Anything better than Silky Nata Hatchet?

HJA said:
Khukuri. Kailash if you're patient, HI if not
Click to expand...
Or, if you want a lightweight khukri that cuts like crazy......
X7flzFI.jpg

Heres a video showing what it can do....
 
If you're quick, the Aurora Borealis "Kodiak" is a great chopper and damned fine baton'er...





Like the "El Chete" that Shane posted, the flat on the saber grind plunges shallow enough that the Kodiak will chop with some of the best axes, but it also retains the strength to baton the gnarly stuff.

With the way they've been selling (*I think the first run sold-out [literally] in a matter of minutes...with the depletion of the second run being almost as immediate), I'd think that Victor (*Work Tuff Gear) would have several more runs. You just have to be vigilant.


Another nice chopper/baton'er is the "Busse Kin" Scrap Yard Knife Company "DT-12". They aren't currently available, but have come-up in the exchange...





A third option would be the Barky "Crusader". It chops quite well and is an absolute wood bomb when it comes to baton'ing. They just had a recent run and there MAY be some still available... (*pic cross-posted in the "Guns and Knives" thread just the other day)






Happy hunting!
 
I would make a recommendation based partly on weight.

My choice is Varusteleka Skrama 240, which comes in at 26.1 oz. fully kitted out. Skrama by itself is 18.5 oz.

33sk96a.jpeg

Q8O4vTW.jpeg



The blade-only weight of the Silky Nata is 33.5 oz. according to their website.

I want a large blade that is not hugely heavy to carry while still having enough heft to do the job. As choppers, though, maybe the extra weight is what you are looking for. Otherwise, their blades are the same length, they both have good steel, retentive sheaths, similar cost, good grips, and nice finish.

Zieg
 
The Zieg said:
I would make a recommendation based partly on weight.

My choice is Varusteleka Skrama 240, which comes in at 26.1 oz. fully kitted out. Skrama by itself is 18.5 oz.

33sk96a.jpeg

Q8O4vTW.jpeg



The blade-only weight of the Silky Nata is 33.5 oz. according to their website.

I want a large blade that is not hugely heavy to carry while still having enough heft to do the job. As choppers, though, maybe the extra weight is what you are looking for. Otherwise, their blades are the same length, they both have good steel, retentive sheaths, similar cost, good grips, and nice finish.

Zieg
Click to expand...

yup. this right here.
 
Hashishiin said:
Almost bought one for my kitchen - my girlfriend loves it but $300 for it, jeez.

I need a big chopper, Chinese Cleaver esque type thing, so we can cleave through meat and stuff, the Buck 119 won't do it and the Ontario SP-1 is a little too obtuse a grind...
Click to expand...
220$. I think I'll hold out for a the Storm Vector if possible.

Edit; or the Skrama if my clicker finger gets itchy...
 
NeedItCheaper said:
220$. I think I'll hold out for a the Storm Vector if possible.

Edit; or the Skrama if my clicker finger gets itchy...
Click to expand...
Ugh, $220, 220, 220... I paid 2-I-don't-wanna-remember for a Shaman... so this is not out of the question.
I must needs to do some research on Tops.
 
NeedItCheaper said:
For aesthetic reasons, I like the Tops Storm Vector more. I just looked up some vids and they seems to perform about the same. Does anyone know if the one is more comfortable than the other. From pictures, the handle on the Storm looks more round (comfortable) than the El Chete looks square (uncomfortable). Anyone know?
Click to expand...

I only own the El Chete, but I have held the Storm Vector several times.

I agree that the El Chete is more square, but it is not any less comfortable. It is actually advantageous when chopping as there is no way that knife is going to rotate in your hand, with the big blocky sides of the El Chete handle.

Note: If you look at my pic above, you will see I did add a couple of subtle finger grooves to allow for a slightly more comfortable grip, and I did run a fine file around the handle several times to soften up some of the edges.
 
