Chop off TEST Cold Steel Vs. Busse PICTURES

really impressive, seems a lot of fun :D

Other things to test:
Not only the heavy duty work, but the fine cutting, like preparing fuzz sticks (sp.?), whittling etc.
After that test, I really thing about getting a Trail Master!

Saludos to denmark!
(what a nice coutry, have great memorys to Klitmöller, Römö, Voropör)

surfer
 
Great review and pics of the choppers !

I have been wanting a nice Kukri for a while now,
and have always thought the Cold Steel ones were nice for the money.
The handle also looked very comfortable.

I see a couple of the Satin Carbon V 5/16" ones on ebay, think I am going to have to grab one.

Think about $180 is an ok price?

~John
 
I think I payed $120 for mine alsom on ebay. Go for it.

Surfer
Rømø is nice the other places to.
Maybe I should try some lighter work tomorrow.

Cheers,

André
 
500jefferyDK said:
The kukri felt a little heavy for this type of work but it was no problem working with it.
Click to expand...

Did you notice any advantage to the curved blade in regards to a hooking ability on the limbs?

Please note that the log gets a little thinner after a piece is chopped of.
Click to expand...

You can compensate for this by using a running ratio. Start off on one tree with one blade so on that stick it will always cut slighter wood and then on another tree reverse it. When you average them together all the blades cut similar amounts of wood. In a short period of time the results will stabilize to a very precise ratio. You can also alternate on one tree so cut HOFSH, TM, TM, HOFSH, etc. . That gets a bit confusing though with multiple blades.

The front part did not go as deep as the centre of the blade!!! I tested this theory many times. I chop very relaxed and maybe the weight from the handle can explain this.
Click to expand...

The tip is much faster but has much less inertia and thus is easier for the tree to stop due to torque issues and thus in general the maximum position for power transfer is much closer to the handle.

[Trailmaster]

The precision of this knife is amazing it is very well balanced and even felt a bit to light but cuts deep enough.
Click to expand...

I had a Trailmaster a few years back, it had about 50% of the ability of an 18" Ang Khola on lighter chopping. This was at less than half effort as I compared a bunch of knives while clearing lots one year. The edge on mine was fairly heavy though at 0.045" thick and 18 degrees per side. Can you measure the profile of yours? How are you swinging the blades, is it mainly arm or shoulder or are you using hips and back as well?

Seems like a finer edge on the INFI steel is the way to go.
Click to expand...

For chopping yes, as high a polish as you care to apply for all steels generally. Have you ever used a decent small hatchet like the Bruks Wildife or Wetterlings?

-Cliff
 
André thanks much for doing the tests and taking the outstanding photos!


If you are looking for suggestions for future tests, I would suggest trying a machete, a small axe or hatchet, and maybe a pruning saw (such as the Laplander) on the same kind of pine logs that you used in your first round of testing.



Best regards,



- Frank
 
Great tests Andre'! Its really nice to see knives in action and comparisons. Really nice photos too. Thanks again!


John
 
Thanks for starting the thread, Jeffery. There's a soft spot in my heart for bowies and choppers. It's nice to see the theories borne out in practice.

Gryffin said:
I like the way André approached this, keeping a constant, comfortable level of exertion rather than, say, equal impact force, or rate of swings per minute, or some other artificial measure. That's what a real user in the real world would do, and it's a good test of how effective these knives are in real use. Likewise, swinging at full strength for maximum effect on each swing isn't realistic either, outside of cutting competitions.
Click to expand...

My favorite thing to do with my great big blades is possum and coon eliminating. Pretty much every cut I do is at maximum speed, because it has to be. The way the tools react during such dynamic situations is of utmost importance to me. If I were faced with a task that would require me to spend a whole day swinging a blade like that, I'd probably opt for a chainsaw and loader tractor (with other implements as necessary) instead. :)

500jefferyDK said:
The HOFSH ... Note that I chop with the centre of the blade and not the front part.!!! The front part did not go as deep as the centre of the blade!!! I tested this theory many times. I chop very relaxed and maybe the weight from the handle can explain this.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's exactly what I'd expect from a blade made like that. I'd personally prefer things done a little differently to move the "sweet spot" further out toward the tip.

500jefferyDK said:
The Trail Master felt allot lighter and worker very well for this task. It was the fastest of the lot...
The precision of this knife is amazing it is very well balanced and even felt a bit to light but cuts deep enough... Check out the precession work clean cuts.
Click to expand...

Yep. Another nice benefit of better balance is better control. You don't need as much raw power if you can put that power into better use. I mentioned this some time ago when my friend used my bowie on a possum. The thing stopped just as he was running up and beginning his swing. Because the knife is balanced to allow quick maneuvering, he was able to redirect mid-swing and connect with the varmint. If he had tried that with my khukri, he likely would have chopped his own leg. :eek:
 
Cliff Stamp said:
Did you notice any advantage to the curved blade in regards to a hooking ability on the limbs?

Only on the smaller limbs and they whare no problem for any of the knives anyway. Thge curved part did work as a hook and that was cool but not a biggy.

You can compensate for this by using a running ratio. Start off on one tree with one blade so on that stick it will always cut slighter wood and then on another tree reverse it. When you average them together all the blades cut similar amounts of wood. In a short period of time the results will stabilize to a very precise ratio. You can also alternate on one tree so cut HOFSH, TM, TM, HOFSH, etc. . That gets a bit confusing though with multiple blades.



The tip is much faster but has much less inertia and thus is easier for the tree to stop due to torque issues and thus in general the maximum position for power transfer is much closer to the handle.

