Anyone ever use a Promedoca machete?

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My son just got back from the Dominican Republic and he brought back a 22" machete in a homemade looking leather sheath. The blade has a bull stamped on the blade near the handle and has the words PROMEDOCA and DOMINICAN REP stamped there too. It came without an edge and has a very comfortable synthetic handle. The blade looks about 1/16" thick. Does anybody know anything about these machetes?Thanks
 
Prome
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They make them for the DR army, field workers, and tourists. They normally feature a primitive looking leather sheath. Does the handle have pins?
 
They are made in "La Vega".

Just a side note. Some times in other countries there is a slang term for machetes, called a "colín". Yep, you guessed it, Collins machete company. The Collins machetes that came from US kinda faded out, but the name stayed, an adapted term for a certain size machete, much like the words Kleenex and Coke.
 
Joezilla said:
They are made in "La Vega".

Just a side note. Some times in other countries there is a slang term for machetes, called a "colín". Yep, you guessed it, Collins machete company. The Collins machetes that came from US kinda faded out, but the name stayed, an adapted term for a certain size machete, much like the words Kleenex and Coke.
Click to expand...

Or Buck Knife. Every 110-style lockback is referred to as a Buck Knife, at least around here. Now back to your originally scheduled thread.
 
I know they've been contracted out by Corneta to do machetes before.
 
My daughter brought me back one from the DR this summer with the same stamp on the blade. The handle on mine is carved of wood with a Taino indian figure in it. I'm actually a knifemaker, so I immediately thought this wood looked like lignum vitae, which is about the hardest wood known to man, and I've only ever had a few small pieces of it to work with. When I researched it, I found it's common for DR artifacts to be carved out of Guayacan, or lignum vitae. So I was suprised. I put a razor edge on my blade. I don't have a Rockwell tester, but doing some rudimentary tests on the steel, and just the feel of working it on the grinder, it looks like good high carbon steel. The handle is pretty crudely carved and finished, but I like that it's made of lignum vitae. The sheath is hard leather with all kinds of tassels and carved patterns in it. I'm sure the whole thing was pretty cheap, but a good memento of my daughter's trip to the DR. And sharpened up it's a nice bedside weapon! I have it behind my night stand.
 
Holy thread resurrection, Batman! :eek:

Are you sure that handle is lignum vitae? I can't imagine any sane machete manufacturer that would bother putting such an expensive and hard to work wood on a machete. The cost of cutting the stuff alone would likely drive the unit price through the roof.
 
I could be wrong, forty-two, but I've had bits of lignum vitae over the years as a knifemaker that had the same coloring and grain pattern, so when I got this thing (yes, it's a cheap tourist artifact) I was really shocked that it looked like lignum vitae. But when I researched around a bit, it's common that carved wood figurines and stuff that come from the DR are often made of Guayacan, which is lignum vitae. It really has a distinctive grain. I've been working with hardwoods for 20 years, so I feel pretty sure about this. I took a pocketknife blade to one corner, and it's freakin' hard stuff. I'll get a picture and post it later.
 
Haven't had a chance to take a pic, but I was on Ebay today, and totally by chance found this. It's identical to mine, sheath, handle shape, everything. The grain on this handle is maybe not as distinctive in the grain as mine is, but I believe it's also lignum vitae. They don't know what they have! Yes, the construction is crude, but what an ironic melding of crude work with an endangered material!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Decor...361?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item53e37d6c71
 
Zombie thread!

I bought one of these (plastic handle) in '88 while visiting the DR.
I was familiar with the brand (grew up in Miami).
I've used it a ton...used it this morning.
Razor sharp.

I bought a short one the same day and gave it to my Father-in-law.
He's never used it and it is hanging on his living room wall still.

Also, "Ironwood" is used on lots of tourist items. Or at least it was then.
I bought an ironwood Pipe and my wife bought an ironwood Carved Head.
 
m said:
My son just got back from the Dominican Republic and he brought back a 22" machete in a homemade looking leather sheath. The blade has a bull stamped on the blade near the handle and has the words PROMEDOCA and DOMINICAN REP stamped there too. It came without an edge and has a very comfortable synthetic handle. The blade looks about 1/16" thick. Does anybody know anything about these machetes?Thanks
Click to expand...


I also have one with a wooden handle, mean looking machete, wish I knew how to insert pictures in this form.
 
I just came home with one today too. Wood handled, older.
I have not yet been able to navigate Flickr on my phone, seems not to offer thru my acct any options to download my images.
I would use the imagur acct I created just for this forum but the pics are to large for human viewing.
I may delete the Flickr acct and try again...other than that if it doesn't work I may try another site that is recommended.
All my photos are in my phone, Android system.
 
I wanted to post a picture of it...sorry

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There she is. Just brought her home today, was my dad's uncle's.

-Miller
 
Thanks that's all I know about it. I don't have any sugarcane growing in the back but it's a keeper
 
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