Brian77
Gold Member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2014
- Messages
- 1,753
Nathan "The Machinist" Carothers Light Chopper
Review and impressions over time I will be adding to this as the spring seasons goes on, and we spend more time in the woods camping and hiking. Below is the specs and description as Nathan the Machinist lists it in his for sale threads.
The Light Chopper was a collaboration with Lorien Arnold. It is an exercise in geometry, weight distribution and ergonomics to make a light weight well balanced chopper that hits well above its weight. It's a large woods knife, with a ~10" blade that weighs 17.1 oz that is somewhere between a machete and a camp knife. It's light enough to be carried on a long hike without weighing you down and it's engineered for performance when you go to use it.
It's made of CPM 3V at HRC 60.5 with the newest heat treat for 3V that I believe is the finest heat treat for this material available anywhere. The performance is phenomenal with a combination of toughness, edge durability and edge retention that will blow your mind. A lot of R&D went into developing this heat treat, it is truly different and better.
With that in mind I gave it relatively thin cutting geometry designed for cutting performance. This is not some overbuilt pry bar, it cuts like a demon, but it is very durable, see 2nd video.
It's light enough and long enough to develop tip speed to cut thinner vegetation that heavy choppers struggle with. But when you put it to work in the big stuff you'll find that it hits hard and bites deep and it won't wear you out. The grip and aspects of the cutting geometry were designed in collaboration with Dan Keffeler.
The hand grip works great as a camp knife when held towards the front with good balance and dexterity. When held towards the back it fully fills the hand and offers control and reduced hand and forearm fatigue for extended hard work.
It has a forward lanyard hole (as used in competition cuts) and a hidden rear lanyard hole .
Light Chopper Specs:
CPM 3V, 60.5 HRC, .188 thick at ricasso
Total length 15.625
Blade length 9.875
Edge is sharpened 20 DPS
Weight 17.1 oz
Grippy 3D machined scales in micarta
First impressions of Nathan Carothers Light Chopper
Picking this knife up out of the box, the first impression is of the handle It feels better then great. All handles hopefully are functional. And some are purpose designed for various tasks. This one obviously has been. I dont know how a person goes about working up a design and refining it, but this one shows a lot of thought and testing went into it.
It feels thicker at the heel then the front, and as such is designed as a chopper style handle. And it works. Swinging it feels controlled and forceful. The weight feels perfect. For the backpacking and camp trips, this one feels like it will pack light. I carried my Condor Hudson Bay in one hand, and the light chopper in the other, and the Hudson Bay felt heavier fairly quickly. I have been carrying the Hudson Bay for camp trips some after thinned and refined the edge. So that was my point of reference today as we were hiking.
The thickness behind the edge on my calipers shows about 0.32. The tumbled finish is flawless, and the fit and finish are perfect. Mine is the buffed Micarta and it is nicely done. I have never found a time when this finish does not perform well. My field knife by Nathan has the same handle, and it always works very well in wet and greasy conditions. :thumbup:
I got home from work one day after my son got his in the mail, and he was beaming! He is planning a trip to the North West for some multi-state packing and exploring, and he was looking for the perfect knife to strap on. He said, Dad, this is it! He said that he was worried though, and has a problem. He hopes he dont cut himself sleeping with this knife beside him because he cant lay it down that long. :thumbup:
As we went into the woods, and started finding downed limbs, and new growth out into the trails, the fun began. Light swings would go completely through thumb size branches. Harder swings would take a 1 ½ dia. sapling clean off. We (the children) are used to using 16 and 18 Imacasa Machetes and some custom 20 also (for me), as daily use tools on the farms, so swinging a sharp tool into woody plants and vegetation is something that is not a hobby during the week. I much prefer thin blades and length for better reach and greater tip speed to generate necessary inertia for the things we constantly need to cut and remove. So this woods knife will for me fill a niche when shorter and smaller (then a 20 machete) are more practical or safer. It feels nimble, and quick, not clumsy like some hard use blades I have used. And it bites deep. Even in a dead tree, where some blades with a much more obtuse edge geometry would barely bite or refuse to stick, this one bit and held. I love that. I require that. If a blade has to be very thick behind the secondary bevel to hold up, it loses its ability to penetrate enough for me. My Hudson Bay was that way. It was too thick, and so I reground it much thinner. But then it began to roll the edge in chopping heavier wood. I had thinned it too much for what the steel could handle Thats okay, I like it and dont mind keeping after the edge.
The balance is really nice. Again it feels quick. The sweet spot appears to be just behind the belly for about 2 inches towards the handle. It hits solidly and I got not vibration to my hand even in dead seasoned logs. As time goes on, I will update with some more details.
Nathan and Lorien, thanks for another awesome design and execution. This one is hit out of the park! My son says, this is second to none. And he has dozens of users from numerous midtech and custom companies. It's always fun to get out and fall in love with a great knife...
I have included a few pics as the adventure began Its spring in the Ozarks. Enjoy
3 strikes and your out!
Bite depth compared to my Customized Hudson Bay camp knife... 1 swing
Pesky vines strangle our oak trees... The sap is drinkable and semi sweet... \
Austin loving the feel of this one!
Review and impressions over time I will be adding to this as the spring seasons goes on, and we spend more time in the woods camping and hiking. Below is the specs and description as Nathan the Machinist lists it in his for sale threads.
