Hi all , I'm pretty new to this and am in the process of building up my kit , I'm mulling over which direction to take chopper wise ! It will only be for fire making and general camp duties (no felling or shelter building). Do I go small hatchet / hawk or large knife ? I've been looking at a Bahco hatchet with fibreglass handle or large knives like the condor lochness , considering I have zero experience with axes but use a knife almost daily which do you experienced folk recommend ? Thanks
What blade ?
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You won't go wrong getting Mora clipper for your standard bushcraft knife.
As for axes get yourself a laplander instead for now, it'll be a lot more useful
As for axes get yourself a laplander instead for now, it'll be a lot more useful
Cheers for that , I sorta suspected that about the axe and I already own a folding saw but would a Mora handle any quick lopping ? I thought having a handy large blade would be frankly handy ! However your infinity more experienced than me so maybe its overkill
The large camp knife seems to not be something that overly appeals to the British bushcrafter. The holy trinity for us Brits seems to be 4" blade, small saw and a small axe. The Americans also go for the camp knife. A small machete also kind of covers a similar job. You have to ask yourself what are you likely to be hacking away at to need one? If you are convinced you have a need for one you might like to look at something in the value range of blades such as the Condor Hudson bay knife. It looks the part and will not break the bank. For most tasks a Laplander and almost any of the Mora knives would suffice though. My personal favourite is the Mora HD.
http://www.heinnie.com/condor-knives-hudson-bay-knife
http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/952-Morakniv-Companion-Heavy-Duty-MG-Knife/
http://www.heinnie.com/condor-knives-hudson-bay-knife
http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/952-Morakniv-Companion-Heavy-Duty-MG-Knife/
Plus one for the Mora Clipper cant beat them
As for the axe, leave it and get a Laplander or a Sliky saw for now.
I f you want an axe learn how to use one safely and care for it from some one who really knows... seen to many people do dangerous things with an axe that think they know how to do it...
As for the axe, leave it and get a Laplander or a Sliky saw for now.
I f you want an axe learn how to use one safely and care for it from some one who really knows... seen to many people do dangerous things with an axe that think they know how to do it...
I have been looking at the Condor range and fancy the Lochness and its only a few quid more than the Hudson Bay , I would like the option of a decent chopper however even though a saw would handle most things
I have no experience with axes and have heard they require more skill than a knife as you point out ,I use a knife daily and so am leaning that way but thanks for confirming I don't really need an axe
Some will say they are easy to use.. in a way you can just pick one up and chop.......
But the accidents from them are shall we say more devastating then a knife or hand saw...
no was using a SAK and a Kukri for decades before ray said we was all doing it wrong
camp knife and a machete are different the Machete will not be as good for chopping its more a brush clearing tool
I still like a Kukri but have my own Camp Knife the DNK XL with an 8" blade and in 3.5mm or 5.1mm etc (working on a 10" version for the Americans
)
For chopping, you should take a look at the MOD survival knife.
http://www.heinnie.com/john-nowill-knives-survival-knife
It's a 7 inch blade (so not too long) but the thickness of it makes it an incredible chopper.
If you're set on a Condor, for chopping I'd want something with a lanyard hole which might give the Lochness the edge over the Hudson Bay Knife, although I prefer the look of the Hudson Bay Knife.
http://www.heinnie.com/john-nowill-knives-survival-knife
It's a 7 inch blade (so not too long) but the thickness of it makes it an incredible chopper.
If you're set on a Condor, for chopping I'd want something with a lanyard hole which might give the Lochness the edge over the Hudson Bay Knife, although I prefer the look of the Hudson Bay Knife.
That would not surprise me with some people I've seen use sharp things.....
Throwing a saws easy.. it just getting it to stick in is where the skill lies... try and practice more.. or get someone to teach you
no was using a SAK and a Kukri for decades before ray said we was all doing it wrong
agreed there duncan, a kukri and pocket knife have served me very well indeed over the years
i'v been looking at your stuff lately mate. that DNK is a belter....think i'v fallen for your sharp n pointy though, awsome!
op, you could do worse than get a large'ish camp knife. trust me, you will end up buying plenty of kit so why not start now? lmao
a camp knife can be a good little chopper for stuff like notching a branch so you can snap it. or triming small shoots and knots from a work piece....say, a bow drill for instance
makes a good draw knife too
and as said. you are less likely to split your shin in two with a knife lol
.....adam
That MOD knife looks good too , read the reviews and sounds just what I'm after apart from I've never altered an edge and it sounds like it needs quite a bit of work , also the sheath is supposedly poor
if you want an axe, you get yourself an axe, a saw and a knife. Sheesh folks its not really about what we need its about what we wants. Personally im a big fan of axes and for go the fixed blade knife lately i like to use my SAK and a chopper or mostly just my SAK.
Yeah, the edge on mine was so poor it was beyond my skill to fix. Heinnie got in touch after I left a bad review and asked me to send it back. They then returned it with an incredible convex edge on it and now it's perfect. Still, for the price, you could probably send it off to someone to sharpen and still get a bargain.
The sheath is crap though. No two ways about that.
Let us know what you decide to do, and let us know if it works out for you!
Knives ain't for chopping. Simple as that.
Baton with a knife, chop with an axe/macehete../billhook!
MOD knife is a good fun bit of kit,with little tools it can be made razor sharp (if you need help send me a pm) but any of the above mentioned knives will do you well.
Buy a few try them out trade them on.
Baton with a knife, chop with an axe/macehete../billhook!
MOD knife is a good fun bit of kit,with little tools it can be made razor sharp (if you need help send me a pm) but any of the above mentioned knives will do you well.
Buy a few try them out trade them on.
There are so many that look good but the advice here has been great ! I will certainly update when I decide , receive and use . I'm in a bit of a kit frenzy at the moment as laid up from an operation so am using the time to drool , research and buy and the wealth of knowledge and advice on this great forum has been invaluable. Cheers ...Lee
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