Good point, I like to build fires, primitive shelters, traps and the like on my camping trips and this is where the need for a big chopper comes in. I really dont like hatchets or axes for this because big knives have proved themself so much more versatile and less clumsy to swing.
How about the other characterists of these knives? How do they compare in sharpening, stain/rust resistance, edge holding, flexability? etc....
The Ranger's 5160 and Dog Father's SR77 are both good tool steels. They hold an edge fairly well in hard use. Not quite as well as Swamp Rat's Chopweiler, but they are easy to keep sharp with a little crock stick. They both require some care to prevent rust and both are strong enough for prying, batonning, and other hard use. I have only used the Browning once in the test you refer to. It is 1080 steel, I think. It has a good sharp convex edge, but I have not batonned with it or pried with it. I have not used it enough to determine long-term edge holding. It too would require some care to prevent rust. It is more specialized, being a competition bowie. For raw chopping power, the DF CG will beat the DFLE, Browning, and RD9. Personally, for the uses you describe, I would go with the DFLE or RD9. They are both great all-around big choppers. I have been using the Marine Tuf cloth on my satin and uncoated blades in SR77, SR101, and 5160. None of them have rusted so far, and I live on a salt water marsh.
As for the RD4 and YK, I have not compared those two. The RD4 is much bigger and heavier (nearly a 5" blade). The YK is much handier and easier carrying. It would be better for most bush craft and light cutting. The RD4 is a brute of a knife and is even bigger and heavier than the Dumpster Mutt. It can even chop pretty well, but you could just as easily carry a Scrapper 6, which is my favorite all-around fixed blade knife.
