Best short chopper?????

U

ukknifer

Joined
Jan 30, 2010
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I Need a shorter knife that is the best chopper for its size. Here is why:

i have a CS trailmaster, Esee junglas, Cs heavy kukury, But they all do not fit into my edc bag. So I need something shorter but very good at chopping.

Here is what I have in mind:
Esee RC5= I am afraid it wont chop well because of its size.
CS recon scout= I heard that it fails and that it has a flaw at the handle.
Bark river bravo2 = I found that A2 will chip very easily in my Aurora and fox river. I would get it in a heart beat if it was in 3v or 1095.

Any ideas?>
Thanks
 
Becker BK2 is want you are after! It's an absolute beast. Of course you could spend a bit more and get the ESEE5 so you could get a better sheath and better handle scales.

BTW, if your Aurora and Fox River is chipping AT ALL I'd definitely get in touch with Mike Stewart for a replacement. A2 is extremely tough MUCH tougher than 1095. None of my Bark Rivers chip at all. The most damage I experienced to my Aurora was a small nick in the edge after a full night carving on dry hard wood. It stropped out completely.
 
Can you move up a couple inches? Something like the chopweiler and son of dogfather knives are nice :)

I like the esee 5 alot for what it is, but it's not a chopper (unless you're looking for a workout) it can make do tho
 
ukknifer said:
I Need a shorter knife that is the best chopper for its size. Here is why:

i have a CS trailmaster, Esee junglas, Cs heavy kukury, But they all do not fit into my edc bag. So I need something shorter but very good at chopping.

Here is what I have in mind:
Esee RC5= I am afraid it wont chop well because of its size.
CS recon scout= I heard that it fails and that it has a flaw at the handle.
Bark river bravo2 = I found that A2 will chip very easily in my Aurora and fox river. I would get it in a heart beat if it was in 3v or 1095.

Any ideas?>
Thanks
Click to expand...

I really think you're moving out of the "chopper" zone with your size restrictions. Now if you want to use a lever and baton, I'd 2nd the BK-2 just for the h*ll of it, the Ka-Bar fighting knife, Esse 4 & 5 ( a little more expensive ). I think you'd be fine and not out of pocket too much by beating on BK-2 or the Ka-Bar.

Big blades, good reputation, just don't get too greedy on the size of wood you process. "It's not the size of the blade as much as how you use it".....Cody Lundin....as he used his little mora to cut through a tree limb close to 4" diameter. :)
 
Maybe you should look at a WSK style knife that is tip heavy? I think the WSK was designed so you could have a compact knife that could fill many needs. Have a custom made without saw teeth so you can baton with it. If you are looking for a more traditional blade style I also agree that the BK-2 would be a good choice I have two of them and being 1/4 thick unless you want to build a log cabin should work well for just about anything you throw at it. CZIV makes a good point look at what Cody, Dave, Les, and Bear use they are all small to medium knives and get they through just about everything. You know what they say it's not the size it's how you used it.
 
I'm going to go against my usual line of thought (machete) and suggest something like the Condor Scout Hatchet. the overall length is 10 and 1/4" and weighs 1.1 pounds--not too bad for when you want the most chop in the least space. Similar models by the higher-end names would work, too--I just don't have any experience with them. :)
 
A hatchet? A saw? A cold steel Rajah 1? I dunno, I don't have any more chopper knives. Just a saw an axe and I do have like 5 machetes though. (Which I don't really use)
I have had a few Trail Masters and I can say that they are awesome big knives, but terrible hatchets. You may be better off with a heavy knife that you can cross baton with.
 
Actually, the 6" Parang made by Fox Military is a really slick looking tool. Go to Youtube and look up the various videos. It's amazing how much that little 6" blade chops. Great little tool.

The other knives you mentioned are just short and fat knives; the Parang is a short chopper.
 
For best compact chopper maybe a Japanese hatchet? I have never used one, but when I check out a virtuovice video with him using one, he does much, much better with it compared to his BK2 and Esee 5.

What kind of bag is it that you are using/wanting to use?
 
An HI khukuri in the 12" range. I have a 13oz siru that doesn't take up any more room than my old Camillus MkII but will chop holes in the tops of coconuts with minimal effort and no damage to the edge. The Pen knife and AK tend to be heavier for the same length. For the price they're a lot of oomph in a packable size.

Frank
 
I'll throw this out there and say that perhaps most knives with an overall length of 10 inches, won't chop as well as a 10 inch hatchet.... blasphemy to suggest a thing I know!!!

I've got the Gransfors Bruks Mini Belt Hatchet. 2½ inch cutting edge, 10 inch hickory handle and weighs about 12oz.

It's a pleasure to carve wood with, fits into the map pocket of my jackets, yet isn't a bad chopper at all for its size and weight.

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I don't base my tool purchases on what others may think of me, however, none knife people tend to think the hatchet looks cool and cute, a knife of the same size doesn't usually illicit that response. This factor might be important if you want to EDC it...

The ESEE 5 weighs 4oz more and that's without its sheath. Depending where you live, the ESEE is much more expensive. £65 for a GB Mini (there are other quality makes for cheaper) vs £180 for the ESEE 5 (the BK2 is also more expensive than the hatchet). The ESEE 5 and BK2 are no doubt much stronger than my GB, and they have a cool factor of their own.
 
Thanks to all that shared what they think.

Yorkshire Boy, Does the mini gb chop better than esee 5?
 
I second the HI khukuri. I have a 12.5" (overall) Bonecutter/Ganga Ram that likely couldn't be broken by me. It chops like a pocket chainsaw. 5160 seems to be an incredibly tough steel, almost made for choppers. Good luck
 
Totally missed your screen name. If you really are in the UK you ought to be able to get a good price on a GB mini, as mentioned above. Suggestion revised. :D
 
I have to agree with Yorkshire Boy, the GB Mini is great for it's size. Another good choice would be the Wetterling 10H(10 1/4" OAL, 1.6 lbs.) which cost a little less than the GB but is still a nice hatchet.
 
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