I agree - I hate how obnoxiously thick most Busse blades are, but I'm also a materials scientist by trade so I love going on big tirades about poisson ratios and shear planes and buckling instabilities.

3/16 is, in my eyes, the sweet spot for most Busse blades, with maybe a bit thinner for true slicers that won't be beat on. But I also know the Busse target market, and the abuse of those knives by guys like Noss and Cliff Stamp have sold a lot of folks on the Busse family of sharpened prybars.