Big Blades: I'd like your experiences and opinions

[Ed Schempp]

Spyderco has been sponsoring me to compete in the ICCT. The goal of the organization is to demonstrate the positive aspects of non-tactical use for an all around blade. We have cut 2x4's, water bottles, rope, golf tennis and ping pong balls sometimes rolling. We cut paper, straws, and 3" deep stacks of plywood, golf tees, and hardwood dowels. Some of the focus is entertainment though excitement.

The Blades we are using are maximum 2 inches wide and 10 inches long with a five inch handle. Currently there are no weight restrictions.

I'd like your cutting experiences, as we all have different needs and environments and different tasks.

As I live and have grown up in a rural high desert savanna most of my big knife need is in pruning, and firewood processing from the several hundred trees that have been planted on my farm. I've been cutting with a big blade since I was 9-10 years old. What is your experience?

Do you have any suggestions as to a cutting task for competition that would give you information for your needs? Do you have a preference in weight?

Thanks for your input...Take Care...Ed

[yablanowitz]

I doubt my needs would fly. I don't think spectators would appreciate a cow quartering competition :D

Seriously, I haven't used a knife over four inches anywhere except the kitchen in about fifteen years. We don't have any trees to waste on firewood here, we need them all for shade.

Sorry I can't help :o

[jaislandboy]

Sadly, the hardest cutting jobs I experience usually involve breaking down cardboard boxes, cutting nylon zipties or plastic clamshell blister paks, or severing overgrown Milk thistle / weeds about 3-4 inches thick in the stalk (if I've been neglectful of the"yardwork" long enough)... :o ....so all my needs are met with a SE Temperance.... :)
So I humbly await input from folks who've done something more strenuous with their knives than I... :o

[Dr. Snubnose]

I love a big blade Ed...but my experience is all tactical...so I'm sorry I can't be much help here, but there is an interesting thread going on in this forum about a BushCraft Knife (if I remember correctly) (thread started by UK KEN) maybe a post on that thread would give you better feedback....Doc :D

Here ya go I found the thread...http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21846

[Halfneck]

My old CS Kuhkri has been a long-time camping companion. I also have a EDMF Smatchet in L6 steel. It is a good knife, but a lot heavier because of it's cast on handle. When I have a lot of other stuff to carry, I always grab the lighter CS Kuhkri.

My CS Kuhkri has been used to chop wood for the fire, clear brush for a campsite, and as a draw-knife to plane a log so it made a better seat by the campfire.

My next Tree-beater will either be a Kershaw Outcast or a Ontario 12" Machete. The Outcast could be a good replacement for CS Kuhkri from what I have seen. Really hope the rumors they will come out with one in 1095 are true. The Ontario 12" Machete would be a project knife. I have seen a lot of nice ones that were modded by adding Micarta handles & re-profileing the edge.

[Andre V]

The only time i realy need to use a big knife is when i am hunting.

I am a bowhunter and often try set myself up in ambush positions often from tree stands. In Africa our bush in general is made up of lots of different types of trees and bushes, we dont really have a lot of tall trees, there is more a range of thorny smaller trees and shrubs. Cutting this bush requires a different type of knife, not too long as you are often swinging in confined areas, holding of branches is not advised as they are mostly of the thorned variety. Another thing is that some branches are very bendy and others quite hard, small and large.

Just sitting here i realise that i could go on for pages describing the bush here.

Basically we need a shorter knife here maybe 6/7 inches with a bit of weight behind it, not too thick so that you can still effectively slice through those thin bendy branches quite easily.But long enough and still have enough weight and blade to chop through thicker harder branches. You are often doing some fine/ precise work such as slicing thorns off the tree trunk and branches so that you have a place to sit and lean against.

As we do a lot of walk and stalk here in africa too, wieght and carry comfort is also an issue. You want a knife you can strap to your belt and still be able to leopard crawl through the bush with. I carry a portable tree stand as well as all my other goodies in temps averaging 35 - 40 deg C heat so the last thing i want is to carry more than i have too. Weight is important.

The ideal scenario is to have a small hatchet a large FB and maybe a smaller FB for removing thorns from fingers, etc. I Think the idea is too replace all these things with one knife.

