hunter
i dont consider batoning with a small knife appropriate. i was thinking of the large ones that are actually for chopping. in some cases batoning is the only method to get the desired results. and you cant always baton as far through wood with an ax as you can a knife. one example was a couple weeks ago when my bf was trying to split an oak log for a project. it was very hard. the crack he wanted to start it on was vary small and thin and he would have needed perfect aim to hit it just right and even then it would have been likely to destroy the entrance, plus an ax would not be long enough to baton vary far through the log since it was so big around and the ax was to thick to drive in there (hard oak wood) so the kukri was the appropriate tool and once he got far enough through he started using wedges which was hard cause they needed to be very thin yet strong.
i dont have money to abuse my knives. why would i if it will last me for ever and b able to preform its intended tasks if i take care of it. i believe in getting good tools that will last vs. cheep tool that wont. its much less efficient to get disposable tools.
