Best Chopper/Camp Knife?

F

firemanTFD

Joined
Aug 13, 2008
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26
I'm looking for a belt like a tank, lifetime chopper/camp knife. Something in maybe the 14-18" range. Use as a machete/axe. Something to clear a camp or build an emregency shelter, etc. One I can hand to my grandkids someday. Thanks!
 
Price range? It will help us narrow it down for you.

Busse comes to mind. You are looking at $300+ easily tho.
 
bark river golok is a fine camp knife,

kershaw D2 Outcast with a convex edge is a great budget camper chopper as well.

ontario Rtak II is very nice

bill siegle's larger camp knives are quite nice looking although i've never had the chance to own one

busse's are supposedly great knives, never had a chance to handle one personally but people say they're indestructible.

do you want a tactical looking chopper or a traditional looking kind?

i think a custom RD9 from justin would be a very nice balance. perhaps if you had a satin finish with wood scales and a leather sheath done up by some of the great sheath makers on here that would fit the bill.
 
Pricier options are Busse, Swamp Rat + Scrap Yard (since the big knives aren't being made anymore they command a premium), and Bill Siegle

A Ranger RD-9 is a good choice too, although you may want to re-profile the edge.

If you are ok with something less conventional, the Valiant Goloks are great, athough not as indestructible as the above knives.

you can check out knifetests.com where Noss puts a lot of knives through their paces, to get an idea of the differences in durability of different knives.
 
check out the Browning Crowell/Barker competition chopper they're very nice for the price, good steel and full flat grind for about $115
 
I'm a traditional knife kind of guy. Unfortunately, the economy being what it is, I can not afford a Busse. Need to stay under the $200 range. Slip it under the wife's radar.

The Browning looks nice but I prefer something heavier in the tip for chopping.

Thanks for the info guys. Keep it coming.
 
I like the looks of that Ranger RD-9. Who is Justin and what do you mean when you say reprofile the edge?
 
Sounds like a HI khukri would fit the requirements and not break the bank.
 
Justin is the owner of Ranger Knives. He does great work and is a pleasure to deal with. to reprofile the edge basically means to take it from a working edge (fairly obtuse but sturdy for chopping) and sharpen it to shaving sharp. if you want to chop you won't find much better than the browning (thats what its designed for), you should check out noss's review of it here it out-chops most knives. I had been looking at one and i thought it looked rather fragile compared to some other knives, but noss's abusive tests show that its actually pretty damn tough. I'm gonna get one this xmas. If its not to your liking then anything from Ranger/Rat/Fallkniven/Busse/Swamp Rat/Scrap Yard/Himilayan Imports will suit you well. Another option is the new Becker line from Kabar, I haven't handled one yet personally as they are very new but they look very promising. If you want to save some cash but still get a big sharp strong chopper then it would be hard to beat the Kabar Heavy bowie. they are about $36-50 and will go toe to toe with pretty much anything listed here.
 
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I'm picking up a 17" Himalayan Imports Chiruwa Ang Khola this week. $165 shipped. Company is great to deal with. Can't go wrong with a khukri.
 
I'll put a word in for the Bark River Golok. The thing is a beast when it comes to chopping and isn't absurdly large. They come razor sharp with a convex edge (super easy to maintain) and are backed by an unbeatable warranty. I'm not sure how many new ones are left right now but if you wait til the next run you can choose from a HUGE selection of handle materials. You might be able to find one for sale on the forums. Plus if it starts to show wear from from use, you can send it back to Bark River and they will make it new again for only the cost of shipping it to them. I love mine!
 
Outdoors Fanatic said:
Busse NMFBM.
Click to expand...

What he said. The NMFBM is perhaps the finest large chopper ever made. Any of the Busse Battle Mistresses will do. If you want one, now is a great time to pick one up on the exchange- there are some great deals on there.

Good luck!

If you don't have that kind of money to work with, KaBar is ramping up production on their Becker line- they should be great. The earlier Camillus-made Beckers were excellent, and the KaBar versions should be as good, if not better. They have a 9" bladed model that I believe is already available- should only set you back $100 or so. I hear great things about RAT, and Ranger, and Fehrman as well.
 
I just got this one. Handmade from Stephan Fowler. It's build like a tank and it liked to chopped alot of wood.. It was screaming for more.

Oh yeah, it's huge:eek:

Contact him, he has great prices.

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Didn't see the $200.00 range sorry!!!

The Dogfather or the Scapper 6 are Outstanding knives in this catagory!!!!
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For readily available knives under $200 there have been some great suggestions with the RD-9, BRKT Golok, or even the Ontario RTAK. Another one to consider at 12.5" overall is the SOD from Scrapyard. It's only available for a few more days, but it's basically a 7.5" blade version of their Dogfather for $120. I expect it will be on par with the Chopweiler in terms of function....just a bit tougher. Good luck with your search!
 
Why not simply an axe, and keep a Fallkniven F1 or similar at the side for everything else?
Or a very attractive and high quality alternative, this set handforged by mastersmith Roselli in Finland: a gift box with a universal R850 axe and a Roselli carbon steel hunter knife + sheath:

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World Knives doesn't sell the gift set but does sell the separate items.
Old world charm at its finest!
 
You may find some Fehrman knives in that price range. They are similar in design to Busse, but use 3V steel (excellent!).
 
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