Axe vs knife help

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zombiefighterof1987

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Apr 10, 2014
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So i'm going to make a video on a large knife vs an axe on youtube, even though i have only 25 subs i think people will wathc it.If you're kind enough to help me out.What i want to know is if you're a large survival/combat knife user why do you prefer it over an axe, what do you like, what don't you like about using a knife etc. And vice versa for axes, I'm hoping i don't start an argument i just want info from other people so i can make a better comparison as i don't use large knives much.
 
When it comes to large knives I use khukuri due to thee eight forward, big bellied, and curved blade. If I'm going on a short Greco I usually carry a khuk with me because it covers quite a few basic camp chores (chopping, splitting, etc) but dislike the fact you have no poll for hammering tent pegs and various tasks like that, I find that while they chop well an axe will outpace it when you get to larger logs, if I'm out long term a good 3 lb axe is a must for bucking, felling, spitting, hewing, you name it. Both have their own functions and uses.
 
These all have their uses I suppose. Myself have never had any use for a large knife. Axe/knife compare the time required and effort of chopping down of a decent-sized (but relatively small tree; 8-10 inch diameter), bucking it up and spitting the rounds into firewood. And don't use a toy axe (ie should at least have a 2 1/4 pound head) when demonstrating this. Knives will probably outshine axes when you demonstrate brush clearing, whittling etc.
For the video you'd be best off to find a couple of similarly-athletic aficionados of each type of implement because then at least they'll be competing against each other, and they'll know how to use that particular tool for best effect.
Good luck with this!
 
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The only large knives I have are a leuku and a machete. The machete is best for raspberry canes or similar. The leuku has a thicker blade and is used for chopping large amounts of wood up to 1". The axe for larger wood. There is some overlap on the size of wood. This is my experience in my location.
 
I don't have a use for a large knife, though I own a few. Mostly I carry a 4" fixed blade or folder along with an axe or hatchet suited to the work. A big knife is no substitute for a small/medium knife for doing skilled tasks. And a big knife is no substitute for an axe, though it may take the place of a hatchet.

I don't count machetes as large knives. They have a different purpose - brush clearing. A large knife sucks at brush clearing compared to a machete.

If you were forced to bring only one tool then a large knife could be a good choice. But I'd still take a 4" fixed blade.
 
I don't own an axe, I've used hatchet more than I have axes.
Though I prefer using my kukri for wood tasks, because it's also a knife.
Plus it carries a small knife on its sheath.
 
Get an M43 kukri from HI or the CS Gurkha Kukri, not the cheaper kukri machete. Once you get used to a kukri you will find it has many other uses in the field, much more than an axe or small knife. I use mine for everything but they do take some time to get used to, especially in the knife role.
 
In the past I have always carried a large bowie for my outdoor needs. I carried a BK9 or a SP10 along with a smaller knife and a folding saw. The system worked but a large knife does bring attention to ones self on occasion.

In the last year I have left the large bowie at home and have got into axe's and hatchets. I now carry a Marbles camp axe, a medium knife, along with a small folding knife and a folding saw of which I will eventually replace with a nicer bow saw.

Soon I will be replacing my Marbles camp axe with a Gransfors Bruk Scandinavian forest axe as it is a way better chopper and can also do knife choirs if you learn how to use one.

I consider somebody who uses a knife as a chopper in the woods to be a beginner or a novice that has not yet learned how to do it like a real woodsman and that includes me as I had to learn in order to do it the right way.
 
Mix it up said:
I consider somebody who uses a knife as a chopper in the woods to be a beginner or a novice that has not yet learned how to do it like a real woodsman
Click to expand...

Well, that kind of depends...

A knife I often use as a chopper in the woods is this one that I made to be a chopper in the woods:

DSCF4119.jpg


It has worked out very well for just about all my outdoors needs. :)

Now yes, last time I was out in the woods I wished there was an axe there...but that was the only time ever.
You see, there was a dead tree that looked like it could fall right where my brother was preparing a spot for his wife to put a tent next time they went out there...so we decided to cut it down.
It was only about 10 inches diameter or so, and was super dead.

However, rather than rotting, it had fully seasoned...and was a particularly tough type of wood as well (may have been ironwood...looks to match the pictures based on the bark).

We chopped at it and sawed at it for quite some time; I didn't have the knife in the picture with me that time, but my brother had his Condor Knives Golok, which also chops pretty well.

We wished we had a full sized axe, or preferably a chainsaw; that tree was tough! :eek:

But I still won't be bringing an axe out with me in the future, for a very good reason; I don't need one.
My woods usage involves clearing brush out of the way, making skewers and processing firewood if it's too big or too wet.
I don't need to chop down more than a 4" diameter tree in just about anything I do, and the knife I made does very well with that.

