User Panel
[#1]
Very cool thank you for taking the time to do this. The fallkniven seems like a real nice blade. The esee 4 sounds like it performed well and would be a high value knife.
Thank you for doing the review. I was in the market for a "nice" fixed blade around 4", and chose a Bradford Guardian 4. I wanted a Busse/ Swamp rat/ Scrapyard, and I'm glad I read your review. The busse- made knives didn't seem to perform as well as I expected. Thanks again for taking the time to do this and sharing your findings. |
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[#2]
Good review and thank you for doing it.
I've owned Busse knives and sold them all. Too expensive to use, needed major edge profiling to be useful. Good for collecting and chopping. |
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[#3]
Great review. I think Fallkniven often gets overlooked because they're not in the tac/ops advertising loop, but them Swedes know their steel and they know how to forge knives.
No S1 here but my F1 is a fine blade. |
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[#4]
I wish you'd had a TOPS BOB to test in there. I've heard good things about Falkniven knives for quite some time now. There used to be a guy on Youtube that did torture tests on popular knives. When I say torture I mean nearly snuff films. Chopped everything even bricks, beat on them with hammers, and usually didn't quit until the knife was destroyed. The two that survived the best was the old style SOG Navy SEAL 2000, (before they redesigned it and made it into junk) and the Falkniven F1. I have the oldstyle SOG, and I'm plotting on the Falkniven.
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[#5]
Quoted:
I wanted a Busse/ Swamp rat/ Scrapyard, and I'm glad I read your review. The busse- made knives didn't seem to perform as well as I expected. View Quote Busse, Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard ship their knives with very "thick edges". If you spend some time with one thinning the edge - they have amazing steel. The Scrap Yard MO that made it to the "winner's circle" was reprofiled. The quality of Busse steel was evident based upon the edge retention. Where Busse fails is blade geometry. This really only applies to "detail" or "bushcraft" or "light use" purposes...they made great "choppers" or "hard abuse" knives. |
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[#6]
Quoted:
Good review and thank you for doing it. I've owned Busse knives and sold them all. Too expensive to use, needed major edge profiling to be useful. Good for collecting and chopping. View Quote |
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[#7]
Quoted:
Great review. I think Fallkniven often gets overlooked because they're not in the tac/ops advertising loop, but them Swedes know their steel and they know how to forge knives. No S1 here but my F1 is a fine blade. View Quote |
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[#8]
Quoted:
I wish you'd had a TOPS BOB to test in there. I've heard good things about Falkniven knives for quite some time now. There used to be a guy on Youtube that did torture tests on popular knives. When I say torture I mean nearly snuff films. Chopped everything even bricks, beat on them with hammers, and usually didn't quit until the knife was destroyed. The two that survived the best was the old style SOG Navy SEAL 2000, (before they redesigned it and made it into junk) and the Falkniven F1. I have the oldstyle SOG, and I'm plotting on the Falkniven. View Quote I still have Busse products, but all except for a couple are "collectors". I do like my Swamp Rat Rodent 6 (it hangs on my battle belt in case I need to cut a car in half ). No experience with TOPS. I would have gladly included one had it been available to me. |
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[#9]
An important note:
This test was about "bushcrafting" knives. I don't think this is Busse's niche. As mentioned above, I carry a Swamp Rat on my battle belt because I could literally beat it into a concrete wall and stand on it if I needed to do so. However, it really isn't a good "knife". Its more of a sharpened pry bar. I'm actually thinking of selling all of my Busse knives except the Rodent 6. I just don't have need for "choppers". |
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[#10]
Very nice review, thought the esses knives would hold up better
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[#11]
Quoted:
Very nice review, thought the esses knives would hold up better View Quote ETA: The ESEE 3 was a personal favorite prior to the eval. |
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[#13]
I've had an S1 for years. One aspect you might consider for evaluation is the factory sheath which is the weakest part of the S1. None are great but I'd at least consider it as part of a "from the box" evaluation.
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[#14]
Quoted:
I've had an S1 for years. One aspect you might consider for evaluation is the factory sheath which is the weakest part of the S1. None are great but I'd at least consider it as part of a "from the box" evaluation. View Quote Busse products do not include a sheath so I'm use to sourcing a $50 custom kydex. The ESEEs had the best factory sheathes. The Bark River has a FUDD leather sheath. The TAK came with a sheath you'd expect a knife in that price range to include. The S1 had the factory plastic (kydex??) sheath option. It was a typical of European plastic sheathes. Stronger than they look, but still a weak point. I have custom sheathes made for all of my knives unless it's going on a battle belt. I use SPECOPs Combat Masters on MOLLE belts. |
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[#15]
Quoted:
That Falkniven sure looks like a Cold Steel SRK. View Quote I didn't include a Cold Steel based upon previous tests of their products. I had wildly varying results from Cold Steel and as a result no longer own any. |
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[#16]
My S1 came with a leather sheath. I accidentally had the knife slightly angled returning in when is sliced its own sheath wide open and all the way through. I need a replacement.
