I have been chatting with a good friend and fellow ETSer on this subject. He stopped carrying a hatchet for light outings and has opted for the kukri machete instead. not to discourage axes, as they have their place. but as a suitable balance between weight and function he switched. I really liked his use of the term suitable balance so we talked more.

I asked what his reasons were and I got these reasons and comparisons:

.hatchet has less chance of breaking
.kukri can dig. not like a E -tool, but it can dig.
.hatchet is heavier, but kukri chops almost as good for half the cost in weight.
.easier to replace hatchet handle if broken
.easier to resharpen the kukri
.easier to carry the kukri
.safer to use the kukri
.kukri can be lashed to a stick to have a longer reach for cutting through thorn bushes, over head stuff etc
.kukri can be used to stir up coals in a fire etc due to its length
.by using a wood club a kukri can be used to make splits safer than with a hatchet, an just as easy
.kukri can cut weeds, grass, brush etc where a hatchet is totally unsuitable. it can still be used to cut respectible sized wood.
. kukri can stab and chop and smash where an axe can only chop and smash
. hatchet makes a better hammer, bar none
. kukri usually costs more, sometimes considerably more.
.as he tells me, the kukri can hold two edges. super sharp at the bottom, straight part and a working,chopping edge on the round curved part. this aparently gives you a lot of flexibility with more detailed tasks. like strippin bark or making wood shavings for tinder. a kukri is also much easier to use for cutting ropes or cloth in this way


I think this it it. there may be a few that it missed putting here. I cant argue with the guy I guess because he spends enough time out in the woods to know what he is talking about but I am still a bit undecided. part of me likes to argue with the guy though. we keep each other on the ball that way. I guess to each his own but we are all here because no one has all the answers.

for the purpose of this I am refering to camping, hiking, hunting, in a BOB etc but NOT for military use.

I have a gerber back pax http://www.cabelas.com/ but have been giving some thought to his way of thinking. the pax is a bit too short to get a good swing. I was therefor contemplating buying this as he uses one similar with great results http://www.coldsteel.com/

what do you guys think about this debate?
anyone have one of these san mai kukris? are they as good as the hype?