Review Biting Metal Bug Osetr TZ

France is a nation with proud knife-throwing traditions and there are companies that still fly that flag. These include Throwingzone.fr. It is a store that focuses on everything that has to do with sports throwing. They sell throwing axes and especially throwing knives from several major brands. The range includes knives from Cold Steel and specialists such as AceJet, Passatore, Skill Blades, Pierre Cazoulat, Opus, and Zitoon. In addition, Guillaume Henry, who is behind the company, also collaborates with well-known names such as Thomas "Tom Tom" Hampich and Werner Lengmüller and manufactures knives for them. That line includes two modern classics such as the "Arrow" and "Werner's Pirate".

The knives from Throwingzone.fr in a homemade sheath

Biting Metal Bug Osetr TZ

In addition to this, Guillaume has also designed knives sold under the brand Throwingzone as the model Raptor. But he has also released knives under the name Biting Metal. It is one of the models I will present here and it is called Bug Osetr TZ.

Appearance and dimensions

Part of the look but also the history behind this model is explained by the name. If we start from the back, "TZ" in Bug Osetr TZ is not difficult to deduce as it of course means that the knife was made for Throwingzone. Should you hesitate, the knife is also marked with their logo. But even "Bug," says something as it flirts with Guillaume Henry's Youtube channel where he calls himself Abeille Métallique (the metal bee).

Osetr is self-explanatory provided one knows something about throwing knives in general and Russian knives in particular. In addition to being the Russian word for sturgeon, it is also a style of throwing knives. The characteristic of them is that they are strikingly similar to ordinary knives/hunting knives or whatever you want to call them. That means a distinctive blade and a handle that is clearly recognizable as such. The latter, however, without handle slabs. If you have such on throwing knives, it is often a couple of pieces of leather or similar. Other materials break down sooner or later, often sooner. If it is not misses or mistakes that cause it, it is the vibrations from the hits that are the cause. A hit or two goes well even with a regular knife. A couple of thousand or more during practice do not.

Bug Osetr TZ is 25 cm long with a thickness of 6 mm which gives a weight of 260 grams

I've said before that I like throwing knives that "look like knives" for purely aesthetic reasons. There are exceptions, of course, but here we have a typical example of the first category. Should you sharpen the edge, you simply have a regular knife. Albeit in abysmal steel for that purpose.

The length of that blade is 12 cm and the Bug Osetr TZ has a total length of 250 mm. The largest width is 30 mm and the thickness is fairly common for throwing knives, 6 mm. It gives weight and stability without making the knives too heavy. These knives weigh in at 260 grams.

In addition to this two-tone finish with brushed edges, the knives are also available in a finish called "classic" where the entire knife is monochromatic gray. In all versions, they have got a "rock pattern" which is certainly mostly for the sake of appearance but which also gives a slightly better grip and indexing. Something that is not for the sake of visibility, however, is the curvature of the handle. It is precisely calculated to give a good "release" of the knife with just the right slide if you use that technique or pressure if you use your index finger more as a catapult. In addition, you can turn the knife, especially over longer distances to get a clearer counter-movement when the knife is thrown.

Material

Bug Osetr TZ is a knife that has gone from being completely handmade, even forged to nowadays being what in the folding knife world is called mid-tech. That is, made in small series with modern methods when it comes to cutting and the like but with several parts that are made by hand.

Then it is natural that throwing knives that do not have handle slabs and that are delivered without sheath have fewer such manufacturing steps than the corresponding folding knife. 

In this context, the steel is to be regarded as super steel. It is Swedish steel called Hardox 500. Hardox is a group of "abrasion resistant steel" developed by SSAB for extreme applications such as being used as teeth for excavator buckets and rip hooks for bulldozers. It is extremely tough and durable in other words and thus perfect for making throwing knives. It has exactly the required properties.

Then the steel is a bit on the soft side, which manifests itself in that the knives get their scars and the tips get rounded after a while. The advantage is that they are easy to sharpen again with a file and when you do, the new surface becomes more durable than the old one, it seems. In any case, the knife will never break!

To Throw

Biting Metal Bug Osetr TZ are knives that are certainly aimed at being the best at no-spin throwing. But since the shape is fairly universal, so are the throw properties. The balance point is found 11 cm from the back of the handle or 14 cm from the tip, depending on how you look at it. 

The balance point is located slightly backward on the knife

It is of course excellent for especially no spin where a slightly or even very handle heavy knife is preferred. But the same properties also make the knife very capable of military half spin. However, the neutral appearance means that this knife is very all-around-emphasized. It is actually very sympathetic even to use for rotational throwing. 

Rotational Throwing

Since the knives are relatively short for rotational throwing, you benefit from extending the knife slightly by gripping it slightly further out on the handle and the blade, respectively. But in both cases there is a point where the knife "tips over" and wants to start rotating and it should not be counteracted if the throw is to feel natural.

Both when throwing with a grip on the handle or blade, Bug Osetr benefits from being angled slightly forward to reduce the rotational speed. It does not spin extremely fast to be of this length but rotates noticeably faster than knives more specialized for this type of technique, read "longer and heavier". The feeling should thus be that the knife strives forward, but the throwing movement itself should still feel round, like a wheel.

