14" Fiskars vs. 12" Ontario in WA. + small knife review

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Eric7

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Dec 7, 2004
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I recently got back from a 4 day hike in Washington where I compared the usefulness of a modified 12" Ontario machete to a Fiskars 14" hatchet for building a shelter and fires.
There were a lot of fallen alders from a storm we had a while ago so there was plenty of wood all over, and the main thing I found myself doing with the hatchet and machete was just cutting it to length, which the hatchet was much better at. The machete cut pretty deep but was way to hard to remove from the wood when it got stuck. Plus the hatchet was a lot more fun to use and worked under its own weight. Basically the only thing the machete was good at was clearing some brushes and light branches out of the way when I was fishing. But even then my 9" Strömeng Leuku worked almost as well and it was a lot easier to pack.
Maybe if the machete was longer it would have been more useful but then again if the axe was longer the machete would still come in second.

I also had a few knives with me that I thought I would mention. My 9" Leuku was a bit big for most of the general camp tasks but if it was my only knife I could get by with no problem. My mora 2000 was just as useful but still a bit too big for my tasts. My RAT 3 was gteat but it didnt seem to cut as well as the moras. My laminated mora SL1 and 510 were almost perfect for everything from cleaning fish to preping food. They were the ones I used most. If I could only have one knife with me I would probably take the Mora 510 since it was easy to find when I sat it down and the SL1 blended in to everything. Also, I tried to break the 510 by batoning it and throwing it and pounding it tip-first into trees and putting my weight on it and it held up VERY well. I thing the only way you could break it is if you tried to pry with it.

Anyways the cliff notes are that, for me a hatchet is better than a machete and the mora 510 & SL1 are very good general use camp knifes.
 
Hatchet, heavy wood, machete, light wood/brush. I'd grab a hatchet here in WA first myself.
 
BTW, I also like the Mora 510. And I got a laminated mora (S2) but it is so hard that it chips easily and its dificult to resharpen. Good knives though.
 
I'm finding similar results.

Small axe + mora knife = ready for everything and didn't break the bank

I have a Mora Clipper and it is SUCH a fantastic knife.

I'm going to pick up a wooden handled classic mora, the one with the unfinished handle so i can stain and finish it myself. Any suggestion on which blade is the easiest to sharpen and maintain?
 
I personally would stay away from the laminated blades because they do chip in my experience. I have also heard that they bend easier than the full carbon blades.
 
I've stopped using my fiskars hatchet and now carry a CS trailhawk. The hatchet was better for splitting wood, but the Hawk is much, much better for chopping trees and will still spit wood decently.
 
Yes, I have found that for most northern woods, an axe/hatchet and small knife are your best bet, especially if you're in the mountains.

I don't think I've come across an area in California that I would want a machete.

Although there still are some areas in the north with heavy undergrowth, for example, in the woods in northeast ohio, a machete would come in handy in the spring and early summer months as the undergrowth can be horrendous, but any other time of the year, I'd leave it home.

BTW: My favorite combo is my hatchet and Mora #510 around here. And someday I'm looking to upgrade my hatchet to a 16" Wetterlings.
 
The SC Trail Hawk looks like a good survival tool. Seems to be a good size and the hammer head looks useful. I'm not interesting in the throwing aspects of it, so I may be able to trim the handle a bit for less weight and pack-ability. They're cheap enough, that's for sure.
 
I like fiskars but ive always wanted to try out a cs trailhawk or norse hawk. i think ill go buy one.
 
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