Boss street vs scrapper 5le

D

Dmytro

Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
57
I have a Scrapper 5 LE but never handled a Boss Street. Other than satin finish on Scrapper 5 LE, how do you guys compare the two?
 
To me the S5LE is a much more practical knife. It weighs less and has a nice quick feel in hand. The BOSS Street is so handle heavy that it feels sort of clunky IMHO. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the mudder handles, and think they are just about the most comfortable handles of any knife I've ever used.


That said, for an EDC, the BOSS Street is more compact, and less bulky to carry. If you don't mind the extra weight, it might be more suited for EDC than the S5LE, which is significantly larger.
 
Can someone please post some comparison pics of the S5 and the Boss Street?
 
MM is correct. The BOSS Street is handle heavy. That means that it tends to stay in your hand when you relax your grip. The Scrapper 5, on the other hand, is blade heavy. That means it tends to leave your hand when you relax your grip. IMO, blade heavy knives are fine for choppers, but not for utility knives/EDCs.

That's just my opinion, of course. :)
 
bld522 said:
MM is correct. The BOSS Street is handle heavy. That means that it tends to stay in your hand when you relax your grip. The Scrapper 5, on the other hand, is blade heavy. That means it tends to leave your hand when you relax your grip. IMO, blade heavy knives are fine for choppers, but not for utility knives/EDCs.

That's just my opinion, of course. :)
Click to expand...

I found the exact opposite to be true with the shba. The ultra handle heavy design (if you closed your eyes, you'd swear there was nothing but a handle in your hand) made it feel like it was going to slip out of my hand and I'd be left holding blade when I tried to catch it. That was partly because the scales were smooth and the pinky/index finger positions were really small compared to the center swell combining to make a weird akward slippy grip when held loosely (for me). The mudder handles allow for a friction held soft grip, one that keeps the knife in your hand without much pressure.

I really don't like handle heavy knives of any sort, it makes it almost impossible for me to blindly index the blade and tip which makes it less likely that I'll ever feel that it's "an extension of my arm".

I'm interested in seeing how the boss street handles... and then what slimming the tang down does to it o_0
 
Last Visible Canary said:
I found the exact opposite to be true with the shba. The ultra handle heavy design (if you closed your eyes, you'd swear there was nothing but a handle in your hand) made it feel like it was going to slip out of my hand and I'd be left holding blade when I tried to catch it. That was partly because the scales were smooth and the pinky/index finger positions were really small compared to the center swell combining to make a weird akward slippy grip when held loosely (for me). The mudder handles allow for a friction held soft grip, one that keeps the knife in your hand without much pressure.

I really don't like handle heavy knives of any sort, it makes it almost impossible for me to blindly index the blade and tip which makes it less likely that I'll ever feel that it's "an extension of my arm".

I'm interested in seeing how the boss street handles... and then what slimming the tang down does to it o_0
Click to expand...

Well said - for an actual user knife, severely handle heavy is not a good thing, in my eyes.

The s5 is also only very slightly blade heavy. the balance point is on the guard area of the res-c handle. It does NOT balance like a chopper, no matter what a guy who never actually uses a chopper to chop will tell you.
 
MustardMan said:
Well said - for an actual user knife, severely handle heavy is not a good thing, in my eyes.

The s5 is also only very slightly blade heavy. the balance point is on the guard area of the res-c handle. It does NOT balance like a chopper, no matter what a guy who never actually uses a chopper to chop will tell you.
Click to expand...
"Severely" and "very slightly" are subjective terms, of course. I find the BOSS Street to be very slightly handle heavy and the S5 to be severely blade heavy, particularly for a knife its size. That's why I kept my BOSS Street and sold my S5.

I might also add that whether a person actually uses their knives has nothing to do with the characteristics of the knives themselves. A blade heavy knife, for instance, remains blade heavy in the hands of a user, a collector, or an investor.

