Thickness Issue

Cobalt

Cobalt

Platinum Member
Joined
Dec 23, 1998
Messages
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Ok, why do you like them Thick?

I mean, with INFI you don't need them to be so thick. 0.2 inch is more than enough for almost any size. But so many of us like them thick. So what is your preference, thick or thinner and why? Not just because it looks so bad azz.

just wondering what people in here prefer and why
 
I like them thick... now I am sounding like Sir Mix-a-lot :cool:

To me it seems like overkill to have more than .25, though I will admit that it appeals to my desire to have something that will withstand all use/abuse... of course knowing that INFI can do that even in a narrow diameter makes me think that a lighter blade could be faster in hand... I guess I would go for a slightly thinner fighter, but would always defer to thick for survival/camping needs.
 
I have given up some advantage of carrying a lighter tool, but the effect of the thicker/heavier blade on sheet metal and all steel doors/door jams is well worth the extra weight. You might have problems placing the tip of the thicker blade in well made products (armored car doors/seams, modern fire doors with all steel door frames), but luckly for most of us the other guy rarely buys such products. So sheet metal, wooden door frames and brittle locks are usually the obstacle. You can't beat the .25" and larger blade thickness for heavy, poorly made gates and doors commonly found on Third World domisiles and compounds. My 2 cents. Please excuse my poor spelling.
 
Cobalt said:
Ok, why do you like them Thick?

I mean, with INFI you don't need them to be so thick. 0.2 inch is more than enough for almost any size. But so many of us like them thick. So what is your preference, thick or thinner and why? Not just because it looks so bad azz.

just wondering what people in here prefer and why
Click to expand...
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BECAUSE I CAN!
 
Thickness and mass can mean greater penetration on the downward thrust. ;) Important for many tasks. :thumbup:
 
Thin, because with such good steel, heat treat, and design Busses work incredibly well without having to be thick.

On extremely hot days (above 40ºC) I don’t want to be carrying any unnecessary weight that can adversely affect how much water I can carry.
 
Blade thickness = greater mass = more weight = less work when chopping through something that needs chopping. :D
 
ronybear said:
"It's a GUY thing!" More Horsepower, more STEEL. More is better!
Click to expand...

Ditto! Yes I know this isn't the most scientific answer but I happen to really like the feel of the thicker models. Even the HD is by all standards consider a thick knife for it's size and it's below 1/4". So the bigger the knife, the thicker I like it. Such a thing as too thick, perhaps the Off Duty was too thick. I would love to own one, such as the black/black one that just sold on the Exchange, but more than likely it would never get used. I think 5/16" is just about max on the thickness scale. Once you've held a knife that is that thick it's hard to go down in size. Just my two cents.
 
This is a subject that I have been debating with myself for a while. I bought the HOFSH instead of the FSH and it was weird feeling at first. I thought 1/16" can't be that much of a difference but it is, that 1/16" makes it 25% bigger. I tell myself that it will help with chopping, and I'm sure it does. How much more I don't know. After getting into backpacking/hiking I realize how important it is to manage the weight of what your packing. I buy these knives for fun but also for that thought that lingers in the back of alot of our heads, the "what if" thought. Whether setting off on a "what if" scenario or just for fun I would not want to be weighted down with unecessary weight. I still do not have a clue on whether I want the HOFBM or the FBM. I am hoping to buy both and then sell the one I decide against.



Riddle me this one. If you had to set off on business or fun would you feel at all inferior with the FSH/FBM instead of the H.O.G. versions? Would you at all think "oh I'm screwed because I don't have the H.O.G. version" ?
 
Cobalt said:
Ok, why do you like them Thick?
Click to expand...

Sir, I understand that you can not ask me those questions... Don't ask, don't tell. :D

Its a guy thing. Must have the biggest, baddest, whatever, damn utility or practicality. Same thing with cars, I'll bet 95% of the people who own an SUV, especially a large one, i.e. Hummer, will never take it off road.
 
