Benson X
awesome pic! Is that instagramified with a cool filter? I don't want to fill up the pic thread with too much talking, so of you're so inclined I'd love to see you start a new thread to talk about your experiences with these 3 knives
Thanks - maybe I will do that when I have some free time. It's a cell phone pic, and I added a "pop" filter to give it some contrast and pseudo-HDR boost. (using stock 'Photos' app)
Long story short - just bought a new house with a ton of "potential" (things for me to fix
). We took down (3) 15"+ Doug Firs and a 12"+ Silver Pine, and I used these 3 choppers exclusively to de-limb them. From little 1/2" branches to 8" thick limbs, the GSO10 continuously powered through it all. Four trees worth of limbs and branches processed.
The Junglas was a close second as far as blade performance, but I think the larger spine above the grind on the GSO10 and the perfectly contoured handle and finger grooves made it easier and less fatiguing to get a solid and accurate chop (almost) every time. I still love the Junglas for other camp/bushwacking chores, but I was surprised it wasn't consecutively getting as many deep cuts as the GSO10. Even more surprising still, the GSO10 is almost 4oz lighter than the Junglas, but (to me) it felt heftier due to the well-balanced proportioning of the blade and handles.
Sadly, the BK20 was not as impressive as the others. The straight tang and hollow handles made it hard to get a solid, penetrating chop unless the wood was perfectly positioned. The sweet spot on that blade is right at the meatiest part of the belly. More than once I experienced what I can only describe as a "hollow hit" - if I would chop too far down on the blade, most of the shock impact would transfer right to my hand/wrist and result in the blade deflecting of the wood rather than chopping into it. I think I will be getting some thicker canvas micarta scales to improve the handling/comfort and see if that makes the Bundok perform any better; otherwise it will be sold and I'll stick with my trusty BK9 and BK10.
I'd LOVE to get my hands on some other big choppers to test out: CPK Light Chopper, DT Grizzly, GSO-12 etc.
HA! Yup - at least that's what I assumed happened. I didn't even notice at first, until the micarta started getting a little sticky. I think I got too hasty grabbing it from the stump in between cleanup and chopping - I got a nice little gash on my left index finger. I know I should have been wearing gloves, but gloves don't build calluses and calluses make stronger hands!
The only blade with blood on it is the one with a choil.......... hmmm........
Benson X
We're just tossing out commentary from the peanut gallery, so whatever the red stuff is and whatever the reason, it's all good
Hey now - I love that choil!
I don't fall into any one camp - some of my blades have thumb ramps, some have choils, some have jimping, some have ferro notches, some are completely nekkid. I try not to discriminate when it comes to knives