in survival situations every energy you waste on a knife that does not work can mean life or death. having a good tool that will not jeopardize your energy is a plus in survival
What a great educational video. After watching this video I ordered a BK 9, 7 and 16. I'd never heard of them before, and wow, am I pleased with what I received. Never come across items that have been so impeccably made and felt so good in the hand. I have an eye for perfection and could not find any fault with all three knives. These are tools to keep for life for sure. Thank you.
I own, and use a Fiskars x7 hatchet when I camp. It's going on almost four years, and is still going good. I'm going to be ordering in a Condor Parang soon.
I have read all the comments on here and I have to say that Chris you are a God among the knife collectors, I see a lot of people look up to you including myself for your reviews and honest opinions not to mention just the fact that you reply back when someone has a question. I have asked questions to a few others on youtube and have received no reply at least you take the time to help and to me thats everything to us viewers. Just a late night thought while working.
Ontario 18" military machete, still have my issued model it's over 34 years old. I love that machete though it's heavier than a traditional Latin type. I use it on saplings and fallen limbs off of our maple trees.
I have been extremely impressed with my friskers 7 A reviewer called it a chainsaw,,,I agree. Just a well made hard use small carry hatchet that out performs many
I do a TON of chopping every year here in the pacific northwest, you reviewed one CRKT machete in this video, but not the best one IMO. Review the CRKT Mah-chete. I've been using it for around 5 years now. It holds it's edge extremely well, easy to sharpen. One of the benefits of having the belly of the chopper closer to the tang is how little it fatigues your hand/arm. I can sit and chop with this knife for hours, starting with heavy chopping, switching over to more controlled swings using the belly of the blade to reduce fatigue. Batoning with it is also fairly easy. The price is less than 100$ as well. The steel is 1075, which I actually prefer over 1095 in a blade like this that endures heavy use, as it's easier to resharpen IMO.
I know I'm old & Old School, and I do love knives of all kinds, but in my experience a really good hatchet that'll fit in your backpack or on your belt with a good sheath & at least a 9" handle, will do almost anything I need in the Wisconsin Woods with alot of hardwoods. But I do like the Becker BK9 as a SHTF bug out pack knife.
Wow. How far you have come in 7 years. The schf 37 was my first step into bushcraft survival knives. Still my most used knife after 7 years. My schf9 is my best batoning knife. Great geometry for splitting, indestructible tip, not great for cutting rope or meat without changing the secondary bevel to a shallow convex grind.
I've recently opened up using cleavers for outdoor work. If you can get one which has a decent, full tang, then they are an incredible, underestimated, versatile chopping tool for their weight & size.
I agree with the shock on the SP-50, but I have had a great deal of experience with it - all excellent. I have found it to be an awesome chopper, splitter, and even make small shavings after a long day of beating on it. Tramontina looks interesting.
Yes, you can chop and baton with the Tramontina machete. Definitely will transmit the chock, but it does the job. And when you are in a tropical forest, the main use will be clear the way. And a long blade, long as 20', will keep you safer from snake bites.
I have went to a large knife last year and i like it as it chops well for it's grind and 17 ounce weight .. Also last year i bought my first Kukri and i spend hours watching you guys demo this design , i bought the Ontario , ya it's a full flat grind and some wood it does stick in the wood...
Great vid as usual, and I especially liked(besides the knives) that you, unlike a few other people that review items, suggested to Google whatever it is you're lookin' at, read reviews on Amazon, and learn all you can. Lots of us live on a tight budget, at least I do, and I can't afford to make a big mistake just because so and so said it was the greatest thing ever. Money's easy to spend, but not so easy to get back, so thanks for reminding people to research first. I've picked out a couple things I thought would work for me personally, but after reading what other people said about it, and doin' a little bit more reading up on it, I completely changed my mind and went for something else that I'm totally happy with. Regardless of what it is, you can NEVER learn too much about it. I'm sure you're probably moved into the new house already, so I hope you and the family enjoy it, and keep on keepin' on brother! Oh btw....if you ever get tired of luggin' all that steel around, I'm always lookin' for a new toy or four. haha Santa always seems to pass my house on Christmas Eve and leave nothing, even when I've been reasonably good! lol Take care o' Becky, 'cause if you two break up, send her my way. I like a lady who can handle it a little rough sometimes LOL Take care
Been using. Kershaw Camp10 for years now. Love it, and no interest in wasting money to change. Does everything well, and a few things very well. Its awesome
I can appreciate someone who has the experience and knows from that,what the hell they are talking about,good vid.Been looking into a nice machete/chopper for camping purposes,thanks.
Chris, if you love huge knives that can be used as choppers, then check out Mtech's xtreme 'Raptor' bowie! 18 inches over all, with a 12" + tinted satin finished blade, jigged micarta handles with red liners! It is the largest in my collection; even larger than my Gil Hibben 'Crescent' bowie! This thing is a beauty and very comfortable in the hand! I would love to see you do a review on this one!
PREPAREDMIND101 I like taking toose injection molded handles off and replacing them with a riveted wood handle,stabilized wood sometimes with a leather wrap or something like that.
