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

[skammer]

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!

Agree 100%. You get sloppy complacent and numb to risks. Hell SAR people get lost all the time (not me ) but it does happen due to carelessness. We just tend to be more prepared, trained and with comms available for when TSHTF and this gives us a safety net.

That said when Murphy comes calling he lets himself in the door without an invite.

Skam

 

[skammer]

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.

Entirely untrue, I can think of many large blades that leave hatchets in the dust when chopping. Its not opinion just physics.

Skam

 

[crossada]

Entirely untrue, I can think of many large blades that leave hatchets in the dust when chopping. Its not opinion just physics.

Skam

i agree to a point but when you start getting into the thicker stuff a hatchet will start to pull ahead. the big blade makes too much surface contact with the wood compared to the smaller edge of the hatchet.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Entirely untrue, I can think of many large blades that leave hatchets in the dust when chopping. Its not opinion just physics.

Skam

Could you list some?
Other than Kukris and the larger machetes and goloks (which personally, I think of as a class separate from "knives"), that hatchet usually does better.

 

[skammer]

Could you list some?
Other than Kukris and the larger machetes and goloks (which personally, I think of as a class separate from "knives"), that hatchet usually does better.

Any thick blade in the 9-12 inch range that is forward balanced and the right edge will outperform a hatchet felling wood up to 3 inches in diameter as a previous poster mentioned. Less than 2 inches it is not even a competition the large blade wins hands down as hatchets tends to bounce or glance off small wood.

As for blades do a search there are many in this category. Beckers, Swamp rats, Rangers etc...

Skam

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Really.
I must be better at putting an edge on a hatchet or kukri because wood in that size range only takes one or two swings with those, much better than I've gotten with a large blade.

 

[skammer]

Really.
I must be better at putting an edge on a hatchet or kukri because wood in that size range only takes one or two swings with those, much better than I've gotten with a large blade.

It is a problem. Some of the larger blades do come with a rather thick edge. If you thin it down to 20 degrees or so it bites hard into smaller diameter wood. I am not apposed to hatchets especially the smaller ones but I find on wood you would be using in a bad situation its better chopped with a large knife. YOu also end up with a knife as well in the end, a few more uses than a hatchet.

On larger wood a hatchet shines but I have never needed more than 3 inch diameter wood for back woods sheter making.

My experience, others may vary.

Skam

 

[FSCJedi]

Off topic much?

 

[Wabajack]

Off topic much?

Not as much as this ;

How did you get your avatar?

I was under the impression that "registered users" were unable to do so???

 

[tarmix101]

Any thick blade in the 9-12 inch range that is forward balanced and the right edge will outperform a hatchet felling wood up to 3 inches in diameter as a previous poster mentioned. Less than 2 inches it is not even a competition the large blade wins hands down as hatchets tends to bounce or glance off small wood.
As for blades do a search there are many in this category. Beckers, Swamp rats, Rangers etc...

Skam

I agree with Skammer but not for the same reason. I know how to re-profile a hatchet so bouncing off small diameter limbs has not been a problem for me. However with the longer cutting surface on a large blade (I went out and bought an Ontario machete because of this thread) you have less of a chance of missing the branch. A hatchet has about 2 1/2 " of cutting area, where as a large blade has 5-8" of cutting area.

 

[HoB]

Any thick blade in the 9-12 inch range that is forward balanced and the right edge will outperform a hatchet felling wood up to 3 inches in diameter as a previous poster mentioned. Less than 2 inches it is not even a competition the large blade wins hands down as hatchets tends to bounce or glance off small wood.

As for blades do a search there are many in this category. Beckers, Swamp rats, Rangers etc...

Skam

3" I would say is the absolute limit and requires a blade in the 12" range to compare to a hatchet and I wouldn't necessarily call that "heavy" chopping but rather medium to light chopping. Heavy chopping in my book is a log for which you need several to many strokes to get through.