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[#17]
Quoted:
You're welcome. Busse, Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard ship their knives with very "thick edges". If you spend some time with one thinning the edge - they have amazing steel. The Scrap Yard MO that made it to the "winner's circle" was reprofiled. The quality of Busse steel was evident based upon the edge retention. Where Busse fails is blade geometry. This really only applies to "detail" or "bushcraft" or "light use" purposes...they made great "choppers" or "hard abuse" knives. View Quote I'm surprised you liked the 511 so much, most people feel that is one of the weaker offerings by SYKCO (they hate the handle size, mostly). I have one, and I sort of feel the same (but I have large hands). Yes, Busse knives are expensive.......but they aren't "too expensive to use" unless you are buying INFI and looking for a sought-after model. They are backed by a lifetime warranty, no questions asked, if you can break it they will fix/replace it......no matter what you do with it (only caveat being that trying to break it on purpose - NOS style). They had a guy bend a boss jack by driving it into a chainsaw cut and using it like a pry bar to get his saw out, and they fixed that one, for example. Also, the "users" fetch almost as much as the pristine "collector grade" versions. And if you want it to look less like a user, strip it.....busse collectors don't seem to mind, and certain designs are so sought after that they will increase in value, regardless if you use them or not. FWIW, my field bag has a Rodent 6 in it. Last week, I used it to chop a tree limb off of a road I needed to get up......when my work chainsaw failed to start (it's now in the saw shop). I do have knives I like to use more than my busse knives though.......I will go further and say their entire blade is too thick which limits their usefulness for some tasks, and are less pleasurable to carry compared to some of my custom blades of similar blade length. |
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[#18]
Quoted:
I like busse knives, but your criticisms are spot on. Their edges suck from the factory. But their steel is superb. I have spent upwards of 6 hours reprofiling one of their knives (BGTG) because the edge was essentially a 90 degree angle that while capable of cutting......was nowhere near useful. I'm surprised you liked the 511 so much, most people feel that is one of the weaker offerings by SYKCO (they hate the handle size, mostly). I have one, and I sort of feel the same (but I have large hands). Yes, Busse knives are expensive.......but they aren't "too expensive to use" unless you are buying INFI and looking for a sought-after model. They are backed by a lifetime warranty, no questions asked, if you can break it they will fix/replace it......no matter what you do with it (only caveat being that trying to break it on purpose - NOS style). They had a guy bend a boss jack by driving it into a chainsaw cut and using it like a pry bar to get his saw out, and they fixed that one, for example. Also, the "users" fetch almost as much as the pristine "collector grade" versions. And if you want it to look less like a user, strip it.....busse collectors don't seem to mind, and certain designs are so sought after that they will increase in value, regardless if you use them or not. FWIW, my field bag has a Rodent 6 in it. Last week, I used it to chop a tree limb off of a road I needed to get up......when my work chainsaw failed to start (it's now in the saw shop). I do have knives I like to use more than my busse knives though.......I will go further and say their entire blade is too thick which limits their usefulness for some tasks, and are less pleasurable to carry compared to some of my custom blades of similar blade length. View Quote I have several Busse with INFI steel which is a novel blade material, but the cost-to-performance ratio really isn't there. I liken Busse INFI vs Busse/Swamp Rat/Scrap Yard SR101 to Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Super Snake vs Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Do you really need more than 662 (regular GT500) horsepower and how much premium are you will to pay to get it? The only INFI blades I have left in my stash are ASH-1 LE (0.22"); ASH-1 Skinny (0.187") and NMSFNO. All of my other Busses and Swamp Rats are SR101. I don't have any Scrap Yards left. The 511 was the MO version (not the standard version) and had a FFG. My hands aren't huge so I don't have a problem with the "basic" handle style. HOWEVER, even with my average sized hands I feel cramped so the common criticism that that style of handle is too small is probably accurate (especially for those with Mickey Mouse proportioned hands). I've pestered Dan Busse about making a thinner blade option for years, and has never responded. I'd like to see a Yard Keeper profile / thickness made of SR101 with a mudder grip. That would be an imminently useful knife. However, the Busse family is obviously much more interested in offering completely useless (to me) stuff now. Some of the recent designs are just . I'm not a collector...so crap like the "Garth Edition" made me want to vomit. How arrogant do you need to be to etch your tattoo into a knife and sell it like it something special. BUSSE if you're listening...WTF? I've met Garth and he's a nice guy, but he's not some sort of hero worth noting / immortalizing. If you feel compelled to etch something into your blades...why not the Spartan shield of Thermopylae or something RELEVANT! |
