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Just musing off and on today. Is there anything that you can do with a fixed blade that you can't do with a hatchet? I haven't thought of anything yet.
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Fixed Blade and Hatchet Comparison
- Thread starter Morablades
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With the wider blade of the hatchet i'd say that it would dig much better than a knife. And if you need to pry something just stick the whole edge of the hatchet in and lever away with the poll in your hand within reason. If you need to hammer or break something the poll of a hatchet is good to go on a quality one IME. A sharp hatchet can cut most anything a large FB can, even better at butchering large game IME. A FB is better at camp kitchen tasks IME if the size is reasonable and the blade is'nt too thick that it thwarts slicing IME.
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Fixed blades chop onions and potatoes much better then Hatchets. Of course, hatchets chop bigger trees better than fixed blades!
You can't dig out splinters very well with a hatchet. Fixed blades are terrible at pounding nails into wood. Both can be used to split wood.
You can't dig out splinters very well with a hatchet. Fixed blades are terrible at pounding nails into wood. Both can be used to split wood.
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I think I'll stick with my intended question. Personally I think my hatchet chops a hell of a lot better than my fixed blade. Let me add that I am speaking in terms of bushcraft / survival skills. Sorry I didn't specify that. If I thought my fixed blade can do better than my hatchet then I wouldn't leave it at home when I go hiking.
What I do with a hatchet:
Carve
Skinning
Gutting
Chopping
Hammering
Striking flint
Dig
Self Defense (haven't had to do that yet)
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Big knives work better at machete-type tasks than hatchets, cutting vines, trail clearing, etc. I'm not really a big fan however. I don't have a big enough need for those properties here, but if I did I think I would prefer a machete instead of a big 1/4" thick knife.
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So far, there are only a couple of things that I've found a fixed blade to do a lot better than a hatchet.
First, the fixed blade is almost always more comfortable for me to use for extended use when cutting. It also lets me be more precise and careful than I'm capable of being with the hatchet. I will also be less fatigued after using my knife for carving/chores than if I use my hatchet throughout.
Secondly, I can split larger pieces of wood more easily with a knife than a hatchet, once the wood becomes beyond a certain size.
Hatchets (or especially the Fiskars) can do a lot more than people might often give them credit for. Certainly 'broad function' tools.
I'm still quite torn between whether I prefer carrying my beloved Fiskars or a large fixed blade. Both feel good for different reasons and both do a lot of things well. Too many choices!
First, the fixed blade is almost always more comfortable for me to use for extended use when cutting. It also lets me be more precise and careful than I'm capable of being with the hatchet. I will also be less fatigued after using my knife for carving/chores than if I use my hatchet throughout.
Secondly, I can split larger pieces of wood more easily with a knife than a hatchet, once the wood becomes beyond a certain size.
Hatchets (or especially the Fiskars) can do a lot more than people might often give them credit for. Certainly 'broad function' tools.
I'm still quite torn between whether I prefer carrying my beloved Fiskars or a large fixed blade. Both feel good for different reasons and both do a lot of things well. Too many choices!
Yeah, a whole lot of things, obviously. Ever try to do any kind of precision wood work (or indeed any precision work) with a hatchet? It's hell. With a proper fixed blade designed for that kind of thing, it's a breeze. Big stuff, sure, you can (and should) do it with a hatchet rather than a small fixed blade. Hatchets are heavy and cumbersome to use for small work. I'd much rather use a fixed blade.
Which brings me to a fave rant of mine. It seems that a lot of non-Scandinavian people equate "fixed blade" with "huge thick 9 inch chopping knife", and leave work that requires thin blades and precision to folders. This is something I have never been able to understand. There is absolutely no valid reason why you could not use a fixed blade for precision work - in fact, a properly made small fixed blade is far superior to any folder for this kind of work, in terms of strength, toughness, ergonomics and a host of other things. The only downside is the fact fixed blades require sheaths to carry, and don't just close and slip in your pocket like a folder might. On the other hand, fixed blades don't close on your hands either, and will never fail to open instantly. People that haven't actually used small fixed blades (and not small but .25" thick ones) for precision work of course will not be able to think of much that you couldn't do with a hatchet pretty much as easily as with their idea of a fixed blade (that is the huge chopping knife one). Although, some tasks like limbing a tree in the thickets would be much easier with a chopping knife than with a hatchet.
Personally, what I'll bring depends on what I'll be doing. I will always bring a small fixed blade for any small work that may require precision or just take a long while to do. And I'll bring either a hatchet or a larger fixed blade for the bigger work, depending on what it will likely be. The hatchet is a pretty traditional choice, but large fixed blades are fun to use.