 

[skammer]

3" I would say is the absolute limit and requires a blade in the 12" range to compare to a hatchet and I wouldn't necessarily call that "heavy" chopping but rather medium to light chopping. Heavy chopping in my book is a log for which you need several to many strokes to get through.

For that I use an axe or a chainsaw, neither I carry off trail 10 miles. Dont plan on building log cabins so a decent chopper fits my bill.

Skam

 

[HoB]

That may as it be, I was more referring to post 62 were you say that it is not true that a hatchet will outperform a large knife on heavy chopping.

 

[Any Cal.]

(I went out and bought an Ontario machete because of this thread)

To my mind, the machete does not qualify as a knife, due to it's thinner construction and simple bevel. Yes, the machete will do well, but while it is a chopper, it is not a knife. In my opinion, better in many ways. It will be lighter than a knife of similiar length, be tougher in some ways, and more easily sharpened. Not a bad deal, but not a chopping knife.

BTW, I have the 12" w/ the orange handle, convexed. What are you getting?

 

[skammer]

That may as it be, I was more referring to post 62 were you say that it is not true that a hatchet will outperform a large knife on heavy chopping.

I have used both and in my experience a large blade chops better on wood up to 3-4inches diameter. My experience. Its one of those cant believe it till they see it. Many have and now agree on my courses.

Skam

 

[k-spar]

I have used both and in my experience a large blade chops better on wood up to 3-4inches diameter. My experience. Its one of those cant believe it till they see it. Many have and now agree on my courses.

Skam

I know you must be sick of discussing this skam, as it seems to come up all the time. But I still got a question before I decide to buy a bigger knife -

Do they do as well for processing fire wood? Wider wood is quite nice to keep fires going throughout the night - so do you do that ever? Or, do you use a saw or something and then baton the big knife to split?

I think I may be getting a big Becker soon...

 

[skammer]

I know you must be sick of discussing this skam, as it seems to come up all the time. But I still got a question before I decide to buy a bigger knife -

Do they do as well for processing fire wood? Wider wood is quite nice to keep fires going throughout the night - so do you do that ever? Or, do you use a saw or something and then baton the big knife to split?

I think I may be getting a big Becker soon...

I will actually chop some logs about 2 inches across to put some coals in. Then I find several standing dead wood trees/logs and feed them into the fire never having to cut them at all. Saves labor and energy, a little trick I teach.

A large knife splits just fine using a baton. Matter of fact because the blade goes all the way through I find it easier to split knotty wood than with a hatchet which gets hung up or stuck sometimes.

Skam

 

[k-spar]

I will actually chop some logs about 2 inches across to put some coals in. Then I find several standing dead wood trees/logs and feed them into the fire never having to cut them at all. Saves labor and energy, a little trick I teach.

A large knife splits just fine using a baton. Matter of fact because the blade goes all the way through I find it easier to split knotty wood than with a hatchet which gets hung up or stuck sometimes.

Skam

yeah I can definitely see how it's better at batoning. Well, I may get one. I'm always looking for ways to lighten my pack.

 

[HoB]

I agree on the batoning. For most people (like me) with limited chopping experience batoning a knife is faster and safer than splitting with an axe. I don't have much arguments about the advantages of using a large blade for chopping of 3"-4" wood. I have a problem with calling that "heavy chopping" and the claim that a large blade will outperform an axe on heavy chopping. A good 10-12" blade will clear up to 2" wood in a single strike, 3" will take 2 or 3 strikes. That can hardly qualify as "heavy chopping" and in my experience on 6" a large blade will be significantly behind a good hatchet and will hopelessly lose against a 20" hunting axe.

 

[Wabajack]

I'm always looking for ways to lighten my pack.

If you’re looking to keep pack weight down you should ditch the choppers all together. I have spent a good deal of time in northern Ontario during winter (Wabakimi Prov. Park) for several days at a time, and a folding saw was sufficient for keeping a good sized fire going.

However, a big knife/axe can make life easier, I usually don’t mind the extra weight when I do pack em’.