Looking for GSO-10 alternative

Rasco

Rasco

Joined
Jan 3, 2014
Messages
2,028
As the title states, I'm looking for a chopper that suits me even better than my GSO-10.

Things I love about the GSO-10:
- large size
- CPM 3V
- blade thickness
- kydex sheath
- no swedge / thick at the tip


Things I dislike about the GSO-10:
- the handle ergos
- blade balance when chopping
- weight

In the S!K sub-forum, someone mentioned trading in their GSO-10 for a SYKCO 1111, and in addition to that, I'm looking at something from BRKT, like a Bravo 3 / Golok (upswept tip) / Parang. And maybe even the 12" Cold Steel Warcraft Tanto (?)

Handle ergos have me leaning toward the SYKCO 1111, but I was curious about the SR101 Vs A2.
Or, if you have experience with any of these knives, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I have smaller knives that would be doing most of the actual cutting tasks around camp, and this would be pretty much a dedicated chopper, used almost exclusively for splitting wood after it's been saw'd into 1-2' rounds.

(PS - I'm looking to break even at least, so if you're gonna throw out other suggestions, please keep it under $350, Thx)
 
So far, I'm leaning towards the Bark River Parang. I'm well aware of the Junglas, but I don't much care for coated blades or 1095, so probably nothing from ESEE.
Between the Parang and the Golok, the Parang is thicker and the blade shape is more of a chopper.

From what I can gather, A2 seems to be better than SR101, and the BRKT Parang has a nice thick tip, which gives me plenty of spine to smack with a baton.
One reason I don't care for swedges on choppers is I feel they chew up my baton a bit on some of the harder stuff.

1375375763-P1015966.JPG


Anyone out there own a BRKT Parang and wanna rave about it?
I don't think there's one YouTube video of the Bark River Parang :(
 
I recently bought a Bark River Golok and it is a chopping monster, I used to have an ESEE RTAK II as my big chopper but there is no comparison Golok wins. I have chopped large limbs, about 8 inch diameter in a very short time and none of my previous knives could compare. There is a video on youtube of a BRKT Golok vs a huge Busse, the language is foreign but the 2 minute video says it all. The BRKT Parang may be great also, I have a lot of faith in the brand.
One last thing they can be had for $200.00, I don't think many can compare to the BRKT Golok's price/performance.
 
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I've never heard of "Zombie Tools", but that sound like how I would describe people who buy zombie-marketed toys.

I did get a laugh out of the fact that they're based in Missoula MT, I used to live not too far from their shop.
 
Golok or Warcraft Magnum if you want a draw cutter as opposed to a chopper per se.

B11 and 1311 are both relatively lightweight but very versatile choppers that can be found within your budget. I've never handled a 1111.

Or ask Big Chris to make you something in 3V. He had a nice chopper on the exchange for $370 this week.

Or take a dremel to your GSO-10 and make of it what you want.
 
Rasco said:
So far, I'm leaning towards the Bark River Parang...

1375375763-P1015966.JPG


Anyone out there own a BRKT Parang and wanna rave about it?
I don't think there's one YouTube video of the Bark River Parang :(
Click to expand...


That's my photo of the Bark River Knives Parang Prototype.

Here's what the Production Parang looks like:


Parang_Blk_Can_Lead_2.jpg



It's a couple of inches longer then the Prototype.

Another one to consider is the BRK Grasso Bolo III:


GBIII-Black_Canvas.jpg



About the same size as the Production Parang, but it does feature a swedge.


A chopper that's more like the GSO-10 is the BRK Bravo III:


Bravo-III.jpg



With twelve inches of .275" CPM-3V, it's a real beast.


Good luck in your search. :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:



Big Mike
 
Rasco said:
I've never heard of "Zombie Tools", but that sound like how I would describe people who buy zombie-marketed toys.
Click to expand...

Having purchased an item or two from them, I'll go ahead and take offense to that...but I'll also add that my purchase wasn't based on their marketing strategy - I simply found a blade that appealed to me.
 
Brummie said:
Golok or Warcraft Magnum if you want a draw cutter as opposed to a chopper per se.

B11 and 1311 are both relatively lightweight but very versatile choppers that can be found within your budget. I've never handled a 1111.

Or ask Big Chris to make you something in 3V. He had a nice chopper on the exchange for $370 this week.

Or take a dremel to your GSO-10 and make of it what you want.
Click to expand...

I've got both a SYKCO 1111 and a 1311.
The 1111 is .25" thick and much more of a budget Battle Mistress:
12258193226_d856a39696_b.jpg


12258188946_a7617cdd34_b.jpg


The 1311 is harder to find, and more like a medium duty chopper:
12258075234_d8f6d9c1d5_b.jpg


12258209066_c6b4f9b29c_b.jpg


Comparison of the two with a my ASHBM's:
12259139946_235f8b603e_b.jpg


I think if you're lookin' at Bussekin' the 1111 is the ultimate value chopper.
Good luck!!!
 
Other brands to perhaps keep in mind for the future in the event your sickness worsens or you just can't quite scratch that itch: Gossman, Fehrman, Knife Research, Bill Siegle and as someone else mentioned, Big Chris. I am the one who purchased the aforementioned chopper from Big Chris and have a feeling this one may satiate my chopping needs. Ha, "needs"!?! :D We shall see. Good luck.:thumbup:
 
For a true dedicated chopper, you want forward belly. Best Value IMO at around $95. Ontario SP52. youtube it and watch the gideons field test (I think its on the SP53-different grind)

 
hhmoore said:
Having purchased an item or two from them, I'll go ahead and take offense to that...but I'll also add that my purchase wasn't based on their marketing strategy - I simply found a blade that appealed to me.
Click to expand...

