Boss Jack (Thin-ish Handle) - Do Spacers Work??

LightGuy said:
First, I absolutely love my choiless Boss Jack, and everything about it, including the handle shape. So I'm not considering exchanging it for anything else.

It is very comfortable to hold, but in some extreme use (chopping/batoning), I wish the handle was slightly thicker. I asked Garth if thicker handles could be put on it, but unfortunately they cannot. However, he said he could put spacers underneath the existing handles to thicken it up.

I think I may try this. Has anyone else done this with their Boss Jack? How do you like it?

Also, I have the Red/Black G10 scales on my Boss Jack. The spacers come in blue, yellow, black and white. I'm thinking black spacers...thoughts??

Thanks in advance!

-Rich
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I think we're always too quick to wish one knife can do everything, or more than it was intended to do most effectively. Now, personal preference aside, I don't think the BJ was meant to be any heavier or wider. I wouldn't want to screw up the design intent of a quick nimble blade by requiring it does something another knife will do more effectively.

I'm not saying you're wrong. Just disagreeing. I happen to like the thin handles. It DOES stink to need a second knife to chop effectively, but I'd rather live with the BJs current chop effectiveness (or lack of) than to take away from its other strong points by adding spacers.

Who knows... maybe I'd add spacers and love it.
 
LightGuy said:
Thanks. Yep, this one is a Proto .220" like the new CG version. I like the thickness - gives it a good heft for a smaller knife, but I spent a lot of time re-profiling the edge to be thinner. It was extremely thick almost all the way down to the very edge before. It's much better now.

I'm assuming they thickened-up the G10 scales on the LE version to compensate for the reduced blade thickness. This one had a pretty thin handle even with the thicker blade.
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Wow - that must have taken you some time :eek:
 
adrock1978 said:
I think we're always too quick to wish one knife can do everything, or more than it was intended to do most effectively. Now, personal preference aside, I don't think the BJ was meant to be any heavier or wider. I wouldn't want to screw up the design intent of a quick nimble blade by requiring it does something another knife will do more effectively.

I'm not saying you're wrong. Just disagreeing. I happen to like the thin handles. It DOES stink to need a second knife to chop effectively, but I'd rather live with the BJs current chop effectiveness (or lack of) than to take away from its other strong points by adding spacers.

Who knows... maybe I'd add spacers and love it.
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I absolutely hear you, and generally I would agree with you. However for a blade that is this thick and beefy, I think it should be able to be used hard - and that includes some light chopping as well as botonning. However, regardless of the use the knife was not secure in my hand due to the very thin handle. I couldn't really squeeze down tight on it because my fingers were curling back into my hand. Just not enough material there...
 
RedbeAR15 said:
Wow - that must have taken you some time :eek:
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Well to be a little more accurate, it is a work in progress. I started with a pretty low grit sandpaper/mousepad and was able to get it to a thinner grind near the edge. However it is still thicker than I would like. I haven't finalized it with high-grit because I want to take it down some more first.

And yes, it seems to take forever to make any difference...I need to get a belt sander...
 
I just use leather cord, the flat-cut type, to wrap the thinner handles. It works quite well for me, and gives a little cusion when chopping.

Looks like this stuff:
bdc55120-brown-leather.jpg
 
LightGuy said:
I absolutely hear you, and generally I would agree with you. However for a blade that is this thick and beefy, I think it should be able to be used hard - and that includes some light chopping as well as botonning. However, regardless of the use the knife was not secure in my hand due to the very thin handle. I couldn't really squeeze down tight on it because my fingers were curling back into my hand. Just not enough material there...
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Ok, so there's no problem with the blade, but you're saying you find it hard to use the blade to its potential, due to a small handle? If it had more a comfortable handle, you'd be able to chop/baton better? I think I gotcha.
 
adrock1978 said:
Ok, so there's no problem with the blade, but you're saying you find it hard to use the blade to its potential, due to a small handle? If it had more a comfortable handle, you'd be able to chop/baton better? I think I gotcha.
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Right - for my hands. I put this in my early post, sorry I didn't clarify that again for you. It very well could be that I am the only person who feels like the Boss Jack handles are a little too thin.
 
LightGuy said:
Right - for my hands. I put this in my early post, sorry I didn't clarify that again for you. It very well could be that I am the only person who feels like the Boss Jack handles are a little too thin.
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Roger that. You didn't need to clarify. I just went back to read it correctly. I immediately assumed you were saying the BJ didn't baton or chop as well as it should. I see now that you were saying it's chopping and batoning would be greatly improved for you, if the handles were fatter. All clear now. :D
 
LightGuy,

I like the way those spacers look on your knife :cool: - thank you for the pictures! I have always been surprised how much a slight change in handle thickness makes a knife feel better.

Gene
 
Glad to find this post. Got my boss jack yesterday and the handles are too thin for my hands as well.

Those red spacers are just what the doctor ordered!
 
I felt like the handle could be thicker on my CG I understand exactly what you mean .I have been letting it grow on me now ,I will have to ponder if I want mine thicker now too.
Great thread.
 
I only had Busse put one spacer put on each side my BJLE and that did the trick.
blue spacers under black paper slabs looks nice.... :)
 
Ill need to wrap my CG BJ that has G10 scales with some paracord to thicken it up - it's odd bc my other CG BJ has canvas scales and they are noticibly thicker and have more pronounced swells...
 
I don't know about the CG, but the BJ LE should definitely have spacers! The blue spacers delayed my order a bit, but it was well worth it! The CABS taught me the hard way by being too small to hold/use comfortably that this was going to be the only way to go! :thumbup:

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I was just quoted $20 a set a few days ago to have double liners added to my incoming LE, and a single set to my CG
 
Thanks for the reply Tyrade. Just added some yellow spacers to my SOS nmfbm. Wish I had known about them
When I ordered my BJ!
 
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