Axe V parang V machete V kukri V leuku V bill hook (thanks Robbi)
- Thread starter mountainm
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That was on a thread the other day actually. More of a survival tool than an everyday user in my opinion. I stick by my axe.
Apologies, didn't know that. I like a folding saw and fixed blade knife for day to day use.
If you fancy looking into the parang / "survival tool" thing a bit deeper you may be interested in a series of Youtube videos, starting with this one:
[video=youtube;JiLhkH4o3R4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiLhkH4o3R4[/video]
They are done by a nice guy called Mark (Lupus on here), and may be a bit long, but contain plenty of good detail and real life applications for the various tools.
[video=youtube;JiLhkH4o3R4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiLhkH4o3R4[/video]
They are done by a nice guy called Mark (Lupus on here), and may be a bit long, but contain plenty of good detail and real life applications for the various tools.
Likewise Pict on here does a good series of machete tutorials on youtube under the name of Colhane: http://youtu.be/IsZb_1XfFHo
Brambles are horrible to clear and the best tool I have used is one of the long handled slashers above.
The extra length handle is great for keeping your hands and arms well away from the thorny blighters. Nawt worse than a bramble whipping round on a shorter tool and covering you in thorns that take months to come out.
My bill hook is used a lot for splitting out full length bow staves and roughing out profiles.
I have taken just a hook to the woods camping and missed my axe, nothing beats the axe for processing firewood.
The extra length handle is great for keeping your hands and arms well away from the thorny blighters. Nawt worse than a bramble whipping round on a shorter tool and covering you in thorns that take months to come out.
My bill hook is used a lot for splitting out full length bow staves and roughing out profiles.
I have taken just a hook to the woods camping and missed my axe, nothing beats the axe for processing firewood.
It's densely packed thin (<1") branches - last time we tried with a chainsaw it clogged frequently (although it wasn't the worlds best chainsaw it has to be said.)
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Machete!
I've played with them all and machetes are always my favourite.
They are the Mora's of the big tool world imo. Something like a £12 tramontina latin or bolo will cut, chop and hack well above it's weight and cost comapred to any of the other options, while still being packable in size unlike the hooked slashers.
Axes and billhooks are good at their jobs but slashing weeds and thick brambles they will suffer, particularly an axe.
Another option people often don't consider is the Cold steel Bushman knife, with the socketed handle. It's a light weight uber tough knife that can be transformed into a hard working weed/bush whacker with the addition of a longer handle/haft! (bottom right of the pic, the black one is the bushman).
You are welcome to borrow my bushman if you like, give it a beating and try it out.
In summary, a cheap machete or about "18 will be ideal.. imo.
That thin a petrol hedgecutter might be more the mark - 1" is about the "crossover" for me - under an inch is hedgecutter territory
