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- Apr 20, 2013
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Had a little fun with a pile of (very) dead wood this weekend. Took out all the heavy hitters: Junglas, Condor Boomslang, TOPS Machete .230, RTAK II and the Beckers 1, 4 & 9. Wanted to get a feel for what was good & bad about each as well as remind myself the fun of chopping wood with big-ass blades. I hadn't used my 9 in a while; also hadn't used the RTAK very much and it was good to acquaint myself with it a bit.
The Contendahs...
The challenge:
First up: A stock Machax I got from the generous folks at Ka-Bar while at the Spring Gathering. Needed desperately to have the new knocked off. Plus I've been swinging my modded one for a while, and was curious to see if I noticed a difference:
I was still getting ramped up and trying to figure out how I was gonna do the photos with 7 knives and limited time.....It did great, and I didn't really notice any significant difference between it and the one missing its "hump", with the exception that the coating picks up wood chips....but I didn't get any other pics so here's another glam shot from before the (ab)use started:
Next up: Da Brute. I was, ah....disappointed with the factory edge, so after trying to use it stock for a while, I reprofiled it from its factory obtuseness of ~110° to something a little more suitable for a knife...and at 70° it's significantly more usable. Pre-testing:
And now for the magic: it actually will make curlicues (note the edge profile - that's 35° per side!!!).
Next up was the Boomslang. I really like this blade....Micarta handles with some excellent contours and plenty of hand space, a nice profile and decent steel for about the price of a 9. It won't hold an edge NEAR as long, mind - but it's fun as hell to use.
It also offers a fair degree of controllability for fine work with the finger choil.
It hits pretty hard as well, and has a slightly bigger sweet spot than the 4. The smooth powdercoat is also a plus, but it remains to be seen what the durability is. It certainly doesn't slow it down:
So, next up: Some love for the King. I had forgotten how hard it hits and how HUGE the sweet spot is....as well as it's user friendliness, from feathering.....
....to chopping shit in half with a single swing:
OK, the wood was seriously dry "hero" wood, but a 2" branch split with one stroke is still pretty impressive. The 9 went in a little over an inch before the branch gave it up and broke:
The hugest knife of the bunch; the TOPS Machete .230 (~TWO FEET OAL) was next.
At 1/8" thick, the .230 is on the beefy side for a machete, but IMO that makes it perfect for the Northeast, where we have a dearth of grass and vines and traditional machete fodder - but we do have a lot of hardwood saplings and woody New England brush and vines. Comfortable handle, good balance.....plus, it's TWO FEET LONG! It is eminently capable of some heavy damage - and when the zombie apocalypse comes, this is the blade I will be swinging (sorry Ethan, but I don't own a Patrol Machete
). The little hook on the handle makes it (relatively) easy to focus your swing.
And yet....it still offers a modicum of control for finer stuff....
....and is even "batonable" (trust me, you wanted me to make up that word)
I might not want to use it for fine stuff for any extended period (it DOES require some muscle) but the coating seems pretty durable and it's a wicked pissah to use. The pile was shrinking fast, and the firepit and firewood bucket (and mini shed) were filling up rapidly.
OK, next on deck was the RTAK II (thanks, Woody!) - which I haven't really given a good workout. Before I bought my 9, which was my entreé into the world of Becker, I had narrowed my choice down to the 9, the Junglas (which ATT i thought was too expensive) and the RTAK. Needless to say, I bought the 9 as my first "big" camp knife, but I always wondered what I would have if I'd made a different decision.
Don't get me wrong, the RTAK is a capable chunk of steel and the sheath is nice, but it's a curious beast....Micarta slabs that are not contoured well (for me, at least) and a profile nearly identical to the Junglas but without the teeth of the ESEE. If you lay one over the other, a quick glance might lead you to believe it's pretty much the same knife.....but not nearly so when you swing the both of them. It hits okay....
.....but even at 2" longer than the 9, not as hard. Full flat grind, I think - but it's, ah....unimpressive. I'd be happy if it was all I had, but one swing with the Green Monstah and you know what's missing in the RTAK: more steel! Plus, a VERY comfortable G-10 grip; I will not lie, the ESEE is my favorite of the 7. You can probably tell by how much the coating is worn. At twice the price (or more) than the 9 & 4, it isn't the best value, tho - and both the 9 & 4 have great performance and versatility in their own right, especially for the price. I didn't take a lot of pics of the Junglas, as by this point in the whole endeavor the light was fading and it was threatening rain.....
.....So I drew the Matt Bailey (I know, same last name, right?) that I'd been carrying and gave it a little go, even though it's a good deal shorter than the other 7:
But it didn't care, 'cause it's purtier than the lot of 'em...
