what size???

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
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would you go for when deciding on a heavy use blade... for limbing or battoning?
I find an 7 inch blade while not being best at anything bridges the gap well between chopper and belt knife and can be used as both with practice...
 
7-8 inches is a good length for a one knife scenario. short enough to have a good amount of controll but long enough to baton some good sized logs.
 
RescueRiley said:
would you go for when deciding on a heavy use blade... for limbing or battoning?
I find an 7 inch blade while not being best at anything bridges the gap well between chopper and belt knife and can be used as both with practice...
Click to expand...

Hey Riley,

Respectfully, I disagree. I find that anything 7" or under does not chop that well. Of course, it could be me. For a chopper, I want 9" or more. I find 7" to be in that never-never land of too big to make a good everyday knife and too small as a chopper.

Having said that, I know a lot of people here (yes, Fonly, I'm including you :D) would disagree and that's fine. As mis(anthropist) said in an earlier thread, "Whatever works for you." (a paraphrase, at best, I think).

Doc
 
I watche a video a few months back on a guy demonstrating the proper use of a leuku (can't remember where I saw it) anyway he used his index finger and thumb around the pomel of the knife while chopping using a wrist flicking motion (like cracking a bull whip) to do some chopping.. I have since tried this on my last camp out using a kabar 1211 it worked like a charm.. that being said.. I don't normally chop anything so much as limb finger thick branches.. I do baton a good deal... but use a saw to section wood. again whatever works.. However I do bow to, and am always humbled by you knowledge and experience, Doc.
 
RR, if you happen to find the video, could you post it?

i like a leuku for an 'allrounder . it dosent necisarily do every job perfectly, but it will do most any job.
 
RescueRiley said:
I watche a video a few months back on a guy demonstrating the proper use of a leuku (can't remember where I saw it) anyway he used his index finger and thumb around the pomel of the knife while chopping using a wrist flicking motion (like cracking a bull whip) to do some chopping.. I have since tried this on my last camp out using a kabar 1211 it worked like a charm.. that being said.. I don't normally chop anything so much as limb finger thick branches.. I do baton a good deal... but use a saw to section wood. again whatever works..
Click to expand...

My foregoing comments were about chopping, not batoning. I have chopped with that 'mini-grip' aided with a safety thong, and in an emergency situation, it works but I prefer a full grip when chopping. You also bring up a good point about target size. Limbs that are finger thick don't present a lot of problems.

I haven't really put the Bravo-1 to the batoning test, but with the thickness of the spine, I'm really sure it's going to kick butt. And, of course, the splitting will be performed by the thickness, rather than the edge, so it should be all good. Maybe I'll have a chance this weekend. I'm also looking forward to a Guyot experiment that I hope, goes well, so I can share it with my BladeForum brothers (and sisters?).

BTW, really good to see you in here again, skammer. (Saw your name on the bottom).

Doc
 
5-7" is what I would consider a good length range for "all purpose" hiking knives. But for chopping and battoning, I agree with Doc - 9" is optimum. My tool of choice for such chores is a BK-9.

The trade-off is that while 9" blades can power through chopping tasks, they are a bit unwieldy for most light bushcraft work (I did fillet a trout with a BK-9 once, though - successfully!). I only pack such a large blade when I intend to put it to serious use. Otherwise, my cap is 5".

All the best,

- Mike
 
Ive played around alot over the late summer and early fall with a 12 inch tram (great blade) but big to carry around.. during late spring early summer it was a bk7.. Great blade as well..last time it was a kabar 1211.. I had the hardes time with the kabar.. it battoned well enough but the edge geometry pretty much made it useless for other tasks...I've sinced perfecte my hand sharpening (like yesterday) now it shaves NP.. I always keep a mora and a multi tool in the bag.. But I'll like to whittle my bush carry blades to a largish knife and a folder...If using the finger grip I mentioned before I will only use a thong, as doc mentioned.. if your hand gets sweaty its a good way to send your knife flying.
 
For most general purpose work I use and prefer a 5 inch blade. That said I'm really enjoying my new RC-6 which is a 6 1/2 inch blade. I don't think it would be a very efficient chopper, but with a baton one could take down small trees if needed. If I need a chopper then I carry my M-43 kukri or an axe. The 7 inch blade length is about the maximum for knife use for general purpose work.
 
I think you asked one question, and implied a second, and everyone seems to have answered the second.

RescueRiley said:
would you go for when deciding on a heavy use blade... for limbing or battoning?
Click to expand...
I'd pick a hatchet, kukri or machete of at least 18".

RescueRiley said:
I find an 7 inch blade while not being best at anything bridges the gap well between chopper and belt knife and can be used as both with practice...
Click to expand...

The implied question being: "What would you pick for a one-knife blade length?"
In this case, my "one-knife" pick is a blade of 7-9". No blade this size is a good chopper for big pieces of wood, but once you get a good baton, you can baton it to limb as well as split. The design of the knife determines how well you can choke up on it for fine work.
 
I don't think I own a 7" knife. I like carrying my combos with me. The setups work great for me. I have recently purchased a folding saw and that flies through wood faster than a chopper can and cuts nice and even making splitting that much easier.
 
RescueRiley said:
would you go for when deciding on a heavy use blade... for limbing or battoning?
I find an 7 inch blade while not being best at anything bridges the gap well between chopper and belt knife and can be used as both with practice...
Click to expand...

For limbing, chopping and batoning, 8" of blade and up. The larger the better, of course, in terms of performance. I would bring a small knife for the small work. That works much better than trying to do everything with one knife.
 
I find a 7" blade a good compromise that can reasonably handle both small knife tasks and large knife tasks, albeit not particularly efficiently at most tasks. If I have major chopping to be done with a 7" blade, it is easy to convert it into a pole axe, and thereby make it chop much more efficiently than a far larger blade.
 
The absolute "Best" all around knife I've ever personally used (and currently own) is a Ratweiler. I can accomplish most "normal" knife tasks with it and, if I hold it by the "swell" on the end of the handle, it chops like a 9" blade. Plus - is practically indestructable.
 
I have a Scrap Yard Hook which has a 7" blade. It is pretty thick and heavy and chops surprisingly well. Maybe that curved edge like a Kuri helps. I don't think it is any good for fine work tho.
 
I use my ChopWeiler ( 7 1/2" blade-I think ) for battoning all the time and it's perfect for my needs. If I need to chop, which is rare, I use an axe !
 
I have a RD 6 & 7. There is little difference in how each perform. If the job is too much for a 7" blade I'll go to a hatchet or saw.
 
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