chopping

[harrydog]

I am ready to put in my order for a Busse. I want something that is as short as possible but will still have some decent chopping ability. From what I've read, the Steel Heart at 7 1/2" does an OK job of chopping but obviously not as good as the Battle Mistress. Do you think that the new 6" vresion of the Badger Attack would still be able to chop reasonable well? I'm not talking about all day chopping, just some small to medium branches from time to time. I will go with the Steel Heart if I need to. This will be a camping knife which will be used for a wide variety of things. Thoughts? Help me please!
Thanks,

Bill

 

[harrydog]

One more thing. Is Jerry taking orders for the new (6" blade) knife yet and when will it be available?

 

[sevenedges]

For a camp knife I would personally go with the Steel Heart as it will most likely far out chop the new Badger. It will just have more hitting power. My opinion. Jeff

 

[storyville]

Well, here goes a minority opinion (i.e., from someone who prefers *smaller* knives):

I recently purchased an INFI Steel Heart II; great knife as others can attest. But for me, it is a bit *too big*, and consequently remains unused. Actual specs, FYI: edge is fully 7", blade incl nice finger choil is 8", blade width (which it maintains for most of its length) 1-13/16", blade-heavy 16 oz. (withOUT the sheath).

I do mostly cycling/camping and moderate-distance hiking and climbing, and the combined bulkiness and extra weight just isn't worth it. Again, I haven't put the SH II through its paces, but I am familiar w/khukuris and use that as a measuring stick. Given that, I imagine the SH II (esp w/its notable blade-oriented balance) would be a GREAT chopper. Maybe "OK" vis-a-vis the B.Mistress, but probably far better than any other 7"-8" blade.

The Badger Attack weighs fully 11 oz. I haven’t yet handled one, but have used a Chris Reeve Mountaineer II, which also weighs in at 11 oz. That’s pretty hefty and very adequate for light chopping, in my view – e.g., “small to medium branches from time to time.” The B.Attack has the advantage over the CRK 5.5” fixeds, for my needs/wants, w/its wider blade, flat grind, more ergo handle, and (of course) INFI. I’ll bet that the B.Attack makes for an decent chopper in a relatively compact size.

I'm seriously considering selling the SH II and ordering a B.Attack for this reason. But again, this is just IMO – I’m not much of a chopper, anyway. Anything requiring heavy chopping can likely be acomplished faster, more safely, and with less energy with a Pocket Chainsaw, IMO.

My .02 --
Glen

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Storyville :

Anything requiring heavy chopping can likely be acomplished faster, more safely, and with less energy with a Pocket Chainsaw

The last time you said that it didn't sound sensible to me but I didn't have a pocket chainsaw or similar. I have used the wire saws but after snapping a couple of them I lost interest quickly. I did take an old chainsaw blade and hack one together, and even considering the pocket chainsaw is supposed to be more than twice as efective, my results were very poor. But I figured that maybe I didn't know what I was at as I never used a pocket saw before. I have used folding ones and smaller bucksaws, but was open to the fact that there was something that I was overlooking that was causing me to get very poor results.

Anyway I contacted Will Kwan who is familiar with the pocket saws and has several variants. I asked him if he could comment on the relative ability of a saw and a decent chopper. He used a "Short Kutts" and a 15" Ang Khola khukuri from HI. He averaged about 60 +/- 5 s with the saw, and 21 +/- 2 with the AK on spruce 2x4's. He was also much less fatigued with the AK which of course would make a huge different in the long run.

-Cliff

 

[storyville]

Cliff,

Hey, if you’re here to accuse me of being insensible, you’ll need to step to the back of a very long line. Despite (or because of?) my mental shortcomings, I find Will’s results surprising and contrary to my experiences. Go figure. Then again, I haven’t tested the two – pocket chainsaw and 15” AK – side by side. Also, Will is undoubtedly far more adept w/his 15” AK than I am (and chopping more generally), so why not throw in my physical shortcomings, too.

In any case, as I’ve noted elsewhere, I typically favor the versatility of a sturdy smaller fixed and p.chnsaw as part of my gear, over a big fixed for a variety of reasons. It’s not for everyone (or most). Just choices shaped by my particular preferences, perspective, and experiences. Different strokes ...

Glen
(My apologies to Harrydog for leading this thread slightly astray ...)


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Thank me -- my posts make yours sound smarter.

 

[JDS]

Glen,

Don't beat yourself up or apologize for your gear preference. After years of going through gear "phases" I've finally arrived at the notion that what I like and what works for me is what I want. I too prefer smaller knives for camping/hiking and tend to think that the huge "survival" knives are overkill for my needs. I camp with minimal impact and have often done multi-day trips with what fits in a daypack. If I want wood for a fire (my guess is that what most of the chopping is for) then I break branches off of deadfalls and stomp 'em into the right size. However, unless I'm really cold, I'll usually dispense with the fire and just hit the sack. As far as shelter is concerned, I've always got a tarp or similar item in reserve. On past trips I've carried everything from hatchets to machetes to just a pocket knife and have always managed. However, my new Busse #5 has just become my new hiking friend

I guess my point is that what works for you (small knife + pocket saw) works and there is no such thing as the one piece of "right" gear for everyone.

Yours in Nuclear Pocket Saws

,

Jeff

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Glen :

I find Will s results surprising and contrary to my experiences.

Do you in general get better performance with the saw (are you using the same model?) or worse with the khukuri?

-Cliff

 

[storyville]

Cliff,

I believe both tools work well for me. Perhaps my comparison between them is a bit forced, particularly as I haven’t “tested” them. Moreover, I associate them w/different uses and contexts. The 15” AK obviously is a great chopper, but I simply don’t pack it for the hike or ascent. Like JDS, I don’t take down or break up big wood very often. And when I do, it is typically at the end of a long trek when I am already fairly spent. It’s easier and safer for me to use a P.saw than a big blade; and easier to carry along the way. (5 oz, less than 3” sq.; this is the “newer” version of the Short Cutt, which I’ve used before and performs pretty much the same, I believe).

So my preference for a P.saw over a khukuri doesn’t boil down to a singular aspect of performance. In an equivalent context, how would they measure? My *sense* is that I could get through a small 6”-8” diameter tree or branch faster w/the saw than w/the khukuri. (Seems logical enough to me.) Will need to test them together one of these days. I do know that I can work quickly and efficiently w/a P.saw even at the end of a long day when I am tired -- which is not when I imagine chopping away w/an AK.

A bit more than .02 --
Glen


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Thank me -- my posts make yours sound smarter.