With the saber grind and its thick spine the S5 may end up being very close to the same overall grind angle as the Boss Streets. Without having the both in hand it would be hard to know how accurate this is but it looks like they will be similar. At the moment a new condition S5 Le is likely to cost more than the Boss Streets. For me the full flat grind is a better grind for those who actually use their knives <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Stripping the coating will thin it out a bit. The best thing about that knife is if you get it in your hands and decide you do not like it before trying it out it will not likely loose any value and can be resold for what you invested into it.