".
THANK YOU WILL, this was the biggest highlight of the year and I will cherish, use and care for this knife for as long as I can. I truly miss your Cactus Whacker B9, but this is on a whole other level. You are THE MAN!!!
I appreciate YOU Brother and I hope you and yours (as well as everyone here and at Team Busse) have a Wonderful Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Mike
As many of you are aware, Will York was the driving force behind the Basic 8 release. In fact, he started a thread, that as of this typing, climbed to 685 pages and had 13,696 replies/posts (a "Busse Combat Knives" forum record that still holds I think). After the successful demand for and release of the Basic 8, the insatiable HOGS squealed loud and demanded MORE...
Many of us felt the nimble Basic 8 was a perfect candidate for being made into something truly indestructible (even JoeX would have a hard time breaking one). The concept of a Thicker Slice of Bacon was proposed, and the original Basic 8 thread evolved and became the HOGB8 (HEAVY Ordnance Grade - Basic 8) thread seen here...
A short history of this very loooong thread...
The Limited Edition Basic 8 was part of a Basic LE “quartet" introduced at Blade Show 2011. Included were the Limited Edition Basic 4, Basic 6, Basic 8 and Basic 10.
I started this thread in December 2013 to try and drum up support for release of the Basic 8, the only one of the four that hadn't been released at that point. On Valentine's Day 2015, we got our wish...
Posted 2-14-15:
The Limited Edition Basic 8 was part of a Basic LE “quartet" introduced at Blade Show 2011. Included were the Limited Edition Basic 4, Basic 6, Basic 8 and Basic 10.
I started this thread in December 2013 to try and drum up support for release of the Basic 8, the only one of the four that hadn't been released at that point. On Valentine's Day 2015, we got our wish...
Posted 2-14-15:
Oh, there's a Ganzaaaa coming my friends!!!!
A Basic Eight LE Ganzaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And it's coming next...
In the meantime, while we were dreaming of thick cut bacon, Will sent his original B8 off and had the top front edge modded into a long clip point. This lightweight variant came to be known as the "WAR FEATHER" and immediately became the envy of all who gazed upon it. It also inspired the boss man to offer the long clip point as an option when the HOG-B8 was released into the wild. Many of us quickly jumped at the War Feather Extreme version and have been genuinely satisfied with the factory option..... or so I/we thought.
Will ended up with a Satin long clipped HOG-B8 as well, but being Will, he wanted/needed his to have that little something "extra". So, he sent his HOG-B8LC off to Bill Seigle (another one of my favorite makers) and had the top edge of the clip beveled. HOLEEEEEE SMOKES, what a couple extra grind lines can make to both the aesthetics and handling of a blade this PORKY. Will had done it, he had conceived, and made happen, the absolute epitome of what the entire thread above had inspired.... a HOG-B8 WAR FEATHER BEAST!!!
Fast forward to July of this year. I unexpectedly receive in the mail, the Grail...
Will had decided it needed to move along to another caretaker and simply placed it into a box (along with a touching letter and a couple of sheaths) and sent it to me to look after from here on out. I was dumfounded, speechless, shocked, befuddled, and all the other synonyms you can imagine, but more importantly I was honored and humbled to be asked to take on this task. In hand, it feels nothing like other HOG-B8s (of which I might have had one or two or.. to compare it to). The removal of just that little bit of material from the clip makes this blade feel soooo much lighter and nimbler in the hand, while still maintaining its bomb proof capabilities.
I've been waiting 4 months (haven't even logged in since this arrived) to post this on Thanksgiving because of the Magnitude of Gratitude I have for the member we all know as "Ironic".
THANK YOU WILL, this was the biggest highlight of the year and I will cherish, use and care for this knife for as long as I can. I truly miss your Cactus Whacker B9, but this is on a whole other level. You are THE MAN!!!
I appreciate YOU Brother and I hope you and yours (as well as everyone here and at Team Busse) have a Wonderful Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Mike
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