Recommendation? Best Chopper Fixed Blade

[DocJD]

Consider also a big folding Silky saw or an Estwing camper's ax , or similar .

These are just more energy efficient alternatives , if you need to do a lot of wood processing / clearing .

 

[not2sharp]

Our own Bill Siegle makes some really nice knives.

https://bladeforums.com/threads/3-siegle-camp-knives.1753828/

n2s

 

[bush-haus]

I live in TX and do a lot of camping. I really love the Becker BK 9 and never find myself needing another chopper. I have owned it for 10 years and have used to to chop down trees, split logs, clear brush, etc. I can’t seem to ruin this knife! All I need to do is periodically sharpen and oil it. I love choppers and wanted to start a collection, but honestly I stopped after getting the BK9.

You mentioned rust as a concern—it comes with a nice coating to stop rust which of course will wear off eventually. You can easily strip the coating if you don’t want it.

 

[Batleship]

#1 for the BK9

 

[Rbpwrd240]

I had many backpacking trips in that territory decades ago and to be honest the first thing I'd toss would be a huge chopper. I carried a hatchet.

Well that is what I'm trying to find out.

I did a machete and a hatchet on the trip I mentioned and it worked but it like to see if I can go to a large chopper.

Options like a Kumari from Himalayan imports or simply adding a silky saw are definitly options Im Interested in testing in my setup but I have a hankering for a big old chopper at this point.

Most of the chopping work would be small hardwoods up to 6" around but mostly smaller 3-4" trees chopped broken down and processed for firewood.

I love all the ideas. Keep them coming.

 

[MolokaiRider]

 

[MolokaiRider]

 

[fishface5]

Scrap yard 1311 is longer and thinner than the 1111 so is more machete-like.

 

[kwackster]

For the jobs you mention you might have a look at the Condor Bushcraft parang.
A lot of chopping power in a size that still fits comfortably inside a daypack, sometimes together with the Eco Golok machete for lighter work.
I tuned both of mine a bit:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/finetuning-a-couple-of-condors.1662592/#post-19189406

 

[hunter55]

Τerrava Skrama 200. Ideal for medium chopping. Light weight (13.1 oz) - no problem carrying in the backpack during long hiking in the woods. Blade length = 7.85'', blade thickness = 0.17''. Very versatile, very effective. Accompanying with a versatile and strong folder is the optimum combination in any outdoor activity.

 

[not2sharp]

This is relatively new. The configuration (Buck 808 Talon) shown below has been out less than a year. I like the heavy 10" long, 1/4" 5160 blade and the solid full tang with tooled micarta scales. Unlike the Beckers, this knife isn't hollowed under the scales. I don't really need the saw teeth or serrations, but on this they are well out of the way and the front has plenty of real-estate for batoning. Certainly an interesting modern take on the billhook.

n2s

 

[RayseM]

Look up Bill Siegle knives, @Bill Siegle. Always worth considering a Siegle. Good value for a balanced and exceptionally great blade.

 

[Henry Beige]

Skrama. Best chopper, most versatile, coolest looking. Under $100.

There are blades that chop better, but they are going to be heavier, in the 13-16” range, and not as useful for knife tasks around camp.

 

[bikerector]

The Becker BK9 is a good choice. I prefer the swamp rat ratweiler if you can find one myself, especially the infi version for the added toughness and corrosion resistance. The SYKCO 1311 is a monster of a worker if you can find one of those

If you're interested in stainless, AEB-L is tough stuff and David Mary is making some cool stuff with it. His seax models are pretty good looking and I have one on order along with a custom design of my own he's working on for me while I get my shop revamped. That is to say, some of the custom makers on the forum can get you something at various price points that may serve your desires better than something manufactured, especially if you have a very specific idea in mind. G.L. Drew and Siegle are some of the guys I see putting out a few tough and nice looking choppers in the knifemaker's market but I'm certain I'm missing a few. There's a lot of variety there with many different levels of complexity leading to the prices that are asked.

Lastly, getting a leuku blank of your own and making one could be a lot of fun. I recently did a leather handled leuku to test out and it's been a blast to treat it badly to see how well it would hold together with how I put the handle on (new to me methods).

For reference, much of my work with machete's and choppers is based around maintaining mountainbike trails so something smaller like the ratweiler easily fits into the hydration pack I carry on the bike. On the bigger work days, that's when the machete, saw, axe, chopper, pruners, etc get hiked in.

Pictures for funsee's (I don't still have all of these).

 

[dug24]

Love my Becker BK9! Out of your list, I'd pick the Junglas but I've never used one as I have SYKCO 1311. It chops like a beast an it's 3/16" thick, just like the BK9. Those both are thicker than any machete I own.

 

[not2sharp]

Really nice choppers by Bill Siegle.

n2s

 

[REK Knives]

For my money I would 100% get a knife from CPK you can check out their subforum here from @Nathan the Machinist

 

[David Mary]

If you're interested in stainless, AEB-L is tough stuff and David Mary is making some cool stuff with it. His seax models are pretty good looking and I have one on order along with a custom design of my own he's working on for me while I get my shop revamped. That is to say, some of the custom makers on the forum can get you something at various price points that may serve your desires better than something manufactured, especially if you have a very specific idea in mind. G.L. Drew and Siegle are some of the guys I see putting out a few tough and nice looking choppers in the knifemaker's market but I'm certain I'm missing a few. There's a lot of variety there with many different levels of complexity leading to the prices that are asked.

Thanks for the shout out Chad, and nice pics! From what I have seen you can't go wrong with a G.L. Drew made knife or a Siegle; both have great reputations, and their work is great looking, too. I only have one of my own choppers in stock at the moment, one of the seaxes you mentioned, and I agree it seems to fit what our friend is looking for.

a large chopping knife. Think of it like a smaller machete but very meaty. I plan to use it to clear brush In The Texas hill country, process firewood and chase away the night time demons for the kiddos.

Here is my humble offering. This current one is AEB-L, 14" blade at 1/8" thick stock, full height convex and .025" behind the edge. It is definitely balanced toward trail clearing by way of clean slicing through vegetation, but at RC 61, I think it'll hold up to moderate tree chopping, as long as your not trying to cut foot diameter dead logs in half. I have made these to a variety of specs, though, including 1/4", 3/16", and 5/32" thickness, but I like 1/8" because it is lighter, and easier to wield nimbly all all day, which is more suited to long hikes. If I were to make one to be an all out powerhouse, I'd personally go with a slightly shorter and less tall blade - a 3/16" thick, 13" bladed version, which is how I did the prototype a few knives back (here's a link to the video I shot to demo that first one: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/sold-barong-seax-hybrid.1721029/#post-19656195).

Finally, why seax? Because the straight edge and the angle I give it to the blade means that cuts and slashes to vegetation and especially branches are less likely to slip off, and more likely to sever in a single pass, making trail clearing a whole lot easier and more fun.

 

[91bravo]

Any CPK chopper, BK9, BK21, or a SYKCO 1311. The best choppers I've ever used.

 

[fishface5]

I like the way DM thinks! Which is why I have something tasty on order . . .