I know its not a spyderco but i will post a pic of a knife which sort of fits all my needs. 150mm blade 5mm thickspine and approx 280mm long. It takes care of just about all my bowhunting and camp needs.

[smcfalls13]

The only thing I use big blades for is taming the jungle that my backyard becomes. I'm not big on yardwork, so I tend to procrastinate pruning everything until I NEED a big blade to do it.

Can't think of a test other than the ones you already do, but I'd like a handle thats designed for chopping. The blade I use has a tendency to slip if my hands are cold, because the pommel of the handle is straight. It needs some curves like the pommel of the Temperance, so cenrifugal forces won't send my 12 inch blade flying across the yard. :p

[The Mastiff]

Sorry, I never use a knife for chopping. I use axes, mauls, hatchets, sledges etc. Pruningtools for that kind of work. Cleaning game the size of deer is the hardest I use a knife, and I haven't done that in a few years now. Even backpacking sees a light axe in my gear.

A machete is about the only traditional chopping I do with a blade clearing a path into the woods for my dogs in late spring as it can be like a fast growing tropical jungle here in NC at times. For that I need more blade than a knife can give due to poison ivy, brambles, etc.

Sorry I can't be of help. Joe

[huugh]

Spyderco has been sponsoring me to compete in the ICCT. The goal of the organization is to demonstrate the positive aspects of non-tactical use for an all around blade. We have cut 2x4's, water bottles, rope, golf tennis and ping pong balls sometimes rolling. We cut paper, straws, and 3" deep stacks of plywood, golf tees, and hardwood dowels. Some of the focus is entertainment though excitement.d

It's off topic, but: icct website

[A. Stanton]

I would suggest using styrofoam as a material for a cutting competition. Last year I had an occasion to work along side a professional florist while setting up a Christmas display for my church. We were cutting up 2-inch-thick sheets of styrofoam. I whipped out a tactical Kershaw Blur with a CE blade to show him some cutting, I thought. My Blur got so bogged down in that styrofoam, I was embrassed. The florist blew throught it with his Henkel pocket folder.
As a side note, Ed, I always enjoy your posts. You sound like a real gentleman.

[clovisc]

I like Andre V's ideas about cutting brush as somehow being part of the competition. when i lived in zambia, i was faced with similar scrubby growth... and it was usually impractical to carry around my lupanga (machete) for slashing. i'd often use my BM fecas offsider to do these kinds of jobs. my villagers and i also had to slash-cut a lot of vegetation to use for composting in fish ponds and gardens...

people in my village used knives in their fields to cut cassava stalks into different sized pieces for replanting... that was a REAL chore that really tested the edge-holding properties of the blade...

other things i commonly used a big knife on... watermelons, pumpkins... when they're larger, it's harder than you'd expect. hacking up a large-sized pumpkin or squash with a knife might be fun to see in a competition... :D

[Ed Schempp]

Do you think that the traditional moist and rolled bamboo mat would be a measure of brush cutting ability?

The challenge is to be able to give many competitors an equal test....Take Care...Ed

[Crafft]

Hello Ed,

My experience is limited but sometimes I go into the woods and do some chopping with two of my knives. The blades are Busse's. One is a MudRazor (MR) the other one a Fusion SteelHeart (a HeavyHeart to be precise = HHFSH).
Both blades come with a sturdy crinkle coating. I noticed the heavier HHFSH (with the balance towards the tip) does have an advantage in the chopping department, the lighter one (the MudRazor) seems to give you more control.
So far nothing too exciting.
From one of the Busse's (the MR) I stripped the coating and the knife got some sanding so the bare steel became more smooth. This increased the chopping power significantly. I'd say both my Busse's perform equally now. One of the great features of Busse's INFI steel is it's edge retention. It'll take several trees before the steel needs a touch up. And also important (to me) touch ups are very easy to do because there is absolutely no chipping.
So far for the advertising....
My conclusion so far:
for chopping you need a blade surface that is as smooth as possible (low resistance on impact) and a steel that isn't prone to chipping.

I can't wait for the new Spyderco Hossom Collabs to hit the market. I have high expectations about these blades.

