BK9 vs Machax Which is a better chopper?

dresnor

dresnor

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Feb 1, 2011
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Ok, I have a void in my lineup. Love my 11, 2, 7, and 10. The 2 and 11 go with me in the woods all the time. My 7 gets used once in a while and my 10 is too new to have had a chance in the woods. What I need in a good chopper. I am looking at a BK9 right now and will order one by the end of the week if nothing comes up. I know it is a great chopper. Then I started to think of all the new/old designs comming out and how much overlap if any would there be with the Machax and the BK9.

Has anyone had a chance to pit these two badboys against each other? Who comes out on top? How will I convince my girl I need both?

Thanks!

Jeremy
 
Wow, I haven't done a side by side, but just over time using both I would give it to the Machax. My current Machax is a safe queen. So, if anybody has both(Bladite, Moose or Guyon, ahem) hop to it.:D Well, not Moose, he's pretty busy. I'd be interested to see the official match up though.
 
well, good question...

i suspect after weekend of Becker Gathering we'll have some details :)
 
Bladite said:
well, good question...

i suspect after weekend of Becker Gathering we'll have some details :)
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I'll bring my safe queen. I'll end up using her anyway, may as well be at her Dad's. That's why I need two, and a Brute!
 
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oh, we'll have old and new machaxes and old and new brutes, combat bowies, "bonecutters", samshers, and a tons of choppers.

course, some of it might be on video ;) there will be tests. sharpenings. good stuff.
 
10 -1 , not a chance. Better maybe. At BeckerWest the camillus BK9 won top prize and a Ka bar BK9 got seconds. They were going up against a busse or two and possibly a Gossman. Bk9 is a bitchen chopper. Granted those two guy were going agro on the 4x4's we were cutting and had pretty good technique. I'd like to see one person who has good technique use both tools and see which chops better. I'll tell you this though, The 9 is hell and gone better than the 1.
 
OREGON FAL'ER said:
10 -1 , not a chance. Better maybe. At BeckerWest the camillus BK9 won top prize and a Ka bar BK9 got seconds. They were going up against a busse or two and possibly a Gossman. Bk9 is a bitchen chopper. Granted those two guy were going agro on the 4x4's we were cutting and had pretty good technique. I'd like to see one person who has good technique use both tools and see which chops better. I'll tell you this though, The 9 is hell and gone better than the 1.
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the 1 with a better grind could be a contender. you'd have to thin it some, and convex it though.

the Cammy 9 has more mass than the KaBar 9. mass might be more important in this regard.

the older Machax is thicker and heaver than the KaBar version to be. i'm going to GUESS that any 9 might outchop the KaBar Machax, however, speed, and technique is key. any Khukri has a sweet spot... the 9's have ... a much wider margin of error... who can say?

i'll have an HI samsher and a HI bonecutter (which i helped "design")... both of those are some of the best of the best of the best of choppers in the khukri world. honestly, i've never met ANYTHING that can do better barring an axe. BK9? bah :) possibly with someone who's a speed freak, arms of steel, and perfect technique...

we'll see ;)
 
Bladite said:
i'm going to GUESS that any 9 might outchop the KaBar Machax, however, speed, and technique is key. any Khukri has a sweet spot... the 9's have ... a much wider margin of error... who can say?
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With this being said, when would you grab a 9 over the Machax or vise versa?

Jeremy
 
The BK9 is my current chopper of choice it is on my pack at all times, It replaced my beloved tomahawk. That being said I had an opportunity to play with the Machax it is awsome and very versitle. I will have a Machax for my pack as soon as one is available. Plus the Machax looks bad xxx and will be a more effective zombie eradication device LOL
 
Agreed, I can't see the machax being very easy to baton, but then it probably wouldn't be necessary with it. So if you like to baton, grab a 9.
 
I remember that the fine chores were easy, plenty of area for different grip choices. I just never batoned with it, so I figured that when doing so the head of the blade would end up at a weird angle. I will try it!
 
IMG_2132.jpg


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Far Left is 2 strikes from a 9. Next is 2 strikes from a Machax. The 2 on the right have a 9 strike to the right and a Machax strike to the left.

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Machax Bite

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9 Bite

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9 on Left, Machax on right.

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9 on left, Machax on right.
 
is that machax all nice and sharp?

the thing that i like about the older Machax, the VERY old ones, was the effectively super thin blade profile coupled with a reasonbly thick spine. the surface treatment (hard chrome) was "slippery" and they just ate wood very nicely. practically convexed in one case.

the one that Jarod has up there, came a little later, with the phosphor-bronze finish, still very smooth and tough, but not a paint at all. blade profile is still quite excellent. probably the best series made according to some - my goto blade, that i will pick up everytime, over most others typically.

i deliberately keep a Cammy 9 out for use, but it's not my goto blade. i'll baton with it, and i'll chop the limbs off stuff and so forth, but ... it's a big chopper thing.

the machax has ... style :) i like khuks more.

the bonecutter has such a fine edge on it, that i've delimbed a fallen maple, chopped up that stuff, and was on my way to bucking the tree itself before the owner came back with lopper shears to help. "ummm, okay... i'll get the waste bags... over here... where it's safe..." :)
 
Technique is definitely a major variable, especially with kukris with a specific sweet spot and handle grip.
Now a fully convexed Machax would seriously rock!
 
good and interesting info Bladite, thanks. what's "bucking"?
 
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