NeedItCheaper said:
While backpacking during the winter, I mainly use my axe to delimb dead branches, do some light chopping, and even lighter splitting. Over the years I've found pine forests don't require much work to process wood for a fire. Although there are lighter axes on the market, I’m looking at large knives to replace my GFB Small Forest Axe. Something less awkward to swing for delimbing, and potentially use less calories while doing so. With the new potential knife, I would be delimbing, general chopping, and batoning.

I do have the Ontario SP50, which is very nice, I’m looking for an upgrade and the Silky Nata Hatchet has caught my eye. Is there a knife you think excels beyond the two? Also, if you’ve used both, is the Silky Nata worth buying to replace my SP50?
Click to expand...

The SP50 can be a really competant chopper. All of the Spec plus knives I've received from OKC have had edges thag were far too obtuse. After resetting the edge angle to something more reasonable for work lighter than splitting wood, they are much better, IMO.

The silky nata, IMO, seems a little expensive for what it is. I would rather have a parang or golok at that price. My parang makes some good options, IMO. Parangs are angled in a manner that makes them good for doing work close to the ground, which is normally where you're working around a camp.

In the unlikely chance you're located around SE MI, I would be happy to meet you with some choppers to mess with.

I also wouldn't underestimate some cheaper options like bolo machetes. They're pretty decent at limbing. Their main downside is they often have no useful edge when bought and the handles can be uncomfortable, so you usually need to put some time into them. Something like a kershaw camp 10 would be a decent alternative too. A parang would still be my preference though.

Parangs and kuhkri's often serve a similar purpose as a heavy bladed tool. I just don't love kukris as the blade likes to turn on me. I'm sure itnhas to do with how I swing them, but I don't experience that with parangs so I just use them now.

The skrama 240 is also very capable.

1657970154439.png
 
bikerector said:
The SP50 can be a really competant chopper. All of the Spec plus knives I've received from OKC have had edges thag were far too obtuse. After resetting the edge angle to something more reasonable for work lighter than splitting wood, they are much better, IMO.

The silky nata, IMO, seems a little expensive for what it is. I would rather have a parang or golok at that price. My parang makes some good options, IMO. Parangs are angled in a manner that makes them good for doing work close to the ground, which is normally where you're working around a camp.

In the unlikely chance you're located around SE MI, I would be happy to meet you with some choppers to mess with.

I also wouldn't underestimate some cheaper options like bolo machetes. They're pretty decent at limbing. Their main downside is they often have no useful edge when bought and the handles can be uncomfortable, so you usually need to put some time into them. Something like a kershaw camp 10 would be a decent alternative too. A parang would still be my preference though.

Parangs and kuhkri's often serve a similar purpose as a heavy bladed tool. I just don't love kukris as the blade likes to turn on me. I'm sure itnhas to do with how I swing them, but I don't experience that with parangs so I just use them now.

The skrama 240 is also very capable.

View attachment 1871958
Click to expand...
Ooh, the Baryonyx! I forgot about that one. Good choice right there. Can you compare/contrast it to the Skrama for a few sentences for us?

Zieg
 
The Zieg said:
Ooh, the Baryonyx! I forgot about that one. Good choice right there. Can you compare/contrast it to the Skrama for a few sentences for us?

Zieg
Click to expand...

They're really nothing alike, but I can give it a go.

The baryonyx, which I've used more, is a heavy working machete with both a slightly curving primary edge and a billhook on the back side. It's easier to use the hook edge than some like the condor swamp master or viking machete. It works as a machete but is heavy enough to do some good chopping. The downside of the weight is that it is hard on the arms to do a lot of area of light vegetation like you can with a latin. It's the compromise of having a lot of versatility in a single blade.

The skrama is much thicker and shorter. The handle is much more comfortable for chopping. It is the better wood processor and it doens't stick in wood as badly as the baryonyx since it's wider steel pops chips better. Fine work is easier with the skrama because of the handle and balance when choked up. The baryonyx is much more blade heavy, even choked up. The skrama carries much, much easier too as the baryonyx is very broad.

