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- Sep 10, 2010
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My brother and I went out for a good long hike today through some pretty thick vegetation in the lake Cumberland area of Kentucky. It's been raining for the last week non stop and it literally felt like we were hacking our way through the jungles of peru.
I used this opportunity to really test out some of my blades in an environment that was very demanding. We also did some very extensive brush clearing on our family's property here and compared how the blades handled that.
Ill start with the brush clearing. We have a problem with this weird Jurassic park looking trees that grow like weeds here. We went through with the DF, KZ II and Waki and chopped away for about an hour. The trees were anywhere from an inch to 3 inches in diameter and we also cleared all other brush that was not blackberries. Sorry for the crappy pics. All we had was a camera phone.
1.) KZ II- I was horribly disspointed by the KZ's performance on non hard woods. I had only really used it for chopping and splitting firewood till today. It was heavy, slow, tiring and wouldnt bite into the soft wood if you paid it. It was also very heavy to carry and uncomfortable. While it reigns supereme as a hardwood chopper for the backyard, its no good for extended use in the woods.
2.) The DF. The DF performed so amazingly well that I am selling the KZ to buy another one and give the one I have to my brother. I have used my DF alot but mainly for chopping hard woods, not hiking with it. It bit DEEP with every chop and was fast enough for all the light stuff. We had several chops where the full height of the blade went into the wood. I'm not sure if every DF is this good by the heat treat on mine is ridiculous. I literally haven't sharpened it in 2 months or so and it still shaves after tons of heavy use. The DF isn't the best for splitting or chopping fallen hard wood (though its really good) but for practical out in the field situations it's amazing. Its light, fast, and P4P chops like a mofo.
3.) The waki. Again, I had used my waki a decent bit but not in an extended out in the woods situation. Even with an edge that needs alot of work, it performed incredibly well. I discovered that holding it at the base of the handle with on hand is the most effective way to use it. For those who say the Waki isn't practical, go out in the field and use it. you will change your mind real fast. A machete would have either broken or been so dull it couldnt chop butter after what I put my waki through. It was also amazingly comfortable to carry with an upside down over the shoulder setup. The sheath retention was great and I never worried about it falling out (thanks Steelnut!) Im looking forward to using my Scrapizashi now instead of just letting it sit on my dresser.
Pics-
1.) Me with my Waki and Regulator. Both are great blades.
2.) Some of the devestation. That area was completely covered with the small trees before we got there.
3.) same thing
4.) Busse kin family portrait.
5.) Showing the average bite from each. As yea can see the DF bites DEEP everytime. The waki bites pretty well also. I couldnt get the KZ to stick in the tree...
I used this opportunity to really test out some of my blades in an environment that was very demanding. We also did some very extensive brush clearing on our family's property here and compared how the blades handled that.
Ill start with the brush clearing. We have a problem with this weird Jurassic park looking trees that grow like weeds here. We went through with the DF, KZ II and Waki and chopped away for about an hour. The trees were anywhere from an inch to 3 inches in diameter and we also cleared all other brush that was not blackberries. Sorry for the crappy pics. All we had was a camera phone.
1.) KZ II- I was horribly disspointed by the KZ's performance on non hard woods. I had only really used it for chopping and splitting firewood till today. It was heavy, slow, tiring and wouldnt bite into the soft wood if you paid it. It was also very heavy to carry and uncomfortable. While it reigns supereme as a hardwood chopper for the backyard, its no good for extended use in the woods.
2.) The DF. The DF performed so amazingly well that I am selling the KZ to buy another one and give the one I have to my brother. I have used my DF alot but mainly for chopping hard woods, not hiking with it. It bit DEEP with every chop and was fast enough for all the light stuff. We had several chops where the full height of the blade went into the wood. I'm not sure if every DF is this good by the heat treat on mine is ridiculous. I literally haven't sharpened it in 2 months or so and it still shaves after tons of heavy use. The DF isn't the best for splitting or chopping fallen hard wood (though its really good) but for practical out in the field situations it's amazing. Its light, fast, and P4P chops like a mofo.
3.) The waki. Again, I had used my waki a decent bit but not in an extended out in the woods situation. Even with an edge that needs alot of work, it performed incredibly well. I discovered that holding it at the base of the handle with on hand is the most effective way to use it. For those who say the Waki isn't practical, go out in the field and use it. you will change your mind real fast. A machete would have either broken or been so dull it couldnt chop butter after what I put my waki through. It was also amazingly comfortable to carry with an upside down over the shoulder setup. The sheath retention was great and I never worried about it falling out (thanks Steelnut!) Im looking forward to using my Scrapizashi now instead of just letting it sit on my dresser.
Pics-
1.) Me with my Waki and Regulator. Both are great blades.
2.) Some of the devestation. That area was completely covered with the small trees before we got there.
3.) same thing
4.) Busse kin family portrait.
5.) Showing the average bite from each. As yea can see the DF bites DEEP everytime. The waki bites pretty well also. I couldnt get the KZ to stick in the tree...
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