Large Survival Knife vs. Axe/Hatchet

I love my Busse FFBM and have used it for many hours. It's a big knife so I like it strapped to my pack. But it has really held up and performed well for me.

As far as an axe goes I love Granfors Brux.

Good luck. :)
 
jca21 said:
i'd pack the gransfor bruks scandanavian forest axe.
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That's a dang nice axe. I usually cheap out when it comes to axes and just get what's at the local hardware store... But I've been thinking about one of these. I usually like a longer handle of at least 30"... but that axe seems like it would be easy to hump on a pack and big enough to use for most chores other than serious lumber-jacking.
 
A Gransfors is def. worth the dough. Its not that much when you consider what people pay for knives here.

As for large knives, I've had good results with a Cold Steel Trailmaster SK5. Its got a lot of heft, the handle is real comfortable for extended chopping and it sharpens up pretty easily. I get the best results freehanding with a Sharpmaker rod.

I got mine for around $100. Dunno if they are more now. The Gransfors Small Forest or Wildlife hatchet will cost about the same.

I would say that a knife might be easier to tote, but the Wildlife hatchet would be pretty easy to carry. The SFA less so.

SFA.jpg
 
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Buffalohump said:
A Gransfors is def. worth the dough. Its not that much when you consider what people pay for knives here.

As for large knives, I've had good results with a Cold Steel Trailmaster SK5. Its got a lot of heft, the handle is real comfortable for extended chopping and it sharpens up pretty easily. I get the best results freehanding with a Sharpmaker rod.

I got mine for around $100. Dunno if they are more now. The Gransfors Small Forest or Wildlife hatchet will cost about the same.

I would say that a knife might be easier to tote, but the Wildlife hatchet would be pretty easy to carry. The SFA less so.

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That's the GB Wildlife Hatchet right... it's got like a 14" handle and 1lbs head? I actually just pulled the trigger on a Scandi Forest Axe... I think the 25" handle and 2lbs head will make for a well balanced chopper. I figure I can choke up on it to use it like a hatchet and still get some power out of a full swing even though it's not as long as I'd like an axe to be. But still not as hard to carry as that 35" American Feller I want one day. That thing looks like it destroys wood.
 
personally i prefer a knife over a hatchet because IMO i find a knife more useful, you can do what a hatchet does (maybe a little slower) but you can also use it for many things a hatchet wont do. also it would be lighter to carry, which may or may not be important to you, but i know when i have a big pack on my back i want it to be as light as possible.
 
Steel-Junky said:
That's a dang nice axe. I usually cheap out when it comes to axes and just get what's at the local hardware store... But I've been thinking about one of these. I usually like a longer handle of at least 30"... but that axe seems like it would be easy to hump on a pack and big enough to use for most chores other than serious lumber-jacking.
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dude, best investment i ever made. i gave away all my hardware store axes to friends and family once i picked this baby up. its perfect at 25-26" handle and is a featherweight compared to my previous axes.

i dare say its almost light enough to pack on a long trip. it'll certainly be riding shotgun in my canoe this summer on my paddling trip.
 
Steel-Junky,

That looks like the Small Forest to me.

If you want to talk about a weapon of mass wood destruction, I bought one of the 35" double-bit felling axes and that thing throws monster chips. What a pair of blades!

DancesWithKnives
 
DWK2 said:
Steel-Junky,

That looks like the Small Forest to me.

If you want to talk about a weapon of mass wood destruction, I bought one of the 35" double-bit felling axes and that thing throws monster chips. What a pair of blades!

DancesWithKnives
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You sure? The trail master is about 15 inches overall and it looks to be the same size as the handle on that axe... the Wilderness hatchet has a 14" handle... You could be right... hard to tell if it's 19 or 14 in picture.

I looked at those double bits cause they look really cool but I actually prefer a single bit because you can use the butt as a hammer. But those doubles are awesome looking tools. I bet it cuts great... what's the weight on the head of that thing? The American Feller is like 3.5lbs I think.
 
jca21 said:
dude, best investment i ever made. i gave away all my hardware store axes to friends and family once i picked this baby up. its perfect at 25-26" handle and is a featherweight compared to my previous axes.

i dare say its almost light enough to pack on a long trip. it'll certainly be riding shotgun in my canoe this summer on my paddling trip.
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It's only got a 2lbs head... so I imagine it's only about 1.5lbs heavier than the Wildlife Hatchet. The length might make it a pain to carry but I can't imagine the weight will make much of a difference. I'll probably strap mine to my pack and carry it that way. Probably won't even notice it.
 
Steel-Junky,

I just measured my two axes. My Wildlife hatchet is 13 1/2 " overall (from head to tail---longest dimension) and my Small Forest is 19 1/2". If I can find one of my Trailmasters, I'll compare.

The head shape also leads me to believe it is a Small Forest. About 6 years ago, GB changed the shape of the head on the Wildlife Hatchet. Later models look like the head of the Mini Belt Hatchet, only larger. Earlier Wildlife Hatchets (of which I have one) sport a head that looks like the Small Forest and Scandinavian Forest axes. So if that's a Wildlife, it's an earlier model. [Back then I posted a detailed list of the dimensional changes under my then name "DancesWithKnives". As I recall, the legendary Cliff Stamp didn't like the changes.]

