Large blade (10"+) to accompany my RC-4?

msiley said:
I have one. Convex it is but also the edge is pretty thick. I wasn't
as impressed as I thought I would be with its chopping ability.
I've begun reprofiling it to thin out the edge. I did the same
with my Becker C/U 7 and it now chops and slices admirably.

On the plus side it has great balance and should eventually
be a great performer.
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Most manufacturers leave their blades too thick near the edge. If they are made of good steel, properly heat treated, there is really no risk in thinning them down quite a bit as long as at the very cutting edge you don't go tooooo far, in which case you will get a ripple in a hard chop. :( My Trailmaker is damage free with a pretty thin edge. My Gransfors Bruks hatchets also have a very similar cross section with a pretty thin edge. It is obviously easier to drive less material into a piece of wood than more. :cool:

Of course, for people who want to make a pile of kindling for an occasional camping trip, they all will work fine. But if you have a lot of wood to cut, easier chopping is what matters MOST!
 
I too want a large blade knife to accompany my RC-3. I've got a couple of Gransfors Bruks axes but would really like a good large chopping knife that can baton.

Unfortunately in the UK we don't have such a wide range of blades to choose from as you guys.

Someone suggested the Ka-Bar Machete Cutlass, this is one of the knives I've been looking at as it won't break the bank. I can't seem to find any reviews of it though, could anyone point me in the right direction?
 
Yorkshire Boy said:
Someone suggested the Ka-Bar Machete Cutlass, this is one of the knives I've been looking at as it won't break the bank. I can't seem to find any reviews of it though, could anyone point me in the right direction?
Click to expand...

I can heartily second that recommendation. The Ka-Bar Machete Cutlass is a great knife, especially for the money. I used one heavily for a couple years as a trail, camp and farm knife, and it handled everything I threw at it with a smile. It still rides in my trunk. It holds a good edge for a long, long time, and can cut through 3" tree limbs with a single chop, easily. I've used mine so much, I've worn almost all of the coating off, and it's a tough coating! The handle is very comfortable- you can chop for a long time without hurting your hand, and won't slip if it gets wet when you're working outside in the rain.

After all of the abuse I've dished out to the knife, the only damage I've managed to do is to squash the lanyard tube- from hitting the handle butt on missed throws. The Ka-Bar Machete Cutlass is actually a pretty good thrower. And there's one small chip in the edge where a stupid friend of mine missed a swing chopping firewood, and hit a rock. It's a super-tough knife.
 
Yorkshire Boy said:
I too want a large blade knife to accompany my RC-3. I've got a couple of Gransfors Bruks axes but would really like a good large chopping knife that can baton.

Unfortunately in the UK we don't have such a wide range of blades to choose from as you guys.

Someone suggested the Ka-Bar Machete Cutlass, this is one of the knives I've been looking at as it won't break the bank. I can't seem to find any reviews of it though, could anyone point me in the right direction?
Click to expand...

Yorksire Boy, funny, but I am very interested in some of these in the shorter lengths, which are hard to find over here!

http://www.ralphmartindale.co.uk/ralphmartindale/europe1.html

And, FYI, if you get a big enough blade you won't need any baton... Over 10 inches the blades can do the work on their own. At 12 - 14 inches they become VERY powerful. 18 inches is awesome! And you don't have to bend over... But more difficult to carry.
 
moonwilson said:
And there's one small chip in the edge where a stupid friend of mine missed a swing chopping firewood, and hit a rock. It's a super-tough knife.
Click to expand...

If you chop wood low to the ground -- either felling, limbing, or bucking -- you WILL eventually hit a rock. :grumpy: It is inevitable. Which is why I favor cheaper, tougher blades like machetes over expensive "Battle Mistress" kinds of choppers. Just too much to lose if you actually use it in the field and whack a stone. Machetes have so much material in the blade you can grind off the damage many times over again and still have plenty left. And the grinds aren't complicated to reproduce.
 
I'd go with a BK-9. In fact, I do go with a BK-9, sometimes even in conjungtion with my RC-4P.

Normally, though, I just opt for the RC-4 and a Gerber Saw.
 
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I would go with the BK9 as well. I hate to say it, but I think it chops better than the BK1. I haven't used it for batonning yet though, that is one area the BK1 really excels!
 
The Ontario SP8 works well too, has a bunch of good reviews, if you dont mind a funky lookin sharp pry bar kinda lookin thing :D

I see the suggestions for the Beckers... I didnt realize they were under $100.. hmmmm... Has ta look into this :)
 
But... for the price and the weight, will anything chop as well as a khukuri or large recurve?? It doesn't seem that the standard-shaped blades have the advantage when one considers that the weight in a khukuri is mostly in the blade.
 
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