To baton or not, that is the question

Do you baton???

  • I never ever baton, my granpappy told me not to hit my knife and I never will.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I've considered batoning, just never had the need to do it.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I've batoned on occasion but prefer to use an ax for such work.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I baton regularly, sometimes even when I don't have to.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I baton so much my wife thinks I have a problem.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
theonew

theonew

Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
2,724
OK folks this seems to be a rather controversial topic, so after lots of debate, let's get a show of hands.
 
I tried batoning 5 times, felt sick at using the wrong tool for the job. I prefer an AXE.

YMMV

:)
 
Works in a pinch, but I really don't like doing it to the knife. Give me a hatchet or an axe.
 
I've batoned on occasion but prefer to use an ax for such work.

Basically to see what all the hubub was about batoning knives and to see if my .120" Leuku could take it, and how it stackd up beside a machete, BRKT Aurora and 20" HI kukri.
 
I like it for small kindling. It really isn't that that tough on the knife, unless you use a river rock like bear grylls did once :D.
 
I'm stuck between "I've batoned on occasion but prefer to use an ax for such work" and "I baton regularly, sometimes even when I don't have to."

(There's always one, isn't there ;) )

I don't own a decent axe, and wouldn't carry one around here if I did. Just not enough need for that 'specialised' tool. I certainly have batoned plenty with my knives, even when I haven't needed to.

However, I have used an axe and, if I had one available, would most likely prefer to use it. If I was heading into heavy forest regularly for long periods, I would probably invest in one and take it. But not if it was just a day hike or so.

I would *still* like to know that my knives could be batoned with, and have the practice to do so properly, just in case.

I need a middle choice - "I am happy to baton and will do so frequently, but would take an axe if I knew I was going to be chopping lots of wood"
 
I baton a good bit... O use an axe for chopping or rough splittin or a saw to section. but if I need to split kindling or make precise splits for a fire board or something else I'll use a baton..lately a folding saw and a machete have done my grunt work. and they have been working out great.
 
I would prefer to use an axe for no other reason than my batoning skills are probably not as good as anyone elses. I have used my Becker to baton large pieces of wood that probably should havce used an axe for, but I didn't have one on me.

Mainly I do it to practice as I am not in the position that would warrant me needing to do it all that frequently.
 
I guess I'm in the "tween" category as others have mentioned...I baton small rounds for kindling but then prefer a small axe for larger rounds or sections. I would have to be pretty desperate to baton with a rock however, that's just plain sacrilege :-)
 
Stickman said:
I guess I'm in the "tween" category as others have mentioned...I baton small rounds for kindling but then prefer a small axe for larger rounds or sections. I would have to be pretty desperate to baton with a rock however, that's just plain sacrilege :-)
Click to expand...

I am very similar to this - I use it for small work - and essentially the hits I give with a stick are small and could not possible do damage to my blade. I think I could hit it with my palm and get the same leverage - but the stick is much safer.

As I said before - the guys I see batoning the hell out of their blades either are just testing them - or don't care about damage to their knives. Either way - it is their knife - they can smack them with whatever they want.

TF
 
what about batonning an axe? i have done that plenty of times before...

i am also an in betweener, but i feel like the "i've batonned on occassion but prefer an axe" option better fits my position...
 
Good point siguy, I also baton when using an axe, primarily when it seems a safer way to get the axe started...I'm still partial to having all my fingers.
 
At deer camp in northern MI it gets pretty darn cold. I've battoned fire wood indoors when it isn't exactly easy or safe to swing a hatchet.

Otherwise, I use a axe or hatchet.
 
I used an axe and hatchet a lot this summer. I found that I would rather baton with a sturdy, 9-10inches long, 1/4+ in. thick blade knife. Maybe it's my lack of skills, but I found myself getting very frustrated using the axe/hatchet. Just trying to line up and hit the wood was a chore, and rather dangerous if I missed. When the axe/hatchet entered the log it would often get stuck. I rarely had a successful complete split of the log. I would then spend wayyy too much time trying to get the axe/hatchet unstuck. I found myself wishing..begging for a sturdy big blade. I've also battoned my hatchet, but it only works to get the wedge into the log. You're screwed after that...having to resort to slamming the wood against the ground trying to finish the split. In my opinion a large thick fixed blade is much safer and more efficient at splitting small to medium size pieces of wood. I wouldn't baton a smaller, less capable knife meant strickly for cutting, but I say go for it if you have a dedicated blade for batoning:thumbup:
 
I baton to get smaller kindling to start up my fires...I use an ontario 12" machete though not a smaller knife. My camping really doesn't dictate me using an axe. I'm still waiting for my double bit nessmuk hatchet to try out, once that is in I am almost certain I will be using this almost exclusively. Sometimes in camp it is just fun to baton some wood for kindling instead of busting out a big axe JMO.
 
Definitely in the majority here...I have batonned, but generally prefer an axe. Batonning can be handy if you just need a bit of kindling off an already small chunk of straight cedar; maybe you have plenty of wood inside but no kindling. Well, sometimes it's quicker and easier to baton off a few strips than to do it with the axe. I grew up in a house heated only with wood, and we never had a hatchet, only axes, so for snapping off pencil-sized bits of cedar I would occasionally use the knife. Particularly when the wood hadn't been bucked straight! Which was usually my fault because I wasn't very old and hadn't gotten good with a bow saw yet!

But generally I would prefer an axe. Of course, if you are hiking 30 km a day in fairly dry country in summer, packing an axe with you is just overkill, and I'd rather have a knife that could be batonned if I felt the need than bring an extra few pounds of axe I would be 99% confident of never using.
 
I don't often have an axe with me, except at home. Then again, the need to baton is rare. So for making big sticks into little sticks: an Axe.
 
I use a baton to split firewood for the BBQ once the pieces are too small to stand up on their own.
 
Tweener too!

Grandpa didn't really tell me never to baton with my knife. Just never really had the need and never really thought of doing it till I saw all the threads here. I guess if you had a good thick $500 Busse it would be ok but when a good axe runs around $20...

Yes, sacriledge I know. Maybe I should just admit inexperience.
 
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