Tool to deal with bushes of blackberries and nettles

[RokJok]

I recently got one of these Gerber Brush Thinners (billhook) from Sportsman's Warehouse. Its relatively easy handling length/weight/balance let it work surprisingly well chopping up some alder and applewood branches. It did a good job on the supple tips that would approximate a "flexible but tough" blackberry stalk.

I recall someone posting that this unit was the chopper most borrowed from them by local indigenous people (Costa Rica IIRC). Given its performance, I'm sort of surprised by the billhook's lack of attention from the knife knuts here on the forums. Guess the folks who like curves are too busy over in the Khukri section.

The Gerber came with a funky plastic carry sheath/case that was too big to wear on your belt and had no provision for transport other than a hand-carry handle on top. The modifications I see for this lightweight chopper are some kind of workable sheath for belt carry and maybe some grip tape.

Overall Length: 19.75''
Length of Blade: 8.75''
Blade thickness at spine: 0.11" (just under 1/8")
Blade width - spine to edge at ricasso: 2.2"
Blade width - spine to tip of hook: about 4.5"
Height of grind: 0.28" (about 5/32")
Weight: 15.1 oz.

(edit to add) BTW, the handle is hollow, so if you don't mind messing with the balance of the knife, you could stash some emergency goodies in there. The hollow space inside the handle is approximately 1" high, 3/4" wide, and 8" long. The lanyard hole is just over 5/16" wide and the hole in the blade for hanging is 0.4" across.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Given its performance, I'm sort of surprised by the billhook's lack of attention from the knife knuts here on the forums.

It isn't very knife like, not overly "sexy", doesn't have any manufacturer promotion on the forums, isn't tactical, and the shipping cost kills to canada (the latter being what stopped me).

Blade thickness at spine: 0.11" (just under 1/8")
Height of grind: 0.28" (about 5/32")

This gives a bevel angle of ~11 degrees, I would be concerned about hard wood contacts.

Point numbers 2 and 5 generally do not go together very well. .

Not optimally but you can do decent at both, the valiant goloks do, I mapped out one of the profiles in the review. The edge is acutely formed by the dual convex taper also prevents wedging in thick woods.

Could you give me addresses on the web with guidance how to select machetes and what shape is the best for what types of work?

I would start with a classic pattern :

http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/knives/martindale_machetes.html

The full sized ones have blades over two feet in length and are optomized for light brush only, you can't cut thick wood with them, they are not rigid enough. As you move down in length you start to trade away speed for power and a bolo pattern is more optimal for heavy wood work.

Where could I find more information on manufacturers of machetes and ghurkis?

The HI forum here and the Outdoors forum on Knifeforums.

What steel hardness is recommended on machetes?

They are generally ~45 HRC, they would work better if they were much harder but that is rare.

I thought stainless stell might be a better choice for machetes because of reduced hardness and brittleness, plus better for humid climate. Is it correct?

Stainless steel is way more brittle than the types of carbon and low alloy tool steels used in machetes. Corrosion usually isn't an issue if you use the blade extensively.

-Cliff