i use the talon hole. its actually just what i need. its useful for a handful of things esp when im dealing with my windblock material. i almost use it like the holes in bushcraft knives.

knifeguy that EOD tool is AWESOME....except i tried to buy one and the shipping is twice that of the tool <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> and would still take 1-2 weeks. guess ill use my sod!

Due to a recent question about the Busse Off Duty model, I wanted to bump this discussion. The AD an BAD are certainly not the same as an OD, and I recognize that there may be personal reasons for wanting a specific model. However, both of the Duty knives, as well as other EDC options discussed in this thread could be considered as less costly user alternatives to an OD, so I thought it might be worth dragging the thread back up for another look.

I saw the thickness on BusseCollector and thought it must have been a mistake -- so, the Off Duty is really that much thicker than the Heavy Duty. I own Active Dutys, and they feel plenty thick enough to handle any stress a normal person could possibly apply without a cheater bar (and as thick as I'd ever want in an EDC).

As you noted, the OD is simply too thick for what I'd consider a utility cutting tool -- it's too small to have the weight added by that thickness be useful for chopping, and for cutting, it would be more like trying to force a wedge through material than a knife. Perhaps there are real-world applications I'm not thinking of, but the OD almost seems to be a "fantasy knife" in terms of practicality.

In my case, prying is not an often task; so, if my knife can pry is good, but not required. What I need from a small knife usually is to cut well and everything (from soft food to wood, cables and cans) and to be able to hit the end of the handle to break things with the tip (for example hard-set wax) without knife damage. Regarding the price I don't have any fixed range. I won't pay few sousands of bucks for a knife, but in the normal range (from 1$ to few hundred), I would get anything if I'll find something that really suits my needs. I can't go with Fallkniven because I already have a U2 in SGPS and an A2 in laminated VG10 and both of them chipped (the u2 edge looked like hell after I had cut a can with it), so they are not what I need. As regards Bark River, I saw their knives in pictures and like them, but A2 steel is more rustale than infi and the knives are generally too thick for what I want. Thickness adds strength but with the cost of cutting performance which is essential for a small knife. From Spyderco I have folders, but now I need something a bit different in design.

The reason I was first of all thinking about geting a Busse knife was because I've tested INFI and have the certitude it would do what I need without problems (at least the 58-60RC infi). So the fact I know how it performs would normally absolve me from searching and reading alot again about other things. And the BAD has a decent thickness for cutting. The SS4 is not for me because it can't be hammered into the back of the handle and because it's a bit too thick for my taste. I was thinking a while at a game warden, but couldn't find anybody on ebay wanting to ship overseas.

Finally, I've just found last week a cheap kitchen knife which impressed me with its cutting performance in the kitchen and I got one for outdoor too. I will use that one until I will find something better which suits my needs or until I will consume it eventually. It cuts amazingly well in wood and I'm not afraid of destroying it, because it costed me only the equivalent of 6$. Here it is a clip with it below.

Thanks for all the replays!

The clip here

Bruce/ Jim- yah the OD is a bit silly but I still rather like them and have played with the idea about placing on my " need list" . Thanks for bumping this back up and reminding . Just one of those knives a guy " needs to have" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> .

Good Lord. That reminds my sick mind of an old cold war story. It seems that two Polish fighter pilots defected and flew their Mig to a USAF base in Germany. They came in low under the radar just above the trees crash landing perpendicular to the the runway. After surviving the landing one of them said to the the other, "This is the shortest runway I've ever seen". The other one said, "And the widest". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

Great concepts .....really stellar