MR


HHFSH

[stonyman]

Sorry Ed , my field is tactical. I read your post to obtain more knowledge of cutting ability. I dare not venture into this giving any unsound information on this topic. Thanks and God Bless You All! :D

[Ed Schempp]

All experiences are valid. I find my martial arts friends do alot of cutting. The ICCT is about growing the knife as tool rather than weapon. Most great pieces were born of their weapons aspect. These are very important experiences; we just need to translate these tasks to non tactical task. Candidly, flesh and bone are not really a challenge; I have several friends that have finished the processing tasks on deer and even elk with one swing. Besides simulated live targets I believe many historical tests of cutting were on different types of armor. Maybe this could translate in competition to cutting an aluminum irrigation pipe or maybe a pile of leather. What do you martial artists think?

Seems like the brush in south Texas would require a lot of work with the tip, to get to anything that has substance, and if you cut too deep some thorn or light branch has stabbed you...Take Care...Ed

[eastr]

I live in a rual area as well lots of thick woods edge buy thorn bushes, called muti-flower rose bushes they get very large with long off crop pings. They get in the trail and catch you and i mean catch you the thorns are hooked shape. There is no option but to cut them they are spring like and strong plus if you do it wrong they bite you. Another thing that i like to cut and find can be a challenge is free hanging vine they very in diameter but usually about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick but i don't know how easy you would be able to get these for the contest. The thorn bush is in large abundance around here the grape wines are a little harder to find. Free standing phonebook paper rolls is one last idea. As for the knife my fav is the temperance followed buy my rat-5. But to be truthful there is little i've not ran into anything my temp can't handle. I have botoned with it chopped and sliced everything i can find.

[Joshua J.]

I usually use a big knife for clearing trails through the bush, branches up to two inches thick. It’s nice to have some heft to get depth in your cut, a sharp edge for the little flexible limbs, and a longer blade let’s you reach branches farther away. So far a machete has worked, but I’ve always wanted something a little sturdier. It would be too big for the competition, but what are your thoughts on a twelve to fourteen inch blade?
Cutting wet bamboo sounds like a good idea, make sure the rolls aren’t too thick, we want them to be flexible.

[jaislandboy]

yeah, them thorny vines that Eastr described sounds like a good test for a knife...sounds like a good job for a hawkbill or a Schempp Kris!...

This might look ridiculous but here's one of my "big blade cutting experiences".... :eek: :o :p

http://www.scrapyardknives.com/ubbthrea ... e#Post7792

I bought a Scrapyard Knife Co's Scrapper 6.....it is 11.5 inches long with a 6.5 inch long SR-77 blade (modified s-7 tool steel)....i was chopping on the edges of this subwoofer cardboard box that had 0.5 inch thick or more (like on the corners edges of the box) as hard as I could!....I guess if I were to buy a blade to chop with....I'd want a blade heavy knife that is at least 11.5 inches like this knife.....a khukuri's shape looks ideal for a chopper.... :rolleyes:

[Firefighter880]

Along the line of Big Blades....

When are the Hossums supposed to be available?

:spyder:

[Jose Diaz]

I have used blades for many tasks in the wilderness. I have used them for cutting, chopping, slicing, and building. Brush, twigs, branches, logs, trees, stumps, rotten stumps, animal hides, fish, bone, rope, twine have been just some of a few objects on the sharp end of my knife.I have built shelters, blows, sling shots, prepared meals, cleared campsites, prepared firewood, split kindling, marked trails, removed splinters, gutted fish, skinned animals, build traps, and many other tasks using a large blade.

A really good blade must be designed for fine motor as well as large movements. In other words a big blade must act sometimes like a small blade. Too many times have I found a big blade too cumbersome for fine motor tasks. There are some blades that have met that challenge. One of the things I do not wa cancel o do when I go into the wilderness is bring too many tools. Every tool I bring into the wilderness shipper for more than one function. There is no reason to bring more than one tool into the wilderness that performs the same function. So, I prefer bringing only a big blade.

Carving a spoon and filling a container with sand on a scale. A timed event like this might be an interesting challenge.

Cutting what bamboo mats they simulate cutting green brush. This is a much different task than cutting dry wood.

I'm not sure how it can be simulated; but hollowing a rotten stump is sometimes a necessary and useful activity in the wilderness, also a huge challenge. A hard material with a softcore in the center. Again, I'm not sure how it can be simulated.

Respectfully,
Jose Diaz