Best mid-size chopper?

OldPhysics said:
You'll hate me for this, but ... the wider blade on the SARSquatch pushes more weight forward (that's easy enough) and (wait for it) seems to improve both the moment of inertia and products of inertia (jargon alert!) for the knife, as opposed to the others we've discussed that are of a similar size.

So ... it swings and chops a bit easier than the other alternatives. Depending on precisely how and where you grip the handle and on your own ergonomics as you chop.

Boy, that's about as clear as mud. :(

Ummm. I know how to chop ... I've tried every one of the knives described (even the Terror Monkey) ... and the SARSquatch just seems a bit better to me. Please note that the Emperor of Battle Mistresses (Mr. Cobalt) agrees ... :)
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Looks like the SARsquatch wins because of moments and products of inertia!

I have heard, from someone in someplace at some point in time, that wider blades have more contact surface with the surface of what is being cut (which is obviously true) and thus they aren't as good of choppers as blades that are more narrow. I have never collected any empirical evidence on the subject so I cannot say whether this is true or not.

Regardless, the SARsquatch is obviously well preferred at the moment as the mid-size Busse chopper of choice. I guess I picked the wrong time to be broke.
 
Moloko Plus said:
I have heard, from someone in someplace at some point in time, that wider blades have more contact surface with the surface of what is being cut (which is obviously true) and thus they aren't as good of choppers as blades that are more narrow. I have never collected any empirical evidence on the subject so I cannot say whether this is true or not.
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Perhaps true if the blade was of a very heavy material in order to compensate for the loss of mass. A chopper needs a weighted blade relative to handle, which usually means a fat piece of steel. It's also nice to have a wider blade for big stuff, in order to separate logs, etc. by moving the blade side to side after the cut.
 
I have not held the SarSquatch yet...but with that said the HH with a Banned edge on it is truly second to none. :eek:
For the range you listed the HH is a monster and I would take to Alaska...oh what am I saying I am taking it to Alaska.:thumbup:
 
Haven't tried a Sarsquatch. Can someone tell me the approximate weight of the knife in the "competition grade"? And is the thickness about 3/16" or ...?
 
Sarsquaatch +++++++++++++++++++++++++++. :thumbup:

However, I can't bring myself to use my Mojo :o, and don't have a very large collection of Busse monsters (by monsters I mean ALL Busse's - big or small). I would imagine that an SH or Mojo/Mofo (among others) will chop whatever is put in their way.
 
Sarsquatch - weight forward, convex edge, thick blade feeling like it wants to get things done.
 
I'd have to side with Mulder on the .250'' SHSHII....but if you don't have a grand to spare and the time to invest in finding or waiting for one to come up....the sub $300 SARsquatch can't be beat....I might end up liking it even more than the SHSHII as time goes on :D it IS a sweet knife! Only thing is it has NOTHING on the SHSHII's "Cool" factor.
"
 
pbubsy said:
I'd have to side with Mulder on the .250'' SHSHII....but if you don't have a grand to spare and the time to invest in finding or waiting for one to come up....the sub $300 SARsquatch can't be beat....I might end up liking it even more than the SHSHII as time goes on :D it IS a sweet knife! Only thing is it has NOTHING on the SHSHII's "Cool" factor.
"
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I'd have to agree with you there. The SHSHII is beautiful and I really like the handle design better than some of the more "Busse modern" designs like the fusion handle.

I was fairly put off by the SARsquatch's odd appearance and didn't know if it would be as good of a chopper as a knife of similar length, but thicker. But it was obviously designed for chopping tasks and the handle ergos look pretty good. Are they better than the fusion handles? How well do they compare with the ergo handles?
 
I like the resiprene handles on the basic. Aside from that, the ergos are my favorite.

I find the Squatch to be pretty comfortable in hand. It seems like it's going to be a real beast of a chopper. I've been looking for an excuse to take it out for some exercise, and a buddy of mine was complaining about a pia pine stump in his backyard yesterday. I'm thinking of heading over there today with my Squatch and Vicky, (BM-E), to see just how much of a pia the stump really is. Pics to come if I end up over there.
 
WILL YORK said:
Haven't tried a Sarsquatch. Can someone tell me the approximate weight of the knife in the "competition grade"? And is the thickness about 3/16" or ...?
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17.1 ounces (with magnum micarta)
.195 thick
7 1/8 blade length
12 5/8 oal
1 15/16 width

the micarta magnums on this allow you to chock back on the handle like you would on an Ergo or Fusion handle, so you can really whip this thing around. So a thong would be a good idea for serious work.
 
