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Woodman's Pal vs Machete vs Kukri

44K views 55 replies 28 participants last post by  SavageSun 4x4 
#1 ·
I own a Woodman's Pal. I have used it once in the field to try it out. It works OK. I wasn't super impressed and it feels a little unwieldy even with the leather wrapped handle.


What are your opinions on which tool to use for brush clearing or sapling take down?

A machete, a woodman's pal, or a kukri?
 
#6 ·
Well, I have the Woodsman Pal, several machetes and a few Khukuris (Cold Steel and Himalayan Imports).

First, don't discount a simple Ontario machete (I prefer the 12" model). With a good convex grind, it will surprise you and give some hatchet users a run for their money. Of course, the steel is softer and needs to be maintained more, but it will handle hard wood quite easily.

Depending on your Kuk, they are excellent hardwood choppers and unless it's a lighter model, they are a tad difficult at using like a machete. They'll work, but you'll get tired pretty fast (good way to build the muscle strength up though:D:).

Woodsman Pal. Kind of a thinner kuk, but still a pretty thick steel. It's almost as heavy as a kuk. It's not the best chopper, but it's a hell of brush clearer. I'll be honest, it's not my first pick for a wilderness tool, but I've done some brush clearning and this blade is great for chopping beneath the ground level to remove them. I like it, but my first pick would be a 12" Ontario machete and I would put a good convex grind on it for making it more than just a soft-vegetation cutting tool.

ROCK6
 
#8 ·
For the FL area? Kukri.. they're meant for cutting dense brush like you've got in the everglades down there. They'll provide good leverage for cutting branches and so forth, and because of their design require less effort than a machete.

However, I don't know what a woodmans friend is so I can't give any input on that. I'll look at it in a minute but I don't have experience with it :)
 
#9 · (Edited)
I've never had any experience with a woodsman's Pal. But I've owned and used a variety of Machete in my time. The 18" were most common and good tools, but I found the length to be somewhat cumbersome and overkill in dense bush.

I switched up to a 12" Ontario Blackie Collings and cut off a plastic US machete carrier to accomodate it. It was/is a good tool as well, but hard on the hands after about an hour of use. I used to carry a D3A glove with it to avoid blisters.

The Kukri was something I purchased years ago after watching a demo on Cold Steels site. When I received it, I noticed right away how ergonomically superior (imo) it was to the common machete. The weight forward design of the blade enables you to cut through some pretty mean bush and to say the grip is more user friendly over the machete style grips is the understatement of the year. Not to mention a tremendous dif in terms of blade flexing and vibration on the hands

They make several versions I believe, just slightly different in design but vastly different in regard to price. The utility model Kukri (one I own) I found to be what I needed for my applications. The LTC Kukri is the flagship of the line I believe.
 
#13 ·
seems people forget that there is NO magic tool that will do everything. get a piece of paper and wright down all you options ie. the product. then wright down all the pros and cons for each. then decide what you need most, a blade for chopping, battoning, clearing trails, skinning/food prep.

the kukri come closest to an ''in-all'' blade but it still fall short in some aspects. I myself picked the kukri because of its many edges but i'd never go without another smaller knife.

kukri, mora, Wave, and my RAT5 is what i carry into the woods.

kukri for heavy work
mora for food prep
wave because of its utility
and rat5 for general utility and camp tasks.

If i plan on hunting i'll bring a dedicated skinning knife so i dont have to worry about contaminating food.
 
#17 ·
I do hate the "one-knife-selection" threads as you're absolutely right that there is no magic tool that will do everything...every knife should cut; some will do some tasks better than others and vice versa.

Your selection CPL_BS_88 will handle about any chore you would need with a blade...that's what people need to be looking at is what selection is best for XYZ location, season or scenario. Skill with those tools is more important as it will maximize the use of what you do have and make your required tasks much more efficient.

Well, I too a few pictures of some of my choppers:



Here are the blades in question:



Now I have a 15" HI AK; pretty standard, but a stout chopper!
D-handled Woodsman Pal
Ontario 12" machete (modified edge that is both Scandi and convex ground)

Here's a shot of the spines:





HI AK is on the far left and is almost 1/2":eek:
The Cold Steel Gurka Kuk right beside it is 5/16"...still pretty massive.
The Woodsman Pal and Ontario (BRKT Mod) are on the far end and quite thin in comparison.

I think it really depends on where you are located, season, what type of vegetation in your immediate AO, what you plan on doing and what you expect to accomplish.

