Chopping videos in HD, 29+ Knives, axe, hatchet and saws (+ new SARGE 7)

The Browning Crowell/Barker is very impressive,for the $$ it seems like a great buy, under $100 wow,so I ordered two.Thanks again.
 
rafa, I am glad you ordered them and hope you like them as much as I do. The factory standard version works well but with a thinned out edge it really comes alive. I had 2 of mine re-handled and they are very nice. On one of them the stock handle is slightly modified with rounded edges and to my hands it is an improvement in comfort over the factory handle.

Anyway, today I had the pack ready, waiting for my SARGE 7 to arrive and to take it chopping. But it did not make it so I will do that tomorrow. So I just grabbed a couple of hatchets, NMFBMLE and a FBMLE.

I did not consider chopping through this 6 inch trunk with the Gransfors Bruks Mini Hatchet but someone posted a request for me to do it, so I did.

Well it was a sad day for 2 reasons:

1) I chipped a chunk off my beloved little hatchet
2) It confirmed again that I am an idiot.

I think it breaks at 2:47. On the HD version I see the chipped piece stick in the wood at 2:47 and stays there until 2:49 when it drops out.

I blame myself, not the hatchet. I think I did not use it in the optimal way and pushed it beyond its capabilities.

I was hasty and did not prepare as I should have to use it properly. I tried to rotate the trunk to chop a shallower V all around it but because the trunk was curved it would not roll and stay in place. It kept rolling back. The jumps in the video are edits where I tried to wrestle the trunk into a different angle but the trunk won.

So I just cut on one side mostly into a very deep V on a broad trunk. To avoid hitting my hand on the trunk I sometimes did not chop into the middle of the trunk but on the edges and did not connect with the entire edge of the hatchet, only with the corners. And the grind is just too thin for such a lot of stress.

Well it is a lesson well learned. I did prepare better for the Husqvarna, using another trunk to stabilize it so I could chop from both ends.

I will definitely buy another GB Mini Hatchet because, if used properly, it is still a favorite tool for me.

Also my first video of the Husqvarna Hatchet:

GB Mini Hatchet chopping through a 6 inch trunk:

[video=youtube;KraGsKin0lY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KraGsKin0lY[/video]


GB Mini Hatchet - chipped by a moron (me) on a 6 inch trunk

[video=youtube;q9_jhtU_eqY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9_jhtU_eqY[/video]


Husqvarna Hatchet

[video=youtube;BSNZ0uUs8mw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSNZ0uUs8mw[/video]



Here is a picture taken from the video that shows the chipped piece stuck in the wood at 2:49:

vlcsnap-2012-02-21.jpg


vlcsnap-2012-02-21-19h57m16s189-Copy-1.jpg
 
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SARGE 7

[video=youtube_share;lxMcvivGx2o]http://youtu.be/lxMcvivGx2o[/video]


SAR 8

[video=youtube_share;hitzdn31pyQ]http://youtu.be/hitzdn31pyQ[/video]



SARSquatch

[video=youtube_share;QmF5dTgRiV0]http://youtu.be/QmF5dTgRiV0[/video]
 
My ranking based on just this first impression is:

SAR 8
SAR 7
SARSquatch

But it was limited use so I will need to do a lot more before I will be absolutely sure.
 
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Those dogs are cracking me up. It's funny how out of the entire forest the one place they want to roughhouse is directly where you are working. Like a couple of kids. Ha!
 
I would like to see a SARGESQUACH .25 thick as apposed to the .187 and the skeletonized handles, I just love that Tall blade and full zero convex grind.
 
climbingrocks said:
Those dogs are cracking me up. It's funny how out of the entire forest the one place they want to roughhouse is directly where you are working. Like a couple of kids. Ha!
Click to expand...


They are quite precocious. They are so used to going to the woods now that they come and pester me whenever they want to go. They sit and stare at me and start barking until I take them. And when I get back home and watch the videos and they hear the chopping and themselves they get all excited and want to go out again.


