hatchet vs. very large knife?

JM2 said:
That is some might impressive chopping.

I wonder what the time difference would be from a head to head comparison on the same log between that an a hatchet.
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The larger log in the last picture only took almost exactly half an hour with no real breaks.

I suspect a fine edged hatchet of the same weight would be somewhat faster, but as the size of the workpiece gets smaller the hatchet will get slower and the knife faster.
 
I’d guess that log would be ten to fifteen minutes with a hatchet. But then, I wouldn’t tackle it with a hatchet or knife.
 
coolbreezy37 said:
Mineral Mountain Hatchet Works Deep Woods Bowie with overly pronounced clip point removed. I wanted a super tough no frills knife similar to the one Bowie was described as using in the 1827 Vidalia Sandbar Fight.
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You almost gave it the look of their Cabin Fever Bowie, which is itself nearly a dead ringer for the 17th century "Joe Place Sword" Spanish belduque. Did you knock down that clip point lump yourself? Is the false edge on yours sharpened?

Great looking knives over there at Mineral Mountain. Thanks for the info. Let us know how it works out!!

Zieg
 
The Zieg said:
You almost gave it the look of their Cabin Fever Bowie, which is itself nearly a dead ringer for the 17th century "Joe Place Sword" Spanish belduque. Did you knock down that clip point lump yourself? Is the false edge on yours sharpened?

Great looking knives over there at Mineral Mountain. Thanks for the info. Let us know how it works out!!

Zieg
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I had Ted make it that way for me. Swedge is not sharpened. Feels great in hand with very good balance for such a large knife!
 
coolbreezy37 said:
I had Ted make it that way for me. Swedge is not sharpened. Feels great in hand with very good balance for such a large knife!
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How’d that work exactly?

I tried reaching out to MMHW awhile back but never got a response.

I was considering ordering a knife but I have seen some variation in how deeply they grind the front finger guard, and I wanted to make sure I got a nice deep guard…

(Great looking knife btw!)
 
scdub said:
How’d that work exactly?

I tried reaching out to MMHW awhile back but never got a response.

I was considering ordering a knife but I have seen some variation in how deeply they grind the front finger guard, and I wanted to make sure I got a nice deep guard…

(Great looking knife btw!)
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I can PM you his email address if you want. He’s easy to work with. His knives aren’t super fancy but they’re as tough as it gets. Thanks!
 
You should own both, and be proficient in using both. That includes finding different ways to accomplish things they'd not be normally used for. You may be used to doing something with a knife that would be awkward with a hatchet for example, so you have to figure out a different way to make the hatchet work. And vice versa.

I don't see much point in trying to chop with 7 or 8 inch knives. I would not consider less than 12" unless the knife was something special, and I normally prefer to carry a 14" or 18" blade when woods loafing. I tend to end up cutting brush, limbs, thorns, and saplings more than chop firewood, and knives are better for that. If I planned to mostly deal with solid woods, then the hatchet would be preferred. No, actually, I take that back. If I plan to cut a lot of bigger wood, I bring the chainsaw. But there are times when I might have to clear one tree or limb (like when setting up a deer stand for example) and don't feel like lugging the saw, so usually then I carry a boy's axe. Something with a long enough haft to get both hands involved.

I like my hatchets, and do use 'em, but when I can't really carry both a hatchet/axe and a large knife, I usually just carry the knife. For those of you who also enjoy the big blades, I highly recommend you find a Kershaw Camp 14 (model 1076) before they're all gone, since they've been discontinued. The dynamic balance on this blade is really good, making it very efficient. They must have gotten lucky on this particular model, because the 18" bladed version sucks. The full height flat grind makes it easy to thin the edge to your preference, and the grip is secure. The only drawback is the sheaths will dull the edge (Zytel was a stupid idea for this use), so I stuck a zip tie down in the scabbard to protect the edge. It might be the best $45 I've spent in a decade.
 
the possum said:
You should own both, and be proficient in using both. That includes finding different ways to accomplish things they'd not be normally used for. You may be used to doing something with a knife that would be awkward with a hatchet for example, so you have to figure out a different way to make the hatchet work. And vice versa.
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If people did this, there would be a lot less posting on BF. It's more fun to postulate from the armchair than to actually go out and learn something.
 
