What do you consider a chopper?

for me it's not length, but weight or mass. i prefer somethin above 18 oz if it's short, and weight becomes less important the longer it gets. more leverage and speed. f=ma.

still love my him imps and busses. more fun, though less convenient and versatile.
 
7 inches minimum, 9 - 10 preferred minimum. When I get a chance, I'll take a pic of my 22 inch GRS, 4 lbs. Now that's a chopper!
 
I see a chopper as any knife that can survive the abuse of chopping yet retain versatility to perform cutting and slicing tasks expected of a knife. Size isn't too much of an issue if the blade can be lashed to a handle to serve as a field-expedient hatchet.
 
I would say 7" plus and a fairly weighty blade. The longer the blade the less weight needed to make the knife an effective chopper. For me the knife would also have to have a single edge and a bit of belly as well as a comfortable handle.
 
To my mind, chopper in reference to a knife refers to a knife that due to it's length and weight, can compare favorably to a hatchet as a chopping tool. I differentiate between smaller lighter knives, as those do not typically chop as well, and also machetes, as those are typically lighter due to their length and build. I also seperate large tools like goloks, as these are typically a dedicated tool(as in not one that you could easily take w/ you without forseeing a need for it, much like an axe)
 
IMO, any blade 7" and over with moderate blade width meaning minimum, 1 1/2" wide. Take a 5 or 6 inch blade length, add 1 3/4" to 2 1/2" width along with 3/16" to 1/4" thickness and it will chop very well. I've found that blade width is alittle more important then thickness. If the edge geometry is not too thick, a large blade can certainly do finer cutting chores without a problem.
Scott
 
Any large (long and relatively heavy) knife with a blade-heavy balance designed more for impact work and toughness than precision, agility and extremely high sharpness is a chopper in my books.
 
a "chopper" to me is a knife that feels right in the hand for chopping

I think of a machete as a slasher , for slashing light stuff , grass weeds , reeds rushes and vines , green sticks up to about 6 inches

a chopper for me is something a bit more substantial than a machete , my favorite is a sharpened leaf spring I have ... it has all but replaced my axe for firewood duty .

That being said tho , I have a small but growing collection of cheaper choppers :)
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To my way of thinking there is a difference between a knife that chops, even well, and a chopper. I have a number of 6-8" knives that will chop, but I don't really think of them as choppers, just knives that will chop. A chopper IMO is usually over 9", is balanced forward, probably very wedged shaped (thick spine), and made of a steel intended mainly for impact. Its usually a knife that wouldn't be my first choice for anything but chopping (even if it would handle other things).
 
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