Chopper Review

halfserrated

halfserrated

Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
983
OK, sorry for the delay in posting. This one doesn't involve quite as many knives as the Bushcrafter review, but it still is a wide variety of knives. Categories for comparison are a little different for this one.
The knives:
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Ranger RD9 modified by Scott Tanguay 1/4 inch 5160
Ranger RD7 1/4 inch 5160
Charlie Ridge Survival Knife 1/4 inch 5160
Sticshooter SSK 1/8 inch L6
TC Blades Chopper 5/32 O1

Full set of pics here:
http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/halfserrated/?action=view&current=bd2b22da.pbw

All the knives would shave hair and push cut newspaper prior to chopping

I have a few more categories for this one as I did a few more things to try and find a winner. Scaled 1-10, 10 being the best.
Categories
1. Chopping-10 swings with moderate pressure. Then measured the depth of the cut. The same piece of seasoned wood was used for all the knives
2. Fuzzsticks-How difficult was it to make a fuzzstick
3. Spear point-How easy was it to make a spear point
4. Finish of the knife-From handle to blade
5. Handle comfort-How comfortable was it after 30 minutes of use
6. Balance of the Blade-Was it cumbersome for a knife of its size
7. Edge Retention-Could it push cut newspaper after chopping. Any chips or rolling in the edge

First up is the Ranger RD9. Handle and blade were modified by Scott Tanguay
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1. Chopping-10/10. 3 inches of depth. Great chopper.
2. Fuzzsticks- 8/10. Did a pretty good job for such a big blade
3. Spear point-8/10. Again, great job
4. Finish of the knife-10/10. Scott did a great job with the finish and the handles
5. Handle comfort-7/10. Handles were comfortable, but after extended use, the grooves on the handle started giving hot spots
6. Balance of the Blade-9/10. For such a big blade, it is very well balanced
7. Edge Retention-8/10. No chipping or rolling. Would push cut paper with some difficulty.

Next is the Ranger RD7. Knife has a saber grind with a convexed edge by me.
12-1-08103.jpg

1. Chopping-9/10. 2 inches depth after chopping
2. Fuzzsticks- 7/10. Some difficulty with fuzzers
3. Spear point-8/10. Worked fairly well
4. Finish of the knife- 7/10. Let's face it, Rangers are users
5. Handle comfort-7/10. Not great but not bad. Had some hot spots after about 20 minutes.
6. Balance of the Blade- 8/10. Knife fairly well balanced. Is just forward of the handle
7. Edge Retention-9/10. No chipping or rolling. Push cut newspaper easily.

Next is the Charlie Ridge Survival Knife
Here it is in hand
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Here it is with my sheath setup with Leatherman Wave
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1. Chopping-7/10. 2 inches Didn't do poorly, just quite a bit shorter than the others, limiting my leverage
2. Fuzzsticks-10/10. Stellar job here
3. Spear point-10/10 Again, great job
4. Finish of the knife-9/10. Handle and blade with great finish
5. Handle comfort- 9/10. Handle was comfortable with only a minor hotspot after 30 minutes
6. Balance of the Blade-9/10. Balance is just forward of the blade
7. Edge Retention-10/10. Push cut paper with ease. No chipping or rolling.
 
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I haven't been able to pick up a Ranger yet - RD7 or RD9. I would like to get one though. Thanks for the review.

I'm very, very hesitant with the Ontario planned production after the way RAT was treated.

That's off topic, sorry.

Do you have any pictures of your resulting chops, fuzz sticks, etc?
 
Next up is the Sticshooter SSK
12-1-08098.jpg

1. Chopping-10/10. I don't know if it was the thickness of the steel, or the geometry, but 4 inches after 10 chops
2. Fuzzsticks-9/10. Easy going here
3. Spear point-9/10. No problems
4. Finish of the knife-6/10. This is a user, not a showpiece
5. Handle comfort-8/10. Had two hot spots after 20 minutes
6. Balance of the Blade- 8/10. Actually a couple inches forward of the handle
7. Edge Retention-10/10. Still ridiculously sharp after chopping, fuzzsticks, and making spearpoints.

Lastly is a TC Blades chopper. This one is similar to a Dave Beck Pathfinder.
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1. Chopping-8/10. 2.5 inches depth
2. Fuzzsticks-10/10. Super thin fuzzies with this one
3. Spear point- 10/10. Really easy here
4. Finish of the knife-7/10. Again, a user. Nice finish.
5. Handle comfort-8/10. Had a couple of hot spots at the end.
6. Balance of the Blade-6/10. Is quite a bit forward of the handle
7. Edge Retention-8/10. No problem with the paper or chipping.

Overall:
1. Chopping-Goes to the Sticshooter SSK. Really good chopper
2. Fuzzsticks-TC Chopper and Charlie Ridge Survival
3. Spear point-TC chopper and Charlie Ridge
4. Finish of the knife-Ranger RD9
5. Handle comfort-Charlie Ridge
6. Balance of the Blade-Ranger RD9 and Charlie Ridge
7. Edge Retention-Sticshooter and Charlie Ridge

For a Straight Chopper, I would take the Sticshooter. If I am going to pick one do it all, I would go with the Charlie Ridge. Thanks guys.

Andy
 
A very interesting review.

The one thing I take away from this is how great the L6 type steels are for hard use knife blades.

As in my recent test of a large Koyote chopper, the thinner saw blade steel really performs well, even when compared to much heavier blades.

Thanks for taking the time to do the testing and to compile your results.




"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike
 
Actually, the TC is just a tad lighter. It is a very beefy blade. I will put them on the scale and get you the actual weight.
 
Good reviews! Thanks for the taking the time and posting that for all of us!
 
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