Which brings me to a fave rant of mine. It seems that a lot of non-Scandinavian people equate "fixed blade" with "huge thick 9 inch chopping knife", and leave work that requires thin blades and precision to folders. This is something I have never been able to understand. There is absolutely no valid reason why you could not use a fixed blade for precision work - in fact, a properly made small fixed blade is far superior to any folder for this kind of work, in terms of strength, toughness, ergonomics and a host of other things. The only downside is the fact fixed blades require sheaths to carry, and don't just close and slip in your pocket like a folder might. On the other hand, fixed blades don't close on your hands either, and will never fail to open instantly. People that haven't actually used small fixed blades (and not small but .25" thick ones) for precision work of course will not be able to think of much that you couldn't do with a hatchet pretty much as easily as with their idea of a fixed blade (that is the huge chopping knife one). Although, some tasks like limbing a tree in the thickets would be much easier with a chopping knife than with a hatchet.
Personally, what I'll bring depends on what I'll be doing. I will always bring a small fixed blade for any small work that may require precision or just take a long while to do. And I'll bring either a hatchet or a larger fixed blade for the bigger work, depending on what it will likely be. The hatchet is a pretty traditional choice, but large fixed blades are fun to use.
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Elen you bring up really good points.
Going with the other guys and thinking of a large, 1/4" thick chopper type blade, then other than work soft vegetation or smallish branches off standing wood, there isn't a hell of a lot the large cruiser blade can do that the hatchet can't.
I think it's natural to assume he was comparing it to a large knife, because there's a whol ehell of a lot a hatchet can do that a small knife can't, or can't do well, while the hatchet can be pressed into doing almost anything the small blade can. Like you said, the small blade is best for precision work, but everything including prepping small game/fish can be done faily easily with the larger blade/hatchet.
Your rant is valid, but I think mine is more to the point. My rant is: what the hell is the deal of only choosing ONE? Since the dawn of tool making humans, men have carried combos. Even Oetzi the flippin' ice man had both a hatchet and a knife! Look at other cultures. The Nepalese carry a "duo" of the kukri and karda (very large and very small knives) with a sharpening/striking steel thrown in for good measure. Most northman cultures carried a hatchet and a small blade. More recently you have the Nessmuk trio of hatchet, medium fixed blade and small folder (which could just as easily be a small fixed blade). Even your people tended to carry a hatchet or axe along with a puukko, sometimes a leuku as well. Tropical peoples tended towards small swords (which evolved into what we see as machetes, goloks and cane knives) along with a small knife.
I think this insistance on only carrying one thing is what leads to the big chopper mentality. I mean, I've gone through the elimination process, and if I was going to only bring one blade with me, it'd be the most versatile, which is the big bruiser. Yet, it's a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none thing again. They aren't as good as a hatchet/kukri/golok for big work and aren't as good as a puukko/karda/pen knife for small stuff.
So what I can't see is why it's so hard to go out with at least two "sharps", instead of just one. I mean are we that lazy that a couple pounds kills us? We want to go have fun, but aren't willing to any effort into even that?
Going with the other guys and thinking of a large, 1/4" thick chopper type blade, then other than work soft vegetation or smallish branches off standing wood, there isn't a hell of a lot the large cruiser blade can do that the hatchet can't.
I think it's natural to assume he was comparing it to a large knife, because there's a whol ehell of a lot a hatchet can do that a small knife can't, or can't do well, while the hatchet can be pressed into doing almost anything the small blade can. Like you said, the small blade is best for precision work, but everything including prepping small game/fish can be done faily easily with the larger blade/hatchet.
Your rant is valid, but I think mine is more to the point. My rant is: what the hell is the deal of only choosing ONE? Since the dawn of tool making humans, men have carried combos. Even Oetzi the flippin' ice man had both a hatchet and a knife! Look at other cultures. The Nepalese carry a "duo" of the kukri and karda (very large and very small knives) with a sharpening/striking steel thrown in for good measure. Most northman cultures carried a hatchet and a small blade. More recently you have the Nessmuk trio of hatchet, medium fixed blade and small folder (which could just as easily be a small fixed blade). Even your people tended to carry a hatchet or axe along with a puukko, sometimes a leuku as well. Tropical peoples tended towards small swords (which evolved into what we see as machetes, goloks and cane knives) along with a small knife.
I think this insistance on only carrying one thing is what leads to the big chopper mentality. I mean, I've gone through the elimination process, and if I was going to only bring one blade with me, it'd be the most versatile, which is the big bruiser. Yet, it's a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none thing again. They aren't as good as a hatchet/kukri/golok for big work and aren't as good as a puukko/karda/pen knife for small stuff.
