A good chopper

CS Gurkha Kukri

ColdSteelGurkhaKukriNewNet.jpg
 
HI Annapurna bowie. I customized mine to my tastes and it flings wood chips like nobody's business. $100 very well spent.

A note on machetes - b/c of the thinner blades they are less efficient wood choppers b/c they are more inclined to get stuck in thicker wood than a thicker blade, especially if the thicker blade has a convex edge.
 
The edge doesn't matter too much when it comes to sticking in wood, but the blade geometry does.
 
I'd say a KaBar, either a USMC, good all around outdoor blade and decent chopper, or a BK 7 or 9, they're great for chopping.
 
Becker BK9 would be my personal choice. I also like the Ontario SP10 and 12.
Another great choice would be a KABAR heavy Bowie.

If you do decide on going for the Machete, You can always make a wedge out of the wood, and then splitting/batonning through wood will be possible, and maybe just a little harder than using a big knife (considering the fact you'd have to make the wedge out of a piece of wood, and alternating between the machete and the wedge).
 
To those who've said it's harder to baton a machete, I call horse hockey. While the thinner blade means you have to hit it more time before the wood splits itself, it will move through the wood faster hit-for-hit due again to that thinner profile. Likewise the formidable length of a machete makes it capable of tackling even very large diameter logs. I've batoned an entire 6-foot section of 11" diameter tree trunk with my CS barong machete before as a personal challenge, and it did surprisingly well! :eek:
 
Go to the Himalayan Imports forum and read up on khukuris. My choice for chopping pleasure!

Yangdu is having here "Days of Christmas" sales with many, many suitable, affordable choices.

Andy
 
Valiant Co makes good stuff. They have really good prices too, although they might be a tiny bit above your stated budget.
 
Good reasons for chopping wood with a knife? I ain't seen none other than that being all you have.

I'm not even overly fond of chopping wood with an axe. Folding bowsaw is lighter, better, and cheaper.
 
Browning Crowell competition cutter can be had in that price range and is a great chopper.
 
Can I tag my question in here too? I already have a Becker BK-7 and that is a reasonable chopper, but I too have been thinking about buying a bigger chopper. How good is the "KA-BAR Kukri Machete Knife Fixed 11.5" Blade" for around $45? It is powder coated high carbon 1095 steel and looks like a decent knife for chopping/batoning without being overly expensive. How does it compare to the Cold Steel Kukri that is only around $20 with 1055 steel? Is it worth the extra cost for the KA-BAR with its 1095 steel? I kinda prefer the slightly shorter length of the KA-BAR but that isn't a deal breaker.
 
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