Thank you. I'm still conflicted about having chipped the coating, but that is a point in favor of making it a user. I need to have Rainwalker (Jeff) make me something for it. I'm torn between asking for something simple, or a fancy, tooled sheath.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crossfingers.gif" alt="" />

The FSH is a fine chopper. I'm also hoping the SOD will be the FSH of SY.

Wow Jim....you have some serious funds invested in your knives....held until the right time and then released you could sell half and recoup your total investment....still leaving you a very sizeable collection! Cool move if that's the plan....or just keep them if you prefer.

I am still waiting on getting the FSH's back re-handled in green linen ( I actually bought two)...one the following day after meeting you as a back up incase the first was lost. The second is the twin of the first.I think the FSH may well be the best for my uses but I later got the offer of a Basic 9 from Drew and it feels like another potential contender for "best" title. Just received it a few days ago and still waiting to test it. It feels like a Res C version of your SHBM....and you know how well I thought of that knife.

For me I am sort of drawn to the idea of looking for the best knives for tasks....I buy a good few for this....get limited time to test them....sometimes I am reluctant to test because I know that some other knife just feels better and would be a clear winner...but then get even less time to focus on selling some off that have been "improved" upon by others. Soon you have a collection which you can feel "guilty" about having such a large amount of funds tied up in....but having heard of the funds others have invested and thinking it through....they are one of the better investments in today's turbulent times.

Collecting becomes a bit of an obsession. I try not to pay secondary prices for anything unless I consider it adequately rare though. Of the 50 MODs released to the civilian market, I own 5 (4 of which I had to buy in the secondary market). I also own 4 INFIcoots (all bought secondary) -- if you're not familiar with it, less than 200 were released (they were called a mistake); the blade is like an SS4 or leaner meaner street, in tan and with a very comfortable tan res-c handle. My first Bussekin knife was one of them, but most of my collection was purchased at release prices.

I've never held a Basic-series Busse Combat -- they don't come up for sale often, so the folks who have them must like them a lot. Here's a quote by Eric Isicson in 2002 about the Basic 9 from a BladeForum post titled, "Test: Vanadis 4 vs. Infi vs. Vascowear ...":


Also, here's a review of the Basic 7 on the: Cutlery Science Web site.

Pretty impressive information there Jim....looks like I have a great knife....sort of makes you question what to do with the others????

I sort of like the idea of limiting my knives to small, medium and large. At present the Ratmandu has the small slot nicely filled on the Bussekin knives...which would mean selling a Yard Keeper and a DMDC....the medium blade I am unsure of....either my Jackhammer CE or the Ash LE....even if I kept those two I have two Skinny Ash's I would need to sell...then on the large knives...well here you could almost sub-divide this to large and extra large...in the large category there is the FSH and the Basic 9....in the extra large I would have a Satin FBM which is like the LE version without a number and the NMFBM. If I kept those then I have 2 CGDF's a DFLE and the Tan DFLE and the FFBM to sell. Not to mention all the none Bussekin knives....but those which I would be keeping would total eight knives...probably more if you looked at folders and multi tools...more like 12 then.

Yet Momaw has only 3 knives and probably feels no need to have more....there is a logical simplicity in this to me....but bearing up to selling the others would be pretty [censored] tough....that's even with keeping 12 knives! If I made an exception for my Scandi Woodlore knife and one or two other favourites we are probably talking about 20 knives....even though I might have the same number to sell....then back we go to having a 20 knife collection!

The only thing good about this is that it is less than about 40! So I can certainly sympathise with those who say it is an addiction! Especially when the maximum number I would want to carry at any one time is three!!!! And that is when out in some serious wilderness or Jungle!!!

But the funds released could probably pay for a few months off and a "wilderness trek" of a life time.....this "guilt" of "excess" is something I constantly wrestle with....crazy....really crazy....

Narrowing down the good ones therefore can be done....but pairing it down to one of each would give a real sense of loss at seeing some of them go. It would feel good though to have a simpler existance with knives...only three to sharpen and loads more time to use them.

The only way to make sense of this is to say I am collecting as an investment...but that pre-supposes an ability to cash in on the investment...which quite frankly I could do with doing now...even though the market is small and very limited over here.

S/F - you've got it BAD !!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Join the crowd! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

The number of Busse collectors may be fairly limited over there, but I've read posts on the BladeForums Exchange from English collectors (and Europeans in general) who seem fairly desperate for someone to sell to them. Considering how difficult I've heard it is to get knives through UK customs, it's surprising that there are any at all -- it seems like you guys ought to try setting set up a sub-group or even just a contact list to share information and sell/trade.

morning folks, whats going on this morning

Taking the day off. Monday is the worst day of the week.

I thought on this for a while, and while I acknowledge that my personal experience having attended college later in life is definitely an influence, I'd like to see the program offered to people who have some workforce time rather than kids right out of high school. While going to school full-time, I worked part-time on campus; during that time I encountered no small number of students who were attending college for no other reason than that their parents were paying for it. They didn't know what they wanted to do, other than put off having to work as long as possible. I think the old idea of going to college with no life experience is outdated; it made sense when colleges were intended to train priests/ministers and most people were dead by age 50, but that hasn't been the case for a long time.

I also don't think a program like this should be a "free ride" -- it should be an investment in people, but also an investment shared by people who are motivated enough to invest in themselves. Things that are free have little value to someone, there needs to be some buy-in so that the beneficiaries will appreciate the opportunity -- the program I envision will be geared toward making post-secondary education, whether it be college or trade-schools, affordable, not free, to people with a sincere desire to improve their position in life.

I'm at work, so I need to get back to it, but will check back from time to time.

Yeah I am at work as well, thank God for Monday Night Football to give me something to look forward to on Mondays..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />