What's a good, cheap chopper?

Seriously? Nobody has mentioned kukri yet?

Cold Steel and Kabar both have affordable offerings, although for heavy cutting, you'd really be best off shelling out a bit more and getting a Himalayan Imports Khukuri. I think you'd have a tough time finding something that would chop better or last longer, especially given the relatively low price for a handcrafted piece of indestructible art.
 
Folderguy said:
Are you familiar with the machetespecialists.com website? They have a ton of different machetes. I'm not so sure what would be best. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

How about the Ontario Kukri / Khukuri?

KUKRI%201%20LG.JPG


1/4" thick [it does taper though] and flat ground. ~$50. Sheath works, but is nothing to write home about. Strong chopper.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
Seriously? Nobody has mentioned kukri yet?

Cold Steel and Kabar both have affordable offerings, although for heavy cutting, you'd really be best off shelling out a bit more and getting a Himalayan Imports Khukuri. I think you'd have a tough time finding something that would chop better or last longer, especially given the relatively low price for a handcrafted piece of indestructible art.
Click to expand...

You beat me to it :D

The CS Kukri looks like a worker, but IIRC, comes in at ~triple $70? HI would be even more than that. How I wish some of those Nepalese craftsmen would come to the US and set up shop here.
 
bladerique said:
You beat me to it :D

The CS Kukri looks like a worker, but IIRC, comes in at ~triple $70? HI would be even more than that. How I wish some of those Nepalese craftsmen would come to the US and set up shop here.
Click to expand...

Actually, no. CS has a few very inexpensive ones:

http://www.manventureoutpost.com/products/Cold-Steel-97KMS-Kukri-Machete.html
Cold Steel Kukri<$15. Not their best one, but a great chopper for the money, from what I hear.

http://www.m4040.com/Knifemaking/REVIEWS/FieldBladeReview-ColdSteelKuk.htm

The Kabar is pretty inexpensive too:

http://www.manventureoutpost.com/products/Ka%2dBar-1249-Kukri-Machete-w{47}Lthr{47}Cordura-Shth.html

< $45, 1085 carbon steel. Most people recommend gloves because the Kraton-G handle can be rough for some. I haven't had a problem yet. Might be worth wrapping it in leather though.

http://yhst-7333098713883.stores.yahoo.net/12inchsirupati.html - $95.
http://yhst-7333098713883.stores.yahoo.net/12inchak.html - $100.

A bit more than $75, for sure, but probably won't break the bank to spend an extra 20-25 for an amazing khukuri. They are addictive though; I will be buying a new HI soon.
 
For the money the KA-BAR machete cutlass is a serious piece of kit.
IMGP0883.jpg


IMGP0882.jpg


IMGP0894.jpg


IMGP0910.jpg


IMGP0863.jpg


IMGP0859.jpg


IMGP0770.jpg


For "practical use" I fail to see why someone would want to spend 4x the money on another knife. :confused:
In the UK both the KA-BAR and GB small forest sell for about £50. To be honest I find the KA-BAR more forgiving and friendly to use. The axe requires better co-ordination than I have to feel safe!
 
Last edited:
Machete Specialists is an awesome site. I picked up a Tram Bolo and a Condor Golok. Both are very good choppers. I hear a lot of good things about Martindale too. Might want to check them out. I also just picked up a Condor Hudson Bay. Nice knife for the money but, the tram was about 6 bucks and works like a charm.
 
bladerique said:
You beat me to it :D

The CS Kukri looks like a worker, but IIRC, comes in at ~triple $70? HI would be even more than that. How I wish some of those Nepalese craftsmen would come to the US and set up shop here.
Click to expand...

The CS Magnum Kukri (17" blade, 25" overall( is available on Amazon for under $25. I found several youtubes showing it chopping down some pretty tough stuff.

Have you tried this one?
 
I will warn you though, once you buy a khuk, especially if you start with a cheaper CS one, you're going to want more, and you'll end up with an HI sooner or later. Then you'll be collecting them. Not that the CS ones wont be fine, but hey, you're on bladeforums.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
I will warn you though, once you buy a khuk, especially if you start with a cheaper CS one, you're going to want more, and you'll end up with an HI sooner or later. Then you'll be collecting them. Not that the CS ones wont be fine, but hey, you're on bladeforums.
Click to expand...

+1 on the "stay away from khuks."
You'll be sorry.

pete
 
Went by Ranger Surplus today. They had 8 or 9 different machetes. Cold Steel, Imcasa, Ontario, and others, Kukri and Latin American style machetes.

I ended up buying what felt best in my hand when swinging it, considering length, blade thickness/stiffness, blade shape and edge.

I bought an Ontario, 24" blade, thicker blade than the CS, has a D shaped hand guard. Need to convex it and I should be good to go. I'll try to find it online and see what model it is.

Thanks for all the information and suggestions!
 
Another vote for the BK 9. For a big knife it's got a great feel. Plus it's a great value. For $75 you even get the little BK 13 with it.

picture.php
[/IMG]
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I strongly disagree. If anything, it's actually quite thick for something with a 22" blade. ;)
Click to expand...

No doubt about it, it's a serious chopper, and that 1/8" is plenty stiff. Grabbing the two ends of the machete, I'm able to bend it perhaps 3 inches off axis.

Here's a description of it from the Ontario website:

Ontario.jpg


By the way, I took it out of the holder, which will soon become a "sheath" once I tape it up with duct tape, and went outside with it to hack at a few downed branches, with the factory edge which isn't very good at all.

It easily went through what looked to be 3/4" green branches without much of a swing or real effort.

Once I get it sharpened up, it'll be bad news! :D

BTW, 22 inches is a lot of blade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top