The best chopper I own is significantly thinner and lighter than any Bussekin chopper I own, and it HANDILY defeats all comers on both soft and hard woods.

With even a modicum of chopping technique, a cheap machete with a decent edge will outchop most Busse mega-choppers. This idea that you have to have a thick and heavy knife to chop is just plain incorrect.



I sold my Desert Dogfather because it can be outchopped by a $30 Cold Steel kukri machete. Now, the DDF would baton a heck of a lot better than that machete due to its thicker profile and better splitting wedge action, but that role was handled just as well by the lighter SoD, so the DDF just wasn't needed.


I know that's blasphemy to most Bussekin type folks, but thick and heavy is not the only way to make a knife that chops well. Now if you want a knife that chops well and can also be used to pry open car doors, split lumber, and slay rodents of unusual size, then a big mega-bowie is the perfect tool. But that's a tradeoff - what most people call "choppers" I call "jacks of all trades, but masters of none". Not even chopping.

my cgdf is also gone. there are many large blades i prefer over it. curved and straight.

My take on this is that whatever knife[color:"red"] works best for you[/color] at clearing overgrowth and vegetation is a machete. Certainly not a definitive answer but it works for me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Well... for what it is worth, and as a long time user of machetes, I believe what a blade is called depends mostly on where you are standing, and to whom you are talking. For my money, a blade under 18" is a big knife... but there are others here that see it differently. Different strokes for different folks. Depending on what continent and/or country, heck even region you are in, a blade is known by what everyone calls it. Its the same with food, clothing, etc. Blade identification is best left to whatever you like, as well as what it takes to communicate.

Doc

A few of mine:

Looks nice...I can't tell the brands though, everyone copies everyone.. I never had much use for saw backs... they look cool, but snag in deep stuff, especially vines. That will ruin your rhythm when chopping for thousands of feet of line.. The short one with the D guard... No Way... that D guard will bust your knuckles when chopping for hours, and it is too short for real line work. I tried the Barteaux with the D-handle when they were first released. That has to be the worst machete ever made... the D-guard pulled the meat off my knuckles and hand after a couple hours (machetes will twist in your hand) and the blade is a hunk of hard garbage.

YMMV

Doc

Those look like Ontarios to me. They are probably the heaviest of the regular latin style machetes. The Tramontinas are the lightest I have used. The Collins, Cold Steels, Condors, and Imacasas are in between. In any blade over 18", I'll go with the Tramontina because I can swing it longer. But heck, I'm old. A younger man might prefer one of the heavier ones.

a machete is long, thin and cheap <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

...and works great in the proper environment!

BWBM in my mind AINT a machete....just a thinner than usual busse bowie

I thought they looked like Ontario's too, but as I said..there is a lot of copying of those things..Collins is as light as the Tramontina..at least the ones that I have used are..but then.. I haven't seen a Collins in years. The last closest were called Plymouths and looked suspiciously like Collins......Old Collins are the best...The new Tramontinas we have seen are really shoddy in construction...as far as machetes go... We are using Martindale... heavier than Collins, but better constructed than Tramontina. SOme of my guys like the wood handles, others, the plastic. Condors are all too short, Same with Cold Steel. At least, I have never seen one over 18"...

Doc

When you use them back to back, the Collins is much heavier than the Tramontina. I have both in the 22" blades. I have used my Tramontinas for years and they have held up well. I seldom use my 22" Collins, but it is a nicer machete.

8 hours of chopping line...there ain't no back to back... we use 24" or longer....wish I could still get the collins...

Doc