So today I got the chance to take my knives into the bush for some outdoor photos and a small chopping comparison.





SOD What?

I finally put the finishing touches on my baby yesterday.
Your first question is going to be "what is that circle on the tang?" Well, I was going to put a finger hole there,
but the diamond hole cutter that was supposed to work on hardened metal, didn't.
(at least it's a very nice circle)
I used an abrasive paint stripping wheel to get the finish off, it worked beautifully.
I'm not sure if all SOD's are naturally so smooth underneath or if it was the wheel I used,
but it looked pretty much exactly the way you see it as the finish was coming off.
After convexing the edge and finishing the false edge I lightly polished the whole thing up to 320 grit.

Needless to say I am very pleased with the end result.













Now down to business.

I did ten chops with each knife into this 5" trunk.
Honestly, it was virtually impossible to tell them apart.
The Tank Buster has a thinned out edge and weighs the most of the bunch, but it is very handle heavy, balancing naturally on the index finger.
(being a choil-less model I wouldn't have it any other way).
The Regulator is the most blade heavy of the bunch, and about halfway between the other two in weight, but only has a stock edge.
The SOD felt like it was biting the deepest, as is to be expected since it has the thinnest edge. Though it's also lighter than the others.
Again, in the end each knife was pretty much equal.
If I had to pick winners, it would be 1. SOD, 2. TB, 3. Reg.

Had all three been stock, my bet is the Regulator and Tank Buster would have switched spots.

When stabbing them into a tree trunk, the thinned out SOD sank much deeper than the others,
the Regulator coming in second, and the Tank Buster with its prybar tip needed some extra "omph" just to get it to stick.





So what did we learn?
I don't know, you tell me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/loopy.gif" alt="" />

Oh, and this was my transportation for the afternoon.

Great pics. That circle on the SOD actually looks preaty badass lol.

Awesome pics... the SOD looks great, just say the circle is an artistic design.

Nice.I didn't realise the TB is so beefy.I thought it was smaller/not as deep.
Love the false edge on the SOD,looks really great.The circle just gives it even more of a custom look.
Like your ride too,way more fuel efficient than mine.HAHA
Thanks for the pics Joshua.

I like the circle. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The SOD looks great. Maybe strip that Reg and mod it a bit too. Nice work <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Looking good. SR-77 tends to be cleaner under the coating then SR-101 and INFI.

nice pics! thanks for sharing. i like the look of that circle on the SOD.

Great looking job on that SOD. Love how it turned out too. Circle just makes it more custom and yours.

That stripped, swedged SOD looks great. I am sure the swedge helped in the "sticking" part of you chopoff. I would have expected the Regulator to be the stabbing champion. My money is on the SOD to out chop all the others there, too.