Team Gemini Appeal

[TheMtnMan]

I just hope Lady Earths small hands view point is contagious, and causes few more TG, TGLB"s, & TG 14's to pop up on the exchange lol
I can just see some guy reading this thread, and says to him self "Oh, She"s right, i hate TGs now, gona sell 6 I have " lol
I'll be right there to buy as many as I can.
IMHO the TG is best all around blade (after ASH-1) lol
At least as best as all around blade can Be

 

[PA Trout]

Interesting viewpoints on all sides. Digging the discussion.

I have a TGLB in INFI and BG, both feel good in the hand to me, but "for me" I like other options.

My Regulators and Axehammers are my go-to blades in that size range. Both have comfortable handles for my hand size, both have choils that allow me to choke up on the blade, and both have a good weight distribution that is comfortable for me.

The TG spine talon hole guard is what doesn't fit with my knife comfort. Aesthetically, I think they are really nice. I'm sure with practice I'd be more used to using the style, but I'm an old dog who has a tough time learning new tricks.

 

[clampdaddy]

I tend to use a knife with a fairly light grip on the handle and for this reason I find the top guard to be useful when using the knife with the edge facing upwards. My forefinger wraps around the front of it like the trigger of a gun. My fore finger and middle finger use it to control the knife more than the rest of my hand. Gives me a little more control without having to really squeeze the handle.

And when used in the standard choked up position, the top guard locks into the crook of my thumb nicely and offers another point of control.

 

[TheMtnMan]

-Clamp Daddy
Thanks for the pics,
+1

 

[Freedom Pullo]

Hogs,

This piglet needs some ‘splainin. It seems the Team Gemini series creates the most fervor, is the most discussed, and is generally the most well liked of all the Busse designs.
In fact, I feel like it’s so popular that it’s blasphemous to even make this post lol.

My thing is that no matter what variant it is, whether on the exchange, the recent A2 offering, or the much requested TGLBLE, I can never get excited nor understand the appeal. Whereas other offerings I have bought multiples.

Normally, on any other model, I would just write it off and say it’s not for me. However, with its seemingly near universal appeal, I feel like it’s me and I’m missing something.

What do you Hogs like most about this design? If it’s an aesthetics, safe queen, or Walking Dead thing for most people, then I could move on without a second thought.

However if there are some functionality things that users could tell me about it that they like it would be greatly appreciated.

Since I have never held one, could it be as simple as handling one and it’s feel could convince me?

TLDR: Help me spend more on knives by selling me on the Team Gemini!

I picked up a BG recently, it’s surprisingly well balanced and it has a generous palm swell. I had always passed on it but was surprised at how good it felt in hand. The low saber grind gives the knife a very strong tip

 

[Currawong]

It seems like it was designed for combat not utility. E.g. stabbing, not chopping. It's obviously not designed specifically for wood work, so any criticisms of it based on it's lack of ability in those areas are probably missing the mark.

Having stabbed a few pigs with my TGLB, I can say the double guard helps to stop your hand sliding forward; you have to push hard with a blade that thick, and the pig is wriggling and you're moving around a bit, and there's a chance of your hand slipping onto the blade.

The fuller also helps with a quick kill or so I've been told (I haven't done this enough to know myself). The heart is inside a lot of liquid and pressure from other organs and when you puncture it, it 'self-seals' and slows the process of bleeding out. The fuller introduces a pocket of air into the heart and kills it instantly. This is good for the pig, and good for you and the dogs.

If you are buying a knife for other uses of course you would buy a model designed specifically for those uses, you wouldn't buy a TG and then complain it doesn't do what you wanted.

But a TGLB is a beautiful knife, feels amazing in hand, and is great at what it actually does! Also, it can do the other things at a pinch which is handy when you don't want to carry two knives.

 

[LadyEarth]

The TGLB is light enough, short enough, etc to have the need of the choil for more delicated tasks and it clearly does not need the hilts to be in the way. It’s like giving the Busse Cub knife a D guard; it is just bad impractical design that serves no point being on the TGLB. Yes, it looks awesome! Especially on the Walking Dead. But thats it. No other functions.

Yea we get it, ad nauseam, you don't like it. Lot of folks do. Different strokes for different folks. Please forgive me I'm drinking tequila.[/QUOTE]

“Yeah, we get it, ad nauseam”, you like it. Lots of folks in the past didn’t. Etc

See, it can go both ways.

 

[LadyEarth]

It seems like it was designed for combat not utility. E.g. stabbing, not chopping. It's obviously not designed specifically for wood work, so any criticisms of it based on it's lack of ability in those areas are probably missing the mark.

Having stabbed a few pigs with my TGLB, I can say the double guard helps to stop your hand sliding forward; you have to push hard with a blade that thick, and the pig is wriggling and you're moving around a bit, and there's a chance of your hand slipping onto the blade.