[Trailmaster]



I had a Trailmaster a few years back, it had about 50% of the ability of an 18" Ang Khola on lighter chopping. This was at less than half effort as I compared a bunch of knives while clearing lots one year. The edge on mine was fairly heavy though at 0.045" thick and 18 degrees per side. Can you measure the profile of yours? How are you swinging the blades, is it mainly arm or shoulder or are you using hips and back as well?



For chopping yes, as high a polish as you care to apply for all steels generally. Have you ever used a decent small hatchet like the Bruks Wildife or Wetterlings?

-Cliff
Click to expand...


Ohh I used a half grip on the Busse, graping the rear and not the whole handle.

I have used axes, who hasen't I use a Gerber hand axe but I am testing knives that can do chore that axes can't. I am not intersted in findeig the best thing that chops things in half but interested in finding the best knife that can also chop. The smaller stuff like notchiung and remooving bark is no problem for most knives.

I think I will try to do som presission work tomorrow with the two knives.

Cheers,

André
 
Cliff Stamp said:
Did you notice any advantage to the curved blade in regards to a hooking ability on the limbs?


You can compensate for this by using a running ratio. Start off on one tree with one blade so on that stick it will always cut slighter wood and then on another tree reverse it. When you average them together all the blades cut similar amounts of wood. In a short period of time the results will stabilize to a very precise ratio. You can also alternate on one tree so cut HOFSH, TM, TM, HOFSH, etc. . That gets a bit confusing though with multiple blades.



The tip is much faster but has much less inertia and thus is easier for the tree to stop due to torque issues and thus in general the maximum position for power transfer is much closer to the handle.

[Trailmaster]



I had a Trailmaster a few years back, it had about 50% of the ability of an 18" Ang Khola on lighter chopping. This was at less than half effort as I compared a bunch of knives while clearing lots one year. The edge on mine was fairly heavy though at 0.045" thick and 18 degrees per side. Can you measure the profile of yours? How are you swinging the blades, is it mainly arm or shoulder or are you using hips and back as well?



For chopping yes, as high a polish as you care to apply for all steels generally. Have you ever used a decent small hatchet like the Bruks Wildife or Wetterlings?

-Cliff
Click to expand...

Only on the smaller limbs and they whare no problem for any of the knives anyway. Thge curved part did work as a hook and that was cool but not a biggy.


Ohh I used a half grip on the Busse, graping the rear and not the whole handle.

I have used axes, who hasen't I use a Gerber hand axe but I am testing knives that can do chore that axes can't. I am not intersted in findeig the best thing that chops things in half but interested in finding the best knife that can also chop. The smaller stuff like notchiung and remooving bark is no problem for most knives.

I think I will try to do som presission work tomorrow with the two knives.

Cheers,

André
 
500jefferyDK said:
I have used axes, who hasen't I use a Gerber hand axe but I am testing knives that can do chore that axes can't.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was mainly interested in finding another common chopping tool we both have used, specifically I would be curious if you find the Trailmaster chops that size of wood more or less efficiently than a similar sized hatchet say 12-14".

-Cliff
 
Frank.
If you are looking for suggestions for future tests, I would suggest trying a machete, a small axe or hatchet, and maybe a pruning saw (such as the Laplander) on the same kind of pine logs that you used in your first round of testing.
Click to expand...

I am thinking about getting a machete - The new Cold Steel 97 MKM but I have not seen it up for sale yet. It is a half machete and half Kukri IMO Looks like this:

ColdSteel97MKMmachete.jpg


I have a Smatchet from Böker in 440C but it is light and I do not think that it will do better then the Kukri.

BkerSmatchet440CSDS.jpg


Cliff

Yes, I was mainly interested in finding another common chopping tool we both have used, specifically I would be curious if you find the Trailmaster chops that size of wood more or less efficiently than a similar sized hatchet say 12-14".
Click to expand...

I will bring my axe and give it a try. Good point and it would be nice to know if the larger knives made the axe exspedable. It would allow one to bring other stuff instead like vine and busse.

I had a Trailmaster a few years back, it had about 50% of the ability of an 18" Ang Khola on lighter chopping. This was at less than half effort as I compared a bunch of knives while clearing lots one year. The edge on mine was fairly heavy though at 0.045" thick and 18 degrees per side. Can you measure the profile of yours? How are you swinging the blades, is it mainly arm or shoulder or are you using hips and back as well?
Click to expand...

When testing the power strokes I used my whole body. I am a martial arts instructor Wing Tsung and Escrima and know how to swing blades and other weapons quite well. When chopping I am relaxed and I snap the knife before impact by closing my hand firmly just before impact. Working with knives and other hand tools for longer periods requires technique if one is not to get tired to fast.

I plan on getting some more practice with the HOFSH LE so that I will also master that knife. At this point my conclusion is that the HOFSH LE it more difficult to master then the Trail Master. Please take into consideration that The Trail Master is a knife I know well.
I think that a thinner edge would make the HOFSH LE go deeper when chopping. I also think a polished edge would make the knife work better for chopping and I think that the Steel con hold this thinner edge and not effect edge retention.

I am sharpening the knives later today and will go out and do some more tests.

Stay tuned

Cheers,

André
 
Sounds good I'd like to see the Fallkniven MB used in a wood eating test like the above testing. I'm curious as to the edge stability and edge holding abilities of the steel they use. Thanks,
 
BladeScout said:
Ditto.

Some threads are better left dead, as this one with banned members (Cliff Stamp) etc.

Amd why on earth necro a thread with a post, which would have held up its own perfectly well in a new thread all of its own.
Click to expand...
Great thread.
Im game for a new thread though.
Wonder how i could get a knife of my design in there for testing. (I love tests and well done write ups like this)
 
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