- Joined
- Sep 14, 2006
- Messages
- 4,409
First question - can it chop? We recently planted some sycamore saplings at our gate entrance. A mesquite tree in the fence line was overhanging it, however, and needed to be removed.
I decided to chop through the trunk about 1 1/2' from the ground.
The wind is blowing strongly from the north today, and I had to chop through on the south side of the trunk, so I tied a line to a branch and put tension on the tree by pulling on it with our trail hog. I used the Survivor to chop about 3/4ths of the way through the trunk, then used the trial hog to pull the tree over.
So to answer the first question, yes, it can chop! This tree was healthy, and about a foot in diameter. The dark heart wood is very hard; at times, it felt and sounded like I was hitting a brick with the blade. Is it the best tool for this kind of work? No. I prefer a hidden tang khuk for heavy chopping usually, but I wanted to put the Koster Survivor to the test.
The second question - any hot spots? Was the handle comfortable? I normally wear gloves when chopping, but chose not to for this test. I developed no hot spots. My little finger was a touch sore from the impact, but I had no blisters, and wasn't close to developing any. So, no hot spots. But I did not do any chopping with my finger through the ring, as I already know that is painful when doing heavy chopping.
3d question - does it hold an edge? The knife came to me with a flat ground blade, and a microbevel edge. In my initial testing, that edge held up just fine, but I like a convexed edge, as that is what I end up with when sharpening with my belt grinder anyway. So, before cutting this tree down I put a convex edge on my Survivor. And yes, it holds its edge just fine. When I was finished cutting the tree down, it would still easily slice paper.
Here it is in the "bombproof" sheath I made for it -
I like this knife!
Andy
I decided to chop through the trunk about 1 1/2' from the ground.
The wind is blowing strongly from the north today, and I had to chop through on the south side of the trunk, so I tied a line to a branch and put tension on the tree by pulling on it with our trail hog. I used the Survivor to chop about 3/4ths of the way through the trunk, then used the trial hog to pull the tree over.
So to answer the first question, yes, it can chop! This tree was healthy, and about a foot in diameter. The dark heart wood is very hard; at times, it felt and sounded like I was hitting a brick with the blade. Is it the best tool for this kind of work? No. I prefer a hidden tang khuk for heavy chopping usually, but I wanted to put the Koster Survivor to the test.
The second question - any hot spots? Was the handle comfortable? I normally wear gloves when chopping, but chose not to for this test. I developed no hot spots. My little finger was a touch sore from the impact, but I had no blisters, and wasn't close to developing any. So, no hot spots. But I did not do any chopping with my finger through the ring, as I already know that is painful when doing heavy chopping.
3d question - does it hold an edge? The knife came to me with a flat ground blade, and a microbevel edge. In my initial testing, that edge held up just fine, but I like a convexed edge, as that is what I end up with when sharpening with my belt grinder anyway. So, before cutting this tree down I put a convex edge on my Survivor. And yes, it holds its edge just fine. When I was finished cutting the tree down, it would still easily slice paper.
Here it is in the "bombproof" sheath I made for it -
I like this knife!
Andy
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