For approximately the same weight as a large chopper, a well made properly designed hatchet or small camp axe can provide more versatility for chopping splitting and hammering. If you carry a big chopper you are going to want a good smaller blade (or two) for more detailed and delicate work anyway, and you won't have a hammer when you need one. To me a hatchet / knife combo seems more practical long term. But I have a couple of big choppers just in case I lose my hatchet and need to "make do".
I know this is a decade old, but I enjoyed this. The best batoner I have EVER used is designed by YOU! My Schrade Froe after I triple wrapped the handle with Wilson wrap, and then used several layers of plasti-dip over that, stripped the coating, then duracoated the blade. I'm glad I bought a spare before they stopped making them, although I doubt I will ever be able to break mine. It's my FAVORITE tool! One type I did not see here in your review was a "Woodsman's Pal" type "billhook" machete. Now, obviously, the REAL Woodsman's Pal is awesome. However, it is NOT cheap! I would love to see you review some cheaper "knockoffs" of this type of chopper/machete and get your opinions. Thanks sailor, this Army veteran appreciates your work!
What do you think of good quality folding saws for processing large pieces of wood instead of choppers? It just seems like you're always going to be using more energy swinging a big blade around than you would simply sliding a blade back and forth on the wood.
If you know you are going to be processing thicker pieces of wood, 100mm+, it's definitely worth your while to carry a saw. A chopper excels on anything up to about the thickness of your arm - you can sail through it in a few cuts letting gravity do a lot of the work as long as you are making relatively downward cuts. As wood gets thicker more effort is required so you're better off with a saw or an axe. I think the big advantage of a large chopping knife is how good a jack of all trades it is, meaning you can get away with carrying less. Machetes and axes and saws excel at specific tasks, but none are as versatile as a chopper.
Hi Chris. Looking forward to your knife design. I am dabbling in that as well so i have a general idea how much work that is. Especially interested in your reasoning for steel selection and heat treat process.
for me there is only one large knife pick, one that I have tested and has proven to be a superior chopper against all comers, and that knife is the TOPS Power Eagle 12. I also have an issue with your assessment of the flat grind, when testing many different knives with various grinds the flat grind proved to be the best for chopping. Any blade with a secondary bevel in it grind was hindered by that secondary bevel. Flat grinds may sacrifice some edge strength but gain a whole heap of chopping ability.
The whole reason knifes work is because of wedges. Physics prove that wedges are better at separating a material. While a flat grind is not as applicable to this advantage. You may find flat grind blades more suitable due to a condition called the placebo effect.
What you're experiencing with the FFG knives is not enough of a shallow, low angle cutting surface grind with not enough "shoulder" (most all "FFG" knives we see have a secondary edge grind of some kind). The shoulder is what keeps felling and splitting tools like axes from getting stuck into the wood vs a carving grind with a thinner, more concave, fine cutting profile which is designed to remove controlled shavings of wood from a given surface. A true "shoulderless" FFG or too fine/severe a hollow-grind, unless it's thick enough, will not be a great splitter/chopper cause it'll be too fine a cutting instrument and will stick in the wood more instead of forcing the wood apart (not to mention how delicate it makes the cutting edge/blade if it's too thin/fine) and blowing out those chips with it's shallow beveled shoulders or even a convex shape in the case of axes. IMO the RTAK II is one of the best chopper's out there (a lot better then the BK9, which I LIKE, but because of some design omissions like a lack of choil and the thermo-plastic handles, I don't "love") in terms of a true "knife", and a very well rounded "big knife", but you can change that by putting too fine a carving grind on it (or any knife for that matter). The CS Recon Scout and Trailmaster do well with the FFG because of the wide stock they're made of giving them a big wedge shape vs a thinner knife (love some things about those knives and again, hate other bits, just like the BK9). Others like the Ontario SP52 (an amazing chopper to ME, and much better then the SP50 IMO) and the Schrade SCHF28 (that I believe you reviewed) with their pronounced re-curve help to get the cutting edge a nice "bite point" and also to present the cutting face to the surface with more force in the swing. Another often overlooked tool is the Gerber/Fiskars "Brush Hook tool" that is a monster shopper, very capable splitter/froe, and will take small trees down as well as any small Forrest axe. Plus it's very low-cost and only needs a handle wrap to really finish it off. I live in the PNW, I grew up working wood, I heat my house with wood primarily, and in general live in a timber rich environment... wood processing is just part of daily life for me, let alone in a wilderness situation, but it's also taught me a lot of things about tools and how they work on wood and most importantly what DOESN'T work. I'm also a confirmed "knife junkie" and not much of a believer in the "one knife" theory.... In fact I'm very much against "one tool" for anything. After decades of experience in both wilderness travel and EMS/Fire/Rescue/Wildland FFing, I've just come to accept that I'm better off with a few key tools then I am with one tool trying to be too many things and coming up short (which I know you;re also a proponent of).
