Gee Montanero, maybe I should mail my extra knives to you.

I generally agree with the opinion that a good machete will do a lot in a survival situation. It's a good compromise. I have used axes, and for a while I was a proponent on a lightweight Tomahawk that was made by CRKT. But after quite a bit of experience with the hawk last year, it is just too light to do general purpose chopping of wood. You need something more robust, and a bit more weight in the swing. Otherwise, the only thing you can do is split small kindling, which is not satisfactory.

My suggestion, whatever you choose, be it machete, tomahawk or large knife, USE it a lot. Split a lot of wood. Cut down some saplings. You'll find out pretty quickly if the tool is doing the job or not.

Something along the lines of a kukri works pretty well. But just remember where the striking point will be located. For example, if the kukri is 15 inches, the actual location for the best chopping action of the blade will be several inches down from the tip. So your real striking radius for chopping is not 15 inches. Again, try it out.

I spend time in Brazil every year. I am constantly chopping down big growths of bamboo, as well as a variety of other saplings. Partly for farm work, but I also make furniture with the bamboo. A kukri will cut through all of this stuff nicely, BUT the radius of the swing is less than you might expect. I also carry a large-size Filipino barong which will chop massively through anything. But I keep the barong away from the locals, because I am afraid they will cut off an arm or a leg.