This is a VERY good and worthy question.

I am sure Dan and Jerry go back and forth on this on a very regular basis.

Obviously, Jerry has grown this business on the reputation of providing "FAIL-PROOF" UBER-Tough blades.

But, while I WANT and appreciate UBER-tough blades, I am not personally willing to sacrifice "FUNCTION", design, fit and feel for toughness alone.

At some point, "Tough Enough" works for me and THEN I am going to want to have my cake and eat it to.
I want tough, but I also want: quality designs with FUNCTION, Fit, feel and balance as high priorities.
I also want GREAT edge properties including: edge retention and preferrably at least reasonable to sharpen.

And personally, I WANT "SATIN" finishes. I am pretty sick and tired of stripping and polishing "NEW" knives. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif" alt="" />

I do thank Dan for generally regularly providing Satin options. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> .... But, I REALLY wish I could get SR-101 in satin. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif" alt="" />

Obviously, there is still a market for FATTY sharpened pry-bar knives. I know some that LOVE them. But, what is best for Busse and kin as a whole????

How many sharpened pry bars can they sell vs. quality designs utilizing their PROVEN quality UBER tough steel?

I think they can provide both.

The thing is, Busse steel is so tough, it doesn't NEED to be a FATTY pry-bar. That is the beauty of Busse steel.

I know some people LOVE Fatty pry-bar styled knives. And I have "some" limited niche interest myself. But, I personally only have a small interest in having one or two or maybe even a small handful of sharpened pry-bars. For the most part, I have enough of those now.

So, now that I am sold on Busse steel being plenty tough even in thinner knives, for my money, I want better and better improvements in design, function, fit and feel (ergos). <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Personally, I can buy pry-bars at any of many hardware stores all day long for around $20 - and they work VERY well as pry-bars. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Now that I have a handful of sharpened pry-bars at high-dollar (for pry-bars), for the most part, much over $20 - $30 these days and I start wanting my money to be used for a good "KNIFE"!

To me, a knife is for cutting!

If I want to PRY, I have cheap beater tools for prying that work very well.

To each their own.

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I think Vic's right. The soul of SYKCO is best bang for your buck, and as long as that never changes it will always be the Yard!

"By running our blades in concert with the Swamp Rat line and adhering to the principle of 'performance first' we will keep our manufacturing costs down and our quality unmatched at an affordable price."

So bring on whatever they "salvage" that's best! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Unfortunately, the poll is already biased.

Rather than everyone voting for the steel they think is best, some (at least 3) are voting for SR-77 for reasons other than what they feel is best or without having experience with both.


Maybe some more "defining" parameters needed to be set? Or phrased in such a way to help eliminate biase.

Maybe the question should have just been simply:

"If BOTH Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard were to ONLY use one steel type out of SR-101 and SR-77 and you could still have ANY handle material from either Swamp Rat or Scrap Yard, what steel would you prefer? SR-101 or SR-77?"

With 3 Options:

1) Experienced with Both: I prefer SR-101
2) Experienced with Both: I prefer SR-77

3) Not experience with BOTH: So, I can't vote until I am, but looking forward to the results.

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I think the question as asked may be too simple -- I assume that the choice of SR77 is part of the Price/Performance calculation. Are even the basic material costs of SR77 and SR101 equal?

In general, I believe (based on nothing more than second-hand stories and faith that they are truthful) that SR101 is superior for small blades, but that in order to meet expectations in large blades SR101 must be differentially tempered, which I imagine is more costly. Even in small blades, the performance difference is marginal (mainly people saying that SR101 doesn't require sharpening as often), so is this discussion simply dog-matic?

I voted SR77 due primarily to the price:performance ratio. SR101 is more expensive (I think), and the performance gain (to me) is not sufficient to overcome the increase in price.

A new Dumpster Mutt was $70 compared to the $100 price tag of the SR101 Scrapper 5.

So, I get what you're saying, Jim. It's a question of does SR101 being more expensive still fall into the category of best price for performance, or is the ratio turning the other way?

I'd like to know as well.

Good poll.

You can't use the original DM price as an accurate guide for 5" SR77 blades. It used "left over" Busse handles or it would have cost more. Also, using prices of anything from two years ago is not valid, as most everything has gone up, petroleum products, energy, and steel all cost more today. Wait until you get to use that Scrapper 5. The performance for a $100 knife will at the top in the industry.

You're right, good point. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

I am very excited to see what the S5 will do!

Didn't vote...Don't have much experience with SR101 and can't wait to test out the S-5 to see how it performs.

I'm sure we ALL are! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I am seeing SR101 pulling ahead. If anyone hasn't voted, please do so. We know that Dan sees these polls.

i thought that was the point. it's not about what's best but what we want.

if i was really crazy about sr77, i'd have bought more than two models.

the same probably goes for infi and sr101. the designs and prices trump the steel for me. sr77 would win if we were sure it save us all a good chunk of change. even at $30 less per knife, it adds up quick.

i recall the DFLE being $70 less than the M9LE. anyone recall the prices of the HC and MPLE?