IMO the best choppers are convex grind. Knives like the San Mai III Trail Master and Recon Scout or Falkniven A2 and larger Northern Lights are examples. Bark River I believe offers 7" + convex blades. But these are all well above your budget. Even well regarded non-convrex like the BK-7 is above it.Budget? Let's say $100.
Here’s some advice from someone who, like yourself, uses chopping blades outdoors.I have quite a few knives I use periodically and interchangeably when going to the woods, but none of them is 100% adequate.
That is a nice hatchet.
Not exactly what the OP was asking about but recently I’ve come to appreciate a good hatchet for chopping. I have this one on the way, a Hultafors mini hatchet. Just under $100 and should be as easy to carry as a big knife. Going to take it for an upcoming 3 week bike tour, see how it does. I’m pairing it with a Mora for feathersticking and a SAK for all around camp use.
View attachment 2500067
Hard (maple, etc.) and soft (pine, etc.). Both live and dry.Out of curiosity, what kinds of wood will you be chopping?
Good idea! I looked at the description of this knife and there is nothing I don't like It'll be at the top of my list.Cold Steel Survivalist. Bowie style blade, 8" of 52100 carbon steel, Teflon coated for corrosion resistance, integral guard and handle, nothing to break. Takes a good edge without much effort, holds it like a good carbon steel. Nothing not to like, except the sheath.
Good idea, thank you!SP53
Terava 200 or 240. Fantastic knives and great price.
$100? Skrama 200
I’ll third the skrama 200.
Skrama all day
Another terava skrama fan here.
Skrama. Had the 240 for years. Just got the 200,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience.Here’s some advice from someone who, like yourself, uses chopping blades outdoors.
I just crave a new knife the moment I unboxed the old oneIn my opinion, you have a pretty nice collection of outdoor survival knives. You don’t need anything immediately,
This is very, very likely!based on your collection, my experience and the expressed experiences of others on this forum, I think it’s likely that you’ll end up going the custom route eventually.
Thank you very much again for your advice. Yes, it is a wise idea to slow down and save up!Doing it now could both give you more satisfaction in the short term and save you money in the long run.
Someone above suggested selling a knife or two, and I support that, as well as just slowing down/saving up just a little, and consider lurking around in the subforum below:
For Sale: Fixed Blades
www.bladeforums.com
They are truly awesome. Great steel that holds up well but easy to get hair-popping sharp, very comfortable handles, nice sheaths, and great prices. The 240 is my favorite blade when doing outdoor chores at my remote cabin because you can chop with it, use it as a draw knife, process firewood, make feathersticks, etc, and it is light enough that it works for more delicate work. The grip allows it to be more effective as a chopper than the blade length would suggest. Every time I use it I find myself amazed how my ugliest knife is one of my absolute favorites- it just works really well….. and I am amazed how inexpensive they are.I have to admit I've never heard about Skrama before. Interesting! I'll read up on it!
Actually, what I need is an axe. Or perhaps a few. But this is of course beyond the matter of this topic or even this subforum.Add a Silky saw to what you have and you should be good.
Thank you!Best of luck with your search.
It is just a cover so there’s no belt attachment. It has a small bit of retention and maybe you could add a belt loop to it somewhat easily. The leather sheath they come with is really nice and it also has a plastic sheath under the leather so you won’t cut the leather and it has decent retention (plus a strap you can use for second point of retention.) Those leather sheaths are totally worth the price if you have it to swing imo. Great qualityI have question about Skrama 200/240.
It has two options, with a leather sheath and a simple plastic sheath.
Does the plastic sheath have kind of a loop to attach it to the belt? Or is it just a plastic cover, not a sheath?
So, is it a cover or a sheath?
Thanks...
just about blew my coffee all over the keyboard.Is it unsupported wood?
To the OP, get both the sheath and the plastic cover. I find the plastic cover very useful when wanting just to throw the Skrama into a backpack or duffel bag and as the poster above said, the leather sheath is really impressive, especially for what they are asking for it. On one of my sheaths, I also ordered it with a piggyback plastic insert which allows you to carry one of the smaller Tereva knives (Skrama 80, etc) along with the Skrama 240.It is just a cover so there’s no belt attachment. It has a small bit of retention and maybe you could add a belt loop to it somewhat easily. The leather sheath they come with is really nice and it also has a plastic sheath under the leather so you won’t cut the leather and it has decent retention (plus a strap you can use for second point of retention.) Those leather sheaths are totally worth the price if you have it to swing imo. Great quality