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[#20]
Quoted:
I pretty much agree with everything you said. I have several Busse with INFI steel which is a novel blade material, but the cost-to-performance ratio really isn't there. I liken Busse INFI vs Busse/Swamp Rat/Scrap Yard SR101 to Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Super Snake vs Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Do you really need more than 662 (regular GT500) horsepower and how much premium are you will to pay to get it? The only INFI blades I have left in my stash are ASH-1 LE (0.22"); ASH-1 Skinny (0.187") and NMSFNO. All of my other Busses and Swamp Rats are SR101. I don't have any Scrap Yards left. The 511 was the MO version (not the standard version) and had a FFG. My hands aren't huge so I don't have a problem with the "basic" handle style. HOWEVER, even with my average sized hands I feel cramped so the common criticism that that style of handle is too small is probably accurate (especially for those with Mickey Mouse proportioned hands). I've pestered Dan Busse about making a thinner blade option for years, and has never responded. I'd like to see a Yard Keeper profile / thickness made of SR101 with a mudder grip. That would be an imminently useful knife. However, the Busse family is obviously much more interested in offering completely useless (to me) stuff now. Some of the recent designs are just . I'm not a collector...so crap like the "Garth Edition" made me want to vomit. How arrogant do you need to be to etch your tattoo into a knife and sell it like it something special. BUSSE if you're listening...WTF? I've met Garth and he's a nice guy, but he's not some sort of hero worth noting / immortalizing. If you feel compelled to etch something into your blades...why not the Spartan shield of Thermopylae or something RELEVANT! View Quote The Busses I have are: Battle Grade Team Gemini (it's just a bad ass, iconic knife design that feels great in the hand). SW Rodent 6. It's a nice knife, but I really think it would be much better if the FFG was thinner but left the spine the same thickness as it is now. Scrapyard parked hollow grind regulator. Probably my favorite of the bunch as it's cutting edge is thinner. I also LOVE the Res-C handle in the design of that knife. Feels great, balances great, very usable blade shape. SYKCO 511. Not the FFG version, but if I ever get a belt sander it will be. The way it's built, the way it feels in the hand.....it would be much better about 1/3rd thinner at the spine, bigger choil and FFG. It would balance better, it would cut WAY better, and the handle size would actually be a boon as a more maneuverable knife rather than being a miniature bruiser. |
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[#21]
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[#22]
I had an INFI Team gemini. I regret selling it.
I extensively tested / used a Regulator over a fourteen month period. The only complaint I had was it needed another 1.5" of blade length. My uncle has that knife now. It's hanging on his field gear. |
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[#23]
Quoted:
I have eval'd larger knives. It was a long time ago. If I come across the info I'll post it. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes |
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[#24]
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[#25]
Honestly not enough to do a comprehensive test, maybe some others will ante up to make it interesting? The newest big blade I have is a Tahoma Field knife. An old style SOG Tigershark, an RD-7, and an ESEE 6. The SOG has since been redesigned into a cheap shadow of it's former self so I'm not sure if that would be fair to test.
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[#26]
I can tell you the RD-7 is not the same quality as when Justin was making them. The 5160 is brittle and lacks edge rentention.
The ESEE 6 is commiserate with its price point. They also lack edge retention. I don't have experience with the SOG Tigershark. To be blunt, Busse (Busse Combat, Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard) outclass most competitors in the hard use 6"+ field knife category. |
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[#27]
REGARDING 6" PLUS SURVIVAL / FIELD / COMBAT KNIVES
I've tested $400+ knives against $150 Scrap Yards and $600 Busses...and everything in between. The Busse family's "sharpened pry bars" are the strongest, most abuse resistant options with the best edge retention. As previously mentioned - they come from Ohio with an obtuse edge grind that just plain sucks. However, once you put your own edge profile on a Busse ... you aren't likely to have that knife fail in the "hard use" or "combat" or "chopper" role they were designed for. |
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[#28]
The Tigershark is an XL version of the SEAL 2000. I got mine in 2007, and the blade was the same quality at the SEAL I biight in 94. The handle was made from a softer compound. The SEAL could be used to drive nails the Tigershark was too soft for that. I've had the SEAL for 23 years now and it's still a tough knife even by today's standards.