And then I cleaned up...and it started raining in short order. Got a bit more firewood, a lot more kindling, and a whole buncha pictures. Hope you enjoyed them.
The Contendahs...
The challenge:
First up: A stock Machax I got from the generous folks at Ka-Bar while at the Spring Gathering. Needed desperately to have the new knocked off. Plus I've been swinging my modded one for a while, and was curious to see if I noticed a difference:
I was still getting ramped up and trying to figure out how I was gonna do the photos with 7 knives and limited time.....It did great, and I didn't really notice any significant difference between it and the one missing its "hump", with the exception that the coating picks up wood chips....but I didn't get any other pics so here's another glam shot from before the (ab)use started:
Next up: Da Brute. I was, ah....disappointed with the factory edge, so after trying to use it stock for a while, I reprofiled it from its factory obtuseness of ~110° to something a little more suitable for a knife...and at 70° it's significantly more usable. Pre-testing:
And now for the magic: it actually will make curlicues (note the edge profile - that's 35° per side!!!).
Next up was the Boomslang. I really like this blade....Micarta handles with some excellent contours and plenty of hand space, a nice profile and decent steel for about the price of a 9. It won't hold an edge NEAR as long, mind - but it's fun as hell to use.
It also offers a fair degree of controllability for fine work with the finger choil.
It hits pretty hard as well, and has a slightly bigger sweet spot than the 4. The smooth powdercoat is also a plus, but it remains to be seen what the durability is. It certainly doesn't slow it down:
So, next up: Some love for the King. I had forgotten how hard it hits and how HUGE the sweet spot is....as well as it's user friendliness, from feathering.....
....to chopping shit in half with a single swing:
OK, the wood was seriously dry "hero" wood, but a 2" branch split with one stroke is still pretty impressive. The 9 went in a little over an inch before the branch gave it up and broke:
The hugest knife of the bunch; the TOPS Machete .230 (~TWO FEET OAL) was next.
At 1/8" thick, the .230 is on the beefy side for a machete, but IMO that makes it perfect for the Northeast, where we have a dearth of grass and vines and traditional machete fodder - but we do have a lot of hardwood saplings and woody New England brush and vines. Comfortable handle, good balance.....plus, it's TWO FEET LONG! It is eminently capable of some heavy damage - and when the zombie apocalypse comes, this is the blade I will be swinging (sorry Ethan, but I don't own a Patrol Machete
). The little hook on the handle makes it (relatively) easy to focus your swing.
And yet....it still offers a modicum of control for finer stuff....
....and is even "batonable" (trust me, you wanted me to make up that word
)
I might not want to use it for fine stuff for any extended period (it DOES require some muscle) but the coating seems pretty durable and it's a wicked pissah to use. The pile was shrinking fast, and the firepit and firewood bucket (and mini shed) were filling up rapidly.
OK, next on deck was the RTAK II (thanks, Woody!) - which I haven't really given a good workout. Before I bought my 9, which was my entreé into the world of Becker, I had narrowed my choice down to the 9, the Junglas (which ATT i thought was too expensive) and the RTAK. Needless to say, I bought the 9 as my first "big" camp knife, but I always wondered what I would have if I'd made a different decision.
Don't get me wrong, the RTAK is a capable chunk of steel and the sheath is nice, but it's a curious beast....Micarta slabs that are not contoured well (for me, at least) and a profile nearly identical to the Junglas but without the teeth of the ESEE. If you lay one over the other, a quick glance might lead you to believe it's pretty much the same knife.....but not nearly so when you swing the both of them. It hits okay....
.....but even at 2" longer than the 9, not as hard. Full flat grind, I think - but it's, ah....unimpressive. I'd be happy if it was all I had, but one swing with the Green Monstah and you know what's missing in the RTAK: more steel! Plus, a VERY comfortable G-10 grip; I will not lie, the ESEE is my favorite of the 7. You can probably tell by how much the coating is worn. At twice the price (or more) than the 9 & 4, it isn't the best value, tho - and both the 9 & 4 have great performance and versatility in their own right, especially for the price. I didn't take a lot of pics of the Junglas, as by this point in the whole endeavor the light was fading and it was threatening rain.....
.....So I drew the Matt Bailey (I know, same last name, right?) that I'd been carrying and gave it a little go, even though it's a good deal shorter than the other 7:
But it didn't care, 'cause it's purtier than the lot of 'em...
And then I cleaned up...and it started raining in short order. Got a bit more firewood, a lot more kindling, and a whole buncha pictures. Hope you enjoyed them.
good post...
