So I went camping this weekend with my girlfriend and 3 lovely ladies. We all had a lot of fun, so I figured I'd let you guys see how things went.
18 in M43
15 in AK
12 in AK
Did a little bit of chopping
A little bit of splitting
Some controlled little chops
All of that took about 10 minutes and turned a stick into a spoon. It's not pretty, but it worked really well.
After our meal, we needed a place to sleep, so it was off to chop down some more trees to make a cozy little lean-to for two.
Thoughts on the blades. The 15 in AK chopped just as well as the 18 in M43. The AK just seemed more interested in chopping things, and I believe that if both were the same size, the AK would blow away the M43. That said, I believe the M43 was easier to use, at least for me. If just felt more 'right'. Both of them had no trouble going through whatever I thew at them, including digging the fire pit and cutting some very hard seasoned wood for the fire. The 12 in AK is a villager model, and surprisingly, it chopped just as well as the other blades.
Now, the bigger models were not very sharp at all, while the 12 in AK came shaving sharp. I have since put a shaving edge on the M43 and it lays down some hurt on any wood I can put in front of it. 
Also, my girlfriend has graciously accepted the 15 in AK as a present. :grumpy: I felt it was only fitting since she claimed it as her own anyways. My "gifting" it kind of softens the blow of loosing it before I got to even test it.
18 in M43
15 in AK
12 in AK
Did a little bit of chopping
A little bit of splitting
Some controlled little chops
All of that took about 10 minutes and turned a stick into a spoon. It's not pretty, but it worked really well.
After our meal, we needed a place to sleep, so it was off to chop down some more trees to make a cozy little lean-to for two.
Thoughts on the blades. The 15 in AK chopped just as well as the 18 in M43. The AK just seemed more interested in chopping things, and I believe that if both were the same size, the AK would blow away the M43. That said, I believe the M43 was easier to use, at least for me. If just felt more 'right'. Both of them had no trouble going through whatever I thew at them, including digging the fire pit and cutting some very hard seasoned wood for the fire. The 12 in AK is a villager model, and surprisingly, it chopped just as well as the other blades.
Now, the bigger models were not very sharp at all, while the 12 in AK came shaving sharp. I have since put a shaving edge on the M43 and it lays down some hurt on any wood I can put in front of it. Also, my girlfriend has graciously accepted the 15 in AK as a present. :grumpy: I felt it was only fitting since she claimed it as her own anyways. My "gifting" it kind of softens the blow of loosing it before I got to even test it.
But where are the pictures of her?