Hatchets are better than big fixed blades. Change my mind.

Hatchets are better than big fixed blades

  • True

    Votes: 34 60.7%

  • False

    Votes: 22 39.3%
  • Total voters
    56
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dialton said:
If you are like a lot of people here, me included, buying a budget blade to get into this more often than not means if you decide that’s the way to go, you want a big expensive chopper. You are on Bladeforums. King of I want I need.
I don’t recommend inexpensive blades. There are good, reasonably priced ones but I find myself looking at the beautiful blades people post and wanting something more. You may not be in that mode yet and may never get there but I would buy and cry once if I were going to get a chopper.
Run while u can 😎
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A good point. You remind me that I might be better off looking here on the Knife Exchange for a higher quality but used chopper. Then, if it's not my thing, I can pass it on without too much loss.
 
Clearly, I am a fan of large chopping knives. For over 20 years, I have been swinging them with great results. For me, a large well made and designed knife like a khukuri will do more work, faster in my hands than a hatchet sporting a 10-12" handle.

That said, I am a recent axe convert. A GOOD axe, that is. It doesn't have to be a LARGE axe, but it needs to be well made, balanced, thin at the bit, etc. My wife purchased me a Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe for father's day, and it will outwork and out-chop even my most faithful of khuks and large blades, and it will do it with precision. I have been floored with what I can do with a 19" axe.

As luck/unluck would have it, a massive chunk of the top of my oak tree came down in the backyard a couple of weeks ago after a huge storm. It was over 15' long and about 9-10" across at the base of the thickest part. Branches of all thickness were growing out of it. Most of them super green. Some very seasoned. Cleaving through two 2" thick green branches 6" apart with a single swing was an unexpected surprise. I was aiming at the first one and went through both. They were freely hanging and just snicked off like they weren't there. For fun, I decided to try out a Cold Steel Bowie I got an accidental deal on. 10" D2 blade. Decent design for a "hard use camp knife". After 6 or 7 strikes that rattled my hand something fierce and listening to the hand guard vibrate and buzz with each strike, I was done. I took apart the whole limb/tree top with the little axe in about an hour and a half and stacked the roughly 400lbs of wood in a pile to be cut down smaller for the fireplace in a couple months.

So while I think a larger blade on a quality knife can outwork a hatchet, I'm a now packing a small axe over a large knife for camping use. A good folder and multi-tool will handle most everything I really need to do. Any larger work will most likely be unexpected. I would rather have a 19" axe lashed to my pack that won't tire me out to use. I'm serious. I love that axe so much it now rests on a stand on the mantle above the fireplace between my wedding photos and pictures of my daughter :D

I think any collection needs a large quality chopping blade. They have their place. The SRK is way too light for that, though. Much better if you want to baton than chop.
 
Jumping in a little late here.

Smaug said:
What's a "proper chopper" to you?

Why would I be amazed?

Serious questions; I want to know, but BEFORE I spend a ton of money on the proper chopper. ;-)
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You don't have to spend "a ton of money." Skrama 240 is a great value and a good chopper. The SRK was never going to be a good chopper. It's just not a chopping knife.


Also, chili with beans.
 
On a more related note to what I know more about, have you tried anything like a khukuri before? I mean a real one. Not one cosplaying as one. They can do a LOT of work compared to a hatchet.
 
For trees, I want a chainsaw. Lacking that, I'll go rent one. Lacking that, I want a 6 foot, two man crosscut saw, AND someone to help. Lacking that, if the tree is small enough, I want a good sharp ax.

Actually, I'll probably just hire someone to cut it down for me.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Clearly, I am a fan of large chopping knives. For over 20 years, I have been swinging them with great results. For me, a large well made and designed knife like a khukuri will do more work, faster in my hands than a hatchet sporting a 10-12" handle.

That said, I am a recent axe convert. A GOOD axe, that is. It doesn't have to be a LARGE axe, but it needs to be well made, balanced, thin at the bit, etc. My wife purchased me a Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe for father's day, and it will outwork and out-chop even my most faithful of khuks and large blades, and it will do it with precision. I have been floored with what I can do with a 19" axe.

As luck/unluck would have it, a massive chunk of the top of my oak tree came down in the backyard a couple of weeks ago after a huge storm. It was over 15' long and about 9-10" across at the base of the thickest part. Branches of all thickness were growing out of it. Most of them super green. Some very seasoned. Cleaving through two 2" thick green branches 6" apart with a single swing was an unexpected surprise. I was aiming at the first one and went through both. They were freely hanging and just snicked off like they weren't there. For fun, I decided to try out a Cold Steel Bowie I got an accidental deal on. 10" D2 blade. Decent design for a "hard use camp knife". After 6 or 7 strikes that rattled my hand something fierce and listening to the hand guard vibrate and buzz with each strike, I was done. I took apart the whole limb/tree top with the little axe in about an hour and a half and stacked the roughly 400lbs of wood in a pile to be cut down smaller for the fireplace in a couple months.

So while I think a larger blade on a quality knife can outwork a hatchet, I'm a now packing a small axe over a large knife for camping use. A good folder and multi-tool will handle most everything I really need to do. Any larger work will most likely be unexpected. I would rather have a 19" axe lashed to my pack that won't tire me out to use. I'm serious. I love that axe so much it now rests on a stand on the mantle above the fireplace between my wedding photos and pictures of my daughter :D

I think any collection needs a large quality chopping blade. They have their place. The SRK is way too light for that, though. Much better if you want to baton than chop.
Click to expand...
It is so refreshing to hear an honest take based on experience and experimentation, not dogma.
 
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