DancesWithKnives...
Will do. I never did any "performance testing" with the old jigata-nata I had, but comparing it to other chopping blades I have, it beat them hands-down. The generic hand-axe I have (no-name brand, unknown steel - probably some type of cheap stainless is my guess) sucked. Though it probably had the heaviest blade (weighted heavily toward the head of course), it was the worst performer of the bunch (the other 2 being the jigata-nata and a coldsteel Trailmaster in carbon V). Also made my hand/arm sore and tired very fast. The Trailmaster actually chops vegetation and wood fairly well. Managed to get through a couple of hours of chopping (old redwood planks) without any need for re-sharpening. Although my wrist got tired every few minutes and the kraton handle can leave your hand a bit raw. The jigata-nata was definitely the best chopper of the bunch. Fairly comfortable handle, good balance for chopping, not too much vibration, and held a useable chopping edge longer than the trailmaster. The only thing against it might be that the handle was very smooth, resulting in it being slippery when wet. The handle was also long enough to use two handed, but it feels a bit awkward if you use it in this manner.
The jigata-nata's I've found so far (partially thanks to pointers from you guys on the forums) appear to be very similar to my old one. Though I have no idea what type of carbon steel was used on my old jigata-nata (I'm pretty sure it was several decades old), I think the hitachi white steel, blue steel, SK5 on today's versions should be comparable. Once I get a new one and play with it a while, I'll post my experiences with it. Thanks again.