NMFBM

I was very excited to receive a .249 thick NMFBM yesterday so took it out today to compare to the NMFBMLE and others.

I changed the approach today and did several longer durations with each knife and then did several knives consecutively, and in different combinations for more immediate comparisons.

I chopped for about 1 hour 15 mins but did not have any issues with hotspots while chopping. :thumbup: I think starting with fresh hands made a difference vs chopping with sore / blistered hands in the previous videos. I also gripped forward on the knives and did not let them slide forward so that avoided the pinky-bite issue. Also, I have light calluses now from all the chopping so that also helped.
Now, a few hours later I feel a little sensitivity in the typical areas, pinky and V between thumb and index finger but not so much that I would not be able to chop if I wanted to.

I also wanted to do a little more with some of the medium size / lighter knives to compare them among themselves as well as to the dedicated choppers, specifically the B11.

Typically I would turn the trunk and chop a shallower V all around the trunk, or at least from 2 sides, but I did not do it today because I wanted to see how the knives performed in the deep V.


Knives used:

-
NMFBMLE
NMFBM (.249 thick)
FBMLE
B11 Asym
B10
SAR 8
SARGE 7
NMSFNO
SARSquatch


[video=youtube;iPDwHhJ-t08]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPDwHhJ-t08[/video]

[video=youtube;E-W3f9cJXH8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-W3f9cJXH8[/video]

[video=youtube;BnE70oG8woc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnE70oG8woc[/video]

[video=youtube;9YUY2aZAv_Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YUY2aZAv_Q[/video]

[video=youtube;jkiFlytx324]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkiFlytx324[/video]

[video=youtube;NobVEBm0V8s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NobVEBm0V8s[/video]

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

[video=youtube;93ooHQdHFYE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ooHQdHFYE[/video]

[video=youtube;WJowqDt3h7M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJowqDt3h7M[/video]

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

[video=youtube;DS9jGcaF7SQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS9jGcaF7SQ[/video]
 
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Wow! What an awesome thread!

Thanks so much for the great videos and all the hard work :thumbup:

Would you be willing to give any kind of ranking from this most recent set of videos, maybe separating groups of knives into similar weights or blade lengths?

What are your thoughts about the Sarge 7 now that you've had a little more time with it? Did you notice any kind of vibration or otherwise negative characteristics while working on a large trunk like this? I've been loving how mine performs, for it's weight and size, but I don't have nearly the collection or experience with that many different models and I also haven't used it on anything that large yet...would love to hear your thoughts :cool:

Keep it up, and thanks again for your epic HOGdom :cheers:
 
l2lku2,
After your last chopping session with the Battle Mistresses and rested hand's, would you still have the opinion you had before, where you said, you preferred the Basic 11 out of all of them? I found that opinion interesting, and why I ask!
 
I am glad that you are enjoying or finding something useful in the thread. I am having a blast with the chopping and then trying to analyze the videos after. It is hard for me to analyze them so I can't imagine that it can be very informative for others who did not do the chopping, so I was considering whether to post any more.

One area where my opinion has softened is re. my strong dislike of the thin exposed heel causing the pinky bite. I did not have any issues with it yesterday for reasons mentioned. So for a few hours chopping it is still OK. But I still feel that if I had to do this for a few days in a row or for much longer duration, with tired hands it would cause an issue as in the past. So while my opinion has softened, it has not completely changed. I still think that fully extended, rounded scales in that area, and scales that flare more in the rear would be an improvement. I really would like to see a large chopper with the Regulator handle.

On the rankings, here is where my current thoughts are:

The .249 NMFBM edge is thinner and it penetrates better than the NMFBMLE. There were a few times yesterday however, especially when when the V was very deep and narrow that I felt like I missed the extra heft of the LE. But in reality I would not chop into such a deep narrow V on such a thick trunk (unless I had no other choice). I would choose thinner wood if available and rotate it more for shallower V cuts. As they are now, with factory edges, I would choose the NMFBM over the LE for chopping. But I am very curious how the LE with a slightly thinned out edge would perform.

