HDMC VS Medium Chopper

M

moshjack

Joined
Dec 24, 2016
Messages
41
Question posted for anyone who has handled/owner both.
Just got the medium chopper, but seriously eyeballing a HDMC.

What functional differences am I going to notice as a camping/wood processing knife?

Worth it to chase after the beast of a HDMC? Is the standard medium chopper more versatile?
 
I would stick with the standard unless you just need something that can't be broken. The standard is a well-balanced engineered tool, the HDMC is unbreakable. If you don't need unbreakable, the standard medium Chopper is lighter and overall more practical for most people.
 
I’ve not handled the MC, but the HDMC is simply AWESOME! I grin every time I grab it. :D

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It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Truth be known, I should have gotten a MC, but the HDMC is just badass.
For me, the Behemoth Chopper came first. After that, I didn't even consider a MC, went straight for the HDMC.
 
both are more than capable ... the regular MC is a bit more versatile and easier to use for extended periods without hand fatigue ... the HDMC may have a slight advantage in chopping wood as it pops wood out a little more when really swinging it.

After using both I can't say I would ever "need" the HDMC nor would I ever feel like the regular MC wouldn't handle anything I'd use it for. Unless you really push the way you use a big blade or you just want a beast of a chopper the regular MC will serve you well for many many years.

That being said ... the HDMC is fun to use ...
 
I frequently like to look at the edge thickness before sharpening because measuring the thickness behind the edge gives you a combination of the bevel grind thickness, the sharpening angle, and the grind primary angles. so the more acute your edge angle the thicker the behind the edge thickness will measure because it intersects the primaries higher up. But it is still a useful measurement. I'll measure some knives around the shop for comparison

Comp Chopper .028

Behemother: .036

HDMC: .053

Busse Bush Wacker Mistress: .085


applying a convex behind the edge will make the BTE measure much thinner, although the knife itself is actually not any thinner and the cutting characteristics won't be much different. so always look at BTE dimensions with a grain of salt because it doesn't tell you as much of the story is you might think unless everything is nice and straight and clean and perfect. I mention this because that competition Chopper is actually thinner than most of the other competitors but it will measure thicker in BTE because I have a narrow edge angle and a crisp V edge at that spot.
 
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^ Nathan, am I seeing those correctly? Is the B'erC really is just a tad "thicker" BTE than the CC?! What is the BTE for the original BC please, if you have one laying around? If I am seeing those numbers correctly, then the HDMC will truly be your most indestructible big knife to-date :)
 
Yeah, the Behemother is not indestructible it's just really big. It's also sharpened at 20 DPS. It is a large high performance knife that would be competitive in a cutting competition if it were dimensionally legal.
 
Got it, thank you :thumbsup:

I knew that the B'erC was at 20* per side as opposed to the HDMC at 22* but for some reason I had either skipped over the BTE measurements or was just plainly ignorant (not for the first time!). So do both the production BC and B'erC running around the same sorta measurements BTE?
 
The OG BC had a slightly thinner BTE and slightly more obtuse primary grind. The Behemother geometry is based upon the final refined competition Chopper geometry except slightly thicker. Same angles and S grind though. The grinds on the original Behemoth didn't come up quite as high because it was a more obtuse angle and thinner stock

They're both big damn knives, but the original BC was a little lighter and more compact where the Behemother is maxed out. If someone needs more knife than that they need a Keffeler.
 
Great reference material update, thanks.

I now know my earlier source of confusion because when I just resisted the sticky'ed CPK-Wiki thread, I saw the B'erC BTE stated at .040. I know that we are talking about splitting hairs but there is that. FYI, the BC is stated at .035 in the Wiki link :)
 
The new BC is thicker BTE than the original but has narrower grinds. It has a similar level of durability and cutting performance but these minor tweaks allow it to chop a little better.
 
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