Busse and/or CPK

I think it comes down to your philosophy of knife use as to which company best fits your needs. Busse makes close to unbreakable knives dialled in for unbreakability. CPK makes close to unbreakable knives dialled in for cutting performance (there are variations and exceptions in the models of course). When I want something unbreakable I go for Busse. When I want cutting performance I go for custom knives. There's way more choice in Busse than CPK for unbreakable knife models, and way more choice in the custom world than CPK for performance knives. So in that sense CPK doesn't strongly fill a niche that I need. But I think CPK are at the top of the game and if you have a slightly different philosophy of use they would jump to the top of the pile. I wish I owned one (or a few).

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Ok, promised photos. Starting with the choppers. The top Busse, a Forsaken Battle Mistress, gets the work done with brute force. It works, and I love the Bowie design. The CPK wins here though, it chops the best by far between these two, and that's by design with the special S-curve grind and attention to overall cutting geometry. Both of these knives are cut from ~1/4" thick steel. However, the Scrapyard 1311 at the bottom is a sleeper; it chops very similarly to the CPK, in part owing to its thin stock and thin edge (for a Bussekin). And it's a relatively "budget" knife too, hard to argue with that (it was less than half the money of the other two).

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Next, midsize. The top two are both ubiquitous knives IMO. Swamp Rat full flat grind INFI Ratmandu, and CPK Field Knife 2. Both excellent overall knives of similar thickness. A person could live their entire life with either one of these and not want for more. And then the bottom knife, a Scrapyard Mudd Mutt, another more budget friendly knife that gets the job done, and is thinner than either of the two above.

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Next up, some smaller knives. Top is a Busse Game Warden, middle is the CPK EDC2, and bottom is a Busse BAD (Boney Active Duty). The BAD is one of those Busse I had mentioned earlier that is heat treated to be a little extra hard, coming in at ~62 RC, and is made from thinner stock steel. These three knives are all pretty thin, but believe it or not, the CPK is the thickest of the three at 5/32" (the BAD 1/8" is and the Snake is 0.14"). All Busse knives are overly thick, right? Nope! ;)

Significantly, all three of these knives have permanent residence in various pieces of my big game hunting gear.

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Adding in a couple other similar sized Bussekin. Blue one is a Swamp Rat Rodent 3, and the other Busse is a SAR3. Both "custom shop" pieces, meaning they're not trimmed in the standard materials or finished like the regular knives of the same model. Just trying to make a point that they have a LOT of variety!!! :cool:

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Hope that helps! :D
 
ferider said:
Carothers Performance Knife.
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I’m familiar, bro. It was a joke.😄

I’ve wanted to get my hands on a CPK for a long, long time. Just never happened. I have a Busse or two (or 30) and swear by the things. Some designs they come out with leave me dumbfounded and some I adore.

I recommend a piece of original recipe INFI if you need proof of what it’s really capable of.
 
I've said it before, or at least something similar, but here are my thoughts:

Busse makes some very good and reasonably priced knives, and a big advantage of INFI is that it's very easy to field maintain with a strop (at least if suitably thinned and convexed). The problem with Busse knives is that you don't necessary know if you're going to get a knife that will work as a knife. A lot of their products seem to be designed primarily to look cool, including a lot of things that look a bit weapony, but have completely the wrong weight and balance to be an effective weapon. Strangely enough, it's more of a problem with their more expensive offerings. Their most reliable knives for performance tend to be the rubber (resC) handled ones, and those produced under the SYKCO and Swamprat labels - getting in on SYKCO / Swamprat offerings in INFI is typically a good idea.

CPK knives, conversely, are all exceptionally well-thought out and tested tools for cutting jobs of different types.

Bottom line - Busse sometimes come out with blades in the $2-300 range that are exceptionally durable, practical cutting tools, but you can also spend well north of $1,000 on a Busse and receive something with an edge like a house brick, which won't really do anything but break breeze blocks. Whatever price you pay for a knife from CPK, you know you will be getting a superlative tool and value for money (although you'll never get a CPK equivalent of a $200 1311).
 
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AntDog said:
I’m familiar, bro. It was a joke.😄

I’ve wanted to get my hands on a CPK for a long, long time. Just never happened. I have a Busse or two (or 30) and swear by the things. Some designs they come out with leave me dumbfounded and some I adore.

I recommend a piece of original recipe INFI if you need proof of what it’s really capable of.
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Oh, got it. :) I would suggest that your first CPK be a DEK1. I love how my knife feels in my hands - she just belongs...
 
Pàdruig said:
I don't have a whole lot of experience with Busse and kin, having only handled a few and owned only a couple, so anything I say can be taken with a wee bit of salt.

Personally, I feel that it's a bit of an "apples & oranges" comparison. There are some Busse designs that don't make a whole lot of sense to me from a practicality mindset but in the end, if it makes someone happy, who am I to judge? On the flip side of that, there are Busse designs that I adore and I keep a casual lookout for them - I'm never in the right place at the right time though so it usually ends up being a fruitless exercise in patience.

At our Beckerhead Gatherings (twice a year before Covid happened), Busse is often the butt of a joke I haven't figured out yet. Those who have been to a BH gathering know that attendees aren't gentle on knives and due to the Busse's reputation, if one is present, it gets the honors of enduring some of the most ridiculous and grueling hijinks. That said, you know what has NEVER happened? A Busse doesn't break and it just shrugs off any and all abuse. It is a testament to the steel quality and its legendary toughness - knowing this, I would never hesitate to own one.

CPK is a different animal. I love the thought and care that goes into absolutely every detail in the design and making of a knife. From the steel to the handle design, the purpose built philosophy, and the exacting standards, CPK really is a cut above so many (no pun intended). If Nathan can take a design as seemingly mundane as a Kephart, reproduce it somewhat faithfully, and still manage to imbue it with his own special stash of unicorn blood magic, there is surely something to be said for that.

If I may, I'll use the following analogy: Where CPK is like a finely tuned AR-15, with precision and careful thought built into every element, including the ammunition - Busse is like an AK-47, you can beat the living crap out it and it will still spit out bullets with the best of them.

In the end, they aren't the same, you're comparing different design philosophies and manufacturing methods. They both offer amazing knives though and that is really what matters.

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Exactly my thoughts but with more prettier words. I have both and I love the feel of CPK knives and what they can do. But I know I can go beat the everliving snot out of my Busse and not need to be as careful.
 
Have you guys watched Nathan's videos? I've never seen a Busse take anything that I wouldn't expect a comparable sized CPK to handle with equal or less damage...and they cut better.
 
WValtakis said:
Have you guys watched Nathan's videos? I've never seen a Busse take anything that I wouldn't expect a comparable sized CPK to handle with equal or less damage...and they cut better.
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Equal or less damage I have a very hard time believing. Busse knives have been beat to hell and back for years and years and have earned the rep. Yes, I’ve watched the videos.
 
I’d love to put a knife from each maker head to head and see just what’s what, but I don’t know enough about either’s complete lines to know what would be directly comparable. That would be something to see.
 
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