Well, I couldn't handle the curiousity any longer so I picked up a SHe2 off of the forum (thanks Jeff!). It might be a bit short for serious chopping but looks like it will make a nice camp blade.
In the name of science, I also bought a pretty cheap but seemingly tough RTAK II as well to see how a cheap but tough beater might compare to Busse. By some coincidence, both showed up to my door today. A couple quick preliminary thoughts as a guy who's collection is 90% folders:
The RTAK is clearly the inferior knife. The grind is frankly the worst I have ever seen on a new knife, very uneven on either side and not the edge is not straight at all. When you stand it up on a flat surface, there is an ugly recurve where there should be a straight line. Honestly, if this was intended for anything other than chopping and abuse, I would return it and I almost never return anything. The sheath is pretty cheap feeling but serviceable. However, it came with a sheath in the first place, which you don't get with new Busses. I read alot of complaints about the blocky handle slabs but they actually seem ok in my L sized hands. I am curious to see how they feel after some actual use.
As for the Busse, I think I am starting to get it. It feels very solid and the handle scales match up nicely. It seems to exude quality and I suppose it should for a blade four times the price of the one it is being compared to. It definitely has a certain tough guy presence and I get why Darryl used a TGLB to waste all those zombies in the Walking Dead. I opted for a coated blade and the coating is unlike any other fixed blade I have handled. It looks kind of textured like a powercoat but is also a bit glossy. I will be curious to see how it holds up to use. I have DLC coated Cold Steel Master Hunter and man, that thing can take punishment and the coating still looks very good. I wonder how the Busse will compare? The sheath issue seems a bit crazy, but the seller was kind enough to include a homemade kydex that seems well made and very serviceable.
Now I just need an opportunity to take a hike through the woods and actually put these blades to the test.