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Moloko Plus said:
I'd have to agree with you there. The SHSHII is beautiful and I really like the handle design better than some of the more "Busse modern" designs like the fusion handle.

I was fairly put off by the SARsquatch's odd appearance and didn't know if it would be as good of a chopper as a knife of similar length, but thicker. But it was obviously designed for chopping tasks and the handle ergos look pretty good. Are they better than the fusion handles? How well do they compare with the ergo handles?
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It's got a good profile....not very thin, but thin enough to be an excellent performer. The Comp grade has a wicked edge though! It's full convex ground so that helps performance some and it's got a lot of forward balance so when you choke back on the grip you can get some decent power swings in there. I'd say it performs better than the SH-e does. Partially due to edge geom though as many of the she's have a very thick edge. I wouldn't say their better or worse than the Fusion handles...just different. They fill the hand nicely and give some good grip options due to the contours of the handle. Kindof a cross between magnum hell razor and a satin jack in terms of the handles. I really like them. I personally like the handles more than the ergo handles....which would have been much better in my opinion it the ergo knives would have had a wider blade with a thinner edge and more of a forward balance rather than the slightly neutral to extremely handle heavy balance of all the ergos.
 
JWBirch said:
17.1 ounces (with magnum micarta)
.195 thick
7 1/8 blade length
12 5/8 oal
1 15/16 width

the micarta magnums on this allow you to chock back on the handle like you would on an Ergo or Fusion handle, so you can really whip this thing around. So a thong would be a good idea for serious work.
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Thanks a bunch, JWB. It will be interesting to see how Noss's Skinny ASH1 testing goes--similar blade thickness. Should get a read on several of these 3/16" thickness range blades, in fact.

thanks again,
will
 
I took my Squatch for a walk today, and it is def my favorite mid-sized chopper. I ended up choking waaay back, like half my hand off of the handle, but it was a beast. I'll be posting the whole story later, but we can skip ahead to the end.

DSCN2869.jpg
 
BubbaThud said:
I took my Squatch for a walk today, and it is def my favorite mid-sized chopper. I ended up choking waaay back, like half my hand off of the handle, but it was a beast. I'll be posting the whole story later, but we can skip ahead to the end.

DSCN2869.jpg
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I don't even WANT to know how long that took you :p
 
Took about an hour. I took a 30 minute break halfway in though...needed to drink some Apple juice. So start to finish was 90 minutes or two hours. I'd say only an hour of chopping though. The Squatch is a Beasty chopper. It has this sweet spot that chews through the wood when I hit it just right. That was a 4 year old cypress stump. The chops feel like they're plastic or glass or something...so smooth.
 
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Bubba great work. I'll chime in and vote for the Squatch as well. I've tried most of what your looking at as well and the only thing that I think, repeat, think I might rather have than the Squatch in the 6"-8" range is a standard FSH, but that's more of a "cool" factor and it weighs a good bit more, I believe. I carried the 'Squatch on my side while I was push mowing (1 to 1.5hrs) in 90 degree heat on a hill wearing my cleats and it didn't seem all that heavy. After we killed the copperhead, I strapped the 18" Onatrio Machete on the mower, and am awaiting my AK:D

You could spend more on a Mofo/Mojo, SHE, or FSH, but if it were me, I'd try the Squatch first.

GregB

p.s. I don't think it's really fair to compare the Squatch to anything over 8" (i.e. Battle Rat, Basic 9, etc) as they, IMHO, a different animal altogether.
 
From my first hand experiences the Sarsquatch and HOGFSH/HHFSH are my all time favorite medium choppers..

I don't consider the original Satin Jack an all out chopper but it is scary how well it can accomplish small to medium chopping tasks. Especially the SJs with a factory convex edge like the SJLE or ZTSJ.. I think the SJ is my all time favorite Busse model.
 
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Moloko Plus said:
Some of you prefer the Squatch and some of you prefer a knife with a narrower blade, such as the Basic 7 or the SH-E. What are the benefits of a blade design like the Squatch over something like the SH-E, and vice versa?
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I gave up my SHe as my main user because I was getting a lot of pinkey bite from the real talon hole.. anyone else??
 
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