Comparing the SHBM, BM-E, and FBM.

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pbubsy

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Can anyone tell me the strong points and weaker points of each version of the Battle Mistress? How good was the BM-E? It seems to look a bit smaller than the other 2, is that correct? Performance wise, which one has the best balance of everthing?
 
All three have their strong points.

The FBM is by far the best chopper on hard woods of the three, hands down.

The BM-E is the worst chopper on hard woods but because of it's lighter blade and it's handle, which requires a firm grip it cuts through brush better. The best handling BM-E is the desert LE's as their handles seem more ergonomic than the other E handles.

The SHBM is in between the two in ability. It chops hard woods better than the BM-E by a lot but not as good as the FBM. It's fast handling blade goes through brush well, but because it's handle is so confortable with a loose grip, the firmer grip needed for brush makes it perform slightly below the BM-E in that environment. It performs better on brush than the FBM which is much heavier.

The best penetrator of the three is the SHBM, with the exception of the Zero Tolerance line which will out penetrate all other factory BM's except for maybe the 1 of 300's.

In the end, it is what you are use too. I have been playing with an FBM a lot lately and have really grown fond of it. The finish is completely mangled on it so I had to strip it and will bead blast it with fine media. It isn't anywhere near as fast handling as the older BM's but it is a much better chopper than either
 
Gravelface said:
Soooo the FBM wins overall?
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Yes, if all your doing is chopping trees down or other hard woods. For brush, the other two are lighter and work better. The BM-E works best for brush with the SHBM close behind. The FBM works best for chopping with the SHBM close behind.

If I was doing a free hanging rope cut I would want the SHBM, Stabbing SHBM again, so there is no clear winner. It all depends on what you want to do. But for straight out chopping on typical hard woods the FBM is better due to it's larger mass and more forward balance than the other two. But this slows it down for other activities such as finer work or brush, etc.

I would not feel a need to change if I had any of these. THey will all perform well.
 
Gravelface said:
Soooo the FBM wins overall?
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no, the straight handled #500 is the holy grail of all BM's. you can feel the power flow from the infi to your arm. the greatest of all BM's, but very dangerous as just the thought of using it can cut something.
 
I've heard about this knife. Wasn't there an incident in Reno?
 
idahoskunk said:

no, the straight handled #500 is the holy grail of all BM's. you can feel the power flow from the infi to your arm. the greatest of all BM's, but very dangerous as just the thought of using it can cut something.
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:mad: :grumpy: :mad: :grumpy: :(
 
Dang - and all I have is these brush cutters......

Oh well guess I will have to make due. After all I am just a simple country boy from the planes....:)



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Would love to try/own an SHBM and FBM but, the BM-E more than handles any real world chopping needs I've had while out camping and hiking, while not adding too much weight to my pack.

finish.jpg
 
idahoskunk said:

no, the straight handled #500 is the holy grail of all BM's. you can feel the power flow from the infi to your arm. the greatest of all BM's, but very dangerous as just the thought of using it can cut something.
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A photo would be appreciated.......bring on a drawer "stinky":thumbup:

:D :D
 
In the end, it is what you are use too.
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That sums it up pretty well. I can't speak for the SHBM yet :grumpy: , but the BM-E and the FBM are both able to do absolutely anything I can imagine using a knife for. They're all amazing :thumbup:

Cobalt, have you figured out how to throw that FBM yet?
 
xaman said:
That sums it up pretty well. I can't speak for the SHBM yet :grumpy: , but the BM-E and the FBM are both able to do absolutely anything I can imagine using a knife for. They're all amazing :thumbup:

Cobalt, have you figured out how to throw that FBM yet?
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yes, I put more force and a little more spin and it sticks:thumbup: I just have to remember the more forward balance point.
 
You got me trying it a bit (throwing i mean.) I've been chunking a HOGSJTAC and a Battle Rat (gonna have to quit the rat though - the res-c won't hold up too much longer... I tried it 'cause it seems to be similiar to the SHBM in shape.)

At certain distances I can do alright (maybe 60-70%). But at other distances I can't seem to do better than 10-20%. Got any pointers???
 
Yes, it's a revolution thing. Pick the distance that sticks it the most and practice there for a long time until you become comfortable with the knife. then you can move onto changing distances by changing rate of rotation. Rubber handles are a pain, because they tend to stick with your hand longer than you think.

Once you get past one rotation sticking a knife gets tricky, so I try to change the speed of rotation and keep my throws within 20 ft
 
Hey Cobalt...you got any pics of your newly stripped and blasted FBM??

Put it next to your blasted SHBM and that'll prolly do it for me. :)
 
360joules said:
Hey Cobalt...you got any pics of your newly stripped and blasted FBM??

Put it next to your blasted SHBM and that'll prolly do it for me. :)
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no, no pics yet, but I will attempt to take some this week if I can. I should measure the blade thickness nowto compare with coated.
 
Though Cobalt's assessment is a good one, there are other factors that may also come into consideration, too. For example, different handle styles fit different hands better, and a handle style that fits your individual hand shape well will often make a better user than one that fits your hand poorly, when doing a lot of work.
 
Evolute said:
Though Cobalt's assessment is a good one, there are other factors that may also come into consideration, too. For example, different handle styles fit different hands better, and a handle style that fits your individual hand shape well will often make a better user than one that fits your hand poorly, when doing a lot of work.
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absolutely. for example the SHBM handles are still the most comfortable for me and I would rather spend the day with it than the others.
 
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