The fuller also helps with a quick kill or so I've been told (I haven't done this enough to know myself). The heart is inside a lot of liquid and pressure from other organs and when you puncture it, it 'self-seals' and slows the process of bleeding out. The fuller introduces a pocket of air into the heart and kills it instantly. This is good for the pig, and good for you and the dogs.

If you are buying a knife for other uses of course you would buy a model designed specifically for those uses, you wouldn't buy a TG and then complain it doesn't do what you wanted.

But a TGLB is a beautiful knife, feels amazing in hand, and is great at what it actually does! Also, it can do the other things at a pinch which is handy when you don't want to carry two knives.

Then having the choil on the TGLB defeats the function of the Choil and shouldn’t be on the knife in the first place. It’s either have the hilt there and have it perform as per design or have choil on there and have it fully perform as per design without any blockage. Not both together.

If the choil was not on there and just the Hilt, I would be more forgiving. Just wish the handle would’ve been less bumpy (2-3 bumps getting in the way) but if the choil was removed and hilt stayed, the handle could’ve been easily changed out by me I suppose.

 

[LadyEarth]

I tend to use a knife with a fairly light grip on the handle and for this reason I find the top guard to be useful when using the knife with the edge facing upwards. My forefinger wraps around the front of it like the trigger of a gun. My fore finger and middle finger use it to control the knife more than the rest of my hand. Gives me a little more control without having to really squeeze the handle.
View attachment 770015 View attachment 770022
And when used in the standard choked up position, the top guard locks into the crook of my thumb nicely and offers another point of control.
View attachment 770023

What a smooth bunch of pictures! Nice. I have a hard time making smooth pictures like that.

The picture with your finger in the choil area of the knife with the hilt between your fingers is precisely the problem I have. It’s already looking quite crowds with the hilt between your fingers, imagine how much more it spreads my finger apart in an uncomfortable fashion if I tried (and did) to do the same. It was this design flaw that prevented me from fully using the knife as it was intended with the choil.

But I love the blade style.

 

[honorearth]

I carry my tglb all the time on the ranch and when hiking around and use it heavy daily. I find it to be an awesome knife and very functional, its handle texture didn't work for me but once hand smoothed it was perfect. I could care less if Daryl Dixon has one or if most people on this forum love it the fact is that for me it suits almost any task I need a knife (it is also a perfect throwing knife)
I have mine with a scrapivore piggyback and that covers all my needs for an outdoorsmans edc.

 

[clampdaddy]

What a smooth bunch of pictures! Nice. I have a hard time making smooth pictures like that.

The picture with your finger in the choil area of the knife with the hilt between your fingers is precisely the problem I have. It’s already looking quite crowds with the hilt between your fingers, imagine how much more it spreads my finger apart in an uncomfortable fashion if I tried (and did) to do the same. It was this design flaw that prevented me from fully using the knife as it was intended with the choil.

But I love the blade style.

I just checked a few of my Busse/Kin that have actual finger choils and the ASH2, BG FSH, BT6 and even the Infidu (which I would say is a pretty good benchmark for Busse/Kin ergonomics) put more space between my fingers than the TGLB.

 

[polskiogorki]

I'm in the same boat.... this knife has the classic combat look but have never has the urge to buy one

 

[Crosier]

Thanks for this link. I had not seen this thread before.

I asked a somewhat similar question about a year ago here, you may get something out the thread if you haven't seen it before:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/b8-vs-tg-other-7-8-blades.1447026/

I finally bit on the A2 Special Edition just to see what they're all about, then ordered a second because I couldn't decide on a single color combo lol.

Figure it should be relatively easy to sell one or both down the line if they aren't for me, but I had to get one (or two) in hand.

Still have a feeling that the LB is the one that I'd like the best, but they're hard to snag at a reasonable price.

 

[Crosier]

Lady Earth,
I agree with you on your points. These are my general feelings hence why I made this post.

Oh I’ve been looking. Looked for many years and I have eyes on a few at the moment. Even have a Dog soldier ready for shipping (just checked) that has similar blade design.

And why make this design something it isn’t? Because it has a design that isn’t friendly and has been mentioned often for quite a while. Some folks even went so far as to correct said design flaws which is why I specifically said I do not want to jump though such hoops just so I could use that particular blade style. I’m also very sure to win this bet: I bet that there were a lot of design already trashed into the trashbin. Again, this one should have stayed on the drawing board.

Also, if we were to follow your “Why make this design something it isn’t” to heart, many cars and trucks and smart phone devices, etc would have never evolved very far if they sticked to such rigorous mindset. I personally rather be open for a re-design to make something even better than it is today because the Blade style deserves a more practical handle and hilt.

So with that being said, I bet that if Busse company kept it on the drawing board and figured out a better way to have the choil be accessible, it will be even more popular than it is now.

But since it’s a Busse knife, it’s far more forgiving because of it’s brand name. Just that real life is less forgiving and it is an impractical design (just like some other folks in this thread has even mentioned).

“Cheers!”
~LadyEarth

 

[Crosier]

What do you use it for day to day?

