For all you Axe vs. Khukri vs. Chopper guys, I did my own testing

coote said:
While I'd like to own some of those beautiful 'brand name' axes and hatchets, I find that these very cheap versions work just fine. I also have a few other hatchet heads that came from junk sales etc. Sometimes these can sell at a very low price because once the handle is broken or loose, the average owner might see very little utility or value in them.
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I bought a couple cheap Harbor Freight hatchets a while ago. They were on sale, and cost about $13 for the both. One is fairly light with a wooden handle, the other significantly heavier with a yellow fiberglass handle. After sharpening, they both work quite well. The fiberglass handled one is quite effective, presumably because of the weight. And extremely durable. I found the smaller wooden handled one to be an excellent thrower. The handle cracked from throwing, and is partially held on by wire and epoxy, but is still useful. Both have epoxied-in handles.

The interesting thing about hatchets and axes is that they are so low tech. Simple, cheap hatchets only need a decent profile. Edges don't even need significant hardening to be effective.
 
Guyon said:
One place that a large chopper outshines a good hatchet is with splitting. With a baton log, you can split smaller logs all day long with relative ease. When I'm building fires, I find these split pieces useful as part of the middle stage. (1. tinder and small sticks/grass/etc. 2. small split pieces 3. smaller logs 4. larger logs) YMMV.
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My mileage varies pretty wildly from this! People should use whatever tool they find best but for me personally, other than clearing brush and extensive prying (neither of which I find especially useful in the bush) I have not found any tasks at which an axe does not outperform a large knife.

Skammer and others believe the weight savings combined with the prying and, I guess, brush clearing, is enough to warrant the big knife over the small axe. I don't find this myself but that does not mean it's not true for others who have different priorities than I do. I don't do the ultralight thing so there's tons of places I could save weight rather than take a less efficient tool.

Also, I live in Canada...anywhere I am likely to be could well be cold enough that chopping up foot-thick trees is a very realistic part of a potential survival situation. I am not going to do that with a big knife and I don't care what anyone says!!!
 
Misanthropist: I agree with you fully. We shall stick with our axes when the going gets ruthless. There is no substitute (in some applications) for a solid, full sized axe. When large segments of lumber need to be handled, a sharp five pounder is an awesome thing to behold.
 
What do you guys think of the Kershaw Camp Axe 1018? They're on sale right now for xtra cheap... I think there's a rule on this site about dealspotting so I can't say where.

Good enough for a little light campsite chopping?
 
misanthropist said:
My mileage varies pretty wildly from this! People should use whatever tool they find best but for me personally, other than clearing brush and extensive prying (neither of which I find especially useful in the bush) I have not found any tasks at which an axe does not outperform a large knife.

Skammer and others believe the weight savings combined with the prying and, I guess, brush clearing, is enough to warrant the big knife over the small axe. I don't find this myself but that does not mean it's not true for others who have different priorities than I do. I don't do the ultralight thing so there's tons of places I could save weight rather than take a less efficient tool.

Also, I live in Canada...anywhere I am likely to be could well be cold enough that chopping up foot-thick trees is a very realistic part of a potential survival situation. I am not going to do that with a big knife and I don't care what anyone says!!!
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I also agree with you. However, I have a bad back and can not use an axe, so compromises have to be made, and for my purposes, a large blade fills the bill. Every one's needs vary dependent on location, skills, goals, etc. and so each of us has to find what does the trick for us.

Probably more likely to find a concensus on (lovely) assistant requirements.:D

Doc
 
Man, I think you would be surprised about the assistants thing! It has never happened here but I've had some nasty pm's and comments left elsewhere so I think consensus on what's attractive might be just as hard to reach on girls as blades!

Anyway that's a great example of why I would never say, "the only correct decision is to take tool X." There are about as many correct decisions as there are people with a need for a tool. In fact, any time I hear people say that sort of thing, I immediately conclude they haven't got a clue what they are talking about! It takes a special kind of dumb to only see one right answer to the "what tool" question.
 
misanthropist said:
Anyway that's a great example of why I would never say, "the only correct decision is to take tool X." There are about as many correct decisions as there are people with a need for a tool. In fact, any time I hear people say that sort of thing, I immediately conclude they haven't got a clue what they are talking about! It takes a special kind of dumb to only see one right answer to the "what tool" question.
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Ok, then take my results to mean
"If preparing for a general outting where I have no forsight into the need for a specific tool, I will choose the hatchet."
 
