Chopper vs. Machete?

euroross

euroross

Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
1,746
At what point would you call a chopper a machete, is there a cut off in inches? Im in the market for one or the other, and I keep going back and forth. Any thoughts?
 
I don't know if there is a specific cut off for length to specify between a chopper or machette. I know for me I consider a machette to have a thinner blade profile and more flexible blade, than a chopper. My favorites are my esee junglas for a chopper and the esee light machette for that. the machette out chops the junglas on most things.

take it easy
cricket
 
Chopper in my book dont exceed 10". When you consider a the blade thickness they get too heavy and become one dimensional. I have both a few choppers and a few machetes. I like my machetes better. I get less tired and they can do more in my book. If I break a machete...I dont sweat it. My Junglas is so rarely used it isnt funny! In fact I am looking to dump if for it is a zombie chopper and a novelty for my use. As cricket has said the ESEE Lite machete is nice and is one of the most expensive machetes. Yet still significantly cheaper then a big blade chopper like the ESEE jungle. I have a few condors and a few marbles. Blades are thinner penetrate deeper but can get stuck more than a chopper. And because the are longer and thinner the flexibility is more apparent.

No you said you are in the market for one or the other...what are you looking to do with it? Clear bush=machete, take down small saplings = machete, clear tall grass = machete, etc. Chop a log = Chopper. Much past that they are not very useful. They are too heavy, long and thick to do much past chopping. I am on not a fan of the big blade fetish. I have carried on on 2 trips and never used it! Was too big. I used my Sven saw which was faster and easier and my A1 for pretty much everything under the sun. If I need to clear something...then a machete. But honest I dont get the big chopper thinking. If zombies attach, I might still want a machete or a kukri. Just my 2 cents
 
My choppers have stayed at home for the most part since acquiring these. Been using a a Condor Golok or Kabar Cutless Machette mostly. The Kabar is very close to being "just a big" knife. I find them much more comfortable to use than any chopper I have. Yeah, about a 10" blade is probably the cutoff for me.
 
soapboxpreacher said:
But honest I dont get the big chopper thinking.
Click to expand...

Just for when a big knife is handy...nothing more.:)
Building shelter, preparing firewood, clearing out a nice space for camping, and getting those damn thorn tree branches out of my way; that's what I use the chopper for (Junglas has been very useful for all those things).
 
I have really enjoyed the recent hybrid offerings of short 12" machetes. Fiddleback and Blind Horse make them currently along with past models of very inexpensive, high values 12"ers from Cold Steel. The CS 12" barong just cant be beat.
A short 12" thin bladed spring steel machete, a 4" fixed, a Bahco folding saw and a multitool is in my standard kit.
 
I feel that choppers are designed to handle knife-like tasks and wood chopping--not so much vegetation clearing. Machetes, while usable for knife work with a bit of skill, are designed specifically for vegetation/wood work.

By virtue of this difference in design approach, choppers tend to be shorter and thicker--the shorter length allows them to still be used for knife-like jobs, while the thickness adds mass to make it more suitable for chopping.

Machetes are available in shorter lengths, but are typically longer and thinner than choppers. Heavier patterns are usually produced by making the blade wider rather than thicker, though one sometimes encounters machetes that are of a thicker nature. These thicker machetes are not choppers by virtue of having been designed specifically with vegetation/wood clearing in mind, though like many machetes they may be pressed into service for many other tasks. The reason for some machetes to be made shorter is usually for when clearing dense underbrush or in circumstances when a longer blade is unable to be packed.

On occasion, drawing the line is difficult as the piece may exhibit characteristics from both sides of the fence. In these circumstances one might consider the piece in question to be a chopper/machete hybrid, or the piece may be classified as one vs. the other by virtue of which side of its functions has been given the priority by the designer.
 
Last edited:
The two are different. I find it interesting that the Junglas is considered a machete. Comparing it to an old machete my coworker gave me to sharpen, it's not even in the same category.

This is typically what happens when you strike a tree with a machete(as well, this is the machete mentioned above):
IMG_0080.jpg


I don't think it was a tree tree, just a small tree, but a tree just the same.
I would use my Junglas for cutting things that would break or damage a normal machete. The weight is definitely on the heavy side, but I could use the exercise:thumbup:.
 
I respectfully disagree with the above--that looks like damage from hitting rocks and dirt. I've taken out trees over 8" thick with machetes--and not fancy ones either. A quality machete of heavy enough pattern (i.e. not one of the specialized grass-clearing machete patterns) you shouldn't have much trouble taking out a tree or five. ;)
 
The blade is actually thinner than most of my folders. Personally, I thought he was chopping bricks with the blade, but he insists he only used it on trees and branches:rolleyes:.
 
