Saw or axe? Axe or Machete? Machete or big knife?

[Watrdawg]

I would opt for a Woodsman Pal

http://www.woodmanspal.com/

I carry one in truck and have used it for everything from clearing brush (machete) to chopping down fairly large trees (axe). I have used it for spiltting logs up to about 6" in diameter. I've used the hook part of the blade for gutting a deer and the main side of the blade for hacking through the breast bone of a deer. So far it has been the most versatile tool in the woods I have. It even comes with it's own sharpening stone that is stored in the sheath.

[ra2bach]

I think your skill level with a particular tool factors heavily here. Swinging sharp steel things around your body is a good way for noobs to practice emergency wound care...
I've used a machete/axe all my life...I kept a 12" machete on my alice pack, and there is usually one on the tractor now, or on the floor board of my truck. I've got several decades in use...enter the kukri. I bought one on a whim 6 months ago, and I'm starting to learn how to use it. The first couple of months were ugly, and yes I had a few very close calls that could have been costly. Just a friendly reminder.

exactly... a large part of my (and I suspect anyone's) preference for a tool, is our familiarity with it. I keep a saw in my pack for small jobs and give it out to my kids and people who I worry they might injure themselves with a swing tool.

as far as danger, I think an axe/hatchet is worst because of the weight/momentum. though this lets it chop or split better than anything else, it's overswing makes it dangerous for stuff that doesn't have a positive stop behind it.

at the other end of the weight chart is the machete. it's light so it's good for thin stuff and overswing can be controlled pretty well but it's not a splitting tool. and even though they can chop pretty well, it gets stuck in the cut which leads to more fatigue...

somewhere between these two is the "big knife" - light enough to use like a machete, heavy enough to chop and supposedly can handle a lot of basic knife chores but I still prefer to carry a smaller, thinner, more easily sharpened knife.

I'm experimenting now with a Cold Steel Kukri Machete. the Kukri shape is forward heavy so it chops good but is more tiring at machete type work than a plain 13" machete. it came with a miserable edge on it but I tuned that up with a belt grinder pretty quick. and it dulls easily but that's just what I'm going to have to put up with till I get down to the good steel. still, it looks promising for a general out of doors tool. it even digs well due to the depth of the blade allowing a good handhold...

[ra2bach]

I would opt for a Woodsman Pal

http://www.woodmanspal.com/

I carry one in truck and have used it for everything from clearing brush (machete) to chopping down fairly large trees (axe). I have used it for spiltting logs up to about 6" in diameter. I've used the hook part of the blade for gutting a deer and the main side of the blade for hacking through the breast bone of a deer. So far it has been the most versatile tool in the woods I have. It even comes with it's own sharpening stone that is stored in the sheath.

I know a lot of guys who have one of those but don't see them in use much - most live in their truck or ATV as emergency tools. they seem like such a useful tool, sort of like a Swiss Army Machete/Axe/Brushhook. I really like the hook on the end as that's just made for vines...

how heavy are these?

[Watrdawg]

Their site says it weighs 23oz and is 16.5" long. The blade is 1/8" thick. I use mine a lot. Mostly for clearing brush to and from deer stands, making duck blinds, and general camping work. Easily fits in a day pack or the sheath can be attached to a belt

[DTHN2LGS]

When I'm hunting I'll have a Randall Model 23 knife and a Gerber folding saw.

[SeriousStudent]

Just an FYI, Knifecenter.com has a bunch of the Silky saws on sale right now.

[ra2bach]

When I'm hunting I'll have a Randall Model 23 knife and a Gerber folding saw.

I love that knife. fantastic choice...

When hunting my choices are almost exactly the same. my saw is the Fiskars 6" Sliding saw and I have one of the original Effingham Blackjack Trailguide Knives made with a convex edge in A2. it's 1/2" shorter overall but obviously inspired by the Randall 23.



great minds, etc...?

[DTHN2LGS]

I love that knife. fantastic choice...

When hunting my choices are almost exactly the same. my saw is the Fiskars 6" Sliding saw and I have one of the original Effingham Blackjack Trailguide Knives made with a convex edge in A2. it's 1/2" shorter overall but obviously inspired by the Randall 23.



great minds, etc...?

Yep.

[theizzardking]

Sven saw, Ontario 18 inch mil machete, esee-6, izula.
all bases are covered.

[AKDoug]

I'd give a second thought to Cold Steel machetes. just for grins I picked up their Kukri machete and Jungle machete. both are made in S Africa and came with horrible blades with visible rolled over edges and burrs, etc.. if you are handy with a grinder they come around pretty quick but if all you have is a hand file make sure it's a sharp one...

Some of the best machetes I have owned have required a couple hours to bring them around. I like a light flexible blade too. The woodsman pal is of no interest to me. Too short.


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