When you get used to the rotational speed, the Bug Osetr TZ is really accurate

When rotating, I angle the knife slightly forward to dampen the rotational speed

However, the precision is very good with these knives. They weigh relatively much for the type so they behave calmly while in the air. No feeling of fluttering during flight or being affected by wind. They also hit the board with some force. In addition to the weight, the double-edged tip helps. When we talk about "edge" in this case, it is 2 mm thickness we are talking about. And it is not behind the edge but how much metal remains before it is sharp.

However, it can be added that these knives are not completely easy to throw for the beginner as they require relatively precise hits. It is tied to the tradition of thick edges on this type of knife. This means that they do not cut into the target by themselves, but it is required that the knife hits straight and with a certain force. This is especially noticeable if you use targets made of harder wood (oak, birch, etc.) or if they happen to be a little frozen. Something that can happen up here in the north, especially in the spring-winter seasons.

Overall, Bug Osetr is otherwise easy to throw even with rotation techniques, although that is not primarily what they are made for. But it is in the character of this type of knife.

Half Spin

For half-turn techniques, this knife is good but not as extremely so as knives that have a more nail-like* appearance. The reason is that a knife like this does not have as tapered a tip, but mainly that they sometimes hit sideways during, for example, military half spin, at least for me. Then the knife hits cross the fibers of targets/trees, which means that more force is needed to stick them. That problem is not as obvious when throwing with instinctive half spin, that is, place the index finger on the back of the blade instead. Then the knife tends to end up on the right keel more often when it hit the target.

Since the knife is thrown with the thumb to the side, it tends to hit the board in that way as well, which means that it does not stick easily when using military half-spin

My grip when I throw with military half spin. When throwing at a longer distance, the thumb is moved further up towards the handle. This grip is for three to three and a half meters throw

Otherwise, the balance is excellent for this type of throw and the width of the knife makes it easy to find space with both the thumb on the side of the knife or with the index finger on the back of the blade.

No Spin

It is of course in this area that the knife has its main strength. This is perhaps not so strange considering the designer's background. Bug Osetr feels very natural to both grab and throw without rotation. Or the quarter-turn it's actually about, but you know that. 

Whether it's my hand size or just good design is difficult to say, but when the rounded back of the handle is placed against the inside of the hand, the index finger naturally ends up where it should. I do not have to think much about the grip. This is where indexing in the form of the pattern helps. If you get there, your finger is too far forward, which makes it difficult to throw well. Should it go anywhere, it is possibly backward on the handle as it makes it easier to counteract rotation. That goes both for slide- and push techniques. 

Given that this target is half-frozen, penetration is good. No spin is what this knife is best at

The finger on the balance point or a little further back is what I recommend

Then it can be pointed out that these knives are also made with a special technique in mind. Or at least I suspect so as they are very good for the purpose. And it's throwing with "push technique" rather than "slide". The smooth transition between handle and blade certainly allows it if you so prefer, but the knife is still better when you hold it in a slightly firmer grip and at the last moment control the throw and accelerate it by pressing with your index finger.

The flight is flat and easy to control. But for it to be so, it is necessary to really throw the knife, if you see what I mean. There is no need to put force behind the throw, but a certain speed. You should not use strength but a quick and relaxed movement. On the other hand, it generally applies to no spin. Soft throws do not provide the right technique.

Conclusion

Bug Osetr TZ is a typical example of how a good design can hide behind seemingly simple lines. In this case, based on extensive experience. This is especially noticeable in the design of the handle, which enables different pressures on the knife at the actual release, depending on whether the knife is turned upside down or thrown on the right keel. The subtle rounding of the handle together with the curved top also contributes to a natural feeling in the throw. It's in the area of no spin throwing that the benefits of Bug Osetr TZ come into their own. That's when these details are used. But even though it looks very similar to a knife I reviewed earlier here on the blog, AceJet's Appache, it differs from it in a distinct way and that is which technique it favors.

I claim that this model is better for those who use a "push" technique, that is, grip the knife slightly harder and use the index finger as a catapult instead of letting the knife slide in the hand at release. That's the direction my throwing is inclined, even though I vary it a bit depending on what distance I am throwing from and which knife model I am currently using.

Biting Metal Bug Osetr TZ is a knife for those who want to throw with all techniques but who prioritize no spin

Bug Osetr TZ is a very sympathetic knife for those who do not want to specialize and are looking for an all-around knife. But with that said, it is likely that this is the model I will compete with in the no spin Walk back discipline at the upcoming Swedish Championships. Maybe it gives a hit about what I think of it? It is simply extremely good for that kind of throwing. Even if that statement comes with a small disclaimer, it requires good technique to stick the knives reliably. An even pointier or sharper model is more forgiving in that respect. Therefore, I will probably sharpen my Bugs a bit for future use.

In addition, Bug Osetr looks pretty good I think. Not the most significant feature of a throwing knife which, after all, is a training tool but it does not hurt either. Over time, usually a fairly short one, all throwing knives get scars and battle wounds, but these are really nice when they arrive in any case.

The easiest way to buy a knife is from Throwingzone.fr  and the price is € 65 for a single knife and € 170 for a set of three knives.

Specification:

Steel: Hardox 500

Length: 25 cm

Width: 30 mm

Thickness: 6 mm

Weight: 260 g

Point of balance: 14/11 cm from tip/handle 

/ J 

* For example, variants of Tom Tom's Arrow such as Throwingzone Arrow, Wulflund Vengeance, and Acejet Stinger.

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