-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Why I DON'T carry a large chopper knife.
- Thread starter Shotgun
- Start date
Ebbtide
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 1999
- Messages
- 7,952
Kudos for the civil discussion.
A few things stick out as I read this.
First the OP mentioning those two brands as bowie knives.
Well, to me they aren't. A minor nit to be sure... anyway...
Fmajor007 brings up interesting points (great post BTW) about being used to a tool and having a moment of distraction with severe consequences.
So true. I work with a razor knife in the studio and make hundreds of cuts a day.
Day dream and bleed.
Rule #1: Don't bleed on the work.
These are not toys and must be taken seriously.
Which brings me to the phrase "full power swings"
Anytime you start cranking out full power as hard as I frikkin can swings, you give up control.
You can over power the tool or not be able to catch yourself if your form is less than correct. This goes for anything from a saw, to a knife, to an axe, to a fishing rod, & beyond.
My father was a wood worker from the old country 'on the other side' he would always tell me "Let the tool do the work".
Each tool has a sweet spot where it works well and applying more power won't make it work better.
Watch a lumberjack competition and you see a good illustration of this.
It takes time to develop a feel for your tools.
Some people never do.
Like my friend who is no longer allowed to use my axes
The last thing that I found interesting is how many times the word "play" was used in this thread.
Oh, and as far as my choices go...
I have them all. But when I go out in the cold I'm not without a saw.
Sven Saw, What-A-Saw or the small folding pull saw that I forgot the name of. Way quicker than a chopper, lighter than an axe.
The only down side is that it is a real beech to pound stakes with a saw
A few things stick out as I read this.
First the OP mentioning those two brands as bowie knives.
Well, to me they aren't. A minor nit to be sure... anyway...
Fmajor007 brings up interesting points (great post BTW) about being used to a tool and having a moment of distraction with severe consequences.
So true. I work with a razor knife in the studio and make hundreds of cuts a day.
Day dream and bleed.
Rule #1: Don't bleed on the work.
These are not toys and must be taken seriously.
Which brings me to the phrase "full power swings"
Anytime you start cranking out full power as hard as I frikkin can swings, you give up control.
You can over power the tool or not be able to catch yourself if your form is less than correct. This goes for anything from a saw, to a knife, to an axe, to a fishing rod, & beyond.
My father was a wood worker from the old country 'on the other side' he would always tell me "Let the tool do the work".
Each tool has a sweet spot where it works well and applying more power won't make it work better.
Watch a lumberjack competition and you see a good illustration of this.
It takes time to develop a feel for your tools.
Some people never do.
Like my friend who is no longer allowed to use my axes
The last thing that I found interesting is how many times the word "play" was used in this thread.
Oh, and as far as my choices go...
I have them all. But when I go out in the cold I'm not without a saw.
Sven Saw, What-A-Saw or the small folding pull saw that I forgot the name of. Way quicker than a chopper, lighter than an axe.
The only down side is that it is a real beech to pound stakes with a saw
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2006
- Messages
- 7,038
Yupper, it's all good. I just put a bit of thought into the season and what environment I'll be in, then plan for the worst. Most times though I'm nowhere near a life\death survival scenario, and I'm just playing with my toys and having fun.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2006
- Messages
- 7,038
The beauty of this argument is that two or more people can look at the same thing, have a completely different opinion, and both be right...
Me personally, I love both choppers and hatchets, but I've been leaning towards the hatchet lately.
JGON
Well said buddy and it's wonderful to have so many options.
This is a Sabitier 7" Meat Cleaver, in 1/16" carbon
It has been with me as a kitchen knife for over 45 years
I purchased it on a whim but I have hardly ever used it
So I 'converted' it to a field knife
It has the sweetest of sweet, sweet points for chopping, and takes no effort to chop
It is thin like a machette
It is short like a hatchet
I can choke on the handle to do fine work with the first two inches of the blade
And it is very light to carry
I took off the very obtuse strong edge and put on a lazy convex edge
Holds an awesome edge
A very interesting wood's knife
And fun to use
Awesome buddy. I have done something similar. I took a nice paring knife and used it in the field
This is a Sabitier 7" Meat Cleaver, in 1/16" carbon
It has been with me as a kitchen knife for over 45 years
I purchased it on a whim but I have hardly ever used it
So I 'converted' it to a field knife
It has the sweetest of sweet, sweet points for chopping, and takes no effort to chop
It is thin like a machette
It is short like a hatchet
I can choke on the handle to do fine work with the first two inches of the blade
And it is very light to carry
I took off the very obtuse strong edge and put on a lazy convex edge
Holds an awesome edge
A very interesting wood's knife
And fun to use
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2013
- Messages
- 2,238
To each his own. I am with the moose on this
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2010
- Messages
- 1,516
To each there own.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
- Messages
- 19,385
My first chopper was what I considered a pineapple knife and similar to yours Balboa. It was razor sharp. Found that it was just too short and the branches tend to damage you while you're using it. I want something a bit longer myself. My more recent acquisitions that apply are the Condor Pack Golok, Condor Village Parang, and most recently a KaBar BK-7. I'm toying with the becker at the moment as a woods knife. I feel a little clumsy with it at the moment. I really like the short machetes.
Used hatchets a lot when I was a kid as that was all I had. I prefer an axe (even a short handled axe) or a big knife to a hatchet. But I'm not building any cabins with one either or chopping down 12" diameter trees either. That is chainsaw turf.
Used hatchets a lot when I was a kid as that was all I had. I prefer an axe (even a short handled axe) or a big knife to a hatchet. But I'm not building any cabins with one either or chopping down 12" diameter trees either. That is chainsaw turf.