Fair enough!
Their stuff has a certain look to it for sure. But the word "zombie" instantly turns me off. But they get bonus point for Missoula
 
I'm not looking so much for the "best value" but for a really nice knife that is going to last me decades.
Something I can depend on when I'm miles from help. That's why I went with the GSO-10 in the first place, and I'll be first in line for any future 10.1 models, as it is a fantastic knife I really can't say anything bad about. For whatever reason, it just doesn't fit my hand perfectly.
But it will be a lifetime companion for whoever buys it from me.

Let me ask you guys this; When you're batonning through a log, do you find that a thick tip, say .2"+ territory, like the GSO-10 has, or a swedge works better?
From my experience, a swedge just chews up your baton, but maybe there's some aspect I'm missing.

That Grasso Bolo III looks great, but I'm not sure on the swedge / tip of the blade.
 
Swedge is for piercing, like a spear-point. Swedge also reduces weight near the tip, reducing force on a chop. I'd go without a swedge. I own and original GSO-10 and it suits me well, but I'll be honest that i really jumped on it for the pre-order deal and to try CPM-3V.
I would have purchased a low-cost blade from Condor (except they're not USA) or the Junglas from ESEE (except they say funny things about knives, like they break when thrown and such nonsense), or the Pestilence from Kabar (also an import iirc). If i ever need to sell my GSO-10, I'll replace it with one of those.
I've seen too many failures of BRKTs and backlash from the owner+fans to spend there.
I own a Swamp Rat Rodent 9 that is shorter than the SYKCO's but is also SR101 and have no complaints about the steel. I have other bussekin ResC-handled knives and they are indeed very comfortable. But some bussekins come with rather thick edge-geometry, my Rodent 9 is an axe compared to the GSO-10. It performs better batonning (i.e. as a splitting wedge, though the coating drags) but not so well chopping (lower penetration), but that is not universal for their big knives.

Out of curiosity, what don't you like about the GSO-10 balance? Too forward or not enough? Is the weight too heavy or too light? Balance can have a huge impact on how heavy the knife feels. GSO-10 is ~2oz lighter and a bit more blade heavy than the Rodent 9 & Junglas, the SYKCO 1111 & 1311 are 2 ounces lighter still but MUCH more blade-heavy (forward chopping power), the 1311 is same thickness as GSO-10, the 1111 is thicker.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...nitial-review-with-photos-(warning-pic-heavy)
 
Get a Busse and be done with it. It will last not decades but ages and they will replace free if it somehow breaks.
Get a Battle Mistress and be happy.
 
Rasco said:
Handle ergos have me leaning toward the SYKCO 1111, but I was curious about the SR101 Vs A2.
Or, if you have experience with any of these knives, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Click to expand...

SR-101 is one of the toughest production steels out there for a chopper. The only weakness it has is corrosion. SYKCO knives with the Res-C handles are amazingly comfortable too.

For a cutting reference, a while back a bunch of knife nuts had a big gathering where a number of them competed in a chopping contest. The 1111's big brother, the 1311, won.
 
chiral.grolim said:
Swedge is for piercing, like a spear-point. Swedge also reduces weight near the tip, reducing force on a chop. I'd go without a swedge. I own and original GSO-10 and it suits me well, but I'll be honest that i really jumped on it for the pre-order deal and to try CPM-3V.
I would have purchased a low-cost blade from Condor (except they're not USA) or the Junglas from ESEE (except they say funny things about knives, like they break when thrown and such nonsense), or the Pestilence from Kabar (also an import iirc). If i ever need to sell my GSO-10, I'll replace it with one of those.
I've seen too many failures of BRKTs and backlash from the owner+fans to spend there.
I own a Swamp Rat Rodent 9 that is shorter than the SYKCO's but is also SR101 and have no complaints about the steel. I have other bussekin ResC-handled knives and they are indeed very comfortable. But some bussekins come with rather thick edge-geometry, my Rodent 9 is an axe compared to the GSO-10. It performs better batonning (i.e. as a splitting wedge, though the coating drags) but not so well chopping (lower penetration), but that is not universal for their big knives.

Out of curiosity, what don't you like about the GSO-10 balance? Too forward or not enough? Is the weight too heavy or too light? Balance can have a huge impact on how heavy the knife feels. GSO-10 is ~2oz lighter and a bit more blade heavy than the Rodent 9 & Junglas, the SYKCO 1111 & 1311 are 2 ounces lighter still but MUCH more blade-heavy (forward chopping power), the 1311 is same thickness as GSO-10, the 1111 is thicker.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...nitial-review-with-photos-(warning-pic-heavy)
Click to expand...

Thanks for weighing in Chiral.
I'm not 100% sure what it is, or it may be a combination of factors. Over in the S!K forum, I was asking about the "grippiness" of the G10 handled version, because I just feel like I can't keep a good grip on it. Like it wants to jump forward out of my hand when I swing it.
A lanyard really helps, but I still feel like there are alternatives, or other options out there that might suit me better.

I am curious about BRKT failures. Do you have any links handy? I had heard their warranty was pretty good...?
 
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