Thanks Chris I really enjoy your all your videos and your honest evaluations on all the cool stuff :-). I have gotten several of your things that you recommend like the work sharp field sharpener it was really good and works really well. Gets my blades really sharp considering I do not have a work sharp power sharpner. I also have gotten the SCHF 9 knife. I also brought a set of diamond sharpener hone & stone 150, 250, 4080, 600 & 1200 grit. I use the 1200 grit stone after I use the ceramic stone on the work sharp hand sharpener. Gets it nice and sharp.
i think you are correct about the flat grind. if you think about it ... it makes sense ... what is the "traditional" chopper ? an axe / hatchet / tomahawk ... and the best ones are not flat ground.
I bought a Becker crewman Becker combat Bowie and the little Becker Mora and the Ontario machete with the saw back those the only knives I ever bought one time instead of buying something cheaper and then upgrading
I like the ChanceinHell. Looks like it may be the next one on the least like maybe this Tuesday. Chris, you and my husband have the same tastes in knives.
I picked an aranyik tai coconut machete and tai sickle which I find to be perfect for chopping they are extra thick machetes 5160 spring steel and can be bought for less than 40 bucks
Great video brother. I've been looking for a new beater machete that is cheap enough not to matter if something happens to it and you named the crkt I've been eyeing so that's the one I'm going with. Thanks for making my mind up for me. Keep up the good work brother
Okay, as for the bad guys (common theme), don't bring a knife (machete) to a gunfight. They are almost certain to have firearms today and will blow you away while you're standing there going "yip yip" with your "chopper." As for small tree branches and similar, a hatchet or small axe is better. The machete is for clearing small brush. I use one to trim my neighbors' decorative bushes away from my backyard fence.
My husband came up against real dried palm branches. Even with a badass very sharp 18" Tramontina, this stuff was obstinate! When it's live, it can still give you a run for the money but dried? The Tramontina tore it up, but it was work for real. Our Tramontinas prove themselves daily.
You should try the Ontario Knife Company SP-10 Raider Bowie. I have one and it's a great chopper and it is pretty good at doing the finer tasks. I would at least suggest not giving up on OKC.
I agree OKC is AWESOME they make/manufacture the MILITARY EQUIPMENT MACHETE, A VERY AWESOME AND TOUGH MACHETE I HAVE BEEN OWNING AND USING MINE FOR MANY YEARS!!
My personal preference is the Condor Bushcraft Parang. I kind of blame Ray Mears for this just a little bit. I also researched, and reviewed many videos on it before I got my first one. It's still my go to chopper. As of until recently I got interested into the Bark River Machete.
Did you ever try the Ontario SP51? The saber grind on that 1/4" 5160 makes it an excellent hard use chopper. I will always stay away from full flat grind knives especially in survival blades. Full flat grind is for slicing. I also have the Becker BK9 and I think the SP51 beats it. I also picked up a Ontario RD Tanto and that thing is just a saber ground prybar.
Thank you for this. Appreciate your objective review. Polite suggestion: perhaps edit in the names of the various products, or have them written down on a piece of cardboard. Otherwise it's so difficult for the viewer to note the name and manufacture of the product if they cannot quite hear you. As far as choppers, more for splitting/batoning are - the Silky Nata (9 1/2 blade, double bevel) and the Shrade Froe. The Nata is more for when I have my vehicle. The Froe for backpacking. Combined with the innocuous Mora companion for finer cutting. Plus the Leatherman Surge and appropriate Silky saws
Thanks for a balanced review, and some ideas on big knives and choppers, and also belt knives. Now, I've used knives for many decades, and made quite a few. I once made a 12 1/2 (overall) knife I called my Bushwhacker, that I thought would be my "one knife" that would do it all, and I used it for 30 years, and still do. BUT ....... I found it was too small for doing chopping type tasks well, and too big for the smaller tasks that needed to be done. So I was left feeling that there had to be something better. I took your advice and narrowed down my search, and found out about Lynn Thompson, and the company Cold Steel. Clearly, he had done much of the thinking years ago! Also, he had come up with a two knife solution to all my problems and questions. The two knives he designed have been around for decades and still make Top knives lists on TH-cam and elsewhere with unfailing regularity. Now, I don't for one minute say that these two knives are "the best ever" or anything like that. I so say, they definitely answer the questions using my Bushwhacker had raised, and brought me some solutions I had not even anticipated! I refer of course to these: 1. The Cold Steel Trail Master San Mai III - This knife is a curious blend of fighting Bowie, chopper (a bit on the light side), and slicer, and with the ability to split wood like a champ (thanks to the full convex grind and 5/16inch blade). Yet it weighs in at just over one pound. Will it clear brush like a machete? Of course not. But it will clear it! Will it featherstick like a Scandi grind bushtool? Of course not. But it will make them ( a bit coarse perhaps). Can it split wood like an axe? Of course not. But you can baton very effectively with it! [Note: personally, I don't advocate batoning with a knife, especially large diameter logs, especially those with big knots. Those are blade breakers. But splitting smaller logs is OK in an emergency, like needing dry centre wood when it's very wet. ] The TM has an amazing balance in my fist and it just feels RIGHT, something my Bushwhacker did not. 2. The Cold Steel SRK (with the sabre grind) - This is the quintessential Survival Rescue Knife from way back, and it also still makes many Top ..... lists today. It has many of the attributes of the TM, and is in my opinion the perfect belt knife for me. It can handle all those smaller tasks which may be a bit awkward with the TM, and is not nearly as heavy on the hip. These two knives together, as a team, answer the questions that I raised, and in a way that I would put my trust in them, much as you do with your Becker BK9.
Just for your information and your viewers or fans Texas laws have changed and now you CAN legally carry larger knives. There is however still restrictions on where you can carry those larger knives such as bars. PS thank you for your review great job.
My brother bought a Fiskars X7 and a guy who was doin some work with him hit a rock while trying to cut some roots .... Chipped the corner off so. watch for rocks and stuff
Check out the marbles machete on sale for 12.99 at smkw. Im pretty sure its a tramintina sold by marbles, it is made in el salvador. Also it has a white and black tiger stripe coating on the blade and since its carbon steel great for protection. Its not full size although they do have the full size for 14.99 with the orange blade. Handle is very grippy paracord wrap. Sheath is durabe as hell.
I bought hunting knife from the closest weapon shop for 9$ (18 bg leva) and i can say that im surprised, the blade is thick (4mm) 30 centimeters big and the steel quality is very good, i chopped down small tree, after that i split lot of wood logs with it and it was still sharp, when i battened with my cheap shit axe on it it had no sign that it was hit by another steel, however my cheap shit hatched has small lines from the impact with the knife's back. the knife itself has fixed blade with 2 piece of wood on the sides and its not the most comfortable, but for 9$ this was the best thing i could find, its perfect for camping! awesome video, cheers :P
I am weighing between bk7 and bk9 but I know I won't get bk7 because it have skeletonized handle blade tang. It's probably not an issue but I don't know... I'd rather have full tang. Is bk9 full tang or is it also skeletonized?
I really wish Mora would come out with a good affordable chopper. Like how they have mad the very affordable companion into one of the most highly recommended basic bushcraft knives
I live in Texas and made the mistake of attempting to chop down a small cedar bush and bent the blade to the side. I need a blade that can chop through incredibly tough wood (oak) and incredibly flexible and tough wood (cedar)
Problem with the Fiskars Hatchet is the plastic/fiberglass around the head will wear thin after repeated slices through wood and eventually break away from the head. Ive seen it myself,but it did take 2 years-ish of wear to do it with almost daily use. 30-40 camping adventures a year. Wouldnt be a big deal if you could craft a replacement handle while in the wood.
Yo! Can you now do a chopping test on just parangs? I am in the market for one and I cannot think of a better channel to test a chopper than you. Thanks in advance! I believe the condor bushcraft parang is one of the best. Do you agree?
Fiskers axe? I wouldn't rely on it. If it breaks in the woods it's over. At least with a regular axe especially the trail hawk. You can make a handle for it
7 years later and this is still very useful! Thanks!
in survival situations every energy you waste on a knife that does not work can mean life or death. having a good tool that will not jeopardize your energy is a plus in survival
What a great educational video. After watching this video I ordered a BK 9, 7 and 16. I'd never heard of them before, and wow, am I pleased with what I received. Never come across items that have been so impeccably made and felt so good in the hand. I have an eye for perfection and could not find any fault with all three knives. These are tools to keep for life for sure. Thank you.
17:50 "Say you're not into the large knife thing..." I fully expected to hear Chris say:
"...well, get the hell off of my channel." 😂
u should do another vid like this! I can't tell u how many times I've watched this
Chris knows his stuff very knowledgable, thanks for your time Chris
I own, and use a Fiskars x7 hatchet when I camp. It's going on almost four years, and is still going good. I'm going to be ordering in a Condor Parang soon.
Maybe it's because I typically use hand forged tomahawks and hand axes, but I also have a Fiskars x7 and it's a pure piece of crap. Utterly worthless.
I have read all the comments on here and I have to say that Chris you are a God among the knife collectors, I see a lot of people look up to you including myself for your reviews and honest opinions not to mention just the fact that you reply back when someone has a question. I have asked questions to a few others on youtube and have received no reply at least you take the time to help and to me thats everything to us viewers. Just a late night thought while working.
that's the kind of vid why I subscribed! You tried em all out and tell us your clear and true opinion. Stay like that. Quality always pays out!
Ontario 18" military machete, still have my issued model it's over 34 years old. I love that machete though it's heavier than a traditional Latin type. I use it on saplings and fallen limbs off of our maple trees.
I have been extremely impressed with my friskers 7
A reviewer called it a chainsaw,,,I agree. Just a well made hard use small carry hatchet that out performs many
I do a TON of chopping every year here in the pacific northwest, you reviewed one CRKT machete in this video, but not the best one IMO. Review the CRKT Mah-chete. I've been using it for around 5 years now. It holds it's edge extremely well, easy to sharpen. One of the benefits of having the belly of the chopper closer to the tang is how little it fatigues your hand/arm. I can sit and chop with this knife for hours, starting with heavy chopping, switching over to more controlled swings using the belly of the blade to reduce fatigue. Batoning with it is also fairly easy. The price is less than 100$ as well. The steel is 1075, which I actually prefer over 1095 in a blade like this that endures heavy use, as it's easier to resharpen IMO.
I recently picked up a condor Hudson bay and it a real soldier handle a little small but cuts real and choos real well.
My go-to is my Buck 108 Compadre Froe for batoning and chopping. It’s just too awesome.
Excelent video. Machete is the king here in Brazil. Congratulations. Flavio
I know I'm old & Old School, and I do love knives of all kinds, but in my experience a really good hatchet that'll fit in your backpack or on your belt with a good sheath & at least a 9" handle, will do almost anything I need in the Wisconsin Woods with alot of hardwoods. But I do like the Becker BK9 as a SHTF bug out pack knife.
Wow. How far you have come in 7 years. The schf 37 was my first step into bushcraft survival knives. Still my most used knife after 7 years. My schf9 is my best batoning knife. Great geometry for splitting, indestructible tip, not great for cutting rope or meat without changing the secondary bevel to a shallow convex grind.
I love your stuff, man. this is what I'm in to, and it helped me make a huge decision. thanks man! I subscribed.
I've recently opened up using cleavers for outdoor work. If you can get one which has a decent, full tang, then they are an incredible, underestimated, versatile chopping tool for their weight & size.
I agree with the shock on the SP-50, but I have had a great deal of experience with it - all excellent. I have found it to be an awesome chopper, splitter, and even make small shavings after a long day of beating on it. Tramontina looks interesting.
Yes, you can chop and baton with the Tramontina machete. Definitely will transmit the chock, but it does the job. And when you are in a tropical forest, the main use will be clear the way. And a long blade, long as 20', will keep you safer from snake bites.
I love your TH-cam channel!
You are very practical when it comes to knives and choppers!
I agree - Lovely chopper to have! Great review!
Yup I love my BK-9. So solid and versatile.
Thank you for your input. As you stated personal preference and experience is the best teacher.
I have went to a large knife last year and i like it as it chops well for it's grind and 17 ounce weight .. Also last year i bought my first Kukri and i spend hours watching you guys demo this design , i bought the Ontario , ya it's a full flat grind and some wood it does stick in the wood...
Great vid as usual, and I especially liked(besides the knives) that you, unlike a few other people that review items, suggested to Google whatever it is you're lookin' at, read reviews on Amazon, and learn all you can. Lots of us live on a tight budget, at least I do, and I can't afford to make a big mistake just because so and so said it was the greatest thing ever. Money's easy to spend, but not so easy to get back, so thanks for reminding people to research first. I've picked out a couple things I thought would work for me personally, but after reading what other people said about it, and doin' a little bit more reading up on it, I completely changed my mind and went for something else that I'm totally happy with. Regardless of what it is, you can NEVER learn too much about it.
I'm sure you're probably moved into the new house already, so I hope you and the family enjoy it, and keep on keepin' on brother! Oh btw....if you ever get tired of luggin' all that steel around, I'm always lookin' for a new toy or four. haha Santa always seems to pass my house on Christmas Eve and leave nothing, even when I've been reasonably good! lol Take care o' Becky, 'cause if you two break up, send her my way. I like a lady who can handle it a little rough sometimes LOL Take care
Been using. Kershaw Camp10 for years now.
Love it, and no interest in wasting money to change. Does everything well, and a few things very well.
Its awesome
so why you waste your time watching his video ?
I can appreciate someone who has the experience and knows from that,what the hell they are talking about,good vid.Been looking into a nice machete/chopper for camping purposes,thanks.
Chris, if you love huge knives that can be used as choppers, then check out Mtech's xtreme 'Raptor' bowie! 18 inches over all, with a 12" + tinted satin finished blade, jigged micarta handles with red liners! It is the largest in my collection; even larger than my Gil Hibben 'Crescent' bowie! This thing is a beauty and very comfortable in the hand! I would love to see you do a review on this one!
Leonard Szubinski man.. Idk about mtech. I've heard so many mixed reviews. i just bought a knife from them, we'll see how it is lol.
PREPAREDMIND101 I like taking toose injection molded handles off and replacing them with a riveted wood handle,stabilized wood sometimes with a leather wrap or something like that.
I got a BK9 for my brother-in-law for christmas because positive reviews on it and he absolutely loves it.
For approximately the same weight as a large chopper, a well made properly designed hatchet or small camp axe can provide more versatility for chopping splitting and hammering. If you carry a big chopper you are going to want a good smaller blade (or two) for more detailed and delicate work anyway, and you won't have a hammer when you need one. To me a hatchet / knife combo seems more practical long term. But I have a couple of big choppers just in case I lose my hatchet and need to "make do".
I know this is a decade old, but I enjoyed this. The best batoner I have EVER used is designed by YOU! My Schrade Froe after I triple wrapped the handle with Wilson wrap, and then used several layers of plasti-dip over that, stripped the coating, then duracoated the blade. I'm glad I bought a spare before they stopped making them, although I doubt I will ever be able to break mine. It's my FAVORITE tool! One type I did not see here in your review was a "Woodsman's Pal" type "billhook" machete. Now, obviously, the REAL Woodsman's Pal is awesome. However, it is NOT cheap! I would love to see you review some cheaper "knockoffs" of this type of chopper/machete and get your opinions. Thanks sailor, this Army veteran appreciates your work!
I got a schrade axe that you reviewed and it is awesome!!! Bugout bag coming together real nice because of Chris!!!
What do you think of good quality folding saws for processing large pieces of wood instead of choppers? It just seems like you're always going to be using more energy swinging a big blade around than you would simply sliding a blade back and forth on the wood.
If you know you are going to be processing thicker pieces of wood, 100mm+, it's definitely worth your while to carry a saw.
A chopper excels on anything up to about the thickness of your arm - you can sail through it in a few cuts letting gravity do a lot of the work as long as you are making relatively downward cuts. As wood gets thicker more effort is required so you're better off with a saw or an axe.
I think the big advantage of a large chopping knife is how good a jack of all trades it is, meaning you can get away with carrying less. Machetes and axes and saws excel at specific tasks, but none are as versatile as a chopper.
+ShadeSlayer1911 a saw is limited to wood processing only you won't be able to do carving. If you use proper technique you won't get to winded
Hi Chris.
Looking forward to your knife design. I am dabbling in that as well so i have a general idea how much work that is. Especially interested in your reasoning for steel selection and heat treat process.
for me there is only one large knife pick, one that I have tested and has proven to be a superior chopper against all comers, and that knife is the TOPS Power Eagle 12.
I also have an issue with your assessment of the flat grind, when testing many different knives with various grinds the flat grind proved to be the best for chopping. Any blade with a secondary bevel in it grind was hindered by that secondary bevel. Flat grinds may sacrifice some edge strength but gain a whole heap of chopping ability.
The whole reason knifes work is because of wedges. Physics prove that wedges are better at separating a material.
While a flat grind is not as applicable to this advantage. You may find flat grind blades more suitable due to a condition called the placebo effect.
In Texas if it is 5 1/2 in you can conceal it anything over five and a half inch blade has to be in the open
What you're experiencing with the FFG knives is not enough of a shallow, low angle cutting surface grind with not enough "shoulder" (most all "FFG" knives we see have a secondary edge grind of some kind). The shoulder is what keeps felling and splitting tools like axes from getting stuck into the wood vs a carving grind with a thinner, more concave, fine cutting profile which is designed to remove controlled shavings of wood from a given surface. A true "shoulderless" FFG or too fine/severe a hollow-grind, unless it's thick enough, will not be a great splitter/chopper cause it'll be too fine a cutting instrument and will stick in the wood more instead of forcing the wood apart (not to mention how delicate it makes the cutting edge/blade if it's too thin/fine) and blowing out those chips with it's shallow beveled shoulders or even a convex shape in the case of axes.
IMO the RTAK II is one of the best chopper's out there (a lot better then the BK9, which I LIKE, but because of some design omissions like a lack of choil and the thermo-plastic handles, I don't "love") in terms of a true "knife", and a very well rounded "big knife", but you can change that by putting too fine a carving grind on it (or any knife for that matter). The CS Recon Scout and Trailmaster do well with the FFG because of the wide stock they're made of giving them a big wedge shape vs a thinner knife (love some things about those knives and again, hate other bits, just like the BK9). Others like the Ontario SP52 (an amazing chopper to ME, and much better then the SP50 IMO) and the Schrade SCHF28 (that I believe you reviewed) with their pronounced re-curve help to get the cutting edge a nice "bite point" and also to present the cutting face to the surface with more force in the swing. Another often overlooked tool is the Gerber/Fiskars "Brush Hook tool" that is a monster shopper, very capable splitter/froe, and will take small trees down as well as any small Forrest axe. Plus it's very low-cost and only needs a handle wrap to really finish it off.
I live in the PNW, I grew up working wood, I heat my house with wood primarily, and in general live in a timber rich environment... wood processing is just part of daily life for me, let alone in a wilderness situation, but it's also taught me a lot of things about tools and how they work on wood and most importantly what DOESN'T work. I'm also a confirmed "knife junkie" and not much of a believer in the "one knife" theory.... In fact I'm very much against "one tool" for anything. After decades of experience in both wilderness travel and EMS/Fire/Rescue/Wildland FFing, I've just come to accept that I'm better off with a few key tools then I am with one tool trying to be too many things and coming up short (which I know you;re also a proponent of).
Nor Wester put
Nice videos. It would be great if you can add the names of the articles or links. It is sometimes difficult to understand the models.
Thanks Chris I really enjoy your all your videos and your honest evaluations on all the cool stuff :-). I have gotten several of your things that you recommend like the work sharp field sharpener it was really good and works really well. Gets my blades really sharp considering I do not have a work sharp power sharpner. I also have gotten the SCHF 9 knife. I also brought a set of diamond sharpener hone & stone 150, 250, 4080, 600 & 1200 grit. I use the 1200 grit stone after I use the ceramic stone on the work sharp hand sharpener. Gets it nice and sharp.
Great video. You produce some great reviews. Every knife has a purpose and variety is important in the field.
This is one of the best videos I have seen with such a variety of machetes.. thanks...
i think you are correct about the flat grind.
if you think about it ... it makes sense ... what is the "traditional" chopper ?
an axe / hatchet / tomahawk ... and the best ones are not flat ground.
