Outdoor Adventure USA

The hooked front of the blade is designed to prevent the edge from hitting the ground, which would quickly damage or blunt it. Billhooks were the tool of choice for clearing areas of brush and shrubs, since this activity requires chopping close to the ground.

The use of a billhook is between that of a knife and an axe. It is often used for cutting woody plants such as saplings and small branches, for hedging and for snedding (stripping the side shoots from a branch). The billhook is the European equivalent of tools such as machetes, parangs, and kukris.