Thicker because it makes it that much more indestructible. At .25 in. INFI is already undestroyable but having an extra 1/16 inch makes it that much more. Plus with the hog and normal versions you can deanimate, deanimate wood, deanimate just about everything, and pry open a bank of america vault(like I would know).
 
I wish Jerry would make a set of knives on the opposite end of the scale from the ZTs. Like a BM, SH, SJT, SFNO all in 3/8" infi to match the OD...a matching fat set...cool.
 
On the larger blades I like the 1/4 inch to 5/16. The way they feel in the hand. Once you get so thick it will start to hurt the performance of the knife. You have less of a knife and more of a wedge.
Take the older Satin Jack though. It came in 1/4 inch and then 3/16. I like the 1/4 inch better just because of the way it feels.
I think it's also a perception. It would be hard to hurt one of the 3/16 Satin Jacks. You would really have to do it on purpose. The 1/4 inch just inspires more confidence even though the 3/16 is pretty much indestructable.

And like it was said before. We like it cause we can. :D
 
Cobalt said:
Ok, why do you like them Thick?
just wondering what people in here prefer and why
Click to expand...
well, you know, some like them long and some like them thick, i have both so it's no problem for me or my wife.
in talking to some other wimmin i get varying answers, but vicki mostly carries a shsh with a ground off butt. she loves it. :thumbup:

well, she just informed me, thick has her vote as she like a tight fit in the scabbard....
 
I personally prefer thinner blades. I think that they cut better, are easier to sharpen, and of course they are lighter.

In the several years here that I've read nearly every post, the only Busse that I can recall breaking was a Basic line knife owned by OwenM. It was modified INFI, and it turned out to have been modified in someones garage. The heat treat was compromised.

IMHO the ABLE is the epitome of a Busse carry blade.
 
It all depends on the intended use. I like thinner for hunting & skinning or EDC. But, I am looking @ the heavier Steel Hearts for survival means. It seems the thicker, heavier blades would lend well to replacing hatchet and shovel in my pack, while acting as what it is...a knife.
 
chopping ability, and to a much lesser extent, blade stiffness for prybar use.

past .220, the prybar issue doesnt really come into place, because its thick enough that its unlikely to bend excessively when used with the arms and upperbody as the drive for the prying. if your jumping on it - a thicker blade may be in order.

mostly though - the added weight for the given length makes a difference when chopping. i have a palm tree in front of my house right next to the walkway, and anytime one of the prawns decides to go for my eyes, i immediately hack it down. my .220 sj does a fine job of it, but anything less and i find myself wanting iether more length, or more blade heavyness.


that being said, for cutting tasks i prefer my knife to be very thin. but for chopping, i want the spine to be very thick, and the edge to be (reletively) thin as far as thick blades go.
 
Silas said:
This is a subject that I have been debating with myself for a while. I bought the HOFSH instead of the FSH and it was weird feeling at first. I thought 1/16" can't be that much of a difference but it is, that 1/16" makes it 25% bigger. I tell myself that it will help with chopping, and I'm sure it does. How much more I don't know. After getting into backpacking/hiking I realize how important it is to manage the weight of what your packing. I buy these knives for fun but also for that thought that lingers in the back of alot of our heads, the "what if" thought. Whether setting off on a "what if" scenario or just for fun I would not want to be weighted down with unecessary weight. I still do not have a clue on whether I want the HOFBM or the FBM. I am hoping to buy both and then sell the one I decide against.



Riddle me this one. If you had to set off on business or fun would you feel at all inferior with the FSH/FBM instead of the H.O.G. versions? Would you at all think "oh I'm screwed because I don't have the H.O.G. version" ?
Click to expand...

I would feel poorly prepared if I had to carry either of the HOG versions. To carry the extra steel I would either have to sacrifice other useful stuff, or accept that I was going to become tired more quickly, and neither of these options are acceptable for me.

My EU-17s are the thickest knives I own, and the weight is kept to a practical level because of the full flat grind. .25” thick is as heavy as I ever want to carry, unless (like on the EU-17s) the grind helps keep the weight down.
 
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