Dan,

I have owned well over 60 Busse (Scrap Yard, Swamp Rat, and Busse Combat) knives, and have loved them all. However, there is one design that has never been produced and is desperately needed by those of us to work and play outdoors.

I've owned:

- Scrapivores
- Swamp Wardens
- Rodent Solutions
- 311's
- 411's
- Hog Muk LE
- 511's
- Dumpster Mutt CG's
- Dumpster Mutt DC's
- Urban Mutt
- Scrapper 5CG's
- Scrapper 5LE's
- Ratmandu's
- Tank Buster
- ASH-1 .32"
- ASH-1 .22"
- ASH-1 .187"
- SJTAC CG's
- SJTAC ETS's
- SJTAC SF-1 MO's
- 711's
- Mil Regulators
- Son of a Dogfathers
- Chopweilers
- NMSFNO's
- NMFSH's
- Dogfathers
- OTHERS I can't immediately recall

All of these designs were great, and I enjoyed owning every one of them. However, there has never been a skeleton bush or camp craft knife offered (the Scrapivores and Wardens are a little too small for what I'm proposing....begging for really).

Those of us that spend time outdoors for work or play (I do both) need a simple, lightweight, ergonomic skeleton knife for all of those "unromantic" chores like:

- cutting vegetables from our gardens
- capping a deer
- gutting a squirrel or rabbit
- clipping the wings off a dove
- cutting fruit from our trees and slicing it to see if its ready for harvest
- cutting cordage for use around our homesteads
- processing a chicken harvested from our flock
- cutting vegetables at the farmers market
- cutting boxes up
- setting snares
- making fuzzy sticks
- prepping bait for the catfish troutline
- pruning back a bramble that won't "train" properly
- etc

After years of armchair and field evaluation I've concluded that a person needs a minimum of two knives in the field. One small enough for most chores and one large enough for everything else. Based upon what I've learned from 29 years of hunting, camping, fishing, gardening, etc the "ideal" specs would be:

Blade Length = 4.0"
Blade Thickness = Same as or 1/32" thicker than the Scrapivore
Blade Material = SR101 (best slicing steel I've used)
Blade Grind = Full Flat
Blade Shape = SLIGHT Drop Point with medium to medium-large depth belly
Blade Finish = Painted or Satin
Handle Design = Ergonomic Skeleton (no pry bar please)
Handle Finish = Painted or dipped in rubber tool coating (don't warranty the rubber coating if you're concerned about it)
Sheath = Mashed Cat pancake like the one you offered with the Scrapivore

This "Bush Scrapper" or "Campivore" would be ideally suited for all of those chores that don't need the size and thickness of a 411 or bulk of a RES-C handled offering.

Basically this would be a "necker" on steroids or an easy to carry belt knife. (I'll do both and piggy back one to my larger field knives). A knife that you'd have a hard time explaining why you didn't have it with you in the hunting field or woods, in the garden or out in your yard.

If you decide to offer these I'll take the first eight out the door, please!

I really like the thought of that, though I probably wouldn't use a 4" knife without a decent handle, but a skeleton gives folks the chance to add custom handles, like the Swamp Warden. Also like the Scrapivore - I'd design it with no choil.

There are several good knives available in the 4" range with traditional handles. I really like the 411 design.

I'd like a skeleton design to keep weight and bulk down. I see this as a companion to a larger knife (or as a simple "no excuse to not have it on you" stand alone).

Scrapmuk. I've used it for all the things you mentioned that you want this knife to be capable of, and more. Great all around blade and very comfortable handle.

The Muk is too bulky.

The key to this thing is being a skeleton. There are lots of good knives in this size range with handles on them. Again, I really like the 411 (I have six of them).

However, a "piggyback" or "necker" type knife works best for me when it doesn't have handle scales.

Think of a Swamp Warden increased in size.

Maybe you could just order a Rodent Solution or Anniversary Mean Street without scales, I'd think this would be pretty close to what you're looking for.

AMS without scales would be really close. That's a great recommendation.

I hate to spend nearly $300 on this thing though!

Just checked a CG is $197 before ordering it without scales.

I was thinking Dan could make these things for $80 or so with his "performance ratio".

Maybe I should just grind the pokey edge off my Scrapivores and consider it done?

That's definitely the cheapest route to go, probably what I would do if the pry bar bothered me.

I think in the smaller knives, SR-101 makes the most sense anyways. You get better abrasion resistance, a finer edge and more edge stability at half/third of the price.

Not to mention that the Scrapivore's are running at 60-62 RC, which is just a bonus.

The 460 was a step in the right direction. Cross that with a 411 and it would be beast!!! The choil on the 411 was to big IMHO.

The Scrapmax 460 did look like a great blade & handle. If only it didn't look so much like a tactical kitchen knife.