Recommendation? Please recommend a 7–8" blade for light chopping of wood

N

not so dull

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Jan 4, 2023
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I need a knife I can carry for light chopping. It should be 7 or 8 inches (better 8 than 7) in length, be "choppy" and have a grippy handle.

I have quite a few knives I use periodically and interchangeably when going to the woods, but none of them is 100% adequate.

For example, Cold Steel GI Tanto is okay but its handle is very inconvenient, it is flat without any grooves and is not grippy at all, and becomes quite slippery when wet or even when you are wearing gloves.

Ka-Bar Kukri Machete is great, I love it, but it is bigger than needed. I mean, it's okay, I'm used to carrying heavy knives by my side but I just want something more nimble for now.

OKC SP2 is extremely strong and sturdy but it is short and light. Too small for my needs.

Cold Steel OSS has the length I need but it is not suitable for chopping wood, this is not what it was designed for.

CS Black Bear Bowie Machete and the other machetes I have are bigger than needed.

And so on, and so forth. What I need is a carryable wood chopper 7 or 8 inches in length, or about that.

Budget? Let's say $100.

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Out of curiosity, what kinds of wood will you be chopping? Personally, i wouldn't pick a 7-8 inch blade as a dedicated chopper. I view that size as a field knife that can occasionally handle light chopping through thin branches, not so much as a dedicated chopper.

To that end, look at the Becker Knives BK-7 and BK-9. They're just a bit above your price range.
 
I don’t really do any chopping so I am simply parroting what I hear. Just throwing these out there, they are close to your specs. ESEE Junglas or Junglas II, KABAR/Becker BK7 or BK9, Tops has several choppers that have been talked about favorably around here, Busse also gets mentioned a lot for this type of knife, and the Terava Skrama also gets love around here. There are also some excellent makers here that could make whatever you want, to you exact specs.
 
Bob Denman said:
How about a military Ka-bar? They're proven to be more than tough enough! 😎👍
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I thought about it, just thought it's more like a machete, and I need something more like a knife. but that's an option I'm also considering.

oldmanwilly said:
Out of curiosity, what kinds of wood will you be chopping?
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Both hard (maple) and soft (pine, fir) wood.

oldmanwilly said:
Personally, i wouldn't pick a 7-8 inch blade as a dedicated chopper. I view that size as a field knife that can occasionally handle light chopping through thin branches, not so much as a dedicated chopper.
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Thank you for clearing that up, I changed the topic header accordingly.
No, it's not a dedicated chopper but more like a LIGHT chopper that I'm looking for. I'll leave heavy-duty chopping to bigger blades. Ka-Bar Kukri machete is quite good.

MattinLA said:
Is it unsupported wood?
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Just tree branches and small trees.

jmj3esq said:
Spyderco Serrata is your knife.
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It'sa cool knife, thanks, but doesn't fit my modest budget :(
 
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Cold Steel Survivalist. Bowie style blade, 8" of 52100 carbon steel, Teflon coated for corrosion resistance, integral guard and handle, nothing to break. Takes a good edge without much effort, holds it like a good carbon steel. Nothing not to like, except the sheath. Have a good leather or kydex sheath made, you're good to go.
 
Ontario SP-42 or SP-43... 5160 steel, 7" or 8" blade respectively.

Both are discontinued but available on the secondary market.

Pic of the 43.
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There's also the SP-45 if you don't mind a recurve, 5160 steel, 8" blade.

Again, discontinued but available.

SP-45
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Possible option: Rank the knives you already have based on how much you actually use them and how much you like each one. Then figure out which one(s) of the less favorite to sell to have an extra $100 to invest ($200 total).

Once you increase max $$ to that $200 range the number of alternatives goes way up. In that higher range I'd recommend considering some of the used Scrapyard, Becker 9, and other makers' models that show up in the For Sale forums here on BF.
 
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