Maybe trees and branches that had embedded nails in them? Either that machete is softer than bronze or your buddy doesn't know the difference between a branch and a piece of black iron pipe. :eek::D
 
Well, he's not a knife person, so I assume he might have used it to dig up the roots afterwards. Though I suspect the steel could have been pretty soft as is usual with really old and cheap machetes, though I clogged up 3 P60 belts getting those chips out. Plus the blade would rust simply from being exposed to the air, so I'm guessing maybe O1 steel?
 
That's another thing--the construction of machetes is typically simpler and less expensive than that of chopping knives. This makes use in such an abusive manner perfectly acceptable for many people. So long as it's not your only tool in a survival situation then it's no big deal if you ding it up. Just file a fresh edge on it and continue with your work. When you break it or sharpen it to nothing, just buy a new one. :D
 
Choppers are one thing I guess, but if I was going to get a machete it will be the one offered by Bark River. So if I break it, I CANT, go buy another. Maybe a Golok would be in the middle?
 
I think it really depends on your environment which works better. Around here I prefer a chopper to a machete. Lots of harder wood trees that I need chopping tasks and camp tasks, rather than thinner brush clearing, vines and stuff that my machete would work better at. I do use my machete to cut back at brambles and vines that encroach on my vegetable garden. I prefer the bush hogger however. It lets me do the same job in 15 minutes instead of hours. If I was in swamp country etc though or thick forest, it is the machete all the way.
 
stabman said:
Just for when a big knife is handy...nothing more.:)
Building shelter, preparing firewood, clearing out a nice space for camping, and getting those damn thorn tree branches out of my way; that's what I use the chopper for (Junglas has been very useful for all those things).
Click to expand...

You just described a machete...firewood (Baton) is the only thing it really isnt good for...but then again my marble batons just fine. To be honest A machete and a 5-6" blade covers some much ground a big blade would weight you down. Machetes are longer, lighter, and easier to swing. I have done a chopping test a while back with the marble bolo and my ESEE Jungle and the marble was shockingly preferred! It is longer and has more mass in the front.

[video=youtube;fj4jn6WfPlw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj4jn6WfPlw[/video]

[video=youtube;ety6EG27wso]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ety6EG27wso[/video]

[video=youtube;GLqiAefRw30]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLqiAefRw30&feature=related[/video]
 
I like my Ontario Cutlass Machete, at 12" long and 1/8" thick, it's right in the middle. It's not a full size machete, nor thick like some choppers, but it's a great inexpensive chopper. I think it out chops my Junglas, cause it's longer, and the weight is forward.

I've used my ESEE Lite machete to clear soft vegetation, fence rows, and to chop wood. It bites deep, but is a bit thin to push it to hard.

I also have a Culberson Bolok, it's a 12" blade, but at 13/64" thick (fat 3/16"),it's just too heavy for me to consider it a machete. The Ontario 12", they call it a machete, and I guess it could be.

Thickness, weight, and blade profile might be just as important as length, when drawing lines between the two categories. More so might be how well they chop vs how well they cut soft material, too much weight makes the job more difficult on vegetation, IME.
 
Choppers are usually thicker and shorter than machetes. The two are really very different in feel and function. I like something along the lines of a 12" machete because it is light, compact, fast and easy to use.



Custom machetes:
http://www.akiblades.com
 
Its funny, I see a couple people here refer to the Junglas as a chopper when comparing choppers and machetes. I consider the Junglas to lean closer to machete, personally. I would consider my Gerber Australian Bowie (their answer to the Cold Steel Trailmaster) a chopper. It has a 5/16 thick 9 1/2 long clip point blade. Whereas my Junglas is flat, wide, longer, and thinner. You know.... more macheteish :-D

Its the Junglas that goes with me, when I hit the woods though. It has tackled everything I've ever asked it to. I live in Florida, though, viney, tropical, if I lived somewherelse, I might prefer the Bowie. I find it strange that so many have had good luck with more traditional styled machetes (compared to the Junglas) ALL OF THE REGULAR MACHETES IVE USED have sustained damage from rather light use. That edge that everyone said must be from rocks is exactly what all my (non Junglas) machetes look like from just a little light chopping of sapplings. Now I will say the Junglas is my first machete that cost more than 5bux so that could have something to do with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top