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[#29]
It's really a damn shame how SOG cheapened their designs. The new stuff is cheap garbage that I do not even consider buying. The two SOGs I have I would never sell though.
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[#30]
I've had a couple of Seal "Pups" over the years. One was SEKI and one might not have been IIRC. The SEKI knife was decent, but the edge rolled.
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[#31]
Quoted:
It's really a damn shame how SOG cheapened their designs. The new stuff is cheap garbage that I do not even consider buying. The two SOGs I have I would never sell though. View Quote There are few quality knives made in America now. If I were looking for a budget US knife I'd buy an ESEE. Even the ESEE vs RAT deal is an example. |
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[#32]
I just need to bump and say excellent review. I know that you put an enormous amount of time and effort into doing this and this is an example of how to properly do a comparative evaluation; well done. I own several of those you tested and your findings are similar to mine. My SR101 is a Ratmandu, but I have a couple customs that have really taken over from most of my semi-custom and production blades.
ROCK6 |
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[#34]
Thanks for taking the time to test and document the results. I wonder how a San Mai or Carbon V cold steel SRK would have fared.
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[#35]
Quoted:
Unfortunately it's not just SOG. So many knife makers have "sold out" to "race to the bottom pricing". I remember when Gerber produced solid knives. Remember the original LMF? Cold Steel is another. Camillus, original Beckers, etc. There are few quality knives made in America now. If I were looking for a budget US knife I'd buy an ESEE. Even the ESEE vs RAT deal is an example. View Quote I have an Ontario Rat3 and it's a good knife in design, but the steel is nowhere as well treated as the ESEE 6 I had and sold because I was stupid and got a DE version. Had I got the single edged version, I'd have kept it. I agree though, if you want a good USA made production knife, ESEE should be at the very top of your list. Especially the Esee 6. It's got a classic blade shape, isn't too thick, and is well balanced. |
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[#36]
Quoted:
Thanks for taking the time to test and document the results. I wonder how a San Mai or Carbon V cold steel SRK would have fared. View Quote |
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[#37]
Fla556guy,
I've had quite a few Beckers (probably a dozen) spanning back to the Camillus days. They're good for people who won't spend for a better knife. ESEE is a better option (I've had well over a dozen ESEE). Both lack edge retention. My gear mindset is to spend as needed to achieve a certain minimum performance level. I'm willing to sacrifice in other areas of my life to pay for this. I'm not advocating $800+ customs, but $200 for a knife is not "too expensive" IMO especially if it appreciates in value. All Becker and ESEE knives are straight run production commodities and decrease in value as a result. Look at used Scrap Yard and Swamp Rat values. They increase. |
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[#39]
Good review, but I must ask why no Scandi ground knives were included in a bushcraft test?
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[#40]
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[#41]
Quoted:
Fla556guy, I've had quite a few Beckers (probably a dozen) spanning back to the Camillus days. They're good for people who won't spend for a better knife. ESEE is a better option (I've had well over a dozen ESEE). Both lack edge retention. My gear mindset is to spend as needed to achieve a certain minimum performance level. I'm willing to sacrifice in other areas of my life to pay for this. I'm not advocating $800+ customs, but $200 for a knife is not "too expensive" IMO especially if it appreciates in value. All Becker and ESEE knives are straight run production commodities and decrease in value as a result. Look at used Scrap Yard and Swamp Rat values. They increase. View Quote So far, I have: SYKCO Hollow ground, parked regulator(SR-77), 511(SR-101) Swamprat: Rodent 6 (SR-101 Busse: Battle Grade TG(SR-101), Dog Soldier (INFI, on order) (unknown knives in a $250 grab bag on order). |
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[#42]
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[#43]
Quoted:
Great review. I think Fallkniven often gets overlooked because they're not in the tac/ops advertising loop, but them Swedes know their steel and they know how to forge knives. No S1 here but my F1 is a fine blade. View Quote Thanks for taking the time to put this together. |
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[#44]
Quoted:
I hope you score something awesome! I ordered a BG FBM. View Quote The FBM was a sweet offering. Did you see the A2 Team Gemini that's going to be offered as the 35th anniversary blade? 1/4" thick and A2 tool steel (Busse's original steel choice). |
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