Chopping knife ?

TwinStick said:
To the OP, many great suggestions have been made. IMO, you simply can not do better than the Ontario SP8 Spec-Plus Machete. 10" blade, 1/4" thick, 1095 high carbon steel, comfortable handle & great sheath, Made in the U.S.A. (not the sheath) & all for $49.99. Bang for the buck is VERY HIGH. Has 2 cutting edges (main blade & tip) sawtooth side is worthless as a saw but makes for good jimping when choking up on the blade (which you can do with 2 fingers instead of one).

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All it needs is a little neatsfoot oil on the leather parts of the sheath & a proper sharpening. Mine is scary sharp. Took about 30 min. If i could only have one of my knives for everything, this would be a strong contender, if not THE one. :D
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that one is really a butcher of a knife. I've used it a couple of times in the woods and trees are not safe from it.
Also very good for digging, we had to get rid of a stump one time, when a buddy forgot to check the place where he was lying on the ground. Turns out, after he had set up his tarp and all, that there was a major tree stump right underneath his spine. So out came the ontario :D

BryFry said:
Plenty of great knives already metioned here so far! I'll throw in one more, I'm really liking the Crowell/Barker Competition knife by Browning. Excellent chopper, and not too expensive IMO. :)
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The competition knife is a nice knife, but is is lacking in weight if you ask me.
With this knife it takes me about twice as long to go through a 2x4 during bladesports competitions than with the jose diaz knife
 
zyhano said:
The competition knife is a nice knife, but is is lacking in weight if you ask me.
With this knife it takes me about twice as long to go through a 2x4 during bladesports competitions than with the jose diaz knife
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Interesting! ....So, what is a Jose Diaz knife?


Edit: Just took a look at them. Pretty nice, but not an entirely fair comparison, as the Diaz knife costs about 3 times more and has no usable tip on it. I wouldn't mind playing with one though! :)
 
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Hard to go wrong with an HI Khuk for a chopper. Some of the most durable chopping knives you can buy, and at a much better price for the steel and handcrafted nature of the piece than any other chopper out there that I've seen.
 
for a low cost hi-performer the ka-bar kuk is top of my list. not adverstised as a chopper but more a brush clearer we cut down bois'darc to 9 & 10 in. plus some cedar elms with no chipping or dings.this blade is not in the class with my siegle kuk which outcuts any hatchet i've tried but for the price its a great bargain. the siegle costs about 10 times the price of the ka-bar & is worth every penny but newbies & people on marginal incomes i suggest the ka-bar.---dennis
 
BryFry said:
Interesting! ....So, what is a Jose Diaz knife?


Edit: Just took a look at them. Pretty nice, but not an entirely fair comparison, as the Diaz knife costs about 3 times more and has no usable tip on it. I wouldn't mind playing with one though! :)
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You're right about that, but it IS a really great chopper as the OP asked for :)cutterat800onnewtable.jpg
 
Ontario Knife Company has several good choices, from $50 on up to the $100 or so range. The ones I likecome from the Ranger RD series. The RD-9 would be a great choice I would think. Comes with your choice of black, tan, or orange micarta handles, clip point blade, and is constructed of 5160 carbon steel that is 9.5" long X .250" thick, with an overall length of 15". This is a stock picture;

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Cutter17, those are excellent as well. I have a Ranger RD6 Signature Series. It is my most prized knife to date. 3/8" thick---no, not a misprint. By the time i saved up enough to get a matching Afgan sized sig series, they were all gone.

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Ontario Gen II SP50. Highest value chopper I know of. Most versatile, after all it's a KNIFE first and foremost, not an axe. Bulletproof. Readily available. Get one and don't waste your time chasing unicorns like Busse/kin.
 
foxx said:
My favorite is my Culberson Bolok. 13/64" thick 5160, 12" blade came shaving sharp, and still is. Bruce makes excellent blades, handles, and sheaths.
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That Culberson is sweet. Looks like a great chopper.

Arakiel said:
Ontario Gen II SP50. Highest value chopper I know of. Most versatile, after all it's a KNIFE first and foremost, not an axe. Bulletproof. Readily available. Get one and don't waste your time chasing unicorns like Busse/kin.
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Arakiel

Whats the difference between the Gen I and II? Are these full tang? I heard the handles come loose sometimes.
 
I've owned a bunch of what's been mentioned...I still love my Kershaw Outcast w/ full convex. Crazy tough D2.
 
BryFry said:
Interesting! ....So, what is a Jose Diaz knife?


Edit: Just took a look at them. Pretty nice, but not an entirely fair comparison, as the Diaz knife costs about 3 times more and has no usable tip on it. I wouldn't mind playing with one though! :)
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Can't help but reply to this.

Thanks for taking a peek at my knives. You might find this knife useful, as it does have a usable tip. It's the same design as the Cane Toad, but for customer who want a tip on their knives.

The Pointy Cane Toad:
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If you are truly interested, I would be willing to send it to you to just give it a try. PM me for details.
 
The mother of all choppers (IMHO) is the Busse FBMLE. It's like a sledgehammer got it on with a straight razor. :thumbup: The NMFBM is pretty darned good too.:)
 
Jose Diaz said:
Can't help but reply to this.

Thanks for taking a peek at my knives. You might find this knife useful, as it does have a usable tip. It's the same design as the Cane Toad, but for customer who want a tip on their knives.

The Pointy Cane Toad:
IMGP0072.jpg


If you are truly interested, I would be willing to send it to you to just give it a try. PM me for details.
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WOW! That is a nice looking chopper, and a great offer! I've never used a knife with a handle angle that pronounced. Love to give it a try!

Will PM you shortly.
 
norcalblacktail said:
Arakiel

Whats the difference between the Gen I and II? Are these full tang? I heard the handles come loose sometimes.
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Norcal, I cannot attest to the handle coming loose. I've beaten and twisted the blade within reason and have not had it fail. I do not know what the difference is between the Gen I and II, because I don't have a Gen I. I have read a thread on Noss' site that speaks of the handle loosening on the Ontario Gen I's with (I assume) heavy batoning. This has not happened to mine. Honestly, I use my knives for scraping and slicing, perhaps a little prying and digging but rarely chopping and hammering. In the times that I did use it for impact work, it performed without flaw. In my extended outdoor practices, I usually carry a folding hand saw, a 4" fixed, a small folder/neck knife and a machete or a hatchet. The times I generally carry a long blade with me are when I am screwing around close to home, when I just want to carry only one tool and not care that much about what happens to it. for me, the SP50 fits that bill. Would I choose to carry it with me in the deep wilderness? No. Would it be welcome if it was the only choice I had? Of course.
Also, there is detailed information attributed to the designer of the SP50 on the Ontario site relating to the manufacturing process and the consideration they take in quality assurance. Being that I am in a manufacturing field, I can appreciate the effort. Honestly, there is nothing in the description that concerns the choice of handle design or material. If the knife has a weak point, the handle is it.
 
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For chopping 5160 is by far the best choice. Its extremly tough and wear resistance is good. 1095 Is tough enough for a chopper but I wouldn't buy one in s30v as its much more wear resistant than tough.
 
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