Looking for an economical chopper

I

Ironwood666

Joined
Apr 5, 2012
Messages
238
Hey all, I'm looking to buy a good chopper/camp knife for brush cutting, splitting wood, taking down small trees etc...
I've been considering a swamp rat or scrap yard or maybe a traditional leuku.
A reasonable price is a must, but the knife doesn't have to be pretty... functionality is my only concern.
Please recommend manufactures, knife models, designs or anything you think would be helpful.
Thanks, Ironwood
 
Why not look into the longer heavier Beckers. God knows they have enough fans on the forum.

The BK9 would surely be up to any task.

KA-BAR+Kukri%252C+BK9+%2526+Onatrio+Kukri.jpg


You can find them pretty cheap if you look around.
 
I agree they do look a bit modern but I am yet to see a more indestructible knife like those. And if I am going to be batoning and realy using the hell out of a blade for things an axe is for I want to make sure it wont break!
 
take a look at Condor -- wood, micarta, or cast plastic handles, 1075 carbon steel or 440 stainless, and a variety of patterns, several of which work well as choppers.
 
1066vik said:
take a look at Condor -- wood, micarta, or cast plastic handles, 1075 carbon steel or 440 stainless, and a variety of patterns, several of which work well as choppers.
Click to expand...

I believe Condor uses 420HC for their stainless. :)
 
thanks for the correction -- you're absolutely correct!
420HC according to the catalog.
 
I would say BK9 or BK4, but if you want something more traditional. Condor just came out with a Heavy Duty Kukri, it's 5/16in thick and its a very traditional design and I'm sure it will be well under $100. Kershaw is also coming out with a new Camp series. The Camp 10 has an MSRP of around $65, so you should be able to find it for around $35 online. I'm not sure when they will start shipping, but Kershaw will also have a Camp 14 and 18 as well as the Camp 10. They should be very inexpensive but still with fantastic quality.

-orangish ducktape
 
Depending on your purposes and budget, you may want to consider a machete. The Ontario 12" cutlass machete, for example, is a good compromise between a (heavy) short machete and a chopper knife. A fair bit heavier than that, but still quite economical, is the Condor Golok. For slashing lighter vegetation, the Tramontina 12" or 14" are hard to beat. You can profile a Tramontina somewhat more obtusely so that it will perform okay with hardwoods, at the expense of performance on light grasses and vines. The Tramontina bolo machete is a good "project knife" for a compromise in that vein.

For chopper knives, well, it depends on what your price range is. You didn't define your notion of "reasonable price," so YMMV. Condor has the Kumunga, Lochnessmuk, Barong, and Hudson Bay at about $35 with sheath and the Boomslang and Warlock at around $80. Ontario has the SP Gen 2 series, which are quite nice, in the $60 range. Ka-Bar's above-mentioned Becker BK9 and other offerings in this category come in at around $80, as does the Ka-Bar Potbelly. If you want to join the Bussekin club, the SYKCO 711 and 911 are about $140 and $170 before shipping, respectively. Once you get into that price range, you've got the excellent, lifetime warranted, ~17" OAL Chiruwa Ang Khola khukuri from Himalayan Imports at $175 shipped.

All of these are excellent deals for their intended market and price point.
 
Condor has just introduced the Pack Golok that might fit your needs. It is more of a big knife than a machete. The handle is long enough to get a fair two haned grip on it for more serious chopping events. I picked up mine yesterday at the Blade Show. The regular Condor Golok (14") is excellent too and my favorite machete. I am really looking forward to trying out the Pack Golok. It comes with a nice sheath too.


I also like the Kabar Cutlass Machete. Many like the Ontario SP53. Many like the very economical 12" Ontario machetes. There are a lot of choices.

Been thinking about getting a BK9, but I really don't need it with my other blades.
 
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Ironwood666 said:
Thanks for the info Rez, they look a bit modern for my taste, but I will take a look.
Click to expand...

The coating can be taken off with sandpaper, or any industrial-grade paint stripper. The handle slabs can be removed easily by the user, and replaced by custom wood ones. Several people in the Becker sub-forum offer a superb bocote/cocobola/etc. Becker handle set.
 
The Condor Golok is very hard to beat price and performance wise, ive done heavier stuff with it than most and it keeps coming back for more.
 
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