For you, what is the king of the choppers?

Either my BK&T Patrol Machete or Brute or Busse Basic 7 or CS Trailmaster or Marble's Trailmaker...or...annhhh forget it!:p

I think I'll take the Patrol Machete. It tackles all the chopping jobs I've asked of it so far. From brambly bushes to 4" tree trunks, it has rocked and mocked me saying: "is that all ya got?"

If I decide to go lighter and/or smaller, I'll take the Basic 7. It seems to be a pretty good do-all piece too.

Then again, the Trailmaster or the Trailmaker can handle these tasks just as good....GEEZ! Now I'm gonna be tossin and turnin half the freakin night weighing the advantages/disadvantages of each one.:rolleyes:
Why oh why do I even open these threads?
 
I have repeatedly championed the RTAK on the forums. It has a very comfortable handle, wide, flat ground blade, and no rattle kydex sheath. It chops well. Plus it's a bargain. I was looking for a 1/4'' thick, 9'' long blade to complement the RTAK for a long time. Finally, I settled on the Busse BM-E. I just got it in the mail two days ago. Haven't had a chance to use it yet. My intial impressions are very positive.
 
The RTAK is my choice out of the knives you mentioned, but the best chopper is going to be an axe.
 
I have heard that Kukris were the best choppers but the Becker Brute is good esp if you buy it from Brigade Quartermasters. It is less that $100.
 
It depends on what you are chopping.

The Becker Border Patrol is good for the softer stuff. Although a simple Corneta brand Machete also works well at a fraction of the weight and price. The soft stuff is flexible, and spread over larger areas, so it's important to get an efficient fast moving blade that will not tire you out.

For heavier stuff I like to use my ESTWING Camper. The 3/4 size axe format is excellent and will chop wood better than any knife. This is the way you want to go when you want to turn 6-10" limbs into firewood. Watch how you swing the thing though, and make sure that your legs and friends are out of the way.

For general survival/backup there are a slew of good choices with 7-9" blade lengths. Randall, Brend, Busse, and Greco get alot of attention. I always take one of these with me on day hikes, or when I am away from camp, even though they are rarely use. These knives are very versatile, and even if they are not the most efficient solution, you can count on them to get you out of trouble.

Whatever you take, don't forget to take a SAK along.

N2S
 
For me the best chopper is the Estwing Camper's Axe, which can be bought at most hardware stores for under $40.
b1001a.jpg
 
Thanks for all of these awesome replies!

I asked the question just because I started thinking about choppers again. I had an LTC kukri that I traded because It sat unused for a year, and I thought I'd see if I could get something that I'd use and send the LTC to a home where it would be used.

So then I started thinking about people's options. I eliminated axes and such, 'cause I'm a knife knut, not an axe knut! But the options remaining for those who want to decide on ONE chopper are tremeandous.

There are "traditional" kukris from GH and HI. And you get all kinds of sizes, shapes, etc. But those kukris are convex ground, as far as I know, and the grind lien doesn't go all that high up on the blade. Great for combat or heavy chopping I assume, but not as great, comparatively, for slicing type work.

Then there are the "Western" kukris, the Cold Steels and the Brigade Quartermaster/Ontario kukris. Cold Steel's LTC/Ghurka light, mini and ATC kukris are ground like the traditional ones, but al have kind adifferent shapes, and definitely different materials! The Ghurka kukri looks amazing to me, and I like how that one and the Ontario one are flat ground. They would bind more in heavy wood chopping, but they should perform better in slicing type work. Is the Ontario kukri a $50 version of the CS Ghurka kukri? I have heard that oen before. Same profile pretty much, very similar materials, just different fit and finish.

Then there are the "straights", as I call them. You have your Busse BM or Basic 9, your Newt Livesay RCM or RTAK, and othe rlarge blades, liek from MMHW. Easier to sharpen in the field than a kukri I suspect, but if you have your diamond rod handy, or a diafold, I suspect an RTAK and a HI kukri both could be sharpened easily. If you lost your sharpening gear, an RTAK would be much easier to sharpen on a river rock!

Oh, and then there are the Beckers too! Can't forget those. Slightly recurved Brute, Monster looking Matchax which is saber groudn liek a traditional kukri, and the big Patrol Machete.

Lots to choose from! Thoguh I'm not really in the market for a large blade right now, I was interested in this issue because I realize that I should get a large field blade for my "user" collection so I started thinking about what is out there. Picking the "right" blade out of the pack would drive me nuts!

I may post a different thread or two to discuss specific issues (such as kukri types versus the "straights") but please keep your ideas rolling!
 
If its something I will have to carry around for awhile then it would be my BK&T Patrol Machete. Its light weight, fast, tough steel, comfortable in the hand, and carries well via an alice clip on my Alice pack.

For just chopping in a campsite and don't have to carry it too far, the my Himilayan Imports UBE with slab buffalo handle.

If it has to do double duty as a camp knife as well as the main chopper, then back to the Patrol Machete, Brute, or Magnum Camp.:p
 
This would probably work. It's only 120 years old. It features a brass guard, fullered 18" blade and plenty of sawteeth. I bet you thought we were the first ones to think about choppers. :)

N2S
 
Himalayan Imports GRS. Its hard to beat, 2.75 LB weight and a thin grind. At around 25" in the scabbard it does not fit in my day pack very well. My CS Gurkha is only 1.4 LB the extra weight makes a big difference.

Will
 
For about $75 you can get a CS LTC or a Junglee Military Bolo. These are good thin profile blades that will chop very well on anything up to maybe 3" in diameter and also work well doing machete type work. For about $10 you can get a 12" Ontario machete with a sawback that will do the same job as the above but will not do the thicker stuff as well. All 3 will bind when chopping heavy duty stuff.

A good chopper/machete is the Becker Patrol Machete. Works well as a machete and does heavy duty chopping chores very well. I don't carry mine because the sheath sux. I intend to get a better kydex rig in the future.

The best heavy duty chopper ever was the CS ATC. If you can find one of these, get it. Will not work well on light growth but will chop heavy stuff as good as an axe. I had a custom handle put on mine by Jay Maines.

If I could only have one knife that had to double as a chopper, I would go with the Busse BM-E, the Becker Brute or the MMHW Bowie.

The Becker Machax is a good chopper but it has its own special technique that one has to develop in order to utilize it to its maximum efficiency. Like I said, great chopper but not much else.

The kukris, CS, HI, and GH are all good heavy duty choppers. I don't prefer the GH or HI for chopping because the handles are very non-ergonomical for my large hands. Too many blisters for me.

I have never "played" with one but I hear Hossom's machetes are awesome. If his other work is any indication, they're probably right. I intend to have one in the not-too-distant future.

The Ontario Marine Raider is actually a better chopper than their kukri. Ontario had a couple new models of a "chopper" on display at Blade Show. These had a bolo type shape with a THICK blade and a convex gring, very similar to an axe bit. I may check these out when they are available. They came in 3 sizes. Their thin profile Bolo is a worthless chopper.

John Greco's La Duena is a Mac Daddy chopper, also.

These are just the ones I have experience with.

Peace-
Cam
 
That picture is wayyyy cool, Will!!!!!

Gotta get my hands on one of those puppies -- I had fun playing with the Patrol Machete at Ron Hood's place!

Best,

~B.
 
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