MacHete
Hair Cropper & Chipmunk Wrangler
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2000
- Messages
- 2,559
Well, I am finally posting the review I promised a month-and-a-half ago. I'm afraid it might be rather anti-climactic, but I like to keep my word. 
This tree- a < 20' staghorn sumac- went horizontal from the creekbed into my front yard back in July.
Sumac is a soft, wet wood, so I wanted to use some of my lighter choppers on it. I opted for these two, simply because they were sitting apart from my other Khuks since they came without sheaths. They are: A villager Jungle Knife and a Yeti Hunter.
I started out with the JK, and quickly abandoned it. The handle is simply too short for me. It feels great in a hammer grip when it is merely being "held", but when it is swung, and the fingers flare and the handle sits a little more diagonally across the palm, there just isn't enough "wiggle room" to vary my grip. Mods are in order, but I don't know yet if I will "pretty" it up for KatClaws, or redo the handle for me. I'll let ya know, and if it isn't too ugly when I'm done, I'll post pics.
Set in with the YH, and was pleasantly surprised by how effective a chopper it is.
I'm still puzzling over why it works as well as it does. The light weight and shallow belly wouldn't seem to help it "hack", but I think the longer handle gives it a little more "reach" to make up for that. If a CAK is an axe, then the Yeti Hunter is a tomahawk. The longer handle, and the location of the handle ring allow for great grip variations. The ring is also REALLY beefy, and gives a very secure grip no matter how many fingers are above or below it.
Here's a slightly closer shot of the YH taking a break.
Anyone recognize the Kami marks?
Here is the completed chore. One twenty-foot tree, limbed and bucked into 4' or less pieces, awaiting a few wheelbarrow trips to the fire pit.
(In the background, you can see my '01 S10, which was killed by a deer a couple of weeks ago.:grumpy: New car coming this weekend.
)
This tree- a < 20' staghorn sumac- went horizontal from the creekbed into my front yard back in July.
Sumac is a soft, wet wood, so I wanted to use some of my lighter choppers on it. I opted for these two, simply because they were sitting apart from my other Khuks since they came without sheaths. They are: A villager Jungle Knife and a Yeti Hunter.
I started out with the JK, and quickly abandoned it. The handle is simply too short for me. It feels great in a hammer grip when it is merely being "held", but when it is swung, and the fingers flare and the handle sits a little more diagonally across the palm, there just isn't enough "wiggle room" to vary my grip. Mods are in order, but I don't know yet if I will "pretty" it up for KatClaws, or redo the handle for me. I'll let ya know, and if it isn't too ugly when I'm done, I'll post pics.
Set in with the YH, and was pleasantly surprised by how effective a chopper it is.
I'm still puzzling over why it works as well as it does. The light weight and shallow belly wouldn't seem to help it "hack", but I think the longer handle gives it a little more "reach" to make up for that. If a CAK is an axe, then the Yeti Hunter is a tomahawk. The longer handle, and the location of the handle ring allow for great grip variations. The ring is also REALLY beefy, and gives a very secure grip no matter how many fingers are above or below it.
Here's a slightly closer shot of the YH taking a break.
Anyone recognize the Kami marks?
Here is the completed chore. One twenty-foot tree, limbed and bucked into 4' or less pieces, awaiting a few wheelbarrow trips to the fire pit.
(In the background, you can see my '01 S10, which was killed by a deer a couple of weeks ago.:grumpy: New car coming this weekend.
)
