Big choppers, little help please.

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kgriggs8

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Okay guys, I am looking to buy a big chopper but I am a little overwhemled by all the names and companies. I know Scrapyard has the Dog Father and Busse has some as well but I am not sure which one is right for me.

What I want is a 10-12" blade made thin so it can also be used as a machete. I also want the handle to be comfy for all day work. I want the knife to be as light as it can with no extra weight and bulk. Swinging a 4lb knife gets old quick! What I am looking for is a Swaprat or Scrap Yard version of the RTAK II but I am not sure where to start. Is there a Busse that fits this description?

What I don't want is a huge heavy blade that doesn't work well because it is too thick. I find that thick blades are slower which means they cut poorly and they require much more energy to use.

THanks.
 
kgriggs8 said:
What I want is a 10-12" blade made thin so it can also be used as a machete. I also want the handle to be comfy for all day work. I want the knife to be as light as it can with no extra weight and bulk. Swinging a 4lb knife gets old quick!
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Get the RTAK II. Its got perfect balance, good reach, a comfortable handle, and is 3/16" flat ground (so its not too heavy). The other knives you mentioned are thicker, heavier, and much more expensive. The RTAK II is made of good old 1095 high carbon steel. It will chop wood or clear brush like a machete. I own several other big choppers, but the RTAK is the best for the requirements you mention. An Ontario 12" camp machete works well, too.
Its only 1/8" thick, but it will chop wood pretty well.
 
Look for a Zero Tolerance Battle Mistress, or try to find a RUCK. The Basic 9 is an awesome chopper and then the famous Satin Battle Rat.....thinner lighter and comfy as all get up. Waste your money on a RTAK2, or get the best in the business.
 
Victor L Ross said:
Get the RTAK II. Its got perfect balance, good reach, a comfortable handle, and is 3/16" flat ground (so its not too heavy). The other knives you mentioned are thicker, heavier, and much more expensive. The RTAK II is made of good old 1095 high carbon steel. It will chop wood or clear brush like a machete. I own several other big choppers, but the RTAK is the best for the requirements you mention. An Ontario 12" camp machete works well, too.
Its only 1/8" thick, but it will chop wood pretty well.
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Kgriggs8-
1. Listen to Gravelface. He has used (not bought, seen, fondled, drooled on, dreamt about, but USED) more knives than you can shake a stick at. And I am not talking 5 or 6 or even a few dozen. Keep going. Did I say he has used a LOT???

2. Welcome to the Swamp-- you will find friends, advice, stories, awesome customer service, and of course outstanding knives here just to mention a few things. You are where you want to be.:)

Victor-
May I ask how many Swamp Rat knives you have used in the past please? Which ones were they? If you have a moment, I would like to hear your point of view in a side by side comparison of the RTAK2 and the comparably sized Swamp Rat knife that you imply experience with. Thank you!
 
I have a 12" Ontario machete but to be honest, I am not impressed with it. My 18" Ontario on the other hand is a real workhorse. I want to shrink the power, speed and cutting ability of the 18" Ontario into one of the big choppers I have seen but I need help choosing the right one.

I have tried several and some have come close but most were not what I wanted. I had a Ranger RD-9 for example that was as strong as you could ask for but it didn't chop very well and it really didn't do the job of a machete at all. It just felt like a big heavy knife. I guess I may want more weight forward? I have tried every HI Kukri and I am giving up on them as well.

I want the knife to be small enough pack into a normal sized backpack so 15" overall is probably max size.
 
kgriggs8 said:
I have a 12" Ontario machete but to be honest, I am not impressed with it. My 18" Ontario on the other hand is a real workhorse. I want to shrink the power, speed and cutting ability of the 18" Ontario into one of the big choppers I have seen but I need help choosing the right one.

I have tried several and some have come close but most were not what I wanted. I had a Ranger RD-9 for example that was as strong as you could ask for but it didn't chop very well and it really didn't do the job of a machete at all. It just felt like a big heavy knife. I guess I may want more weight forward? I have tried every HI Kukri and I am giving up on them as well.

I want the knife to be small enough pack into a normal sized backpack so 15" overall is probably max size.
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If you want something that has the cutting capability of an 18" blade machete and the chopping ability of a big bowie or kukuri all in a light and compact package, you're probably not going to find it. It's impossible to get one tool that does everything well.
 
kgriggs8 said:
What I want is a 10-12" blade made thin so it can also be used as a machete. I also want the handle to be comfy for all day work.
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I am not trying to be a smart a@!, but what exactly are you looking to do? If you give more details about what it is you are trying to accomplish, other people more knowledgeable than myself might have some further recommendations.

I will tell you my own personal experiences, and I am always open for new ideas and I am hoping that someone can educate me. But in my experience, car camping is one thing. Bring and ax. When you start getting into lighter weight gear camping, for any amount of serious wood gathering, I have never found any big bowie/chopper, machete, or even hatchet that useful. Obviously, carrying more weight than a hatchet is out of the question. I suppose it depends on the wood in your local area, but trying to chop through woods like oak gets very tiresome even with a hatchet.

What I prefer to do, is carry something like that sawvivor in my pack (only 9.5oz or so). I can cut up larger pieces of deadwood with all day, and then split or baton it with a large knife (which I wouldn't be without). Besides the usefulness in this respect, the large knife could also have lots of use in the survial type situation, for example shelter building, which is another reason I wouldn't be without a large knife.

