What do you like in a chopper?

1AbominAble1

1AbominAble1

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Since you Hogs were so helpful and understanding of my ignorance in the other thread I posted I'd like to ask another question.
I know this has been asked before in different ways but if you feel like playing along this will save me a lot of reading and definitely give me some food for thought.

So,
What handles do you prefer on your big blades, do you want a full tang like the BM, or the Resiprene handle of the Basic's and XX-11's ?
I'm curious as to what you use the chopper for. Wood prep for fun at home, wood prep while car/atv/RV/horse camping, yard work, or maybe a hiking day trip/overnighter ?

Which big knife have you chosen as the one to rule them all, why, and is there anything you'd change about it?

I used to hunt from an ATV so weight really didn't matter, now I'm walking again and lighter blades with Resiprene have a lot of temptation and really don't seem to give up too much in the strength dept.

Ive been drooling over a NMFSH for a while but as sexy as it is I keep on thinking the a Battle Mistress or Bushwacker Mistress may suit my needs better. I already have a NMSFNO for my do all medium blade and lots of smaller stuff with more coming as operation 2 weeks continues to brutalize my credit card.

Ideally I'm looking for a great chopper and am trying to determine if the full tang of the BM/BWM is worth the weight over a Basic or 1311.

If you've read this far, thanks.
 
I'm a huge fan of the basic11 and 1311. If you can find one for a decent price a bwm will never fail and is relatively light
 
+1 on above. If you are going to be on foot for a while, basic 10 or 11 or bwm. if weight is no concern, fbm for cool factor. I need to pit the 11 and fbm against each other in a chopoff, one of these days.

tinfoil hat timmy said:
I'm a huge fan of the basic11 and 1311. If you can find one for a decent price a bwm will never fail and is relatively light
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Ok guys,
Thanks for the info.

Let me ask you this, is the 1311 longer than the basic 11?
I saw a pic in a thread once showing the Basic 9,10,&11 and there really wasn't an actual inch of length difference between them, If I remember correctly the 9 had more cutting edge than the 10 due to a difference in the choil. So what I'm taking the long way around the barn asking is this, is the 1311 actually an 11 inch blade?

Since you guys actually use your blades I'd like to know if you see any downside to the Resiprene handle?
 
A lot of it is personal preference, however I think I can help a little. If your knife is purely a dedicated chopper and if weight is a non-issue --- that leads towards certain options. For me --- the TTKZ or the NMFBM.






If your knife is intended to fill multiple roles and if weight is to be considered --- that's leads towards other options. For me ---- the Basic 11 or the CGFBM does the trick.



 
I will be following this. I have always used a hawk and a bowie. So an all in one chopper is new for me.
 
All of the above mentioned are great knives, however the recent arrival of the Battle Saw has really changed my mind, it is not as light as the Basic 11, but still lighter than a lot of choppers-must be the saw teeth, my personal preference for a handle on a large knife, let's say 9 1/2 inches or longer is Canvas-Good luck with your quest
 
I like fusion style handle. For me out of the big ones I have tried NMFBM is the perfect chopper.
 
Rob

A TTKZ came up for sale not too long ago, I was looking at those pics every half hour trying to find the funds, what a sweet knife!
I can put a useful edge on a knife just fine but after seeing the pics of yours I'll be trying to convince you to sharpen whatever knife I end up with- those are beautiful!
 
1AbominAble1 said:
Rob

A TTKZ came up for sale not too long ago, I was looking at those pics every half hour trying to find the funds, what a sweet knife!
I can put a useful edge on a knife just fine but after seeing the pics of yours I'll be trying to convince you to sharpen whatever knife I end up with- those are beautiful!
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Thanks for the kind words brother --- I highly recommend the TTKZ. I would bet on it out chopping most hatchets --- which is insane --- but Busse has made such phenomenal designs --- it's no wonder their performance is what it is. Cheers on your quest for the right chopper. Please post and share once you choose!!! We're all knife nuts here :)
 
Ladams19 said:
I will be following this. I have always used a hawk and a bowie. So an all in one chopper is new for me.
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For the last 13 years I have had a go to 13" blade kukri it's beat up but it has been more useful to me than any smaller blade. There are ideal blades for particular tasks but honestly I have found that the big blade can get by ok on most detailed tasks .. but rocks on other bigger tasks. So it's great to have multiple blades with you of different sizes.. but the big one is the one I could not be without. But that's my opinion:) my trio is the WTF, fat Ash, an my plan is to get a AMS. An the wth, will be tagging along..an also plan on a ffbm as well :)
 
Robdude said:
For the last 13 years I have had a go to 13" blade kukri it's beat up but it has been more useful to me than any smaller blade. There are ideal blades for particular tasks but honestly I have found that the big blade can get by ok on most detailed tasks .. but rocks on other bigger tasks. So it's great to have multiple blades with you of different sizes.. but the big one is the one I could not be without. But that's my opinion:) my trio is the WTF, fat Ash, an my plan is to get a AMS. An the wth, will be tagging along..an also plan on a ffbm as well :)
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Yes!! The FFBM is awesome and quite Beastly!!

 
Hard to go wrong with Res-c in a user. A lot less expensive than the zilla's and mistress's if cost is a factor. I'd say stalk the exchange for any Res-c knife with a 10" or larger blade. If you don't like it you can probably sell it for just about what you have in it and get something else.
 
My new Rat Daddy rocks pretty hard! I'm liking the weight and handle on this one.

I wanna try out a NMFBM though!
 
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1311 is 13" of sr101 fantasticisim. Great chopper at 3/16" thick.

Aaaaaaaannnnnnd...... We need an INFI version please.
 
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What do I like in a chopper? INFI, and if not, SR101. ;)

My go to first choice for all my outdoor use is the 1311 that lives on my tractor. What I would change about it is to make it INFI and maybe give it a recurve, that's what the B13 thread is all about.

I also like the TTKZ, MOABolo, Basic 11, FBMLE & Basic 9 a lot for similar tasks. The TTKZ, MOABolo & FBMLE are pretty stout in the weight department though and only the first two outperform the 1311 for me. None of the others mentioned will outperform the 1311 other than the NMFBM and a MOAB, but the four blades that will are about double the weight. Again, we need a B13, but in the meantime a 1311 is holding me over.
 
My choice for a chopper knife (I have a folding saw and a Granfor Bruks small forest axe) would be and actually is my BIG finish NMFSH. It really does the job, is easy to manuever and is useful for other tasks. Once it's cleaned, it makes a very fast peanut butter sandwich.
 
AZTimT said:
What do I like in a chopper? INFI, and if not, SR101. ;)

My go to first choice for all my outdoor use is the 1311 that lives on my tractor. What I would change about it is to make it INFI and maybe give it a recurve, that's what the B13 thread is all about.

I also like the TTKZ, MOABolo, Basic 11, FBMLE & Basic 9 a lot for similar tasks. The TTKZ, MOABolo & FBMLE are pretty stout in the weight department though and only the first two outperform the 1311 for me. None of the others mentioned will outperform the 1311 other than the NMFBM and a MOAB, but the four blades that will are about double the weight. Again, we need a B13, but in the meantime a 1311 is holding me over.
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Good stuff AZTim,

I've seen pics of your tractor knife and know it's well used. How has the Res-C held up for you on that one?
 
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