I bought a Becker crewman Becker combat Bowie and the little Becker Mora and the Ontario machete with the saw back those the only knives I ever bought one time instead of buying something cheaper and then upgrading
This is one of the best teaching vidio I have ever seen.
Dame good job.
Great video.. Great production as well.. Good audio and no wind 💨 + good content. A+ Thank you!
Good review on the Tramontina. It does everything you said and more. Can you please review the Gerber Gator Golok?
I like the ChanceinHell. Looks like it may be the next one on the least like maybe this Tuesday. Chris, you and my husband have the same tastes in knives.
I picked an aranyik tai coconut machete and tai sickle which I find to be perfect for chopping they are extra thick machetes 5160 spring steel and can be bought for less than 40 bucks
Chris, would you consider an Ontario "12 inch machete" Spring steel, batons well, holds a good edge. Full hand guard, protects the hand well, too.
Great video brother. I've been looking for a new beater machete that is cheap enough not to matter if something happens to it and you named the crkt I've been eyeing so that's the one I'm going with. Thanks for making my mind up for me. Keep up the good work brother
Wrap is Safer than not I love that idea
Okay, as for the bad guys (common theme), don't bring a knife (machete) to a gunfight. They are almost certain to have firearms today and will blow you away while you're standing there going "yip yip" with your "chopper." As for small tree branches and similar, a hatchet or small axe is better. The machete is for clearing small brush. I use one to trim my neighbors' decorative bushes away from my backyard fence.
My husband came up against real dried palm branches. Even with a badass very sharp 18" Tramontina, this stuff was obstinate! When it's live, it can still give you a run for the money but dried? The Tramontina tore it up, but it was work for real. Our Tramontinas prove themselves daily.
Very complete review. Thanks for sharing.
great video and I appreciate the time you put into making this.
You should try the Ontario Knife Company SP-10 Raider Bowie. I have one and it's a great chopper and it is pretty good at doing the finer tasks. I would at least suggest not giving up on OKC.
I agree OKC is AWESOME they make/manufacture the MILITARY EQUIPMENT MACHETE, A VERY AWESOME AND TOUGH MACHETE I HAVE BEEN OWNING AND USING MINE FOR MANY YEARS!!
My personal preference is the Condor Bushcraft Parang. I kind of blame Ray Mears for this just a little bit. I also researched, and reviewed many videos on it before I got my first one. It's still my go to chopper. As of until recently I got interested into the Bark River Machete.
Great video mate! Greetings from Greece. The becker looks fantastic indeed. I will get one as soon the freakin capital controls run over.
I got the EKA MachBlade W1 and it is just awesome!
Did you ever try the Ontario SP51? The saber grind on that 1/4" 5160 makes it an excellent hard use chopper. I will always stay away from full flat grind knives especially in survival blades. Full flat grind is for slicing. I also have the Becker BK9 and I think the SP51 beats it. I also picked up a Ontario RD Tanto and that thing is just a saber ground prybar.
These type vids are the reason why I subbed. Something I can listen to while I work and still get the gist of. Also, have you lost weight recently?
Thank you for this. Appreciate your objective review.
Polite suggestion: perhaps edit in the names of the various products, or have them written down on a piece of cardboard. Otherwise it's so difficult for the viewer to note the name and manufacture of the product if they cannot quite hear you.
As far as choppers, more for splitting/batoning are - the Silky Nata (9 1/2 blade, double bevel) and the Shrade Froe.
The Nata is more for when I have my vehicle. The Froe for backpacking.
Combined with the innocuous Mora companion for finer cutting. Plus the Leatherman Surge and appropriate Silky saws
I'm gonna get a couple trail Hawks. I liked the vid u did on rifle mans trail hawk and extending the handle. The war hawk. Great video
Great video! Do you prefer the CRKT Chanceinhell or the Schrade bolo for brush clearing, "family" camping, etc? Keep up the great work.
Chanceinhell
Thanks for a balanced review, and some ideas on big knives and choppers, and also belt knives.
Now, I've used knives for many decades, and made quite a few. I once made a 12 1/2 (overall) knife I called my Bushwhacker, that I thought would be my "one knife" that would do it all, and I used it for 30 years, and still do.
BUT ....... I found it was too small for doing chopping type tasks well, and too big for the smaller tasks that needed to be done. So I was left feeling that there had to be something better. I took your advice and narrowed down my search, and found out about Lynn Thompson, and the company Cold Steel. Clearly, he had done much of the thinking years ago! Also, he had come up with a two knife solution to all my problems and questions. The two knives he designed have been around for decades and still make Top knives lists on TH-cam and elsewhere with unfailing regularity.
Now, I don't for one minute say that these two knives are "the best ever" or anything like that.
I so say, they definitely answer the questions using my Bushwhacker had raised, and brought me some solutions I had not even anticipated!
