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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Smaug said:
Ah, OK.

To me, a large blade is 6". (as on the SRK) I guess it's because I usually carry a folder in the 3 to 3-1/4" blade size. (and/or a SAK in the 2-3" range)

What is a good value chopper? Chopper equivalent of the Morakniv?

Does it pay to buy better blade steel in a chopper? Seems like it would chip easily... Maybe something harder than the Sandvik 14c that Mora uses, but still very tough...
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A good value chopper, especially at this point in your game, would be a proper machete, as long as you're comfortable sharpening. Many hardware stores have latin style machetes for $20 or so. N9w, these still aren't ideal as choppers as they don't have the weight or thickness, so they have a tendency to stick if overpenetrsting, but for $20 and 15 min on a grinder or 30-45 min with files and you will have some ghat chops far better than the little billhook or SRK.

While the machete may not have weight to be a really good chopper, it does have length so you get good tip speed.

Another option is to get an Ontario machete, which is quite beefy and heqvy, but I'm not sure if they'll be offered long or if they're going to be around for a while with OKC's recent sale.

Anyway, try an inexpensive machete. The handles usuallt aren't the greatest and they often need sharpening, but they're a really low cost of entry. I should also add, the marbles machetes have been the sharpest out of the box for $20-30 machetes but they're just less common. The bolo, in particular, is pretty solid.

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Steely_Gunz said:
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.
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I've read that, but I haven't. I just can't get past the looks; kind of a reverse bolo; does one method of tip-weighting perform better than the other?
 
Danny Linguini said:
Or …

View attachment 2318036

I win the interwebz today.
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Well, that is definitely overkill for my little 4" trees, considering I already have a recip saw that got the thick stuff done.

I do have one more Buckthorn tree at the corner of the house that I don't want to cut down. It's a nice barrier to the neighbor's back yard, but I just don't want it growing everywhere, as they're prone to do.

I've got one of those small forest axes in my wish list now and one member is sending me a BK9 to try out.

One thing not mentioned yet is a wire saw. That seems quite versatile, as well as being compact & cheap. Know what made me think of it? I was looking at some of the knives mentioned in this thread in Amazon → YouTube videos on it → collapsible wood stove → Chinese one come with a wire saw. I went right down the rabbit hole on this one! 😁

That's getting off topic though. Maybe we could keep it to chopper knives vs. hatchets in this thread and leave saws out of it? ;)
 
Smaug said:
Well, that is definitely overkill for my little 4" trees, considering I already have a recip saw that got the thick stuff done.

I do have one more Buckthorn tree at the corner of the house that I don't want to cut down. It's a nice barrier to the neighbor's back yard, but I just don't want it growing everywhere, as they're prone to do.

I've got one of those small forest axes in my wish list now and one member is sending me a BK9 to try out.

One thing not mentioned yet is a wire saw. That seems quite versatile, as well as being compact & cheap. Know what made me think of it? I was looking at some of the knives mentioned in this thread in Amazon → YouTube videos on it → collapsible wood stove → Chinese one come with a wire saw. I went right down the rabbit hole on this one! 😁

That's getting off topic though. Maybe we could keep it to chopper knives vs. hatchets in this thread and leave saws out of it? ;)
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Wire saws cut really slow, compared to standard saws. They have there place and can work, but for wood, a regular saw is better most of the time.

Wire saws are really convenient to carry, that's their real value.
 
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.
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I read up on this; seems universally liked. Not bad-looking either. With that classy burnt-in branding and the nice leather sheath, I can see how you'd want to display it. I added one to my wish list. Thanks for the recommendation. 91bravo is sending me a BK9 to try out.

19-3ben said:
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.
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Interesting; seems a bit hard to find in the US. Price is around $115 w/sheath, which seems a bit high, but it is 59 Rc instead of in the 53 range, like a lot of the cheaper ones.
They have an Amazon store, but they're out of stock. I only really found it for sale in the US here:
www.varusteleka.com

Terävä Skrama 240, Carbon Steel

The Skrama is a versatile heavy-duty bush knife - a tool that builds shelters chops firewood and even carves feather sticks! If youre taking just one knife into the bush the Skrama is a viable option.
www.varusteleka.com www.varusteleka.com

Do you have a better US seller that maybe has them for below MSRP?
 