Here is where things are still a bit cloudy for me and my opinion might change over time so I am not truly comfortable expressing an opinion. But if pressed for an opinion, I still feel that the B11 is a better chopper than the NMFBMLE because it penetrates so much better and it is so much lighter that I feel I generate much more speed with snap cuts. With the NMFBM it is hard to say because the penetration advantage is smaller, the heft of the NMFBM is an advantage and I can generate reasonable speed.

But considering the respective weights:


NMFBMLE .... (32 3/8 oz)
NMFBM .... (28 7/8 oz)
NMSFNO .... (20 3/8 oz)
SAR 8 .... (18 1/4 oz)
SARSquatch Competition Finish (16 7/8 oz)
B11 .... (16 7/8 oz)
B10 .... (14 3/8 oz)
SARGE 7 (14 1/8 oz)

I am still of the opinion that the B11 is a lightweight competing very well in the heavyweight division and I do not see anything displacing it at the top of my all-time favorite Busse list or kicking it out of my backpack.

On the medium / lighter knives.

I do not know where to put the B10 yet. I know for sure that I will not put it in the league of the B11, not even close, or with the other two heavyweights so am grouping it with the medium / lighter knives. I know it is somewhere near the top of the list, but am not exactly sure where. So I will just go with a guess based on my best recollection at the moment, but again, this could be totally wrong.

SAR 8 (I am convinced this out-chops the B10)
B10 & NMSFNO (I am not sure about these two)
SARGE 7
SARSquatch

The reason for me, why the NMSFNO does not rank higher, despite its weight and great edge profile for chopping is because of its slightly wider handle and relatively short blade - I struggle to generate much wrist action and speed for snap-cutting.
 
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It is infomative l2lku2. Your opinion's along with other memeber's on here, are very good indeed, when one is shopping for the best chopper that fit's their need's. I appreciate the effort's you have put forth and have enjoyed watching your video's.:thumbup:

Edit, Not to mention the variety of model's you own, and your willingness to use them. Great Job.... and should be a sticky IMO, for easy reference!
 
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I wanted to post recognition to GB for standing behind their product.

Thx everyone for the advice re. the warranty. I was not going to replace it under warranty because I thought it was my fault but comments here, on Youtube, emails and a phone call convinced me to send GB an email.

I sent them a link to the video, I told them I thought it was my fault and that I was not expecting them to replace it if they thought so too. I told them I would be a lifelong customer regardless but I was interested in what they thought.

They responded that I should have used a larger axe but that this one should not have broken. They replaced it. They stand by their product! The dealer that I bought it from did not have replacements so I contacted the US distributor. Grand Forest Inc. were incredibly helpful and I received a replacement yesterday. Thanks GB and Grand Forest Inc.

I will now buy two more to say thanks, a Small Forest Axe and a Hunters Hatchet and maybe some more Wetterlings too.

I had another great customer service experience with Busse also in the last week. It is so rare to find companies like Gransfors Bruks and Busse that back their products and it is companies like these that will forever have my loyalty.

:thumbup::thumbup: Gransfors Bruks and Busse. :thumbup::thumbup:
 
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l2lku2 said:
The reason for me, why the NMSFNO does not rank higher, despite its weight and great edge profile for chopping is because of its slightly wider handle and relatively short blade - I struggle to generate much wrist action and speed for snap-cutting.
Click to expand...

For me is viceversa. Without the wider handle how you called, the balance will be too forward and you will increase chopping power but the rest automatically becomes a pain.
 
Just rehashing one of the best video comparison threads ever done on this forum. Good weekend viewing for all. Thanks to the OP for having done all this hard work.
 
Nice bump Cobalt! If not for the "too many stickies" issue I'd say this thread and Tim's collection thread should be pinned up top as references for all.
 
Great thread resurrection! I'll echo the sentiments on the SAR8 and B11. 2 knives that perform better than most.
 
Wonder how the 1311 would have compared with these other beasts? Or a sharp 18 inch Ontario for that matter.
 
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