I love my ESEE Lite Machete! The handle is large, if you have smaller hands, you may want to get the Imacasa/Condor version. I had to chop some seasoned hardwoods, Black Locust I'm told, limbs had fallen from strong winds. So, I set out with the ESEE Lite Machete, a 12" Ontario, the Ka-Bar Cutlass and a Bruce Culberson Bolok.
Each one held their own, if I had been camping, I could have managed with any one of them. It's not too long, as a machete is almost perfect. It's just that for chopping, you have to hit the sweet spot, or you're wasting your energy. That's true for any chopper I suppose. But, with such a long thin blade, you can damage it when chopping very hard wood.
Lite Machete, bites deep, you have to chop at the correct angle. At 90 degrees, it will just bounce off, the shock vibration will travel up into the handle. I did some slight damage to the edge hitting this wood, a few bad swings. The length gives it great tip speed, and it's thin so it bites deep. IMO, this machete can do that work, but it's not the best at it. If you take it to the jungle, it can clear trails all day, then process some fire wood, build shelters, etc.. It's just no my choice for Kentucky camping.
The Ontario 12" Cutlass machete, and even my 18" heavy duty, both 1/8" thick, are great choppers, if.. You have to reprofile the edges, I convexed both of mine. The riveted handles just suck, I replaced those with hickory scales, now it's a useable tool. The 18" chops very well, yet it's heavy. At that thickness and length, you wrists will feel the burn. Neither of these machetes hold their edges all day, chopping wood. They are made to be used hard, I've used my 18" as a sword, a swinging fence post hangs in a shed. I have beat the snot out of this machete, no damage, no chips on the edge, no rolling. I've made the edge fairly thin, and the only damage it's ever got is from rocks in the ground or metal fences(accidental hits). For the money, both are great, but need work out of the box.
The Ka-Bar cutlass is also a great value, but the handle is also on the large side. If you use it hard for hours, it can become an issue. I'm trying too hard to hold on, I get sloppy with too large a handle. The edge can very sharp out of the box, yet these are a softer HT. You can abuse these, but don't expect them to hold an edge all day long, easy to sharpen though.
The Culberson Bolok is my favorite chopper. It's forged 5160, and the edge is perfect for chopping. I've used it on more occasions than all my others, and I've only had to strop it! It's a 12.5" long blade, that is 13/64" thick(that's a fat 3/16"). For me, it's as heavy as I would want. If I allow it's weight to do the work, it takes less effort on my part. I have used it hard, and sweat quite a bit trying to get enough dry wood, my last backpacking trip. A saw would have really helped to save my energy, but it was also fun. I like it because it was made to chop, it can take the impacts, keeps it edge, and I don't have to worry about sharpening in the field. All my other machetes and choppers would not last on a multi-day trip. I can sharpen in the field, but that's just more gear I have to take.
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