I carry my tglb all the time on the ranch and when hiking around and use it heavy daily. I find it to be an awesome knife and very functional, its handle texture didn't work for me but once hand smoothed it was perfect. I could care less if Daryl Dixon has one or if most people on this forum love it the fact is that for me it suits almost any task I need a knife (it is also a perfect throwing knife)
I have mine with a scrapivore piggyback and that covers all my needs for an outdoorsmans edc.

 

[Crosier]

This seems so incongruous to me. Why would it be the only one you would keep if it gets used the least?

Another vote for the Ka-bar thing. I always liked the looks of them but never could get myself to spend money on a rat tail tanged knife. I hadn't heard of Busse when I first saw Daryl Dixon's knife as he crept up on a tent, but that fuller and full tang sent me to Google'n. The original TG was no longer being produced but the TGLB was........That price though! I had never spent that kind of money on a knife but the Noss videos of what INFI could do and the Busse warranty sealed the deal. Between those two things I knew it was a "spend money once and never worry about it again" kind of thing. Now I have lots more Busse's and of the users, the TGLB probably gets used the least, but if I could only keep one, it would be the one.

.

 

[Crosier]

Which roles do you feel it performs well?

Initially, a few years back when the TGLB came out I was actually not impressed. What really lost it's appeal was the perceived limitations that the hilt presented for the utility of the blade. Plus I wasn't overly thrilled with the look of it. Having just received my DC CGBJ, I was more interested in traditional blade designs.

However, one day I went and looked at my Regulator and I was able to hold that however I wanted and it's a decent blade in regard to utility. And I looked at the design a little closer and it grew on me. At the time I also think part of it was that I saw Daryl using it on the Walking Dead which increased it's appeal...if I'm being honest.

So I pulled the trigger on what is now my all-time absolute FAVORITE Busse finish...Competition Finish!! Had I known it was an option, I'd have ordered my CGBJ with it as well. Unfortunately it's also one Jerry has decided not to offer anymore due to nimrods complaining about it!!

But I can say that if it came down to picking one of my blades to be carried for an unavoidable confrontation, that would be it. It's also a blade that fills many roles well...but no blade will ever do everything perfectly. Never have I ever second guessed the purchase or regretted it. Truly thrilled with the purchase years later. And I'm not a huge Busse fanboy that says "screw the mortgage, I have to have anything Jerry dreams up!!"....I call a spade a spade so if the blade sucked I'd share that to. But it doesn't. It's awesome!!!

 

[Crosier]

Never doubted it would be a good pig sticker! Thanks for the feedback and pics.

It seems like it was designed for combat not utility. E.g. stabbing, not chopping. It's obviously not designed specifically for wood work, so any criticisms of it based on it's lack of ability in those areas are probably missing the mark.

Having stabbed a few pigs with my TGLB, I can say the double guard helps to stop your hand sliding forward; you have to push hard with a blade that thick, and the pig is wriggling and you're moving around a bit, and there's a chance of your hand slipping onto the blade.

The fuller also helps with a quick kill or so I've been told (I haven't done this enough to know myself). The heart is inside a lot of liquid and pressure from other organs and when you puncture it, it 'self-seals' and slows the process of bleeding out. The fuller introduces a pocket of air into the heart and kills it instantly. This is good for the pig, and good for you and the dogs.

If you are buying a knife for other uses of course you would buy a model designed specifically for those uses, you wouldn't buy a TG and then complain it doesn't do what you wanted.

But a TGLB is a beautiful knife, feels amazing in hand, and is great at what it actually does! Also, it can do the other things at a pinch which is handy when you don't want to carry two knives.

 

[Crosier]

Firstly, thank you all very much for the feedback on both sides of the fence.

I appreciate that those who love it for pure aesthetics or Walking Dead or whatever just came out and said that! I never even considered the nostalgia/KaBar thing so that was enlightening for me. I don’t think there is anything wrong with owning a knife for these reasons btw. To me the Battle Shark for example shares a lot of the design elements as the Team Gemini yet it speaks to me much more asthetically. The Battle Shark never gets any love on the forums! But I digress and that is a thread for another day...

After reviewing your posts it seems that even for those that like the knife, the functionality of the Team Gemini (amount of tasks it can be used and is optimal for) is somewhat limited when compared to other knives.

I notice sometimes when the Boss releases a knife he will give some insights into the design. Does anyone know if he did this with the TG series? I know there is a story behind it with his twins. I am talking more about what he had in mind with the design.

 

[honorearth]

What do you use it for day to day?

I work a large ranch so I use it for a huge range of tasks besides the basic cutting open feed or soil bags like splitting fence rails and notching 2x4s or fence posts when building. I use the butt end as a hammer at times if I am to far from the barn to bother running for the proper tool, blade makes a great pry bar as well. Cutting tarps and ropes, talon holes for bending wire. It comes out of its sheath 15-20 times a day to be used and I never have to fear that its not up for the task. Plus I live in an area where at any point I may come up on an angry or startled bear, mountain lion or boar and having a solid knife at my side feels right