The baryonyx would make a decent many purpose tool for a vehicle but is very awkward to pack for things like backpacking, canoeing, etc. The skrama, in my mind, isn't a ton different than a BK9 in the wood processing department. I like the skrama's handle more. The skrama sucks for food though, even thr skrama 80 wasn't a good food prep tool. Good for crafting and wood processing, but the lack of belly wasn't enjoyable for food work and the grinds didn't lend themselves to slicing well. The baryonyx would be awkward because of the size but I would prefer it for food processing or processing medium or large game.
 
bikerector said:
They're really nothing alike, but I can give it a go.

The baryonyx, which I've used more, is a heavy working machete with both a slightly curving primary edge and a billhook on the back side. It's easier to use the hook edge than some like the condor swamp master or viking machete. It works as a machete but is heavy enough to do some good chopping. The downside of the weight is that it is hard on the arms to do a lot of area of light vegetation like you can with a latin. It's the compromise of having a lot of versatility in a single blade.

The skrama is much thicker and shorter. The handle is much more comfortable for chopping. It is the better wood processor and it doens't stick in wood as badly as the baryonyx since it's wider steel pops chips better. Fine work is easier with the skrama because of the handle and balance when choked up. The baryonyx is much more blade heavy, even choked up. The skrama carries much, much easier too as the baryonyx is very broad.

The baryonyx would make a decent many purpose tool for a vehicle but is very awkward to pack for things like backpacking, canoeing, etc. The skrama, in my mind, isn't a ton different than a BK9 in the wood processing department. I like the skrama's handle more. The skrama sucks for food though, even thr skrama 80 wasn't a good food prep tool. Good for crafting and wood processing, but the lack of belly wasn't enjoyable for food work and the grinds didn't lend themselves to slicing well. The baryonyx would be awkward because of the size but I would prefer it for food processing or processing medium or large game.
Click to expand...
Excellent writeup! Thanks!

Zieg
 
The Zieg said:
I would make a recommendation based partly on weight.

My choice is Varusteleka Skrama 240, which comes in at 26.1 oz. fully kitted out. Skrama by itself is 18.5 oz.

33sk96a.jpeg

Q8O4vTW.jpeg



The blade-only weight of the Silky Nata is 33.5 oz. according to their website.

I want a large blade that is not hugely heavy to carry while still having enough heft to do the job. As choppers, though, maybe the extra weight is what you are looking for. Otherwise, their blades are the same length, they both have good steel, retentive sheaths, similar cost, good grips, and nice finish.

Zieg
Click to expand...
FYI Silky makes a small Nata too, but it’s a little tricky to find.

Actually beats out the Skrama by a bit on weight when sheathes are included.

I picked this over the Skrama as a gift for my son because A) I’d seen some issues with the thin blade of the Skrama when used on hard woods, and B) I’d heard the Skrama handle can work loose and want to slide down the tang…

Note: The Silky Nata also can have a handle issue where after lots of use the two rubber handle pieces can start to separate at the ricasso, however a little bit of Ranger Band (inner tube) should sort that out per the pic below ((but unfortunately wouldn’t work on the Skrama).

I haven’t chopped with it yet but the handle is extremely comfortable.

0E21663D-E10B-4BBF-BB1A-689F3718B23C.jpegBBC6E94A-461E-4C4D-9776-F02246BED946.jpeg
 
Expat libertariat would be a good choice.
Not the best chopper, not bad either, but if you are mostly de limbing pine trees i think it would work great.
 
Perhaps this is sacreligious on a Blade Forum, but here it goes....

If you are really cutting a lot of soft pine boughs, why not use a saw? As I get older and broken, I find the hacking at branches, zombies, is tiring and painful. Simple sawing with a new folding saw gets it done with less stress on my body.
Now if you are getting your anger/stress out by chopping, then keep it up! But I want to save my vigorous exertion for the bedroom and the fishing boat, not tree limbs.
 
My Parang 10" Duku Chandong - 1lb 7 oz including a little rope to go over a shoulder.

Seems like a good tool with exotic flair and lots of forward weight. The steel while untested much by me is claimed to be 5160. Distal taper and hand machine marks.

IMO a tool imperfect enough to not baby it or be afraid to rework the edge, but several touches making it a nice blade( wood handle, ground spine, ground choil, copper collar)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top