Best knife for batoning

Gentlemen,

I'm overwhelmed by the very helpful and informative response received here.If anyone cares to add anything,I will certainly read it.The info given so far is better than I'd hoped.Thanks again.
 
Sargent 666 said:
I've watched it. Did you notice him hitting the ground with it? Even INFI will chip hitting stuff like that (rocks and steel). That one video means nothing but how not to use a knife. This RD-9 is FULLY CONVEXED to a ZERO EDGE and doesn't chip. Some guys says he sees chips in the blade ........ where? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aEPXhDkqLQ
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Your making me wonder if I made a mistake in not giving the RD9 a better look. NutnJob sometimes does some goofy stuff. He has far more experience then I do and long winded is an under statement! I actually dont like his reviews and tend to not agree with him. But he does use these knives often and fairly well considering. As for the RD9...it does have a very attractive price too.
 
Most full convex production blades (which are few) don't have much more curve than a full flat grind and the price is getting well over the $200 mark. I agree with Patriot on the Saber grind.
 
Thanks so much for all the help.There's one last question.....

I've never liked pre-ordering and waiting for things plus I don't want to spend more than 200.00 (closer to 100.00 is even better).

With the above in mind,I'm pretty sure I'll go with the Ontario RD-9.The price,availability,knife specs,etc.......seem to fill the bill better than most.

With the above in mind,am I overlooking one that will be as good or maybe even better?
 
Check out the Ontario RTAK 2 while you're shopping. Another work horse for a few dollars more. :)
 
Thumbs up on the Becker! I have one of the Camillus Beckers I think they were called "Campanions" then. Lots of blade for the money.
 
Dag-nabit said:
Without pointing to specific knife brands or models (I already offered a suggestion above) for splitting you want a blade with a thick spine. But you probably already realize that.

So any knife with:
1. Suitable length to leave enough tip extened to get good contact with the baton. (length is really dependant on how large a slice you want to take off)
2. Good enough steel (heat treat etc, etc) to withstand the abuse.
3. A good thick spine to provide the "splitting wedge" effect.

Just curious, have you tried batoning with your axe? That is another option worthy of consideration.

Kevin
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I'm going to go against the grain here on Kevin's suggestion. Personally, I find that length is great for batoning, but I disagree with thick spine. However, its all in the details. A thick spine will indeed cause a wedge and split factor sooner but requires you to bang the hell out of the thing to sink that wedge past the bevel.

Or.......You can have a thin knife which is easy to bang into the wood but often requires you to bang it further into the wood before the wood will free split.

Which of these two you prefer really depends on how much banging you want to do with your baton and how long you are willing to bang for. Personally, I'm of the low energy bang with long bang time mentality.

Also, in contrast to many posts in this thread. A thick knife is no more guarentee to baton-ability than a thin knife simply because you have to step up the force of batoning in line with the thickness. Personally, my preference, for a long knife devoted to batoning is something in the 8-10" length category and 1/8" thick. Plenty tough, but not too hard to hammer into the wood.
 
I have found that I do not need a thick blade for my batoning needs. I'm just do not see my self splitting logs in half so thinner yet quality blades works for me atm.
 
Good for splitting?

Stay away from coated blades and look for one that is convex, convex blades tend to split much better and don't get wedged as easy.
 
First and foremost. I understand a lot of you are against batoning, get an axe, etc. But personally, I enjoy it. I'm a minimalist so I'd rather carry a fixed blade for batoning, (Ontario ranger series, Becker line. Esee and tops are just out of the budget. Aiming for $100 but preferably less)

DONT BOTHER ANSWERING IF YOURE GOING TO TALK TRASH.

Anyways, I'm thinking 5160 steel is a good choice. It rusts like crazy and isn't too corrosion resistant, but it's tough as nails. D2 is okay, But not my favorite, and 1095 is a good choice too. I'm open to suggestions as long as it fits my $10 budget.

I would love micarta scales , visible full tang, finger school to choke up OR thumb ramp (in case I ever have to do finer work that my sak Fieldmaster can't do.) I will most likely remove any epoxy coating, and force a patina. An extended tang would-be nice but isn't necessary.
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I do a lot of backpacking, camping, and hiking. I go through a lot of firewood especially in this 5 degree connecticut weather. I usually fashion my own tent stakes, I used to carry a hatchet, And I agree it's more efficient, no doubt, but I herniated a disk in my back doing heavy lifting at my job, so I've been really needing to downsize. And my hatchet was one of the heavier things I carried.
 
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