Weight for a good chopper

It's hard to quantify such a question. Obviously, a heavier knife will chop deeper than a lighter knife with the same force of swing, but your arm/wrist will fatigue faster.

Are you planning on chopping a lot for a short time, or chopping a little bit at a time for a longer period of time? Are you chopping 1/4" twigs to get kindling, or cutting down a tree? I don't think there is a "right" answer, when it comes to weight.

I have lots of choppers of different lengths and weights, but like everything else in the knife world - select the right tool for the job.
 
shane45-1911 said:
It's hard to quantify such a question. Obviously, a heavier knife will chop deeper than a lighter knife with the same force of swing, but your arm/wrist will fatigue faster.

Are you planning on chopping a lot for a short time, or chopping a little bit at a time for a longer period of time? Are you chopping 1/4" twigs to get kindling, or cutting down a tree? I don't think there is a "right" answer, when it comes to weight.

I have lots of choppers of different lengths and weights, but like everything else in the knife world - select the right tool for the job.
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Okay, how about for an arm sized piece is hardwood?
 
dogstar said:
Okay, how about for an arm sized piece is hardwood?
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Any decent chopper should make short work of that, regardless of weight. Again, I can't give you a definitive answer.

What you are asking is almost the same as asking what the best length of knife is to dress a deer. Ask ten different people, and you'll get ten different answers.
 
shane45-1911 said:
Any decent chopper should make short work of that, regardless of weight. Again, I can't give you a definitive answer.

What you are asking is almost the same as asking what the best length of knife is to dress a deer. Ask ten different people, and you'll get ten different answers.
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Okay, an example of a knife you consider a decent chopper would be?
 
dogstar said:
Okay, an example of a knife you consider a decent chopper would be?
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Off the top of my head - TOPS El Chete, Becker BK9, Becker BK21, ESEE Junglas, Carothers LC/MC, HI Kukri, Condor parang, Condor machete, Terava Skrama, Swamp Rat Ratweiler, Busse Jackhammer etc. etc.

All the usual suspects. But some excel at cutting certain things better than others. And they are all different weights and lengths and blade profiles.
 
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shane45-1911 said:
Off the top of my head - TOPS El Chete, Becker BK9, Becker BK21, ESEE Junglas, Carothers LC/MC, HI Kukri, Condor parang, Condor machete, Terava Skrama, Swamp Rat Ratweiler, Busse Jackhammer etc. etc.

All the usual suspects. But some excel at cutting certain things better than others. And they are all different weights and lengths.
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Thanks, man!
 
dogstar said:
Thanks, man!
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I'm really not trying to be difficult, but there are soooooo many good choices for a chopper. Find one that appeals to you, is comfortable to wield, and don't worry about the weight. The only time I care about weight is when it is on my hip, not in my hand. Handle ergonomics are far more important than weight, IMO.

Any chopper I listed above, plus a few dozen more that I didn't think of would all do well.

If it helps, all the knives I listed above weigh more than 1 pound. So I guess you could say the ideal weight would be 1-2 pounds. :)
 
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Tops El Chete 29.5 oz
Becker BK9 16.8 oz
Becker BK21 22.6 oz
ESEE Junglas 23 oz
Carothers LC 17.1 oz
Carothers MC 21.1 oz
HI Kukri 16-64 oz
Condor parang 23 oz
Condor bolo machete 21 oz
Terava Skarma 18.5 oz
Swamp Rat Rottweiler ??
Busse Jackhammer ??
 
shane45-1911 said:
I'm really not trying to be difficult, but there are soooooo many good choices for a chopper. Find one that appeals to you, is comfortable to wield, and don't worry about the weight. The only time I care about weight is when it is on my hip, not in my hand. Handle ergonomics are far more important than weight, IMO.

Any chopper I listed above, plus a few dozen more that I didn't think of would all do well.

If it helps, all the knives I listed above weigh more than 1 pound. So I guess you could say the ideal weight would be 1-2 pounds. :)
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Yup it looks like 1 lb minimum, which is along the line of what I was thinking :thumbsup:
 
My lightest/smallest knife that I’d consider a chopper would be my Scrapyard AD6 at 10.6oz.
EEF42C0F-9164-4BAB-BE71-1599F05A25BF.jpeg
But yeah - more weight can get more/larger work done. It’s always a balance between lugging weight vs. chopping weight.

High edge stability/thin edges and careful chopping/cutting can make large knives even more efficient than hatchets for certain tasks.

Swamp Rat SawManDu - 16oz.
1344A52F-224A-4BD8-92AF-AEE886A9FC61.jpeg
Bill Siegle Bowie - 18oz.
2F96D102-21D0-43FD-9D1B-6E6E2D1837A7.jpeg
31179DEC-A606-4365-9F44-0B39C05F86BB.jpeg
 
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