I have the skinny and the CG and it is true that the CG does feel a touch heavy to use as an every day carry but it is very use-able. The skinny on the other hand feels light in hand and the balance is feels great. The skinny for an EDC, for me, it is almost perfect in weight.
I do believe that the skinny and the LE are about equal in weight with a slight difference in balance. (skinny slightly blade heavy and LE slight handle heavy due to the different grind shape of the blade)
If your a big guy and don't mind the slightly heavy feel of the CG then I recommend it. It's great for an any situation knife for minor chopping, prying and stabbing and if you sharpen the edge right (recommend a convex edge) it will do fine cutting very well. (like fruit and vegies with ease) If your not a big guy and still don't mind the weight a bit then with a lot of practice the CG is still be ok to use because you can get use to the weight. After a while you won't notice it as much. It's nice to have a very solid knife with you when the SHTF....just in case.
Now if your not a big guy and can afford the LE then I recommend this one. It is quick, easy to use, feels like the right weight, slices very well with the right edge-convex (from what I've heard), and it make a great EDC in terms of weight. As someone has pointed out, it may not pry as well so you'll likely to bend the tip (thinner). Don't let that put you off too much since the busse warranty will cover such damage in any domestic chore. If in an emergency situation or a SHTF scenario then a bent tip isn't going to be the end of the world, for the knife that is, but it isn't going to be helpful either. But in saying so it is very unlikely you may be faced with this problem. Most of the time when you do have to pry you tend to stop when it feels like the knife is about to bend. This tends to happen automatically for most regular knife users that care a bit for their valued tools.
Now....if you are like me and want a solid knife to face anything thrown at it as in the CG but feel its a touch heavy to use and carry every day and prefer the weight of the LE then you could spend heaps of extra cash and get someone (or do it yourself with a lot of work) and get the CG modified with a skeleton tang or grind the slides of the blade to covert it to a saber profile. Image a full strength CG but with the weight approaching that of a LE (in my case it's about 2 oz lighter but it does makes a difference in the feel). Now that's a knife....
......Or you could buy the skinny. It has the weight of the LE but has the trip strength of the CG. It doesn't chop quite as well as the CG but it still does a very respectable job and since its lighter it is well worth the compromise. Note that you will be carrying it and using it for general cutting much more that you would be chopping with it.
Just as a side note, the grind on the LE is similar to the CG in that it's flat on the sides, which i find makes a excellent slicer and cutter. The grind on the skinny is convex on the sides (not the very edge). I prefer the flat grinds by far for the just mentioned reasons. I can't be sure since I don't have a LE but I think that the thickness of the edge just before it is beveled (or convexed) to the actual cutting edge is about the same on the CG and the LE. The skinny edge is actually thicker even thought the blade thickness at the ricasso is the thinnest out of all three! So the LE would make a better slicer and cutter than the skinny. Go figure!?!
But if you are deciding between the CG and the LE only and you don't want to go the path of a modified knife (like the crazy bugger I am) and can afford it then....
I would go the LE.
Like the skinny you may be carrying it and cutting/slicing with it more that you will be chopping and prying with it (depending on your use). The reduce weight will be well worth it in terms of the compromise.
Yes it's a bit long winded but I hope this helps.
Now where did I put that drink? Cheers!
I do believe that the skinny and the LE are about equal in weight with a slight difference in balance. (skinny slightly blade heavy and LE slight handle heavy due to the different grind shape of the blade)
If your a big guy and don't mind the slightly heavy feel of the CG then I recommend it. It's great for an any situation knife for minor chopping, prying and stabbing and if you sharpen the edge right (recommend a convex edge) it will do fine cutting very well. (like fruit and vegies with ease) If your not a big guy and still don't mind the weight a bit then with a lot of practice the CG is still be ok to use because you can get use to the weight. After a while you won't notice it as much. It's nice to have a very solid knife with you when the SHTF....just in case.
Now if your not a big guy and can afford the LE then I recommend this one. It is quick, easy to use, feels like the right weight, slices very well with the right edge-convex (from what I've heard), and it make a great EDC in terms of weight. As someone has pointed out, it may not pry as well so you'll likely to bend the tip (thinner). Don't let that put you off too much since the busse warranty will cover such damage in any domestic chore. If in an emergency situation or a SHTF scenario then a bent tip isn't going to be the end of the world, for the knife that is, but it isn't going to be helpful either. But in saying so it is very unlikely you may be faced with this problem. Most of the time when you do have to pry you tend to stop when it feels like the knife is about to bend. This tends to happen automatically for most regular knife users that care a bit for their valued tools.
Now....if you are like me and want a solid knife to face anything thrown at it as in the CG but feel its a touch heavy to use and carry every day and prefer the weight of the LE then you could spend heaps of extra cash and get someone (or do it yourself with a lot of work) and get the CG modified with a skeleton tang or grind the slides of the blade to covert it to a saber profile. Image a full strength CG but with the weight approaching that of a LE (in my case it's about 2 oz lighter but it does makes a difference in the feel). Now that's a knife....
......Or you could buy the skinny. It has the weight of the LE but has the trip strength of the CG. It doesn't chop quite as well as the CG but it still does a very respectable job and since its lighter it is well worth the compromise. Note that you will be carrying it and using it for general cutting much more that you would be chopping with it.
Just as a side note, the grind on the LE is similar to the CG in that it's flat on the sides, which i find makes a excellent slicer and cutter. The grind on the skinny is convex on the sides (not the very edge). I prefer the flat grinds by far for the just mentioned reasons. I can't be sure since I don't have a LE but I think that the thickness of the edge just before it is beveled (or convexed) to the actual cutting edge is about the same on the CG and the LE. The skinny edge is actually thicker even thought the blade thickness at the ricasso is the thinnest out of all three! So the LE would make a better slicer and cutter than the skinny. Go figure!?!
But if you are deciding between the CG and the LE only and you don't want to go the path of a modified knife (like the crazy bugger I am) and can afford it then....
I would go the LE.
Like the skinny you may be carrying it and cutting/slicing with it more that you will be chopping and prying with it (depending on your use). The reduce weight will be well worth it in terms of the compromise.
Yes it's a bit long winded but I hope this helps.
Now where did I put that drink? Cheers!
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