I love big knives (I am Australian, it is in our gene code) BUT, other than playing around at home or just for fun, I have never needed to use a knife to chop firewood. “Batoning” is also a VERY foreign concept to most of us. The Australian bush is populated with trees that dumps LOTS of dead fall timber so one generally only has to wander around a little to find the makings of a fire. If you are anywhere in a National Park/State Recreation area there is about NO firewood to be had (as all the other campers have burnt it up already. If driving in to these I just take a box of wood from around home. This whole logic negates a large chopper as my single blade.

I do however like the ability offered by larger than “traditional” blades such as splitting and working wood to make a DECENT shelter (not just an overnight/survival jobby) and for a number of tasks that are not traditionally “knife” work. I personally think the “closest to perfect” single knife made is the RMD but as I stated up there earlier, if I was to have BUT ONE to carry off and face destiny with it would be the .22 ASH1 followed by a .32 ASH1. It does NOTHING perfectly (except perhaps sit in my hand) but, to me and for my PERCEIVED needs (because these things are all about the individual) it adequately (or better) meets those needs.