Here's a simple test to determine if your S5 (or any knife for that matter) is blade heavy:

1. Hold the knife in a secure hammer grip (i.e., with your hand and thumb completely surrounding the handle).
2. Orient the knife parallel to the floor.
3. Slowly and CAREFULLY relax your grip.
4. Notice what happens.

If the knife tends to remain in your hand when you perform this test, it's either neutrally balanced or handle heavy. If it tends to tilt downward tip first (i.e., the butt of the handle rises in the palm of your hand as you relax your grip), it's blade heavy.
 
Last edited:
The BOSS Street is very handle heavy for it's size. It is thick and cumbersome for tasks that demand a smaller knife. While I like the design visually, it isn't working ergonomically for me.
The S5 on the other hand is almost perfect for a mid-size wet knife. Balance slightly forward as a well designed working blade should be.
 
What you call "very handle heavy", I call "very secure in the hand". And what you call "balance slightly forward", I call "look out below!"

Different strokes for different folks. :)
 
Last edited:
bld522 said:
What you call "very handle heavy", I call "very secure in the hand".

Different strokes for different folks. :)
Click to expand...

Agreed. We wouldn't have as many knife (or tool) designs, makers and manufacturers if people didn't have different preferences.
The problem one has with the handle heavy knife while actually using it is that in dropping it the weight pulls or tips the blade to the hand.
 
Last edited:
I don't know anything about the Boss street and I don't carry my scrapper5 everyday but when I do carry it, It's comfortable enough to wear all day, even driving and I forget it's there. This is how I carry it:
DSC_0579.jpg
 
while not having handled the BOSS street yet it is hard to make a full assesment but I am guessing it feels a lot like the Bravo in hand (judging from the pictures). For this type of knife (utility) I agree with BLD, the S5, granted is an awesome knife, is way too blade heavy for my tastes for a utility type of knife. I get more control with my Bravo then I do my S5. Again, I have not handled the BOSS Street yet but it looks pretty dang close to the Bravo in size/blade shape etc.
 
silverbullets said:
while not having handled the BOSS street yet it is hard to make a full assesment but I am guessing it feels a lot like the Bravo in hand (judging from the pictures). For this type of knife (utility) I agree with BLD, the S5, granted is an awesome knife, is way too blade heavy for my tastes for a utility type of knife. I get more control with my Bravo then I do my S5. Again, I have not handled the BOSS Street yet but it looks pretty dang close to the Bravo in size/blade shape etc.
Click to expand...

While the shape is similar, compared to the BOSS Street I've handled the Bravo is better balanced.
 
mymindisamob said:
While the shape is similar, compared to the BOSS Street I've handled the Bravo is better balanced.
Click to expand...

Without ever having handled a Bravo 1, I'd tend to agree with this. The Bravo 1 and the BOSS Street are roughly the same dimensionally but the Bravo 1 is more than an ounce lighter than the BOSS Street. I assume that most of the difference is in the weight of the handle. Still, I just love the way the BOSS Street feels in my hand.
 
my point with the shba could be made a little more strong by saying that if a person handed me the knife and I had my eyes closed, I wouldn't know if it was in a forward or reverse grip. The blade just kinda dissapears.

mymindisamob said:
Agreed. We wouldn't have as many knife (or tool) designs, makers and manufacturers if people didn't have different preferences.
The problem one has with the handle heavy knife while actually using it is that in dropping it the weight pulls or tips the blade to the hand.
Click to expand...

I had never thought of it that way, but thats exactly why the shba always felt a little dangerous in my hand, it was always slipping in the direction of the handle. Even though the chance of it falling out of my hand was slim to none, it was disconcerting.

I don't mind neutral small knives, especially when they're thin or really light. When they balance at the index finger or any farther forward it feels right. It's when the center of balance shifts farther into the hand then the front side of the index finger that it starts to feel wrong to me.

the funny part is that I'd still vote for the boss street, even having not handled it. I could never get used to the resiprene-c handles and I can't deal with that massive of a choil on that small of a knife. handle heavy or not, I'd keep the boss street over the scrapper 5 because it has fewer things I dislike (and more potential for modification).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top