I generally find the hatchet to be better suited to thicker wood, and a long knife much better for smaller wood. From there it's just a matter of what you plan to do more of, and how much compromise you're willing to accept in the trade. I don't generally find myself chopping thick stuff in my woods loafing excursions, so carry the knife.

If the primary concern is for fire building, we have enough tornadoes here in the midwest that you never really have to worry about finding smaller wood (from downed tree tops) even in old growth oak and hickory forest. Find one downed tree and you can keep a good fire going without a knife at all (heresy, I know), by just breaking the smaller limbs. For all the other woodcrafty stuff such as shelters, tools, traps, and whatnot, I don't think I need to fell a big oak either. My knife will easily keep up with a good hatchet on hardwood up to at least 7" thick.
 
misanthropist said:
Skammer and others believe the weight savings combined with the prying and, I guess, brush clearing, is enough to warrant the big knife over the small axe.
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Most of my dirt time comes in SAR ops and training and thats enough. That said most times I have to use a knife is a survival situation of sorts and no hatchet is a usefull as a medium large knife. I cut, slice,chop, pry, dig, split, pound etc...

I find my blade does this all better than a hatchet if I were to take one tool. Is it perfect? No, but it is the best compromize and weighs less than most hatchets/knife/saw combos. If weight is no consideration (it is) I take an axe not a hatchet. Never have I ever had to chop a foot wide tree or anything more than 5 inches on SAR ops or in training.

This weekend I teach for 48 hrs in the middle or nowhere an advanced SAR course and nobody will have a hatchet but large knives will be used with gusto.

Mileage does vary just my experience 90+ days a year in the bush.

Skam
 
That's cool...whatever works for you right?

Of course if you ever start spending a lot of time in the bush it may change!

Up here - well not right in this town but in this province and on this side of the country - it is of course common for guys to live in work camps in the bush (I am sort of glad to not be doing that anymore) and we spend 90 or so days in the bush...every three months!

But still I don't knock a guy for finding a big knife well suited to whatever tasks he has to do...different strokes etc.
 
misanthropist said:
we spend 90 or so days in the bush...every three months!
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You'd think they wouldn't get lost. Not the case. In the past 6 years we had missions to find bush experts, a park ranger, logger type and trapper . Wish they would bring a radio or PLB makes my job easier. None carried a hatchet, axe or blade larger than a SAK, weird stuff.

Skam
 
akennedy73 said:
that's truly bizarre :confused:

any clue as to why? just general overconfidence?
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You just hit the nail. They went in overconfident and underprepared. The trapper was a bit older and had some medical issues but turned out ok. All three were embarrassed and would not give up much info. To their credit though as I recall they were signalling with different methods and did not wander too far from where they were last scene. All 3 were alone which was bit shocking.

Just goes to show just because you work in the environment you need to be extra carefull not to become numb to the fact you ARE still part of the food chain.

Skam
 
Good report. There is no doubt that a hatchet or small ax will out chop any big knife or machete when heavy chopping is involved. Knives are for cutting axes are for chopping.
 
skammer said:
You'd think they wouldn't get lost. Not the case. In the past 6 years we had missions to find bush experts, a park ranger, logger type and trapper . Wish they would bring a radio or PLB makes my job easier. None carried a hatchet, axe or blade larger than a SAK, weird stuff.

Skam
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Reminds me of the people who figure taxi drivers must never get in accidents...after all they are professional drivers with a staggering amount of experience - they must be PERFECT at it!

Figure that these guys are in the bush 300+ days a year, often in places where the only phones you can get to work are sat phones...which you often don't have anyway...and your radios have been charged and killed five hundred times and don't always work any more because they got dropped down a rock face a few times...and...and...and... unsurprisingly, given the amount of time you spend out there, a few get lost (much like SAR people, who as I'm sure you are aware, also occasionally get lost or injured while looking for someone. Imagine if SAR guys were in the bush 350 days a year, always searching? We would be airlifting out dozens every year and sadly losing a good number forever.)

No profession is perfect! But if you are in the bush 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year, you do end up learning SOME things about being out there! Naturally some guys learn a lot more than others!
 
udtjim said:
Good report. There is no doubt that a hatchet or small ax will out chop any big knife or machete when heavy chopping is involved. Knives are for cutting axes are for chopping.
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There's a world of difference between an axe and a hatchet. One I would agree with you, the other not.
 
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