And it certainly clears brush out of the way better than an axe. :D

If I were a lumberjack or building a log cabin, I'd have an axe...and a chainsaw, and a team of migrant workers to do the heavy stuff. ;)

If I were in South America, I'd be using a machete...and a team of local labour to do all the heavy work.

For the climate I live in, and the tasks I do, I have produced the correct tool. :thumbup:
 
With admittedly limited experience, right or wrong if I could only have one tool I would carry a large hatchet with a somewhat thin bit into the woods, 18" and about 2.25lb total weight.

I would also cheat and carry a 3-4" knife too. ;)
 
I agree ^. I favored the large knife for years. Recently, I went on a wilderness river trip and in rapids on the 1st day, broke my oar. Luckily I carried my Estwing hatchet. With this I was able to fell a suitable size tree and carve a new oar. I had my large knife but using it for this task would have taken much longer. Hours. I ended up not using the large knife on this trip. Instead, just the hatchet and a light folder for building shelter and meal preparation. I came out of this experience with respect for a well made hatchet.
It's a work-horse of a tool. Don't leave home without it. DM
 
David Martin said:
I came out of this experience with respect for a well made hatchet.
Click to expand...

I think when it comes to a well made hatchet or a well made chopping knife, it's down to personal preference.
When you need an axe, then neither a knife or a hatchet will do.
 
I think for now i'll obviously tell these facts and opinions but for the testing i'll compare the Husqvarna forest axe vs the Cold Steel Latin machete 24" for different tasks and the Cold Steel kukri vs the Husqvarna H900 hatchet for different tasks.
 
Husqvarna hatchet is to be considered a recreational toy, irregardless of how sharp. You're wanting to pit a hugely-oversized knife against a horribly-undersized 'axe', and actually believe that this is going to prove something?
 
300Six said:
Husqvarna hatchet is to be considered a recreational toy, irregardless of how sharp. You're wanting to pit a hugely-oversized knife against a horribly-undersized 'axe', and actually believe that this is going to prove something?
Click to expand...

Well, it's a machete, not a knife...

So it would be a machete versus small axe comparison, which would be useful enough for those interested in which would work better for certain tasks.
Nothing wrong with it as long as it's labelled correctly, and doesn't try to prove something beyond its scope.
 
Mix it up said:
I now carry a Marbles camp axe, a medium knife, along with a small folding knife and a folding saw of which I will eventually replace with a nicer bow saw.

Soon I will be replacing my Marbles camp axe with a Gransfors Bruk Scandinavian forest axe as it is a way better chopper and can also do knife choirs if you learn how to use one.

I consider somebody who uses a knife as a chopper in the woods to be a beginner or a novice that has not yet learned how to do it like a real woodsman and that includes me as I had to learn in order to do it the right way.
Click to expand...
Matter of perspective. I have met a lot of outdoorsman(even professional outdoorsman) who say that anything more than a SAK is a sign of a novice. You, I, and most everyone on this board would fall into that category. ;)
 
What i'm going to do is compare a husqvarna forest axe which is 26" and a cold steel latin machete which is 24" as full size tools, and i'm going to compare the husqvarna H900 hatchet vs the cold steel kukri as compact tools, also recreational toy or not it's the only good hatchet i have and i don't quite feel like getting a gränsfors bruks or wetterlings and if anything it's good to compare a modern hatchet vs a traditional axe.
 
stabman said:
Well, it's a machete, not a knife...

So it would be a machete versus small axe comparison, which would be useful enough for those interested in which would work better for certain tasks.
Nothing wrong with it as long as it's labelled correctly, and doesn't try to prove something beyond its scope.
Click to expand...

  • Machete vs hatchet
  • Long knife vs hatchet
  • Kukri vs hatchet


Kukri vs hatchet
I have a Becker BK4 which is a Kukri
It performs very closely to a GB Wildlife hatchet and a Fiskars X4
 
zombiefighterof1987 said:
What i'm going to do is compare a husqvarna forest axe which is 26" and a cold steel latin machete which is 24" as full size tools.
Click to expand...

Zombie,

What you are proposing above is a test between a dedicated chopping small forest axe and a vegetation cutting machete. A machete can cut some wood effectively but is not purpose built for this task so a comparison between the two is a foregone conclusion. The forest axe wins chopping supstancial wood, especially over a longer time period. The machete wins at cutting softer vegetation, hanging vines and finer tasks.

If you are looking for a head to head comparison then a good heavy chopping model kukri such as an Ang Khola, Ganga Ram, or Bonecutter would be appropriate to compare to a small forest axe or hatchet. You can even stretch it to the already mentioned M43 (or CS Gurkha Kukri) but in all reality, even though some of the over sized ones are very good choppers, this model is not in the heavy chopper category.

A note worth mentioning; they will all perform well in a 60 second test but over time it become obvious which tool is made for which task. And that is at the heart of such comparisons, which is best at which task.
 
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