DancesWithKnives
 
Steel-Junky,

With regard to the double, I don't think the head is much heavier than on the American Felling, if at all. However, it is relatively thin and just seems to swing very fast. It has 6 inches of cutting edge on each side (because of the long curved edge) and if you are chopping green wood, it really yields a deep, wide bite.

I agree that the hammer surface on the American Felling is nice, but I have a lot of axes with that feature. I just wanted to try that big-bladed double! By the way, it's not the greatest splitter because of its fairly thin profile, but the GB maul excels at that.

DancesWithKnives
 
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A.L. said:
With all respect to nutnfancy, that video is full of shit.
If you aren't a man enough to carry axe, then take a chopping knife with you. Gosh.
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I agree. It's kinda dumb to go stating facts about the draw backs to an Axe when you admit you don't know how to use them very well... An axe can beat you up pretty good if you don't know how to use one. I found him especially wrong when he was talking about the amount of energy it takes to use an axe... the reason axes excel at cutting wood is because you let the axe do the work. And that axe he has was only decent... a better tool or at least something with a better prepared edge would have worked better. And other than clearing off your own land after a storm or something... why would anyone want to tangle with a tree that large in a survival situation?
 
Full blown axes are very useful tools, but mostly suited for homesteading or extended off-the-grid survival/living. Very handy to have, but not for a survival situation. A good small axe or large hatchet are incredibly useful and should be taken if expecting trouble of some kind, but a large chopper (in spite of its size) is easier to carry and tackles some situations better than a hatchet does.

A lot of it depends on your environment. That being said I can think of few situations where I wouldn't want to have an axe, saw, chopper, and small utility knife. It's doable to actually pack these things, too--especially if you're in a group.
 
I feel it's best to travel with items that are light yet specialized. While a Busse could easily replace a hatchet or axe, I'd rather have a folder, a fixed blade, and a hatchet. Each item would be used for a specific task.

-My folder of choice would be a yellow-handled Case Sodbuster in CV. Does my menial tasks and is good for delicate work. Very easy to keep a sharp edge.
-Fixed blade would probably be a mora of some sort. Scandi grind makes it easy to maintain and it does tasks that the folder can't.
-Small hatchet for chopping. It'll be good for splitting small chunks of wood and getting to dry timber while being relatively lightweight.
 
The right tool for the job, always.

A small knife for cutting, and an axe/hatchet for chopping.

I grew up around loggers, forest rangers and game wardens in the high country of the Colorado Rockies. Never saw one with a big knife.
 
Its a Small Forest Axe. 19 inch handle, 2,5lb head if I remember correctly.

Steel-Junky said:
That's the GB Wildlife Hatchet right... it's got like a 14" handle and 1lbs head? I actually just pulled the trigger on a Scandi Forest Axe... I think the 25" handle and 2lbs head will make for a well balanced chopper. I figure I can choke up on it to use it like a hatchet and still get some power out of a full swing even though it's not as long as I'd like an axe to be. But still not as hard to carry as that 35" American Feller I want one day. That thing looks like it destroys wood.
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DWK2 said:
I think the Small Forest has only about a 1.5 lb head.

DancesWithKnives
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I'm pretty sure you're correct. I went with the Scandi Forest Axe because it had a 2lbs head over the Small Forest with it's 1.5lbs. Half a pound makes a diference on impact when chopping. ;)

Maybe he meant the whole thing weighs 2.5lbs. I could believe that.
 
YayILikePie said:
I feel it's best to travel with items that are light yet specialized. While a Busse could easily replace a hatchet or axe
A hatchet yes... I think you underestimate the power of a fullsized axe. I love my BM but it can't out-chop a fullsized sharp axe. But as I said earlier... unless you plan to do some serious chopping... an axe can usually be left at home.


-My folder of choice would be a yellow-handled Case Sodbuster in CV. Does my menial tasks and is good for delicate work. Very easy to keep a sharp edge.
-Fixed blade would probably be a mora of some sort. Scandi grind makes it easy to maintain and it does tasks that the folder can't.
-Small hatchet for chopping. It'll be good for splitting small chunks of wood and getting to dry timber while being relatively lightweight.
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Nice combo... I lean towards either a [Folder + Large Fixed Blade] combo for small trips or a [Folder + Medium Fixed Blade + Axe] if I am going deep in the woods and need a serious chopper. For those the tools I choose are

Folder = Leatherman Charge XTi
Medium Fixed = Busse NO-E
Large Fixed = Busse FBM (Soon to be my new NMFBM)
Axe = For the longest time it's been an old Collins that I really like... but I'm getting a Gransfors Bruks Scandi Forest Axe so I'm excited about that.

Those tools pretty much get it done though. I do own a Estwing Hatchet that I put an amzing edge on and it's a really performer... but my Busse BM keeps up with it just fine and can do things my Estwing can't.
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