WoW! Little Chopper......just sayin'

[LookMomNoSights]

Not too far back I posted asking people what they liked......banana cut or shield and there was talk of parabolic as well.   There was another post as of late in regards to burning or chopping.....
Got a package in the mail yesterday with some goodies inside....one of such was a Little Chopper low banana.    I purchased this because I want to experiment with the banana cut and have always loved the way they look.
Now keep in mind,  I have NEVER used one of these choppers before:  I opened the package,  glanced at the directions that I could see without unfolding the paper and put that chopper on my counter top.  Also got some full length grey bars....took them out and opened them.   Im willing to bet I chopped 6 or so perfect feathers inside of 45 seconds?!  And they came out awesome!  Why havent I picked one of these up sooner?!  I guess my only point here is if anyone has ever thought about chopping feathers,  go for it with confidence!  The tool was a reasonable price and its super easy and its fun!  I thought about the burner but the smell people talk about I can only imagine....and I dont really want to deal with that!   Sorry for what seems like a pitch or just crazy rambling on here,  I just get excited about stuff like this!  Its always nice to find out you spent your money on a good,  useful tool.....I know Ive bought things I could have done without - part of the learning experience I guess.  Merry Christmas Everyone!  

[BOWMARKS]

I think they are great also,I shoot 4" Shield cut and can get two feathers out of one full length feather,two for the price of one    !!Just watch the finger tips.(OUCH)

[PEARL DRUMS]

One thing I have learned is to not hit it any harder than you need to. It will dull the blade much quicker if you hit it too hard. Just something I learned the hard way.

[LookMomNoSights]

I was careful of that.....hopefully you didnt learn from experience?!  I had to touch the blade just to see,  with a bright orange sticker that proclaims "Very Sharp Blade" and I dont want to think about losing a tip or 2 under that thing!

[Tater]

I didn't post to the other thread, but I have been shooting a medium Bananna cut for a couple years. I modified my Lil Chopper, these are 4.5 inches long and 0.75 inches tall at the highest point. This is one of my hunting arrows from last season.
 

[LookMomNoSights]

Looks good!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Here is what I have.. It's a lill chopper banana 5.5" high back, Some of the feathers are 4" and cut different ways. They all fly Great..

 

[seabass]

i modified my bannana chopper the same as tater.they fly great.i am glad you had a good experience with yours.i just ordered some feathers from stringstrecher because i wanted to try some natural turkey feathers in a bannana shape.i can't wait to get them.merry christmas everyone,steve

[Red Beastmaster]

I have five different choppers but lately I'm mostly using the 5" parabolic and the new 3R Swift from 3Rivers. After a couple thousand feathers chopped I can safely say they are the way to go. Probably saved me a few hundred dollars over the years by getting two cut feathers from one full length.

Anyone else notice that the full length feathers aren't as long as they used to be?

[Friends call me Pac]

I'm pretty sure I have one under the tree.  I dropped enough hints.  A box came in from 3 Rivers and my wife wrapped the whole box .  I wonder what else is in there?  Looking forward to using the chopper and whatever else she got for me.

[vtmtnman]

I've found those little choppers to be highly inconsistent in cutting feathers.But I get them because they are what is availible.

I'm glad you got one that works good!  

[Grey Taylor]

Originally posted by Red Beastmaster:
Anyone else notice that the full length feathers aren't as long as they used to be?

Here is an explanation from the 3Rivers site:   Commercial Grade Feathers  

Guy

[bigbadjon]

I think the choppers are pretty consistent. The best way to get perfect cuts is to first make sure the the top is pushed all the way to the side, either side but use the same one every feather. The biggest problem is that the quills roll when chopped. To solve this cut the feathers to length and then you will only be cutting the vane. This also reduces the force needed to cut and makes them last longer. The prep takes a little longer but you will gain consistency.

[NoCams]

The Little Choppers have an adjustment to take all the side to side movement out of them to increase consistency, or do as bigbadjon said and push the slack to one side every time.

stringstretcher also mentioned that he uses a xacto knife to cut thru the quill as he closes the chopper on the quill. This makes it easier to chop and also allows the chopper to close down on the feathers and rest on them right before chopping. Just reach in with the xacto and cut the quill where the blade touches the quill front and back. Don't you love this site ??? Thanks fellow tradgangers for all the help and tips given to us !!!

[xtrema312]

goog info.  I have three turkey and s doz geese worth of wings.  After spring turkey I plan to ship them to stringstretcher and get a choppers.  

can you save money by getting full length and chopping?

[stringstretcher]

Cost of the chopper=========$25.00
time to chop feather========your labor
free turkey/goose feathers=====priceless.

[stringstretcher]

Here is something that has helped me tremendously.

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=090620#000000

[LookMomNoSights]

saving money depends on what your chopping in regards to length.  Im rollin' with the 5 3/4 original spec right now and theres no way your gonna get more than 1 out of a feather.  two 4" inchers,  maybe on half the feathers.   Turns out "full length" really aint that long these days?!  Regardless....its just fun to use! And I can cut my pretty bananas AND I can use full lengths to splice and chop now.  I may get a shield chopper too at some point.     CHOP CHOP!  

[Red Beastmaster]

Grey Taylor

Thanks for the explaination of why full length is getting shorter.

I used to cheat a bit to get two 5.5" cuts from a full length but that was over 20yrs ago. Lately I can sometimes get a 5" and a short 4" stumper feather. I use six full height short stubs for flu-flus. With the price of feathers a chopper really helps you get your moneys worth.

[amar911]

I have the Vario Clipper which is no longer being made. Herb's Archery has a copy of the Vario that he says is actually an improved version. He calls it, strangely enough, "Herb's Feather Cutter". Knowing Herb's dedication to quality, I have no doubt to his claim that he has improved on the Vario Clipper, which definitely was previously the best feather chopper on the market. Herb's Feather Cutter is quite a bit more expensive than the Little Chopper, but it is far more versatile and will last much longer. You can buy a variety of blades from Herb or have him make you a custom insert blade of your own design if you think you have a better idea for the shape of your feathers. The insert blades are only $15 each, so if you cut various feather shapes and/or lengths, you may be better off buying Herb's Feather Cutter. Besides, the Vario (and now Herb's Feather Cutter) is the best cutter around for those who appreciate quality.

Allan