When you are tired or when it is getting dark I think a machete is a bit safer to use than an axe or hatchet.
Smaug said:
Well, getting started in my FIXED blade journey, for sure. I've been pretty much a folder-only guy for decades, with the rare time I'm cleaning animals a small fixie is much preferable. It's a new facet of knives, for me.
I never thought of the angle that a longer working edge could be handy when knocking off smaller branches from a bigger one. That alone would make it effective in is own way that would balance out the lack of mass behind the edge that a hatchet has.

How do you guys sharpen these? A clamp-on guided rod sharpener or Spyderco Sharpmaker don't seem to be good options for such long blades. Just eyeball it with a flat stone moving instead of the knife itself moving?
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All my edges are convex, so I can just freehand with a DMT coarse diamond plate, followed by the fine and strop a little bit at the end. It gets shaving sharp. I hold the machete kind of like a violin or brace it against my knees, while lying on a sofa. All steels are 1075, so diamond is not necessary, but it really speeds things up.
 
aBYmAQZ_460s.jpg
 
I look at the Alone winners gear and most of them had an axe, a saw and a multitool in their 10 allowed items! No winner (that I can remember) took a large knife with him!
 
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Quite apropos for where I'm working this week, doing a big right of way reclaim. I've found that for brush clearing around trees and in fence lines a weighted machete is king. I'd much rather find a fence or buried stuff with a machete than a saw chain.

These were taken on a job we did a few weeks back. The tree was all vined up, had I gone diving in with a saw before exploring with the machete I'd have spent my day sharpening chains.
57149.jpeg57148.jpeg57150.jpeg57157.jpeg

Both machetes pictured above are imacasas, and can be had for less than 50 bucks.

Edited to remove duplicate pics
 
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Smaug said:
I read up on this; seems universally liked. Not bad-looking either. With that classy burnt-in branding and the nice leather sheath, I can see how you'd want to display it. I added one to my wish list. Thanks for the recommendation. 91bravo is sending me a BK9 to try out.


Interesting; seems a bit hard to find in the US. Price is around $115 w/sheath, which seems a bit high, but it is 59 Rc instead of in the 53 range, like a lot of the cheaper ones.
They have an Amazon store, but they're out of stock. I only really found it for sale in the US here:
www.varusteleka.com

Terävä Skrama 240, Carbon Steel

The Skrama is a versatile heavy-duty bush knife - a tool that builds shelters chops firewood and even carves feather sticks! If youre taking just one knife into the bush the Skrama is a viable option.
www.varusteleka.com www.varusteleka.com

Do you have a better US seller that maybe has them for below MSRP?
Click to expand...
You will find out quickly that $115 for the Skrama 240 with leather dangler and thick plastic insert, great handle and ergonomics, great steel that touches up to an arm-hair-shaving sharpness quickly is a steal for the quality and capability. I bought mine directly from them and it got to me in Alaska very quickly.

91Bravo: That is an awesome gesture! Having a chance to actually handle a knife (especially a very useful one like that), is a real benefit.

Since I love all things that cut, for limbing spruce or branches less than 2” diameter it is really hard to beat the safety, speed, efficiency, and reach of good 32” loppers. I have cut larger limbs with them. Machetes are awesome for overhang as well as cutting into dirty areas (you don’t worry about possibly chipping a $15-25 blade versus a custom chopper). Choppers are awesome for many tasks, plus it is just fun to use them. The power delivered by hatchets and axes is great. I do lots of cutting in inclement weather, solo and miles away from help so I try to use the safest methods. Having a variety of tools makes choosing the right one for the job easier.

Whatever you decide on I hope it works well for you. You will find lots of use for your SRK, as it is a very well designed and useful knife.
 
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