In my opinion, using a knife as an axe is like trying to use a Porsche 911 to drive on woodland trails.[...]
I think I would still rather have an axe than try to pound my knife through a tree. I don't mind batoning an axe, as that's what it's head is designed to d, usually with a differential heat treat.
Ok, you have me on the chainsaw.... but then they are kind of a pain to carry on a hike! The argument could be made that a hatchet or axe would be as well, but then more often than not I carry an axe when going into the wild. not so much when I am walking through a park, but I do when I am going through actual woods.Def
So far the only argument for batoning a knife so far is Al's. I can see how it would come in handy on a moving boat that is heated with wood. However, I think I would be more inclined to get one of those things that sits on the ground and has a blade in it that you pound the wood onto, instead of swinging the blade.Yes, there are knives out there that are designed with batoning in mind, but I have to wonder about the effectiveness of them.the thing about a knife is that it is brittle, which is why we don't pry with them. The steel has to be hard to take a good edge, and I tend to prefer thinner blades because they cut better than the 1/4" thick blades that you see all over the place these days. The thinner a blade is, the less drag it has and the better it cuts. the harder a steel is, the better it holds an edge.The flip side of all that is that the thinner a blade is the more likely it is to break, or the less lateral force you have for splitting. The harder the steel is, the more likely it is to break or shatter under the shock of impact.The knives that are designed for bushcrafting are more like knives with axe-like features built into them, that diminish their efficiency as a knife... as I see it anyway.I think I would still rather have an axe than try to pound my knife through a tree. I don't mind batoning an axe, as that's what it's head is designed to d, usually with a differential heat treat.Def
Might I point out the irony of this, coming from the big MT-Boss I prefer a real screwdriver, saw, pliers over MTs. But there is some convenience to MTs, why else would we carry them. They are a compromise for sure, but we can all agree that they work pretty well, no?Same goes for knife/axe and again it's more than one reason:- Laws might prevent axe carry. E.g. in Switzerland I cannot EDC an axe, I can EDC a sword though.- Weight. If you have to carry your gear, you might wanna leave your axe at home.- Fun. I seriously like my Spirit because it is the one tool that can do it all (or most). So, I also understand the appeal of a knife that can be used to carve a spoon, and to build a log house...I disagree that you have to compromise on the knife part to get one that can be used to batoning. The Fällkniven F1 is a great general purpose knife and plenty of people baton with it (I guess that is the magic of laminated steel).P.S.: Wait, we are not supposed to use our knives for prying
In my opinion, using a knife as an axe is like trying to use a Porsche 911 to drive on woodland trails. Yeah, it can probably do it, at least for a while, and probably well enough to manage, but there is an equal (or greater) chance of catastrophic failure.I know, I know, if you are in a survival situation, you are lost in the woods and in danger of freezing to death then you have got to do what you have got to do, but in general, relying on a knife to chop wood doesn't seem like the smartest idea, and the idea of whacking the spine of the knife repeatedly with a hard object is just taking a bad idea and making it worse.In short, if you don't have an axe and rely on a knife to do the axe's job then you are just as likely to end up without an axe or a knife... Anyone here feel any different about batonning a knife?Def
Wedges and hammer were my favorite way to split wood, too. I find I have better control with wedges and a hammer.
It seems like using a baton and a knife is some sort of bushcraft-y fad lately, at least on youtube. It has its place but IMO it's been way overdone recently.