I like the thick blades, but if you're trying to hack your way through very thick/leafy vegetation, you're going to wear your self out. If you have hardwoods/vines that Khukurie or thicker chopper will make a big difference.

Also, most of the machetes are pretty soft...including the Woodsman Pal. Some of the heavier duty choppers have been heat treated for a tougher edge to deal with hard wood and maintain its edge longer.

I have one of Cold Steel's Barong machetes. I must admit for the price it's actually a really good tool. Thicker than a Ontario/Tramontina machete, great edge and sold tang. I'm not big on rubber handles, but they are pretty comfortable but extended use would have to be done with a glove to avoid blisters. I really like it.



Although not typical pointed choppers, Goloks have their place as well and are often good for light or heavy vegetation depending on their design. The Martindale is pretty thin, but the Valiant Golok and Bark River's renditions are pretty thick but have excellent convexed edges that will give hatchets a run for their money on chopping.



I know the Woodsman Pal looks similar to a Khukurie, but the performance isn't even close. The Woodsman Pal really only excels at chopping briar and vines at the base...even into the dirt to chop into the root. Great at clearing, but that's about the limit IMHO.



ROCK6
 
#15 ·
Personally

I'd say machete.

There is enough product variation to find a thick spined one so that it can work for wood chopping, etc.

The kukri, while a great fighting weapon and a decent survival knife just doesnt clear a site as well as a machete.

Thats why I say barong people. It does everything better!

Bladeguru
 
#16 ·
I'd say machete.

There is enough product variation to find a thick spined one so that it can work for wood chopping, etc.

The kukri, while a great fighting weapon and a decent survival knife just doesnt clear a site as well as a machete.

Thats why I say barong people. It does everything better!

Bladeguru

The barong is a great blade too. If you live in an area with thick veg. then i can see that but as for me...i live in suoth central Kansas. its all small shrubs and hardwood. in the spring and eirly summer it can get thick but there are always game trails to take.
 
#18 ·
Smith & Wesson SWBH Bush Hog Kukri 17.5" Blade with Sheath
Amazon.com: Smith & Wesson SWBH Bush Hog Kukri 17.5" Blade with Sheath: Sports & Outdoors

I picked one of these up cheap (ebay) and like it a lot (i did trim the grip to fit my hand better), it did a good job cutting firewood and poles for camping (cut faster and deaper than the small axe) + didn't notice wearing it on my hip.

I normaly get stuff like this in person to feel if it's crap or not. but for the price it is very good. (Looked at the Cold Steel ones but some looked cheap and others were very $, couldn't afford high end RAT (+ they look heavy)
 
#20 ·
Machetes are ok, The last one that I got, however, was less than about a centimeter wide and it bends easily. The material was good and the blade was sharp but it was destroyed in a few weeks... :(

If you are going to get a machete, get one that is at least a quarter of an inch thick. My debate partner is an adopted Fillipino and he has a collection of Fillipino machetes. Those are so though that you can cut down a good tree with them. (Which is my definition of a machete!)
Here are some examples of his machetes. He doesn't own these particular ones, but these are similar...
http://www.normstrainingblades.com/images/Kopis Machete.jpg
(The following (Barong) was my definite favorite. It's thick, wide and short enough to be weildy.)
http://www.cosmohouse.org/connections/nlfal08/machete-barong.jpg
 
#22 · (Edited)
If you are going to get a machete, get one that is at least a quarter of an inch thick. My debate partner is an adopted Fillipino and he has a collection of Fillipino machetes. Those are so though that you can cut down a good tree with them. (Which is my definition of a machete!)
Here are some examples of his machetes. He doesn't own these particular ones, but these are similar...
http://www.normstrainingblades.com/images/Kopis Machete.jpg
(The following (Barong) was my definite favorite. It's thick, wide and short enough to be weildy.)
http://www.cosmohouse.org/connections/nlfal08/machete-barong.jpg
Thanks for the photos. My first real foray with machetes( mine was cut from the leaf spring of a WWII jeep) was in the PI, with the Barong and it cut thru that triple canopy with ease.
IMO, American machetes are too thin and flexible.
I have a Woodsman's Pal and it works great for light duy and bamboo( but nothing short of a bushhog will get thru the underbrush bog in Florida), but I'd trade it in a minute for a Barong. I got the WP 'cause it looks just like the sugar cane knives I grew up with and Imo, is designed for stuff like cane and bamboo, which is prevalent in Florida.
 