It's a right tool for the right job thing. If you're in a base camp for a long time and didn't have to hike 30km to get there, you have a proper splitting axe. If you have to walk a ways to get there and aren't staying there for a long time, you go with a forester's axe. If you need something lighter you then realize you might not have the right tool for the right job if you use a hatchet for jobs you would use a full size axe at home (should have packed the forester's axe). This is where the brush axe, machetes, and monster knives tend to take over, but in a lot of cases they should have just taken a forester's axe to get the job done.

I've seen guys carve a bowl and spoon with a sharp hatchet, but all I've ever done with them is split kindling (basically batoning, but with something made for the job and you don't need a mallet). People get crazy ideas that you need to swing a hatchet to split wood and it's just not how it's usually done. If all you have is a big honking knife and you need to do that batoning thing then sure, you do you. An increasing number of bushcraft (camping) knives are getting thicker and heavier over the last decade to be better at surviving someone batoning wood with them.

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I believe that if you are not going to climb Everest, a Fiskars X7 style hatchet, or any other up to 1kg, will not make a difference in the weight of your backpack.
It's the same logic as having a gun:
"Better to have and not need than to need and not have!"
Can a big knife do the job of a hatchet?
Yes you can. But each blade has its purpose.
A big knife will never be as efficient as an axe.
I love axes and hatchets, so with a little skill, you can even do the job of a knife with them.
 
Gato do mato said:
I believe that if you are not going to climb Everest, a Fiskars X7 style hatchet, or any other up to 1kg, will not make a difference in the weight of your backpack.
It's the same logic as having a gun:
"Better to have and not need than to need and not have!"
Can a big knife do the job of a hatchet?
Yes you can. But each blade has its purpose.
A big knife will never be as efficient as an axe.
I love axes and hatchets, so with a little skill, you can even do the job of a knife with them.
Click to expand...
You are a better man than me. I consider every ounce I carry when I am backpacking, because ounces add up to pounds. Kilograms? Forgettaboutit! Even shedding a couple of pounds makes things more enjoyable.

Just so you know, I am an axe person, but the idea of carrying a lighter fixed blade has its appeal. The ironic thing is that most blades people mention here are heavier than my fiskars hatchet. Also, a big blade equals a big sheath, which is just dead weight.
 
Gato do mato said:
I believe that if you are not going to climb Everest, a Fiskars X7 style hatchet, or any other up to 1kg, will not make a difference in the weight of your backpack.
It's the same logic as having a gun:
"Better to have and not need than to need and not have!"
Can a big knife do the job of a hatchet?
Yes you can. But each blade has its purpose.
A big knife will never be as efficient as an axe.
I love axes and hatchets, so with a little skill, you can even do the job of a knife with them.
Click to expand...
dogstar said:
You are a better man than me. I consider every ounce I carry when I am backpacking, because ounces add up to pounds. Kilograms? Forgettaboutit! Even shedding a couple of pounds makes things more enjoyable.

Just so you know, I am an axe person, but the idea of carrying a lighter fixed blade has its appeal. The ironic thing is that most blades people mention here are heavier than my fiskars hatchet. Also, a big blade equals a big sheath, which is just dead weight.
Click to expand...
For me the weight of the pack is going to be determined by essentials and then the pack weight will be modified by distance from the trailhead. I don't feel that much is going to stop me from taking a forester's axe and a saw on a 10km to a spot for an overnighter. For longer hikes I get a bit crazier about every gram,. On a 6 day hike I just had my little Spyderco Walker and on a 4 day hike I carried my Buck 119 (which I noticed the unnecessary weight of).

I have more knives and tools for camping now, but would probably take a Benchmade Bugout, Fallkniven F1, and Silky Saw for anything beyond an overnighter (and someone in the group would have to carry a multi-tool to fix stuff); unless I'm hiking into a base camp for an extended stay, in which case a skinner and a forester's axe are likely coming along too.
 
I really like big knives and totally believe they have a place. That being said, for chopping, i have found (for me) that even a small axe/hatchet is much more efficient at that job.
Its been awhile but i think even my small tomahawk was more efficient for me when testing this out. Having all of the weight concentrated seems to be the formula for a good chopper. I still have and use my big knives for chopping though, its not always about efficiency.
 
In my opinion and in my not very exaustive testing, the Condor Discord machete chops better than any hatchet that I have ever tested. Maybe not better than my Gransförs bruk American felling axe, but it chops really well. And I’m talking about really hard wood, like dead Accacia tree and Azinho (Quercus Ilex), not just soft pine.
 
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