The final word on Hossom's fixed Spydies

KarlMaldensNose

KarlMaldensNose

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Feb 3, 2009
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WOODLANDER, FORAGER AND DAYHIKER OWNERS (and anyone else), PLEASE READ THIS AND POST... I NEED HELP QUICKLY BEFORE THESE DISCOUNTED KNIVES ARE SOLD OUT:)... SINCERE THANKS!

The Dayhiker (4.75" blade), Woodlander (~6") and Forager (7.5") are all stupid cheap right now and I've always thought the design was beautiful. Function could be another matter, though. So I'm trying to decide if I should pick one up.

While I am looking for any and all general anecdotal experiences and opinions, I specifically need to know how the N690CO steel holds up to standard hacking, batoning and chopping, and also how well this design lends itself to those activities.

I would like to try a hiking/canoe/portage trip this spring without a hatchet (I know what some of you are thinking:rolleyes:). I'm wondering a couple things. First, if the Woodlander with its six-inch blade is enough of a chopper (long enough, heavy enough) to handle firewood duties, i.e. bringing down dead trees, hacking off limbs and branches, and batoning. Second, if the N690CO can withstand this usage without so much edge damage that it'd require a serious sharpening mid-trip. I'm talking major chipping and/or rolls, deformities, etc. I would not be digging with it, nor would I be so careless batoning with it to hit the rocky, pebble-strewn ground.

I'm asking about the Woodlander specifically instead of the longer Forager because its 12.5" overall length is about the upper limit of what I want to carry on such a trip. For me, the 14" Forager would be a bit too long for comfort on long distance trips.

One more note... I've read that many people are disappointed with the RAT RC-6's 6.5" blade when it comes to chopping power. The Woodlander's blade is even a touch shorter than that. However, the RC-6 is almost a full two ounces lighter overall, so I'm hoping the Woodlander's considerable weight can make up for its shortfall in length. Is this a good assumption?

Oh, one more thing... I've heard the handles on the Woodlander and Forager are thicker than the Dayhiker's, and that the RAT RC-6's handle is too thick for some guys with smaller hands. I'm curious about how the Woodlander handle matches up against the RC-6 handle because my hands are on the smaller side. I don't want to go through the BS of having to return the Hossom and pay for shipping twice, because its grip is too thick for my hands.

Thanks, and sorry for the length of this post.
 
I have the Dayhiker and Forester and really like them both.

The Dayhiker is a great general purpose fixed blade, works great for most things and is a great knife for skinning/hunting.
The Forester is a beast, but a great beast. The handle is fatter than on the Dayhiker, both fit me well (large hands). The Dayhiker also has a thinner blade stock than the Forester (4mm vs 5mm).

I don't think I've been very hard on my edges, but they have held up fine with no corrosion or edge rolling. Both have very nice convex edges and fit and finish on mine was perfect.

At the price they are going for at the moment I'd say they are about the best deal on the market:thumbup:

A 6" blade is too small to chop imho, I normally carry a 4" blade and a hatchet, but will try swapping out the hatchet with the Forester :D

Sverre
 
There are definitely some good deals right now. I wasn't planning on getting any fixed blades, but may have to reconsider.
 
They're great knives. Comfortable handles and good fit and finish.

I would not advise you to buy them to use as choppers.

In my experience the steel will hold up to all the wood chopping and batoning you could want to do. The factory edge on my forester was very thick so it didn't penetrate very well. I don't know how well the steel would hold up to aggressive chopping at 12 degrees per side (My Dogfather is around there, maybe a touch thinner) but with the factory edge I never saw it get damaged.

One problem for what you want to do with them is a lot of the weight will be at the handle. The smaller models simply won't have enough forward mass to sink into wood, and their short length won't be able to compensate like a machete could do (Too light to be a serious chopper but their length let's them do well enough).

Have you considered a rock salt? I cannot speak from experience but it sounds like it might work better for you based on what you're asking.

I think it's pretty much going to come down to, do you want to buy a knife that chops well or do you want to buy a knife within your size limits. You cannot have both based on my experience. I would not want to use anything smaller than a Forester as a serious chopper.
 
I've got the Rock Salt, the Forester, and I had an RC-5 and briefly held an RC-6. The RC-5/6 didn't work for my smallish hands/longish fingers not so much because they were too big, but because they're a little too slabbish. I found the Forester and especially the Rock Salt to be much more comfortable (haven't really gotten around to chopping anything with them though).

To give you some idea, I find the Spyderco Lava, Rock Salt, wrapped Izula, and RC-4 to all be about perfect for my hand size.