#23 ·
I just bought a WP and I like it a lot. Its a good all around tool for camping, clearing and other tough tasks.

I also like the Ontario but its a 'how many do I really need' sort of thing. Especially not being any kind of a collector, but just someone is uses on my property and is part of my 'kit' for one the SHTF.

I am also an 'old school' kind of guy and the WP has been an issue item since WWII and the design has not changed. That to me speaks volumes...:thumb:

I look for tools that can provide many uses.
 
#24 ·
I have the original kukri which was issued to the British Military in Kenya and Tanzania and the blade is exceptionally heavy and not practical to use other than heavey work. The cheaper and thinner kukri's may well be different but quite frankly mine is too heavy and cumbersome.
 
#26 ·
Just spent the day working out in the yard. I have an acre, lots of trees and bush-trees, Creosote and other native stuff that grows like weeds. I cleared the property last month, taking about 6 weeks to clear the brush and limbs. I then rented a commercial chipper-shredder, big orange one. it put 221/2 hours on the engine clock.

Now a month later with several rains the brush stumps have sprouted. Took a day to solve this and the new shoots off the branches.

I own a WP and I now 'GET IT'!

Its the Woodman's Pal HANDS DOWN on anything else.

WHY? At the tip of the WP about 1.5" from the end the blade (where it was sharpened) STOPS. I wondered why. Today I found out. I live in the desert and my yard like most here is full of small rocks, gravel and a bunch of sprouted stumps from the bushes I cut down. What the WP allows you to do is to use the working side of the blade to hack and clear ground level brush. That 1.5" of non-blade, flat surface allows you to hack into the GROUND and NOT dull the blade.

WOW, now I know what it is for. It works and works great. Does not take a lot thought to translate this action into the clearing of campsites.

One smart design. If you will look at the working edge of the machetes you will note they all run the blade edge around the tip of the machete. Nothing wrong with this as long as the only thing you are doing is whacking vines to cut a trail.

That said, not sure the comparing the WP to all other machetes is truly a apples to apples. The WP just has an added functionality, no more no less. But I am sold on it.:thumb:
 
#27 ·
Just spent the day working out in the yard. I have an acre, lots of trees and bush-trees, Creosote and other native stuff that grows like weeds. I cleared the property last month, taking about 6 weeks to clear the brush and limbs. I then rented a commercial chipper-shredder, big orange one. it put 221/2 hours on the engine clock.

Now a month later with several rains the brush stumps have sprouted. Took a day to solve this and the new shoots off the branches.

I own a WP and I now 'GET IT'!

Its the Woodman's Pal HANDS DOWN on anything else.

WHY? At the tip of the WP about 1.5" from the end the blade (where it was sharpened) STOPS. I wondered why. Today I found out. I live in the desert and my yard like most here is full of small rocks, gravel and a bunch of sprouted stumps from the bushes I cut down. What the WP allows you to do is to use the working side of the blade to hack and clear ground level brush. That 1.5" of non-blade, flat surface allows you to hack into the GROUND and NOT dull the blade.

WOW, now I know what it is for. It works and works great. Does not take a lot thought to translate this action into the clearing of campsites.

One smart design. If you will look at the working edge of the machetes you will note they all run the blade edge around the tip of the machete. Nothing wrong with this as long as the only thing you are doing is whacking vines to cut a trail.

That said, not sure the comparing the WP to all other machetes is truly a apples to apples. The WP just has an added functionality, no more no less. But I am sold on it.:thumb:[/QUOTE

even if the blade was sharpened on the tip, you could still hack into the ground...and then just sharpen out the dings. My main problem is that hook on the top. every time i've tried it, it screws up my swing.

I say that if its just going to be an 'around the yard' or farm machete then i guess it would do but for survival, there are MANY better options for cheeper or the same price.

At $80 for just the WP you could have a great setup of all the blade you'd need...jsut somthing to think about.

onterio 12''- $20
wetterlings hatchet- $40
frost mora-$10

that leaves enough to cover shipping or a cheep multi tool or heck even a cheep saw. eather way, most of us are all about valuem, i think the WP is a good tool but NOT a great value.
 
#28 ·
X1 on the WP. If you look at the sugarcane knives, they are identical. They are designed to cut cane and bamboo, down at the ground. I will not spend a day hacking at brush, I will use a long handled pruning shears.
Btw, the hook is to go in and cut roots( If I understand you correctly), so you're not swinging it, you're hooking it and pulling towards yourself.
 
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