foxyrick
British Pork
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2006
- Messages
- 2,254
I recently bought an Active Duty (AD) in the hopes it would make a good bushcraft knife. Looked like it would, and I prefered it to the Game Wardens...
As Guyon said in the 'other' Busse thread, it's a winner. Thickness is perfect (4.5mm) and the blade has enough height to take a good edge angle. There's a bit of belly, although not as much as on the Game Warden, and it's really pointy with the point being just above the centre line.
I've only made a few fuzz sticks and split a little kindling with it so far, nothing extensive, but here's my view of it:
It handles really well. The grip is comfortable in a range of positions and is grippy enough without any harsh edges or rough spots. I tend to like long handles usually (don't know why, my hands aren't big) and the AD is about as small as I would like to go; but it works perfectly.
I do prefer the edge right up to the guard, rather than having a choil, but the choil is small on the AD and I don't find it a problem at all. For really getting up close and personal to the edge though, I find myself gripping with my index finger actually on the 'talon', as shown in a couple of the pics. It does still feel safe holding it this way; nice and secure without any slipping. Don't need to do this really, just wanted to see how close I could get comfortably. Pretty close!
Before use, I thinned the edge to a bit less than 15 degrees (per side) and left it flat. I'll gradually convex it when I touch it up with sandpaper. I stropped with a range of diamond grits (not needed really but I'm a sharpness freak) and finally dry stropped.
It cuts like a dream. It is the sharpest edge I have now; I'll have to work my others some more now I know I can do this.
It manages to take the tops off my fine arm hairs. Shaving is really smooth. It takes skin off the edge of my thumb with a gentle push. Got to be careful with that one!
It also cuts wood! I didn't take any photos of that (did it last week and didn't have an assistant) but it cuts as well as or better than any of my other knives. Splitting small sticks for kindling is easy; the edge pushes in nicely and the thickness gives just enough splitting effect. I tried a little batonning here on branches up to about 1.5 inch thick; worked as well as any small knife.
Shaving fuzz sticks was fun. My best fuzzy-maker is a really cheap (free, in fact) paring knife; it's just so thin and small. The edge doesn't last long, but while it lasts, it's a laser! My 'real' knives that are particularly good are: RSK Mk3, NWA and BRKT Fox River (in no particular order).
The AD is about equal to those. With the thinned edge, it shaves the wood with just as much ease and control as the above; if anything a little easier to control due to the smaller size. At home, my go-to for making fuzzies is the paring knife, but outdoors it would probably end up being the AD by preference.
After the above bits of wood stuff, the edge was still smooth-shaving but didn't take the tops off anymore.
I didn't chop anything, and won't unless I really need to and don't have my Battle Mistress to hand. It's not a chopper.
Here's some pic's of the knife:
As Guyon said in the 'other' Busse thread, it's a winner. Thickness is perfect (4.5mm) and the blade has enough height to take a good edge angle. There's a bit of belly, although not as much as on the Game Warden, and it's really pointy with the point being just above the centre line.
I've only made a few fuzz sticks and split a little kindling with it so far, nothing extensive, but here's my view of it:
It handles really well. The grip is comfortable in a range of positions and is grippy enough without any harsh edges or rough spots. I tend to like long handles usually (don't know why, my hands aren't big) and the AD is about as small as I would like to go; but it works perfectly.
I do prefer the edge right up to the guard, rather than having a choil, but the choil is small on the AD and I don't find it a problem at all. For really getting up close and personal to the edge though, I find myself gripping with my index finger actually on the 'talon', as shown in a couple of the pics. It does still feel safe holding it this way; nice and secure without any slipping. Don't need to do this really, just wanted to see how close I could get comfortably. Pretty close!
Before use, I thinned the edge to a bit less than 15 degrees (per side) and left it flat. I'll gradually convex it when I touch it up with sandpaper. I stropped with a range of diamond grits (not needed really but I'm a sharpness freak) and finally dry stropped.
It cuts like a dream. It is the sharpest edge I have now; I'll have to work my others some more now I know I can do this.
It manages to take the tops off my fine arm hairs. Shaving is really smooth. It takes skin off the edge of my thumb with a gentle push. Got to be careful with that one!
It also cuts wood! I didn't take any photos of that (did it last week and didn't have an assistant) but it cuts as well as or better than any of my other knives. Splitting small sticks for kindling is easy; the edge pushes in nicely and the thickness gives just enough splitting effect. I tried a little batonning here on branches up to about 1.5 inch thick; worked as well as any small knife.
Shaving fuzz sticks was fun. My best fuzzy-maker is a really cheap (free, in fact) paring knife; it's just so thin and small. The edge doesn't last long, but while it lasts, it's a laser! My 'real' knives that are particularly good are: RSK Mk3, NWA and BRKT Fox River (in no particular order).
The AD is about equal to those. With the thinned edge, it shaves the wood with just as much ease and control as the above; if anything a little easier to control due to the smaller size. At home, my go-to for making fuzzies is the paring knife, but outdoors it would probably end up being the AD by preference.
After the above bits of wood stuff, the edge was still smooth-shaving but didn't take the tops off anymore.
I didn't chop anything, and won't unless I really need to and don't have my Battle Mistress to hand. It's not a chopper.
Here's some pic's of the knife:
