- Joined
- May 17, 2006
- Messages
- 4,290
I dont consider myself a collector of anything; however, I do own quite a few knives and machetes. I like light, simple, effective tools that are inexpensive. The kind that I feel comfortable lending out or losing to a customs official abroad. Tools that fit this criteria always see more action and I find that I am never shy about using them to the fullest.
Tramontina
Machetes have been part of my real-world-use gear for about 10 years now. I bought two 12 Tramontina machetes with the intention of breaking one so Id know how far I can push it. I dug, pried, chopped wood that was way too large for a machete, and battoned through as many pine knots as possible without not much more than a ding or two. They used to sell for about $6 each, but they have gone up in price. These things are near indestructible under regular use and have built villages in many parts of the world!
Darth Vader/Storm Trooper Axes
Fiskars
These are the axes people love to hate. At first glance they are just about the ugliest creation I have seen. That aside, they come super sharp and even though it is considered bad axe etiquette to barrow an axe, I dont feel too bad about lending them out as much as I would a high dollar axe. There are traditional axes out there that are 3-4 times more expensive, but they arent 3-4 times better!
Old Hickory/Mora/Opinel/Marttiini
As far as fixed blades go, its hard to beat the cheap, light, and inexpensive Mora and Old Hickory knives! Still relatively cheap, but getting more expensive, the Mora brand fixed blade knives are still the sharpest inexpensive knives out of the box. They truly are the working mans knife in Sweden and have found their way into the kits all over the world. While on a trip in Malaysia, my friend Nadir showed me his survival tool kit set-up and there was a Malaysian Parang with a Mora Clipper attached to the sheath. I have seen more Mora knives come through the survival school classes by the masses along with Tramontina machetes.
The Opinel folding knife from France is most likely the lightest, sharpest folding knife one could carry. My No. 8, with a 3.25 blade, weighs a little over 1 ounce.
Swiss Army Knives
Most of the smaller models can be had for around $20. The hiker seems to be my favorite for light carry, yet does all my woodcraft carving, notching, food prep, and fuzz stick making as well. The One Handed Trekker (OHT) is the larger version of the Hiker model with all the same tools, but with a large locking blade and flat-head screwdriver. The larger saw is definitely more useful than the smaller saw on the Hiker! Cant really go wrong with a Swiss Army Knife from Victorinox or Wenger!
Folding Saws
Ive had the same Fiskars (made in Finland) saw for about 11 years and it has been the lightest saw in its size class (6.5") that Ive come across. For larger wood, I recently acquired a Corona 10 Razortooth saw. It was about $17 and has been used on hardwoods (sycamore, dogwood, oak, sourwood, maple, sweet gum) for many nights sleep next to a long-fire. It weighs 9 ounces and is hard to misplace in the forest.
Tomahawk/Small Axe
I have two inexpensive hawks that I use for chopping, limbing, and sectioning small trees and branches (no wider then wrist or thigh thickness). They carve nicely, and can make some nice thin fuzz sticks after they are modified. My Council Tool Hudson Bay 18 axe was about $25. It is a great little chopper that splits better than my hawks, but I dont split much wood for a fire, rather I just save the thicker pieces for fuel, unless they were wet of course.
All very inexpensive and replaceable tools that I dont think twice about using hard, lending out, or losing in the woods.
What have you all come across that I could add to my arsenal of inexpensive, quality tools?
-RB
Tramontina
Machetes have been part of my real-world-use gear for about 10 years now. I bought two 12 Tramontina machetes with the intention of breaking one so Id know how far I can push it. I dug, pried, chopped wood that was way too large for a machete, and battoned through as many pine knots as possible without not much more than a ding or two. They used to sell for about $6 each, but they have gone up in price. These things are near indestructible under regular use and have built villages in many parts of the world!
Darth Vader/Storm Trooper Axes
Fiskars
These are the axes people love to hate. At first glance they are just about the ugliest creation I have seen. That aside, they come super sharp and even though it is considered bad axe etiquette to barrow an axe, I dont feel too bad about lending them out as much as I would a high dollar axe. There are traditional axes out there that are 3-4 times more expensive, but they arent 3-4 times better!
Old Hickory/Mora/Opinel/Marttiini
As far as fixed blades go, its hard to beat the cheap, light, and inexpensive Mora and Old Hickory knives! Still relatively cheap, but getting more expensive, the Mora brand fixed blade knives are still the sharpest inexpensive knives out of the box. They truly are the working mans knife in Sweden and have found their way into the kits all over the world. While on a trip in Malaysia, my friend Nadir showed me his survival tool kit set-up and there was a Malaysian Parang with a Mora Clipper attached to the sheath. I have seen more Mora knives come through the survival school classes by the masses along with Tramontina machetes.
The Opinel folding knife from France is most likely the lightest, sharpest folding knife one could carry. My No. 8, with a 3.25 blade, weighs a little over 1 ounce.
Swiss Army Knives
Most of the smaller models can be had for around $20. The hiker seems to be my favorite for light carry, yet does all my woodcraft carving, notching, food prep, and fuzz stick making as well. The One Handed Trekker (OHT) is the larger version of the Hiker model with all the same tools, but with a large locking blade and flat-head screwdriver. The larger saw is definitely more useful than the smaller saw on the Hiker! Cant really go wrong with a Swiss Army Knife from Victorinox or Wenger!
Folding Saws
Ive had the same Fiskars (made in Finland) saw for about 11 years and it has been the lightest saw in its size class (6.5") that Ive come across. For larger wood, I recently acquired a Corona 10 Razortooth saw. It was about $17 and has been used on hardwoods (sycamore, dogwood, oak, sourwood, maple, sweet gum) for many nights sleep next to a long-fire. It weighs 9 ounces and is hard to misplace in the forest.
Tomahawk/Small Axe
I have two inexpensive hawks that I use for chopping, limbing, and sectioning small trees and branches (no wider then wrist or thigh thickness). They carve nicely, and can make some nice thin fuzz sticks after they are modified. My Council Tool Hudson Bay 18 axe was about $25. It is a great little chopper that splits better than my hawks, but I dont split much wood for a fire, rather I just save the thicker pieces for fuel, unless they were wet of course.
All very inexpensive and replaceable tools that I dont think twice about using hard, lending out, or losing in the woods.
What have you all come across that I could add to my arsenal of inexpensive, quality tools?
-RB
