Bill Hook, Junglee Military Bolo, CS Light Kukri Or What??

D

DDS

Joined
Apr 16, 1999
Messages
286
Hi guys:
I have some wooded property that I want to clear some trails on for my sons dirt bikes. The vegetation consists mainly of brush, vines and small sapplings. This now gives me an excuse to buy one of the above new toys. I have been reading about all of them for awhile now but have no experience with any. I have only used an old GI machete in the past. Several years ago I read an article touting the Kellam Bill Hooks amazing chopping ability. I have also read good reports on CS carbon V products. Junglee uses AUS- 8 steel. Does anyone have any experiences or opinions to share ? I am not limiting it to these products since I lack any experience. I am , however, leaning towards the Bill Hook only because of its stellar reports.

Thanks for any feedback!

Regards,

Dave
 
I favor Newt Livesay's Wasp. It feels great in the hand.

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The thorn stands to defend the Rose, yet it is peaceful and does not seek conflict
 
Sounds like a lot of work. Better head out to the local landscaping or home improvement shop for pruning equipment. Hand saws and long handled loppers would make the job a lot easier than any knife. Power tools would be even better.

 
I have both the Junglee Military Bolo and the CS light Kukri (the LTC is better for what you want than the Gurkha Light, IMO...). You can't go wrong with either.
I have no experience with the bill hook.
The Ontario Military Kukri is nice also. If you want heavier chopping ability, go with the CS Gurkha Kukri or any of the HI or GH kukris. The thinner blades of the CS "light" models and the Junglee tend to lend themselves to getting "hung up" when chopping the thicker stuff although either will go through 2"-3" saplings in one whack. The Ontario Kukri is a middle of the road thickness so you get the best of both worlds.
Forget about the saws and power tools... maybe less work but not near as much fun!
If you really want a performer for not a lot of money, go with the Ontario 12" machete. It's really hard to beat. It performs as well as any mentioned above and you can pick one up for around $12.

Peace-
Orion
 
What was wrong with the machete?

They are all good tools. Which would serve you best depends on you. Tell us a little about about what you liked or didn't like about the machete so we can better help you find a tool to address the problem.

It sounds like lots of work (Im imagining what it would take to clear a clear 6' corredor through several hundred yards of brush and sapplings). You may want to invite a small herd of knife testing formites to give it a whack.
smile.gif


[This message has been edited by not2sharp (edited 05-14-2000).]
 
Get a machette if you think the brush is light enough that you can knock most of it with one blow.

A khukuri or bill hook would be better when chopping is required. Also, check out H.I. and Gurkha house on this forum if you go the khukuri route.

Will
 
Thanks everyone for the replys.First of all, this is a "fun" project with my boys so power tools are out; I am not in a hurry. I will be widening an already partially cleared deer run trail. The machete (GI) didn't cut well in the thick brush areas, it got caught up. It was also a stuggle on the small sapplings.At times it felt too flexible.It seems to me with a little more weight behind the tool it might be more effective. Possibly, I should look into a better quality heavy duty machete as recommended. Thanks again! Dave
 
Hop on over to the Himalayan imports Forum. There are always debates about the best chopper, brush clearer, etc. The only thing they all agree on is that the best blade for this type of work is one of Uncle Bill's khkuris! But be careful, HIKV has no cure!
smile.gif


Tom
 
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