Anyway, comparing the Rock Salt and the Hossoms, the Rock Salt is a lot thinner and is beautifully balanced. It's very light in the hand and feels great. That said, it is rather thin (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).

Hopefully that's helpful :)
 
A few random thoughts...

I bought a Dayhiker about a month ago. My goal was to have a smaller companion to a Busse NMSFNO--which roughly competes with the Hossom Forager or Forester. Well...the $85 Dayhiker was finished way better than the combat grade Busse! The Dayhiker is not a chopper and I never intend to chop with it, but it's so comfortable and detailed so well that I ordered a 2nd. Amazing value at $85. See below for why I didn't get a larger Hossom instead...

Don't pretend that a chopper will compete with a hatchet or axe. As A.P.F. and NoFair indicate above, a 4" blade plus a hatchet is a very practical combo. I would far prefer to carry both (if weight/space permits) instead of one mid sized chopper (such as my NMSFNO) for heavy wood bashing. A chopper will work in a pinch for situations where you can't have dedicated tools--but it takes a LOT of work to chop through a single tree. For serious firewood duties think about carrying a lightweight axe and a saw. Honestly.

I think the Dayhiker is near classic and should by all rights come back to life in a slightly modified form (perhaps with a more conventional blade shape). I do recommend it as a general purpose outdoor knife. I'd pass on the rest of the Spyderco Hossom series because a $10 kitchen knife will be better with food, a $30 hatchet will be better with wood, and a $50 Victorinox SwissTool will be better for small miscellaneous tasks.
 
GenericJohn said:
A few random thoughts...

I bought a Dayhiker about a month ago. My goal was to have a smaller companion to a Busse NMSFNO--which roughly competes with the Hossom Forager or Forester. Well...the $85 Dayhiker was finished way better than the combat grade Busse! The Dayhiker is not a chopper and I never intend to chop with it, but it's so comfortable and detailed so well that I ordered a 2nd. Amazing value at $85. See below for why I didn't get a larger Hossom instead...

Don't pretend that a chopper will compete with a hatchet or axe. As A.P.F. and NoFair indicate above, a 4" blade plus a hatchet is a very practical combo. I would far prefer to carry both (if weight/space permits) instead of one mid sized chopper (such as my NMSFNO) for heavy wood bashing. A chopper will work in a pinch for situations where you can't have dedicated tools--but it takes a LOT of work to chop through a single tree. For serious firewood duties think about carrying a lightweight axe and a saw. Honestly.

I think the Dayhiker is near classic and should by all rights come back to life in a slightly modified form (perhaps with a more conventional blade shape). I do recommend it as a general purpose outdoor knife. I'd pass on the rest of the Spyderco Hossom series because a $10 kitchen knife will be better with food, a $30 hatchet will be better with wood, and a $50 Victorinox SwissTool will be better for small miscellaneous tasks.
Click to expand...

That's a good review, thanks. This thread has gotten me looking at these knives also and your comments are helpful.
 
If you actually want to cut trees down fast, and this is my experience from clearing miles of trail every summer, a saw will out cut any chopping device out there. I still love to chop stuff, but after playing with machetes, large knives, and clippers, there really is nothing better than a saw.
For splitting wood, there you need something else, but just for felling trees a folding saw is probably your best bet.
 
Got the Woodlander and Dayhiker, I have medium sized hands and the Woodlander's handles are not too big. Both are comfortable to hold, but the sheath on the Woodlander seems better to me. For both of them I would make a loop of shock cord to fasten the knife securely in the sheath.

I haven't chopped with either of them, so have no idea if they will be good for this use.
 
I had a Dayhiker, would have really liked mine if it had a thicker handle. Had the same problem with the fixed Griptilian 151.
 
Well, I bit the bullet and ordered the 7.5" blade Forager, along with a Caly 3:D. I'm taking heed of everyone's advice and will not go on a trip with only this mid-size chopper for wood duties. My regular camping buddy always carries a Trailblazer Take Down Bucksaw (similar to Sawvivor) which works very well for initially taking down the tree and buzzing through really thick stuff. So with the saw for big stuff, the Forager for de-limbing, batoning and trail blazing, and my Scrap Yard Scrapper 5 LE on my hip and an orange Millie in my pocket for general camp duties... oh yeah, and let's not forget the trusty SAK... I think I'll be set. Jeez, that's a lot of steel to haul in to camp! I could probably get along fine without one of the Scrapper or Millie, but what fun would that be.

Thanks so much to everyone for helping me out with this.
 
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