General - My very first Busse Variant. Basically this is Busse custom blade. One of a kind :) Got it from Andy's Sharper Instinct Combat Variant HQ. Once again, life would've been such a boredom without those little, nice surprises :), Well, this was overall approx 14 inch long, 9.5 inch INFI blade, eHandled surprise, but still, it was just great :). I liked this fighter knife when I saw it first time, slim, slick, sharpened top edge, dropped handle. So, I've had to have it. No doubts. I've contacted Andy immediately &. There she is. Anyways, like I've mentioned this is a famous Busse Battle Mistress variant. Practically there's not much left of Battle Mistress in this knife, except toughness, length & the eHandle.
Blade
- 9.5 inch long blade is made of INFI steel, I've mentioned it in my Battle Mistress review & there's tons of info of all kinds regarding this one on the Bladeforums. First thing I've noticed when I've handled BM Fighter variant was it's lighter than Battle Mistress weight. Makes the knife more maneuverable & easy to handle. Yet it has enough weight to be a very good chopper. Still, obviously Battle Mistress will out-chop the fighter variant, but I don't think by much. Clearly, this is more of a fighter then a utility blade, unlike battle mistress which has nothing to do with fighter blades but is an excellent heavy-duty blade. Sharpened top edge helps great with penetration, at the same time, the point is very strong. However, sharp top edge isn't the best choice for a utility knife, though on this knife, the sharp edge doesn't go all the way back to the handle, also there's a thumb-ramp, this all in conjunction with eHandle makes this BM Fighter an excellent big knife, it's good for chopping, stabbing, slicing & whatever else you have to do with your knife.Handle
- I ought to mention it :) Especially since it's my first experience with this one. To be precise, this one is a transition design from older straight handles to the new, E type. You can find more information on the Bladeforums.com, just search the Busse Combat Knives Forum for the E-Handle. What I can say so far is that this pre-eHandle is very comfortable, especially for chopping, kindda different feel, but it's just great. Some think that straight handle looks better, I'd agree on certain knives it does look more natural.Overall after using eHandles, straight handles, and this one, I'd say this type of the handle works the best. It is not as much curved as standard eHandle, and still helpful with chopping. Also, important factor is that the tang is flushed with the slabs perfectly. That was the major problem with eHandles, protruding tang would bounce off your palms, and at times that bounce was quite painful. Micarta slabs are not as agressive as on combat grade e models, yet provide very good grip secirity. Overall I am real positive abotu this knife and in particular handle design.
Specifications:
- Model - Battle Mistress;
- Blade - 241.30mm(9.5")
- Thickness - 6.35mm
- OAL - 368.30mm(14.5")
- Steel - INFI steel at 58-60HRC
- Handle - Micarta
- Acquired - 08/2000 Price - 695.00$
- Warranty - Unconditional Lifetime;
Last updated - 05/19/19