A large knife good for chopping

Somewhere between 7-10" works best IMHO. Check out some cold steel or fallkniven blades. I went and bought a Fallkniven volcano and while it chops well for its size I also bought a roselli ax and love both. To each his own
 
AntDog said:
Check out Scrapyard or Swamp Rat. Or Busse Combat if you have deep pockets.
Out of the 3 you listed, I'd go with the Junglas. No doubt about it.
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+1 on that... as another alternative- I'd recommend a Baryonyx machete.
 
Bigger = better IMHO; but both the Junglas & BK9 (with handle mods) make for fine choppers.

I'd also recommend any of the larger blades by Scrapyard, Busse or Swamprat; they're a lot of fun and pretty much indestructible. :thumbup: As you can see I've yet to use my 1311 - to many other users in rotation at the moment... ;):rolleyes::foot::D

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The RTAK II by Ontario is another great budget choice; the full flat grind performs very well and the large handle creates a nice balance in my opinion.
 
Hey Czechmate, what's the one under the RTAK? I know I've seen it before, but I just can't place it.
 
I dont think you can go wrong with ESEE. Ive dealt with 1095 from Becker and a few older kabars and its doesnt hold a candle to ESEE 1095. I dont have a junglas but my ESEE 3 is the one knife I abuse more than anything. Its toughness shows with a polished edge.
 
JDsharp said:
I dont think you can go wrong with ESEE. Ive dealt with 1095 from Becker and a few older kabars and its doesnt hold a candle to ESEE 1095. I dont have a junglas but my ESEE 3 is the one knife I abuse more than anything. Its toughness shows with a polished edge.
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I'm somewhat surprised that you had a bad experience with Kabars 1095. It seems generally accepted that Kabar/ESEE have among the best 1095 offered.

Another large chopper you might consider is the Ontario SP10 marine raider bowie. Its cheap, heavy, and large. Which means its great for chopping. I'd take a BK9 over it personally, since the 9 is more nimble for other stuff (just don't find myself chopping tons), but for pure chopping I'd consider the SP10.
 
ocnLogan said:
I'm somewhat surprised that you had a bad experience with Kabars 1095. It seems generally accepted that Kabar/ESEE have among the best 1095 offered.

Another large chopper you might consider is the Ontario SP10 marine raider bowie. Its cheap, heavy, and large. Which means its great for chopping. I'd take a BK9 over it personally, since the 9 is more nimble for other stuff (just don't find myself chopping tons), but for pure chopping I'd consider the SP10.
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Another Ontario is the Cutlass Machete that is along the same lines as the SP10. It was one of my first "choppers" and gradually I relegated it to my rubbermaid knife tub (in the box). It's okay though, I just got hooked on Condor stuff.

I also am surprised about the Kabar Becker and ESEE comment. But everyone has their own preferences. I like the Beckers myself but have not purchased a BK-9 as of yet. The BK-7 is pretty big to me.
 
The big Busses knives will get the job done but if you are looking to save some coin and not give up much in the way of performance, I must also chime in on the Becker BK-9. I find the handles (identical to the BK-7 and others) to be a perfect combination of grip and slip. Here's what I mean by that: Obviously one needs to grip the knife - so grip is good. However, for use, especially longer term hard use, there must be some slip lest there be blisters. yes, gloves can solve this, but gloves aren't always worn and that's where the Becker grips shine. They provide appropriate purchase by virtue of their shape, but provide comfort by their texture - or lack thereof. BRILLIANT, as the Guinness guys say! :thumbup::D
 
I'd increase the length a bit and go with a machete. You can chop with the blades you mentioned, but I have not found blades in the 10" and under size to be as efficient as the longer blades, although it is entirely possible that I just haven't learned to use them as well as other folks have.

I have been very pleased with my Condors, although you would want to give some consideration to which ones will work well for you. I have not been as happy with the thicker blades for my uses, although your needs may be different. My favorite Condor machete is the Speed 16, but I'm finding it to be a little bit large for attaching to the side of my daypack.

I have been very happy with the CRKT Halfachance. It is big enough to chop well, but not so big that I find it awkward to strap on to a pack. I just got a CRKT ChanceinHell today but haven't had a chance to put it through its paces. The ChanceinHell is intended to replace my Ontario 12", which is a popular machete and a fairly compact size for a chopper, but which doesn't stack up very well quality-wise, specifically in the handle, to the CRKTs and Condors.
 
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