Which chopper?

udtjim said:
Here are three that I like.


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who makes the knife, never seen it before.
 
I can't get past the handle and the "eye" thingy on the condors. The aztec looks like it can chop, though.
 
perksy said:
In order

Busse BM, Scrap Yard, Ranger, BRKT, Cold steel, Kershaw.

Note. The BRKT will come with a much finer and sharper edge than all of these, but may not be as tough, when it comes to abuse as the first 3. It all depends on how you intend to use the knife.
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Agreed, the exact same order here!!!!!!!!!! Good one there Persky
 
I would say get the Busse, but then, I drink the Kool-Aid. ;)

If you decide to go that way, you should look for the Combat Grade Fusion Battle Mistress ( CG FBM ). If you are patient you can probably find a user on the Busse Exchange for $400. It is the lightest of the FBM family, the others are thicker, and might be a burden to hike with.
 
Yes its the Condor Aztec Cleaver. Its light but its a chopper. Here is another one I like although I seldo if ever chop with a knife. Carbon Five ODA.


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Busse and Cold Steel in the same choice field??? You gotta be kidding me!!!

Hands down, Busse makes the best hard use knives in the world. Period. Whether you like them or not is up to you. Busse are expensive though. Scrap Yard, as many know - along with Swamp Rat - are all owned by Busse. They are all the best IMO.

The best chopper for the $ is the Swamp Rat Chopweiler. I love mine. Probably my favorite knife I own. Its mean as crap :)
 
I like th eBrowning Crowell/Barker b/c it isn't too heavy, chops great, and most importantly it ca be used easily for finer tasks. If you want a knife that can chop it's a great choice at a very reasonable price. I have found that if you want something JUST for chopping, might as well get a good axe or hatchet - you can get a GB for around $100 and that's the Rolls-Royce of axes - because it will out-chop a knife hands down.
 
Here is my take on this and I have owned and own most of the knives mentioned except the Browning.

Balance point is a big thing with me. So I will start with the BM's.

CGFBM - Balance point slightly forward of Ricasso giving a more tip heavy feel, good for chopping.
FBMSE - Balance point in the center of the ricasso so much more neutral in balance givng a lighter feel even though it is not lighter.
LEFBM - Same as SE except heavier due to thickness
FFBM - Very forward balanced feel with balance point beyond the ricasso. Definitely an awesome chopper, but maybe hard to handle in finer work or light brush.

My personal pick of these is the SE, then the CG then the LE then the FF

Dogfather - Forward balance much like the FFBM, great chopper but may feel a little heavy for lighter work.

Ranger RD9 - Similar to the CGFBM in feel for the later models, the early saber ground models feel more like an FFBM.

Trailmaster - Very light feeling blade balance is fairly neutral and similar to the FBMSE. Handle absolutely sucks, can't use hard for any length of time without getting blisters. Handle eventually wears down. Transition from Blade to tang is not radiused which means stress riser and a broken knife.

Outcast - Good feel not as thick as others but width of blade gives it heft. Balance is forward but still light. I got one just to try out. It felt good, but the edge did not last under hard woods. More of a brush cutter and soft wood chopper.

Bark Riv Golok - never had one but I like the design. But this is strictly a chopper/brush cutter as it has no point for fine work. Blade length is much longer as well and you are getting into machete size or short sword size here.

Browning - I love the looks and I like the steel they use. I hope the HT is up to par with it. It appears to have failed against both the Dogfather and the RD9 in chopping though.

I will add a few more knives:

Himalayan Imports AK 15-16 inch. This kukhuri is a great chopper and decent cutter. Forward balanced but still very lively for such a thick blade.

Becker Brute - Balanced well and probably the most solid of the larger beckers, I like it better than the BK9 which had good geometry but felt a little on the light side for harder use.

Becker BK9 - very light balanced knife. Good for lighter work.

Ontario RTAK, MArine Raider, Survival Bowie - Very solid feeling with decent balance but totally inconsistent heat treat makes your chances of getting a good one low.

These are just my impressions and everyone has a different opinion how certain knives feel based on how you use them. I don't care much for the very light feeling knives but I am not as much a fan of the super heavy weight forward knives either.

If I had to pick one regardless of price it would be the FBM LE or SE and then the CG.

If I had to pick one with price being an issue, I would probably go with the DogFather and the RD9. I would stay away from CS and Ontario and I have accordingly got rid of them all. I have to add that I have never used a San Mai CS so that is an unknown to me, but considering it is not even made in the US I would trust it even less than I would their Carbon V stuff which already had a lot of issues.
 
Cobalt, excellent response!!!!! That is what I was hoping for when I started the thread. Great reviews, Thank you!!!!
 
What Cobalt said. ;)

But you can't go wrong with pretty much anything listed in this thread. Excellent suggestions.

For me its the Busse FFBM. :D

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Can you afford a Busse?

If yes go for it.

Else, the Dogfather and the Ranger are quite similar. What kind of handle do you prefer? That would be the main difference between the 2. If it's the price range you want, just take the one that is calling you. (I got a RD)

If you are open to something else than straight blade knives, take a look at Himalayan Imports khuks.
 
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