Why do you baton?

texastonydobbs said:
1st off good point...Ok I would Baton but I never carry just one blade...I mentioned before,I have a few blades designated to be baton with and I carry one of them and a smaller fixed blade as well as a folder...do not own a axe or hatchet that I carry with me that is the reason for the hefty FB knife. Today's time there is more steel choices than you can shake a stick at. pick the steel that suites your needs...plenty of makers custom or product to fit most folks income.
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A more learned member than myself in regards to axes briangandrews has really opened my eyes in regards to the value of a small axe over big fat bowie, I'm still reading and figuring out all the knowledge that he has been kind enough to share with me on this subject. Big knives look very cool impressive as hell around the campfires with non hardcore outdoors people. If you had to fight a bear or mountain liion off big knife wins over axe anyday. All other task axe pretty much wins hands down. The weight issue isn't a huge difference, given the fact that you need a meaty thick blade to be able to chop small trees and to baton for any duration of time before blade gets tweaked.
 
Ravaillac said:
I've baton quite a lot with my mora, doesn't seem screwed up a bit.


Just curious, if you don't use your knife to start a fire, why is it so important? what do you plan to use it for: stabbing wild animals?
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We are talking about semi dried wood where its dense right not wet stuff? Mora uses good steel, but you may want to try it on dry walnut to baton and see how long the mora keeps it shape before it gets tweaked whether it bends or blade gets dented. Also keep in mind that the diameter of the log and type of wood makes a huge difference whether your knife fails or not.


I can feather a small pieces of wood in a few seconds with my knife and thats all that is really needed to start a fire.
 
to me it is hard to compare axe or hatchet Vs. Big FB knives,not the same in any aspect ,for me only is for which I speak,I dont own an Axe/hatchet there for .250 thick 7-10" FB knife is my tool until I can score a Good hand ax/hatchet... I would prefer an Axe/Hatchet but I keep wasting my stash cash on FB knives .. LOL !!
 
texastonydobbs said:
to me it is hard to compare axe or hatchet Vs. Big FB knives,not the same in any aspect ,for me only is for which I speak,I dont own an Axe/hatchet there for .250 thick 7-10" FB knife is my tool until I can score a Good hand ax/hatchet... I would prefer an Axe/Hatchet but I keep wasting my stash cash on FB knives .. LOL !!
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Or get a kukri and outperform both!

(Waiting for briangandrews to jump in my stuff about that comment)
 
texastonydobbs said:
to me it is hard to compare axe or hatchet Vs. Big FB knives,not the same in any aspect ,for me only is for which I speak,I dont own an Axe/hatchet there for .250 thick 7-10" FB knife is my tool until I can score a Good hand ax/hatchet... I would prefer an Axe/Hatchet but I keep wasting my stash cash on FB knives .. LOL !!
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Fiskars hatchets are superb and cost something like 25$ shipped I believe. I find them much more efficient for chopping and splitting than fixed blade because the weight is where you need it, not all spread out like a knife.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Or get a kukri and outperform both!

(Waiting for briangandrews to jump in my stuff about that comment)
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cs kukri machete is cheap and tough as nails. I think its still a compromise between big blade and hatchet. I doubt my if my cs machete would outperform if axe when logs get larger. I've seen people skin game with a small axe, carve spoons etc... I'm not sure if I could do that with my cs machete.
 
I battoned just a little yesterday - I had a piece of a branch I was wanting to make into a bow drill hearth - splitting this with a little bit of battoning is the key. I don't abuse my knifes with the baton - just get a little extra force to split wood when making something.

I could have sat and taken layer after layer off the same branch with my knife and got the same effect. I think this is faster and saves my edge.

TF
 
hannibal lecter spyderco said:
cs kukri machete is cheap and tough as nails. I think its still a compromise between big blade and hatchet. I doubt my if my cs machete would outperform if axe when logs get larger. I've seen people skin game with a small axe, carve spoons etc... I'm not sure if I could do that with my cs machete.
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LOL, no, I mean a KUKRI

DuiChirra04.jpg


or

Kukzilla25inch58oz.jpg


Not a bent machete (no offense). :D
 
hannibal lecter spyderco said:
cs kukri machete is cheap and tough as nails. I think its still a compromise between big blade and hatchet. I doubt my if my cs machete would outperform if axe when logs get larger. I've seen people skin game with a small axe, carve spoons etc... I'm not sure if I could do that with my cs machete.
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Cheap maybe, but tough, hell no. My friend has a CS khukri machete, and the edge was all dented to hell from chopping up an animal (cant remember what, might have been a sheep).

I dont mean little flat spots that reflect light dents, I mean big greasy concave dents.
 
WhiskyJack said:
Cheap maybe, but tough, hell no. My friend has a CS khukri machete, and the edge was all dented to hell from chopping up an animal (cant remember what, might have been a sheep).

I dont mean little flat spots that reflect light dents, I mean big greasy concave dents.
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Check the link below, I don't know what your friend was doing but mine has been through a whole lot and has never failed I clear small trees yearly with it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_m4xErfJXw
 
hannibal lecter spyderco said:
Real ones are nice to have, but not as tough as cs kukri, plus they are expensive
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Huh??
HI's are differentially tapered with a nice, hard sweet spot, and getting softer toward the spine. It's been proven that they will bend, not break. The HI recommended method of testing them out alone would void most warranties.

Not to get in a brand war, you just threw me for a loop on that comment.
 
I thought the axe/hatchet was the way to go. I bought a GB wildlife hatchet for my Boundary Waters trip this summer and an axe for my backyard fire needs. They have many benefits, but I think I will turn to batoning from here on out. I actually found the axe and the hatchet to be extremely frustrating:mad: Everytime I would split into the wood, the axe/hatchet would get stuck in the wood. It took soooo much extra time just to get the wedge unstuck from the log. Once the wedge was in the log....I just kept wishing that I had some more metal sticking out of the other end so I could baton it through. When I used my hatched this summer in the boundary waters....I just kept slamming the wood into the ground after my hatchet got stuck in the log:rolleyes: I also felt it was extremely dangerous swinging those things wildly into the wood. I was extremely safe, but I could see how easy it would be to make a mistake. Batoning is much safer in my opinion. From now on I will be buying 9-10 inch blades for batoning....no more wasting time getting an axehead unstuck:thumbdn:
 
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