Thank you, DT. You talk about all the qualities I'm looking for in a big blade. i had a 911 and felt the same way as you did about it. Might as well go bigger and have more chopping power. Not knocking the 911 at all - it has a niche it can fill, just not for me.

I wanted a wood processor for camping trips, so I got a Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Ax for that purpose. It's a very useful tool I need more practice with. Wife had our 2nd 3 months ago and we've gone on just one camping trip since. But the thing is, while an ax is nice, I lived in Micronesia awhile, and the locals there carry machetes around everywhere - into the rainforest, on hunting trips, fishing trips, into town. You could be at a diner and someone walks in with a 24" machete and no one bats an eye. I loved it. We'd use machetes for everything - clearing land, cleaning fish, splitting 2x4's, killing pigs... so I got used to having a big blade for all purposes. But since I don't gotta clear land over here, I don't need a machete. I need a shorter chopper that won't chip out in cold weather. I'm hearing a lot of raves about the DF. Wish I'd known about them when they first came out.

So I'm not really adding much to the discussion - just interested in what others have to say.