a lot of that depends on the topography... Humbold has benefits in some residential scenarios, and they can be life saving benefits, so forgive the ambiguity, but please read carefully. To me, the most important use of the humboldt is when taking out tops.. keeps them out of your lap.... especially when the top is going through traffic on the way down...
another little understood benefit of the Humboldt is that it gives the faller a more predictable angle of separation as it tends to break off directly after the face closes, where the traditional or open face will hang on for another 10-15 degrees of movement before the hinge fails. This is particularly important when throwing tops..
and yes, the pushback is another considerable effect, but again it depends on the trees you're cutting. It's almost NEVER been a concern when cutting eastern hardwoods.. And I almost never fall trees up steep hills, but when I do, I prefer a Humboldt.
What I AM refering to is a lot of videos showing the use of the Humboldt as a falling cut when the log is junk and the faller has less than expertise in matching cuts etc.. In these sceanrios it would be much more practical, faster, easier and more reliable to use the open face...
Guilty of Treeson calls this a "double cut tutorial" when it's nothing more than redicuplous waste of time.. and he says that on large diameter trees, it's easier to get the face cut out on Humboldts.. nothing Soon as I saw that I didn't ever pay any attention to a thing he said or did and never watched another video of his.
