Recommendation? Best Chopper Fixed Blade

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Rbpwrd240

Joined
Sep 18, 2014
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Hi all,

So im onto my next quest. The quest for a large chopping knife. Think of it like a smaller machete but very meaty. I plan to use it to clear brush In The Texas hill country, process firewood and chase away the night time demons for the kiddos. But no really we do alot of off the path camping and I used a machete for years but I'm really looking for something that is more tree chopping friendly while still being able to complete simple tasks like cutting vines and clearing brush from camp sites and again processing wood.

Here is my list of knives I'm looking at and their faults.

Moorhaus D2 Machete 60-62 HRC $100.00
.25" spine
11.5" Blade
17.5" over all length
Its getting harder to find this one right now and I'm not necessarily sold on it. The D2 steel has a tendency to rust and we are always around water. Also I have heard D2 doesn't make for the best machete steel but again I am looking for a chopper.

Esee Junglass 1095 $190
0.19" Spine
10.5" Blade
16.5" overall
I am not a fan of coatings as they tend to take a beating and look like crap, im not a fan of 1095 steel. Call me a steel snob and I dont like that it has the thinest spine of any on my list.

Ontario SP5 1095 $130 53-59 HRC
0.23" Spine
10" Blade
15.125" Overall length
Again it has a coating, blah. Again i dont like 1095 and its a little shy of the .25" quarter inch thick spine I seek.

Ka-Bar BK20 1095 $250-$350
0.25" Spine
10.875" Blade
16.375" Overall length
Now this knife I like. 0.25" spine. Still has a coating blah and 1095 double blah but the real issue is its like finding hens teeth to get one of these and the price is outrageous. I just went through this with a BK24 D'Eskobar and I dont realy want another high dollar production knife in my rotation of users.

Scrapyard 1111 SR101 $310
0.267" Spine
11.25" Blade length
16.25" Overall Length
I like this knife. All except for the SR101 steel again Its prone to rusting fairly easy. Even easier then D2. Ill be kayaking fresh and saltwater with this and working in moist environments so rust is a big concern. I hate when I have to stop to take care of rusting on my knife while in the field, now I know I just bashed the Ka-Bar on price but mainly because of the fan boy tax on the BK20. I think here with Scrapyard the price is more justified.

So with that said the ontario and the esee are realy winning this race but I am interested in your opinions or other options for me to look into. However keep in mind I am not looking for a jack hawk 9000 that has a straight edge a bellyed edge and a saw on the back with the face of a hatchet having had coitus with a true bush knife. Im more of a traditionalist on knife design. I want a jack of one trade not a jack of all trades for my chopper. Thanks for the input. Looking forward to your anwsers.
 
The Esee 6 is fantastic for the money . Great bite and possibly the best balanced knife I've ever handled.
 
Cold Steel has some big ones but for this old man , if the Esse6 don't work I'm breaking out the chain saw.
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I use a 18 inch Tramontina here at my place a lot for clearing cactus . The spine isn't thick enough for what you want to do.
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Again I am not looking to chop with a machete. Im looking for a chopper.

My farthest trip was over 300 miles by pack and canoe into the Canadian boundary waters canoe area. I cant take a chainsaw that deep into the woods and carry it on my pack hence the chopper.
 
Rbpwrd240 said:
Again I am not looking to chop with a machete. Im looking for a chopper.

My farthest trip was over 300 miles by pack and canoe into the Canadian boundary waters canoe area. I cant take a chainsaw that deep into the woods and carry it on my pack hence the chopper.
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I had many backpacking trips in that territory decades ago and to be honest the first thing I'd toss would be a huge chopper. I carried a hatchet.
 
I prefer a tomahawk as a lightweight chopper. But, for your needs, the Ontario RTAK II would be my recommendation. As I recall, the RTAK II edge geometry was optimized for N. American wood chopping, whereas the original RTAK was designed for woody vegetation, as in DEA pot-patch clearing. I have an original Livesay RTAK, and it does everything I need a big knife to do.

You have MANY options, let us know what you decide upon....

EDIT: You might also look at the SP-10 Marine Raider, another Ontario offering.
 
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I don't know the Texas Hill Country, but for similar use here in the rainforest, I love the Carothers light chopper. It's 0.1880 at the spine with a 10-inch blade of very well heat treated 3V. The edge is 0.033 inches at the shoulders. This knife really chops. I've cleared a large swath of heavy brush -- tough salmonberry up to an inch thick -- with no problem.

It will easily chop small trees. Anything more than that, and you'd probably be better off with a small forest axe -- or saw.

It's a little over a pound. Heavy enough for serious business. Light enough to actually carry. And what is really, really nice about it is the quality. This is a well made knife by someone who knows his business. The ergos are killer.
 
I love my Junglas. Their warranty is stellar, too. The coating comes right off with nail polish remover and a $1 spatula from the Dollar Store. That would make it even more prone to the rust, though. The 1111 would serve you well. I had the 1311, but I had to sell it off last year. (Still kicking myself!) I might recommend looking for the Busse Basic 10 or 11, or one of their other larger INFI models. They’re a lot less prone to rust up on you. For the price point, though, the Junglas is hard to beat. Those Dutch Bushcraft guys even like it! They chopped an 8-9” log in half with it, and it still shaved. I’ve batoned, chopped grapevines and honeysuckle, cleared limbs, and scared women and children with mine, and I’ve only had to touch it up on a crock stick or my butcher steel.
 
I have the SP5 and I love it... But I use it for a number of different tasks. It's a solid chopper but some of the others are better for that if that's all you want the knife to do.
 
I may be over thinking this, but I don't think I would want a designated chopper in a tool steel like D2, A2, or even O1. If I had a choice I'd go for 1084, barring that 1095 would be my next choice.
 
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