I refer of course to these:
1. The Cold Steel Trail Master San Mai III - This knife is a curious blend of fighting Bowie, chopper (a bit on the light side), and slicer, and with the ability to split wood like a champ (thanks to the full convex grind and 5/16inch blade). Yet it weighs in at just over one pound. Will it clear brush like a machete? Of course not. But it will clear it! Will it featherstick like a Scandi grind bushtool? Of course not. But it will make them ( a bit coarse perhaps). Can it split wood like an axe? Of course not. But you can baton very effectively with it! [Note: personally, I don't advocate batoning with a knife, especially large diameter logs, especially those with big knots. Those are blade breakers. But splitting smaller logs is OK in an emergency, like needing dry centre wood when it's very wet. ]
The TM has an amazing balance in my fist and it just feels RIGHT, something my Bushwhacker did not.
2. The Cold Steel SRK (with the sabre grind) - This is the quintessential Survival Rescue Knife from way back, and it also still makes many Top ..... lists today. It has many of the attributes of the TM, and is in my opinion the perfect belt knife for me. It can handle all those smaller tasks which may be a bit awkward with the TM, and is not nearly as heavy on the hip.
These two knives together, as a team, answer the questions that I raised, and in a way that I would put my trust in them, much as you do with your Becker BK9.
If you really are all that into chopping wood and prepare firewood, nothing beats a small axe like a Gransfors Bruks small axe.
The cold steel dadao machete, and the condor viking machete, and the thai aranyik e-toh and or aranyik extended cane machete. All powerful choppers
Dear Brother
I like your collection
God bless you🙏
Just for your information and your viewers or fans Texas laws have changed and now you CAN legally carry larger knives. There is however still restrictions on where you can carry those larger knives such as bars.
PS thank you for your review great job.
You are absolutely right. The BK9 is suitable for everything.
Thanks great reviews & general info! Joe
My brother bought a Fiskars X7 and a guy who was doin some work with him hit a rock while trying to cut some roots .... Chipped the corner off so. watch for rocks and stuff
Check out the marbles machete on sale for 12.99 at smkw. Im pretty sure its a tramintina sold by marbles, it is made in el salvador. Also it has a white and black tiger stripe coating on the blade and since its carbon steel great for protection. Its not full size although they do have the full size for 14.99 with the orange blade. Handle is very grippy paracord wrap. Sheath is durabe as hell.
Chris you forget about Esee junglas and GSO 10 great choppers and bushcrafters both
Thank you for the advice. Saves me a lot of time and money.
Sp53 All the way man, things a monster.
i have the chanceinhell, and i dont get why they dont use that handle material for everything! lol, its really so good.
Hey there, you should make a video on the different grinds on knives
Great show Sir. Please hold the item up front steadily while explaining it's merits until done..expecting more from you...
Get the johnson adventure potbelly knife, think you'll like it
i seriously recommend tomahawks. itll do anything you need to do. maybe not super great for batoning but it will more than shine in most other areas
Thanks for making this video
I bought hunting knife from the closest weapon shop for 9$ (18 bg leva) and i can say that im surprised, the blade is thick (4mm) 30 centimeters big and the steel quality is very good, i chopped down small tree, after that i split lot of wood logs with it and it was still sharp, when i battened with my cheap shit axe on it it had no sign that it was hit by another steel, however my cheap shit hatched has small lines from the impact with the knife's back. the knife itself has fixed blade with 2 piece of wood on the sides and its not the most comfortable, but for 9$ this was the best thing i could find, its perfect for camping! awesome video, cheers :P
need some handy chopper, dont know wich one coldsteel kukri, gerber kukri, walther mac tac ?
The cold steel latin machete plus is REALLY good
I am weighing between bk7 and bk9 but I know I won't get bk7 because it have skeletonized handle blade tang. It's probably not an issue but I don't know... I'd rather have full tang. Is bk9 full tang or is it also skeletonized?
Definitely a prepared mind
Very informative and educational, Thank you very much
I really wish Mora would come out with a good affordable chopper. Like how they have mad the very affordable companion into one of the most highly recommended basic bushcraft knives
I live in Texas and made the mistake of attempting to chop down a small cedar bush and bent the blade to the side. I need a blade that can chop through incredibly tough wood (oak) and incredibly flexible and tough wood (cedar)
The schrade 37 frontier is good for chopping but I actuall want the leroy or jethro
great review but wish you had shown the sheaths for each..thanx
is the Schrade good for batoning?
Great presentation!
Problem with the Fiskars Hatchet is the plastic/fiberglass around the head will wear thin after repeated slices through wood and eventually break away from the head. Ive seen it myself,but it did take 2 years-ish of wear to do it with almost daily use. 30-40 camping adventures a year. Wouldnt be a big deal if you could craft a replacement handle while in the wood.
Must be nice to be retired. lol
Yo! Can you now do a chopping test on just parangs? I am in the market for one and I cannot think of a better channel to test a chopper than you. Thanks in advance! I believe the condor bushcraft parang is one of the best. Do you agree?
Fiskers axe? I wouldn't rely on it. If it breaks in the woods it's over. At least with a regular axe especially the trail hawk. You can make a handle for it
Thanks for commenting and reminding me of this video. With multiple new items in this catagory (including Jessica-X) I need to do this one over.
+PREPAREDMIND101 Your 'however, comma' [25:19] was a feature of this video.
Nice to see some of the handle inspirations for your Jessica-X.
+PREPAREDMIND101 did you forget again?