The Light Chopper was a collaboration with Lorien Arnold. It is an exercise in geometry, weight distribution and ergonomics to make a light weight well balanced chopper that hits well above its weight. It's a large woods knife, with a ~10" blade that weighs 17.1 oz that is somewhere between a machete and a camp knife. It's light enough to be carried on a long hike without weighing you down and it's engineered for performance when you go to use it.
It's made of CPM 3V at HRC 60.5 with the newest heat treat for 3V that I believe is the finest heat treat for this material available anywhere. The performance is phenomenal with a combination of toughness, edge durability and edge retention that will blow your mind. A lot of R&D went into developing this heat treat, it is truly different and better.
With that in mind I gave it relatively thin cutting geometry designed for cutting performance. This is not some overbuilt pry bar, it cuts like a demon, but it is very durable, see 2nd video.
It's light enough and long enough to develop tip speed to cut thinner vegetation that heavy choppers struggle with. But when you put it to work in the big stuff you'll find that it hits hard and bites deep and it won't wear you out. The grip and aspects of the cutting geometry were designed in collaboration with Dan Keffeler.
The hand grip works great as a camp knife when held towards the front with good balance and dexterity. When held towards the back it fully fills the hand and offers control and reduced hand and forearm fatigue for extended hard work.
It has a forward lanyard hole (as used in competition cuts) and a hidden rear lanyard hole .
Light Chopper Specs:
CPM 3V, 60.5 HRC, .188 thick at ricasso
Total length 15.625
Blade length 9.875
Edge is sharpened 20 DPS
Weight 17.1 oz
Grippy 3D machined scales in micarta
First impressions of Nathan Carothers Light Chopper
Picking this knife up out of the box, the first impression is of the handle It feels better then great. All handles hopefully are functional. And some are purpose designed for various tasks. This one obviously has been. I dont know how a person goes about working up a design and refining it, but this one shows a lot of thought and testing went into it.
It feels thicker at the heel then the front, and as such is designed as a chopper style handle. And it works. Swinging it feels controlled and forceful. The weight feels perfect. For the backpacking and camp trips, this one feels like it will pack light. I carried my Condor Hudson Bay in one hand, and the light chopper in the other, and the Hudson Bay felt heavier fairly quickly. I have been carrying the Hudson Bay for camp trips some after thinned and refined the edge. So that was my point of reference today as we were hiking.
The thickness behind the edge on my calipers shows about 0.32. The tumbled finish is flawless, and the fit and finish are perfect. Mine is the buffed Micarta and it is nicely done. I have never found a time when this finish does not perform well. My field knife by Nathan has the same handle, and it always works very well in wet and greasy conditions. :thumbup:
I got home from work one day after my son got his in the mail, and he was beaming! He is planning a trip to the North West for some multi-state packing and exploring, and he was looking for the perfect knife to strap on. He said, Dad, this is it! He said that he was worried though, and has a problem. He hopes he dont cut himself sleeping with this knife beside him because he cant lay it down that long. :thumbup:
As we went into the woods, and started finding downed limbs, and new growth out into the trails, the fun began. Light swings would go completely through thumb size branches. Harder swings would take a 1 ½ dia. sapling clean off. We (the children) are used to using 16 and 18 Imacasa Machetes and some custom 20 also (for me), as daily use tools on the farms, so swinging a sharp tool into woody plants and vegetation is something that is not a hobby during the week. I much prefer thin blades and length for better reach and greater tip speed to generate necessary inertia for the things we constantly need to cut and remove. So this woods knife will for me fill a niche when shorter and smaller (then a 20 machete) are more practical or safer. It feels nimble, and quick, not clumsy like some hard use blades I have used. And it bites deep. Even in a dead tree, where some blades with a much more obtuse edge geometry would barely bite or refuse to stick, this one bit and held. I love that. I require that. If a blade has to be very thick behind the secondary bevel to hold up, it loses its ability to penetrate enough for me. My Hudson Bay was that way. It was too thick, and so I reground it much thinner. But then it began to roll the edge in chopping heavier wood. I had thinned it too much for what the steel could handle Thats okay, I like it and dont mind keeping after the edge.
The balance is really nice. Again it feels quick. The sweet spot appears to be just behind the belly for about 2 inches towards the handle. It hits solidly and I got not vibration to my hand even in dead seasoned logs. As time goes on, I will update with some more details.
Nathan and Lorien, thanks for another awesome design and execution. This one is hit out of the park! My son says, this is second to none. And he has dozens of users from numerous midtech and custom companies. It's always fun to get out and fall in love with a great knife...
I have included a few pics as the adventure began Its spring in the Ozarks. Enjoy
3 strikes and your out!
Bite depth compared to my Customized Hudson Bay camp knife... 1 swing
Pesky vines strangle our oak trees... The sap is drinkable and semi sweet... \
Austin loving the feel of this one!
Last edited:
You won't regret it. I have many choppers and heavy use knives. But I don't enjoy using most of them until I refine the edge or re-profile them. I don't use them on concrete or metal, and so for woods use, the profile prefer is one the bites in clean and deep easily. And this one does. In cross grain cutting, it just slices through. That is always more enjoyable to me then one the tends to smash its way through.
