Question from Dr.Bill= A,B OR C???

WILLIAM.M

WILLIAM.M

Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Messages
12,196
QUESTION FROM DR.BILL=A,B OR C???

Ok--here is the deal

PLEASE READ THE QUESTION BEFORE ANSWERING:thumbup:

You have $300 to spend(could also be $100 or $200)---

You have to get to 2 wilderness knives(JUST 2)

One Chopper ,One smaller(length of both is up to you)

THE QUESTION IS

DO YOU:

A: Spend more $ on the Chopper and get a much less expensive smaller knife(Mora for example)???

or
B:Spend a lot more on the Smaller knife(Custom version) and get a Machete or much less expensive chopper than your small knife???

or
C: spend about the same amount of $ on each?????

I'LL GO FIRST

I would get a more expensive chopper and use the remaining $ to get a less expensive smaller blade(I have a lot of high quality small blades too).

But if I only had 2 knives I would want to make sure the bigger of the 2 was the best made and less likely to fail.

I could get by with a Siegle chopper and a Mora or Hultafors just fine.

and you-----what would you do any why??

FEEL FREE TO POST PHOTOS OF YOUR CHOICES TOO

for Smaller knives--the top 2
Picture007.jpg

for Larger Knives
Picture457.jpg

Picture023.jpg
 
Hey Dr Bill,

I would go with a $65 S&N Camp axe, modded by Brian Andrews and then a nice Custom Scandi ground Tony style Bushcrafter from Brian Andrews as well.

Ooops, did I just make an option D

:D
 
I think I'd be an option D as well. :)

But if I have to pick A-C then it would easily be B. I can't remember the last time I actually used a knife with a 5"+ blade in the woods.
 
I don't have to decide. I'd just make two. :D
Seriously, I put more $$ toward the bigger blade, less toward the smaller one.
Scott
 
Yep more to the bigger. Less to the smaller if I was going by your question.

me.....
Id buy a nice axe for around 100, and a nice woods blade with the other 200. Either custom or a nice Barkie.
 
Option "D"??

Man--you white people are always messing things up

Geez!!!

Ok--Option "D" too

:)
 
I'd probably pick b. Something like a fiddleback woodsman paired with a cheap axe or machete depending upon the terrain. Reason being if I got separated from my pack I'd still have my belt knife and feel "comfortable" with what I brought. Not to mention I'd probably be using the belt knife 90% of the time.
 
Option A.

The big tool (not necessarily knife) IMO is the one that needs to be bombproof. It's the one your life may depend on.

Below: Kukri -- $200, R-10 -- $65
100_0187.jpg


Or another choice, say:
AK Bowie -- $145
100_0105.jpg


and R-6 -- $45
100_0077.jpg
 
For me it would be more money on the smaller knife since I would be likely to be using it for 80% of what I needed and I would want to make sure it was nice-n-comfy, easy to sharpen, light enough to carry, heavy enough to use hard, quality materials....... and then use the rest on a machete or kukri (second hand).

Dan
 
Hmmm... as with many such questions, the lack of circumstantial specifics makes it difficult to decide how to answer.

Generally speaking, if I had no other knives available but could still chose my preferences for replacements, I would tend to go with a duo that has served me well for many years, rather than buy something I was merely interested in trying because I had seen or read about them.

Thus I would buy carbon steel, Delrin handled Schrade/Schrade Walden Old Timers which I have known, used and loved for more than thirty years. One reason for this is that for me there is no learning curve with them. No need to experiment to see how each performs expected tasks, no surprises as far as durability or versitility, and I have a well developed tactile memory for them.

21ax0zr.jpg


1zcproj.jpg


As you probably note, the top knife, 165OT Woodsman (1966-91), is not what one might think of as a "chopper". However it's blade has been proven in use to be of sufficient length, weight and strength to do the heavier chores I use a knife for.

The second, smaller knife, 152OT Sharpfinger (1975-2004), is great for fine work and very ergonomic. Both knives, in 1095HC, have decent edge holding ability and are easy to resharpen in the field, and after gaining a decent patina are more rust resistant than most modern users would suspect.

Both are out of production but originals can be found in either NIB condition for about $200 for the pair, or near new used condition for around $100 for the pair. As with their original MSRP, the larger of the two is the more costly in whatever condition they are purchased.

Nope, they are not sexy customs, current production whizzbangs or made of space shuttle metals, but what do you expect from an old Codger?:D
 
There are no Correct answers

Just the one that works for you(and me)

So far no one would spend an equal amount on a small and larger knife

Looking forward to more answers and photos

and remember--I post questions like this to get you to think about what you carry and why...

I learn a lot from these answers even if I do not agree with them

Please keep the answers coming

Dr.Bill
 
I thionk you'll find that everyone will spend more on the tool that they use most. And I'm pretty sure that most people will rely on either the small or the large tool more than the other.
 
Much less on the big beater than on the cutting tool. There's only two reasons I can think of to throw money at the big one; a] because I believe it would chop better than something much less expensive – and for me I don't believe that is the case, or b] it offers some comfort to stave the fear of catastrophic failure – I have no such fears. By contrast, stepping up the small knife to something made from better stuff may well offer differences that I can perceive.

I don't believe swapping of one of my old modded Martindale #2s to something 10* the price would offer me much of anything better let alone 10* better. It does its job and holds an edge long enough to satisfy me. I'd pay a bit extra if there was a stainless one of equivalent toughness that's about it.

In contrast, I believe steeping up the cutting tool to 3G could well offer real detectable results. I'm not minded to do that either but if I did I'm pretty sure the returns would be greater than with the above. I simply believe the gap between an EKA in 12C27 or Buck's 425 steel and Rockstead's YXR7 is going to be huge compared with difference between a simple old modded #2 and a bit of 10** series regardless of who heat treats it.

Obviously, if I were doing wilful destruction tests I might think differently. Similarly I might think differently about the smaller knives if I only cut grapefruit. In the real world with my pattern of usage though, this is my answer.



If I wanted to burn £300ish right now on two tools I'd grab these two. The smaller about £250 and the larger about £50.

a20100918164347.jpg

b20100918164534.jpg
 
at the $100 price point, I'm looking at similar costs:
Koster BOB knife ($50) or Ontario TAK ($65) and Condor Kukri, Golok, or Parang ($35-50)
Above that price point, I'm looking at proportionally more for the chopper as i go.
$200 price point brings in the Junglas around $150
$300 price point gives me room in the budget for a custom chopper - Hoodlum, Koyote, etc...
 
My smaller knife is going to be a SAK like a Victorinox Hiker, Farmer, etc. so definitely A.
 
I would put down a $150 on my Chopper Chunk Munks or Scrapyard Dogfather then another $60 on a smaller knife probably a Bark River Necker (Cord Wrapped)...

Then use $90 on the Sheath for the Chopper along with a firestarter and some nice Ribeye Steaks to go along with the Buffalo Trace Bourbon.:cool:
 
Last edited:
I'd say around $200 for the chopper and $100 for the smaller knife. I want the best quality chopper I can get, with still having a good quality smaller knife. (Both can be had for less, but you id say $300)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top