So, until I really understood what it was I was trying to accomplish, I could never select the appropriate gear. I am sure there are other areas of the country where a good chopper bowie can hack through local species of wood. I have not found that to be the case for me.

Anyway, I hope I added some benefit, and good luck with your search.

Brian
 
I would agree with the Zero Tolerance recommendation or the E-handle in general. They were not as wide as the other BM's and, thus, lighter.
 
Design your own and send your drawing and specs to Justin at Rangerknives. He will make it exactly like you want at a VERY reasonable price. I love my Busse's and Swamp Rats but if you want a great blade for a "beater"go to Ranger Knives. He makes an RD9, 9inch bush blade that is a really good chopper. He will make you a bigger blade if you want. www.rangerknives.com
 
bravo12 said:
Design your own and send your drawing and specs to Justin at Rangerknives. He will make it exactly like you want at a VERY reasonable price. I love my Busse's and Swamp Rats but if you want a great blade for a "beater"go to Ranger Knives. He makes an RD9, 9inch bush blade that is a really good chopper. He will make you a bigger blade if you want. www.rangerknives.com
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that was true until the DOGFATHER arrived:D Now the DOGFATHER is the price king of the hill. Ask Justin to make you a 9 incher out of S7 and see how high the price goes....

Also the BattleRAT at 200 bucks has no competition either.
 
It's hard to find a Busse that competes with the RTAK II (in terms of design, that is). Randall designs his knives for the jungle, Busse designs his for the unimaginable. The Zero Tolerance Battle Mistress (and it's Terror Monkey and other relatives) is really the only Wauseon offering that would come close to your long and thin criteria.

Your next option is to get a Busse Battle Mistress or Swamp Rat Rat Daddy or Battle Rat and have Bill Siegle thin it down for you. Don't have a Scrap Yard Dog Father thinned down, the S-7 is a shock steel that needs a thicker edge geometry and mass behind it's edge. S-7 performs fine for many brutal tasks, but INFI and SR101/52100 will perform better for your needs so there is no use starting off at a disadvantage.

Next I'd recommend Justin Gingrich/Ranger Knives as others have. But not the S-7 recommendation. Don't let S-7's performance on cinder blocks and door frames fool you into thinking it'll last as long as 5160 or 1095 as a thinned out jungle knife. Leave S-7 to the tomahawks and heavy abuse rated knives where it excells.
 
JWBirch said:
It's hard to find a Busse that competes with the RTAK II (in terms of design, that is). Randall designs his knives for the jungle, Busse designs his for the unimaginable. The Zero Tolerance Battle Mistress (and it's Terror Monkey and other relatives) is really the only Wauseon offering that would come close to your long and thin criteria.

Your next option is to get a Busse Battle Mistress or Swamp Rat Rat Daddy or Battle Rat and have Bill Siegle thin it down for you. Don't have a Scrap Yard Dog Father thinned down, the S-7 is a shock steel that needs a thicker edge geometry and mass behind it's edge. S-7 performs fine for many brutal tasks, but INFI and SR101/52100 will perform better for your needs so there is no use starting off at a disadvantage.

Next I'd recommend Justin Gingrich/Ranger Knives as others have. But not the S-7 recommendation. Don't let S-7's performance on cinder blocks and door frames fool you into thinking it'll last as long as 5160 or 1095 as a thinned out jungle knife. Leave S-7 to the tomahawks and heavy abuse rated knives where it excells.
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actually if you place an SHBM next to an RTAK you will notice that the blade design is nearly identical. The SHBM is 1/4 inch instead of 3/16 but it's cutting geometry at that point is near perfect. I think a better compromise in strength, chopping, cutting hacking, etc.
 
Okay, without reading too much of this thread, here's what I'd suggest:
1) A long thin HI Khukri, the Sirupte, or maybe the Kobra
2) Becker Combat patrol machete.
Both very worth checking out.
There's also Junglee's Bolo, or maybe short sword. Can't remember which, but only one is still available, the other is discontinued (maybe you can find the other on eBay?). Made with AUS8, and most find it to be a pretty good deal.
 
HI Sirpati is a good reco, but not the becker for the same reason not the RTAK...
pm-replacement_broken.jpg
 
Thats crazy... I guess the Becker hype was a little over the top huh? Thanks for the link. Cliff does some great reviews! (Side note: I do like my RTAK II - but - I have a Scrapyard Dog Father on order - it'll be my first Busse Family blade - looking forward to "joining the club!")

Thanks again Cobalt. I do see a Swamp Rat in my future - I just need to fatten up my wallet again first!
 
You might try a CS machete kukuri, at the price of 26$ it won't bother you much if it doesn't work. I would give the dogfather a try. I don't agree that you can't thin the edge actually shock steel should be good at resisting deforming.
 
Or contact David Wesner about a Chopper!...not to detract from SR, I love em dearly, but get what you need and his blades are outstanding!
 
Unsub said:
You might try a CS machete kukuri, at the price of 26$ it won't bother you much if it doesn't work. I would give the dogfather a try. I don't agree that you can't thin the edge actually shock steel should be good at resisting deforming.
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I agree with you. I know you can thin the edge out on knives made of very tough steels. Anything made of INFI, SR101, SR77, cpm3v, L6, S7, 5160 can have it's edge made very thin as long as the heat treat is done right.
 
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