I feel safer batoning than I do swinging an axe/hatchet.

G

goodeyesniper

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Aug 31, 2009
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so, whenever the inevitable debate between people who baton versus people who chop comes up, people invariably say this statement: "Chopping with an axe is fine, but if I'm fatigued in the wilderness I feel less safe chopping. So, I choose my knife to baton with."

now, feeling less safe in awkward conditions chopping makes sense from a survival stand point. I can't disagree with it. the part that boggles my mind is that not only can you use an axe to baton with, but axes are far more efficient at it than knives are . I mean, people batoned with axes far before knives, and they are built in a way which makes them much more efficient at the act.

I can't think of a single scenario where a knife is more efficient or safer to split wood with. am I wrong?

I'm not hating on batoning with a knife, I get why some people like doing it. I just can't wrap my head around the backwards reasons people use to defend certain aspects of it.
 
It is my opinion that if you must baton, do it with an axe head, or use your knife to make a wedge you can baton with. A knife is just not the tool for the job.
 
if you're in a dire situation with no choice than i can see batoning with a knife otherwise i would use the right tool for the job which is an axe.
 
There's just something satisfying about processing a good sized section of wood with a knife to make a fire...
 
I just don't like the bulk of carrying an axe and have never encountered a situation where I needed one anyway. I just take a 4 or 5 inch blade and a backup folder when I get out and backpack and they're more than I need.
 
If an ax feels awkward, practice. Smacking a fixed blade until you split through wood works, but expends so much more energy for the work accomplished. There is no excuse for not learning how to use an ax. If done right, the ax is just as accurate and safe, if not more so, than batonning with a knife.
 
I guess it depends on the "swinging". But in general I would much rather split wood with an axe or hatchet than baton with a knife. But you do what you have to do and make do. So, it is a matter of degree of use and how frequently you would likely do the "swinging". How big is the log you're needing to split. Are you willing to carry a hatchet or axe? Car camping.... bring the whole garage with you and you have all of the above..... axe, hatchet, big knife, little knife, folder, machete, saw etc.
 
I think it is often safer, but always less efficient. Anytime a sharp heavy duty edge is flying forcefully through the air, I think safety can deteriorate. Placing a knife edge on the wood and batoning avoids glancing blows and prevents the fingers holding the wood from being...removed.

That said, of course, using a hatchet can be done safely and sure does work faster.
 
My take: I have both. Many large knives & 4 or 5 axes & hatchets. Hands down I prefer splitting wood with a large knife. Far safer for most. Not many of us use an axe or hatchet everyday & are proficient enough or accurate enough with it. Almost every single year since i have been camping, I have heard of an ambulance being called because someone missed with an axe/hatchet & hit their toe/s, foot or leg. Ask any full time employee at a State Park where fires are allowed. Many factors involved, i know but it happens none-the-less. Batoning with a knife works for me because there is blade left over & is able to be batoned after the spine is flush with the wood. I have also batoned ny axe & got it stuck many times as there is no blade left over to baton after the spine is flush with the wood. The wood i get is usually free & as such, is the knottiest most twisted wood i have ever seen in my life. I have not broken a knife yet doing this but am sure i will someday. I have also gotten my knives stuck. Less issue because it does not have a 26" handle like my axe. Easier to use multiple knives. Try both. Do what ever works best for you. BK9 is my favorite baton knife.
 
For making tinder sized stuff knives are great. For real wood cutting there is no comparison to axes and mauls. If you ever have to heat a house for a couple of winters using wood up in Michigan you will not think of knives as serious tools for anything but cutting/slicing IMO. That's my experience anyways. :)
 
i see everyone's point. even if you don't like an oversized fixed blade, even a moderate sized fixed blade is better for this job than some of the weekend warriors i see testing their folding knives on a tree stump and wondering why there is blade play after use.
 
[video=youtube;X5W6r5U7yBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5W6r5U7yBE[/video]
 
Before I started coming here I never even thought to baton with a knife I was tought to use the right tool for the job. If a situation arose were I had no choice I wouldn't hesitate to use a knife to split wood but I would rather use a axe or a hawk. Times are different when I was a boy scout or with my older relatives this job was done with the right tool that's how I was taught. But of course in a emergency all bets are off you have to whatever it takes so it's not a bad thing to at least know how to do it right.
 
goodeyesniper said:
so, whenever the inevitable debate between people who baton versus people who chop comes up, people invariably say this statement: "Chopping with an axe is fine, but if I'm fatigued in the wilderness I feel less safe chopping. So, I choose my knife to baton with."

now, feeling less safe in awkward conditions chopping makes sense from a survival stand point. I can't disagree with it. the part that boggles my mind is that not only can you use an axe to baton with, but axes are far more efficient at it than knives are . I mean, people batoned with axes far before knives, and they are built in a way which makes them much more efficient at the act.

I can't think of a single scenario where a knife is more efficient or safer to split wood with. am I wrong?

I'm not hating on batoning with a knife, I get why some people like doing it. I just can't wrap my head around the backwards reasons people use to defend certain aspects of it.
Click to expand...

You're not wrong. I suspect that folks who think that way do so for 3 reasons:

  1. They are unfamiliar with using axes or hatchets. More familiar with the feel of a knife. "Feels" safer to them.
  2. They find batoning with a knife more fun and more rewarding. Safety is just a rationalization.
  3. They don't do a lot of it.

The only time I baton with a knife is when I am playing around. I do a lot of work on my property and almost always use the correct tool for the job which are saws, hatchets, and axes for heavy duty work. I can't conceive of doing work like that on any regular basis with a knife - even a large one.

But, JMO. :)
 
I prefer using a knife. Although that is because i only own a small hawk. I have used an axe before but knives are just so much easier to carry when I'm out in the woods. Now if i was at home and not hiking i probably would wish i had an axe.
 
I have batonned with my knives as well as chopped and have never wished i had an axe or hatchet. It takes little effort when done correctly and you choose proportionate pieces of wood to chop / baton. If i ever want something a little more heavy duty, i just pull out my khukri, which is plenty enough to get anything iv needed to do done. The only reason i choose to use the tools i do, is because they work, that's it. Also, I have never felt like i was doing more work than i should be or that i was over exterting using these techniques.
 
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