So what I can't see is why it's so hard to go out with at least two "sharps", instead of just one. I mean are we that lazy that a couple pounds kills us? We want to go have fun, but aren't willing to any effort into even that?
I think you've got some really good points there.
I think in some ways the "just one" fixation is also connected to daydream fantasy stuff that we all occasionally indulge in. You know the Hero and his signature tool.
Arthur had Excalibur, Jim Bowie had his Bowie knife, Arnie had his one Survival knife when he went up against the Alien in "Predator".lol.
And part of it is the idea that if you carry too many tools/gadgets it means you are less skilled and are technology dependent. Of course how many tools are too many is subjective. It can get extreme to the point where just having one is the "ideal'. So the less tools you need/have the more skilled and manly you are.
Also theres the recurring survival scenario where you have "just one", Basically you've been separated from your backpack and just have the gear on your person.
(But why can't you have more than one item on your person?
)For me I generally think in terms of weight of tools not number of tools.
I used to be a big knife guy but now i'm more of a hatchet guy.
The big old Blackjack Anaconda II i used to carry weights more alone than my Fiskars Hatchet and SAK and Mora combined.
However the Ananconda II looks a lot cooler than the Fiskars/SAK/Mora combo! lol.
So i guess the "eye-candy" factor plays into the "just one" ideal as well.
Now that is a good question! :thumbup: I have always liked to carry a little "extra", because it'll make things easier. I'll carry a small knife and a big knife (or that hatchet), rather than one large knife. Sure, it weighs (sometimes) a little more than just one "do-it-all-decently" tool would, but the weight is not that big a deal. Weight you can deal with, by making yourself stronger - but you can't turn your fingers into knife or axe blades no matter what you do, so you'll just have to bring those with you. A very small woman in decent shape can easily haul around a knife and a hatchet on top of all other reasonable backpacking gear, so it shouldn't be any challenge for us grown men, eh? Plus, it'll be a good workout. Of course, some people like to "work out" by bringing the minimum challenge possible. I'm sure that's a good idea for people recovering from injuries or illnesses, but if one's healthy, what's the point of trying to go ultralight - unless one's just going to admire the scenery with zero intention to challenge oneself physically.
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Just to make this clear. My point on this thread was not to find if you could only carry one. It was really the mindset that say your in a pinch and the only thing you were able to grab is your hatchet. Can you multi-task with it? Same with a knife? I leave my fixed blade at home because I don't use it. I carry a couple folders instead. I don't mind carrying the weight, but if I go out into the bush two or three times and find that I don't use my mess kit, which I don't, then it's not coming with me. I can be just content using what's around me especially on four or five day treks.
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I hiked with one guy who was an exercise buff. We finished a two day hike in what seemed like half the time. I myself like to enjoy hiking a little more, sit at the fire for hours, etc. I've carried the weight and it wasn't hard at all. I've carried that weight for five years hiking.
Maybe the "i can survive with just a SAK/Multi/Folder" and the "i can survive with just an Axe/Big Knife" are two sides of the same coin.
Minimalism is not a bad idea as excessive amounts of gear can be an unnecessary burden.
But sometimes people can take minimalism to an extreme of sillyness.
Kinda reminds me of that Monty Python sketch "The Four Yorkshiremen".
Minimalism is not a bad idea as excessive amounts of gear can be an unnecessary burden.
But sometimes people can take minimalism to an extreme of sillyness.
Kinda reminds me of that Monty Python sketch "The Four Yorkshiremen".
Well, in that case, don't you already know the answer? Sure, one can multitask very easily with a hatchet, or even a big axe. No problem. It's got a sharp edge on it, so you can cut with it. But even if one can multitask with a hatchet to do small knife tasks, the hatchet still is, to put it bluntly, crap for small knife tasks. But me, I'd much rather bring something that does the job better, which is to say a small fixed blade along with the hatchet. Man has survived so far because he can improvise tools. Even if you haven't got the hatchet, or indeed anything in the way of tools, there's still a lot you can do with just your bare hands, including making some primitive tools if you really need them.
Well now, certainly nothing about carrying extra weight in the form of extra tools prevents you from enjoying the practice or sitting longer at the fire. Heck, if there's extra weight, that should be just more incentive to sit longer at the fire, resting and just "being" freely, without the bothersome presence of the modern urban society. Exercise is good, but it's important to also relax and just enjoy nature. People do that far too often these days.