Both excellent choices! I've always wanted a Crutch Tip Randall!
Kix

kixonrt66, Thanks for the reply, I definitely will be checking e-bay, anyway I finally got a account on photo bucket so ma bey I can start adding more pics down the pipe. Anyway, here's the BOLO V/S the INFI dogfather. I guess you have to right click on the images to view full size (view image), a little to big I guess.
I found a link to the old school,I wonder if he will sell me any bolos without going over there to buy?
JEST

Yep, that dogfather isn't too far off in size/form from the battle rat. If you need something a little bigger, the Rat Daddy was an inch or so longer than the battle rat. I think the new Swamp Rat line calls it the Bull Mastiff blade. The steel they use (SR-101) and the heat treatment on it are superior to the SR-77 used for the dogfather,but still not as nice as the Infi alloy. I spent a lot of time looking at the big knife market, and I just kept coming back to the Busse because it only makes sense to have the best.

This should take nothing away from those bolos and khukris that others refer to. They have been and continue to be highly suitable as a jungle/combat/survival tool, and I would not turn one away if it were offered to me.

kixonrt66: I assumed you were asking about just having one blade, so in my previous post I started out with comparing apples to apples with my DBR. I threw in the multi-tool argument only to broaden the line of thought, as I suspected (correctly) that others would tend to do. No worries.

I do add this disclaimer to my endorsement. No one needs a Busse knife in particular. They are as good as I felt I could do in acquisitions, and they are relatively expensive. You can do all you need to do with a $30 big knife as I can with my $400 Busse and be just as successful if you do your part. If you don't do your part, then it doesn't matter how good a knife you pack.

Thanks for the pics Falcon!
The bolo looks exactly like some of my larger ones, Water Buffalo Horn too! Yup I think that's quite close to the bolos I like so much. I looked at the JEST link. Very organized compared to our training group at Clark. It may be the same group of instructors or their descendants teaching the course. I remember thinking I would be very hungry and very uncomfortable during the four days of our training. Our instructors carried nothing but these bolos and a canteen. Our food was adequate and our shelters were quite comfortable and dry even in a rainforest downpour. All the cooking, fire building, shelter building, trap setting, game butchering etc were performed with the bolo and nothing else. One of the instructors would find a small rock and use his bolo as a percussion instrument for signaling over great distances. It made a very distinctive pinging sound that was easy to distinguish from natural jungle sounds.
You are lucky to have the bolo and the BUSSE. I would like to see a side by side comparison of the cutting ability of each knife.
Thanks,
Kix

benjammin, I love the Busse knife collection, I’d like to get a little bigger one than the dogfather but the Bolo design has always been what I’ve been looking for. If Busse were to make a bolo out of that design with there steel and I could order it in the next century, I’d be all over that. Busse definitely makes the best knives in my opinion, they just have a screwed up way about getting one. They make awesome knives, but have poor sales technique. But a $10 bolo will do the job just the same, it just doesn’t hold an edge like Busse.

kixonrt66, I definitely miss those days as well and if I ever had the time and money, I would like to go back for a refresher. That jungle over there is like a supermarket, it’s no wonder why you could disappear for ever. Definitely paradise, but at the rate the PI is becoming more touristy, they’ll probability put condos in the next decade. I want to get out there and put the bolo and dogfather to a true test but I need to figure out how to restore my convex edge on the bolo, it has been through concrete as well as chewed on a couple of nails so the edge is extremely dull and I’m not the best sharpener there is. There is a lot of dogfather destructive testing here. http://www.scrapyardknives.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=Knives&page=0
Dan has a new knife coming out called the Dumpster Mutt. I’m going to try to get one it’s a great knife for the price and you can bat one of these with a sledge hammer and not hurt it.

Dumpster Mutt Specs:

Overall Length = 9 1/2"
Blade length = 5"
Thickness = Approx .285" (Between 1/4" and 5/16")
Handle = Resiprene C
Steel = SR-77
So, we're going to blow these puppies out in the grand fashion of the Yard at $69.95!!!

Look for these to hit our site in within the next 10-14 days!
SYKW

I think I've seen Busse spit out a couple custom bolos in the past. I am sure you can get one made, but the cost? Oi Vey!!

There was a post on Bladeforums wherein a dogfather was put to task against a few other big blades, one being a bolo I believe, and the dogfather chipped out pretty bad. Dan thought it was likely a flaw in the metal, which is indicative of the stock he has to work with.

Nonetheless, he will replace that knife no problem. One thing you can count on; the Busse family warranty is the best you will ever see.

As for the $10 bolo, like I said before, if you do your part, then you can expect to get more than your money's worth out of it.

Reading this forum has me interested in Swamp Rat and Scrapyard knives. So I went to their websites and I had a very hard time finding any info at all. Especially at SWKW. Is there a catalogue or pictures with specs and prices I can get? The websites just dont have too much info that I can find.

Thanks,

Garrett

This is the Swamp Rat store website:

https://www.shop.ratknives.com/splashPage.hg


Right now they only have "Little Mischiefs" for sale. I think they are in the middle of revamping their lineup, website, or something like that. I'm not entirely sure.

I hear ya Falcon,
Sometimes I miss that jungle environment. You really could find anything you need there easily. Food and water was no problem, shelter was easy because there was bamboo everywhere and it's easy to work with. Makes great cooking vessels too eh?

When my Bolos get really dull I will reshape the edge with a medium file then a coarse diamond hone, then a fine diamond hone. Remember though, this is a working/chopping edge and it shouldn't be razor sharp or have too fine an edge. If the edge is too thin it will chip easily. It should be chisel sharp and convex like an axe edge. That way it won't get damaged easily and it will retain it's working edge longer. When your Bolo get's stained and rust spots appear, scrub it down with hot soapy water and a Scotchbrite pad. After scrubbing rinse in HOT water and dry thoroughly then let it sit overnight to completely dry. Apply a thin coat of 3 in 1 oil to the blade and the horn handle and you're good to go.
Kix

Has anyone evr tried one of these? It looks loke a lot of knife for $25.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/Valor-14-5-Bolo-Surv...1QQcmdZViewItem

Kix