Lets discuss Machetes,best pattern,style, length, by region (Guide)

[Rprecision]

Lets talk machetes,

This is my first real post here, I hope it goes somewhere where everyone can get something from it. The purpose of this post is to start a discussion about different pattern, style and size machetes. The hope being you can better learn what’s right for you and your environment. Most of the posts on here about machetes tend to leave that aspect out.

First, I have to make a confession, until two years ago I thought machetes were for tropical/ jungle environments. I didn’t think I had any use for them in an alpine / mountainous environment. The idea of having to cut a trail is absurd up here at 10’000 feet.

I have to thank Pict and Joezilla who really introduced me to how versatile a machete can be. I slowly warmed up to them and now it’s a full on addiction…..who knew?

The first thing I noticed about machetes is they are very region or area specific. People in different regions have evolved to prefer one pattern to others. This may be due to the vegetation they cut, money, material available and often the case traditions and customs.

At any rate I began to tinker around cutting up stuff on outings and learning what a great tool machetes can be. I learned that for my environment I needed something generally 14” or smaller and light enough to throw on/in a pack. A bolo (Weighted end) aided this length in performing duties it shouldn’t.

I started out with a Ontario 12.” This really is still my go to blade, what I measure all others too. The 1095 steel holds a great edge. I tried out a 12” tramotina and found it to be very light and quick handling. The edge retention on tramotinas seems to be the pitfall. The need a lot more attention (or so it seems) then others I have handled

So fast-forward to today and I am still testing and looking for something better. So this spring I did a couple of quick tests with some new models I have been working on

1. Condor Parang. This has been modified by shortening it about 4” and removing the pesky black coating. I added a more refined convex grind.

2. Tramotina Golok. This started its life as a full size 18” Bush Machete. It was chopped down by about 4.” It was re-profiled to a Golok shape with a convex grind. (Great Idea Pict)

3. Martindale Golok. Stock form, I cleaned up the handle and gave it a good multi phase convex grind

First thing I noticed was weight, more specifically where the weight was and how that affected the handling. The Parang while being the thickest was the quickest in the hand. The Tramotina was very similar only lighter, yet the Martindale seemed confused. It was clearly a weighted type machete but had a weird balance point.

On to chopping, most of the wood I encounter is of the dry or green Aspen or Pine variety. I get into some willow and thicket but its too early in the season for that. We still have snow in many places.

I started off with some dry downed Aspen. Contrary to most belief, dry aspen is actually harder and more difficult to cut then it gets credit for. No I am not talking Oak here but its not the Balsa it often gets the reputation for. I suppose that is probably self-explanatory. Either way it’s a reference point

Parang

Tramotina

Martindale

I think that concludes tonight’s session, more to follow

 

[Ultraman]

Thanks for the post - it's interesting to observe how these machetes perform. Curious to know if one is slightly more efficient than another.
Thanks.

 

[disduster]

cool post, that modded condor parang is pretty slick.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Machete pattern is decided by intended targets, intended means of portability, and personal usage methodology and preferences. This is why when someone doesn't know what sort of criteria they'll have it's typical for folks (myself included) to recommend a typical Latin pattern in the 18" range since it's the most general-purpose pattern with a middle-of-the-road blade length. For people who'll typically be facing woody targets a heavier weighted design like a bolo or a rozador might make the most sense, while someone tackling grasses might want a guarizama, sable, or cuma styled machete. Many patterns operate along more of a sliding scale between the criteria of hard vs. soft targets, and long vs. short.

 

[Rprecision]

Thanks for the post - it's interesting to observe how these machetes perform. Curious to know if one is slightly more efficient than another.
Thanks.

So far its looking like the Tramotina is probably the most efficiant, that said its still a toss up with the Parang. The Martindale is out of the running.

cool post, that modded condor parang is pretty slick.

Thanks, so far its leading the pack

Machete pattern is decided by intended targets, intended means of portability, and personal usage methodology and preferences. This is why when someone doesn't know what sort of criteria they'll have it's typical for folks (myself included) to recommend a typical Latin pattern in the 18" range since it's the most general-purpose pattern with a middle-of-the-road blade length. For people who'll typically be facing woody targets a heavier weighted design like a bolo or a rozador might make the most sense, while someone tackling grasses might want a guarizama, sable, or cuma styled machete. Many patterns operate along more of a sliding scale between the criteria of hard vs. soft targets, and long vs. short.

Great start, these are the discussions I was hoping for. I often find myself going back and forth between a thicker or thinner blade. Something I havent commited too, is which is best for me.

 

[Rprecision]

So having chopped a bit with them the differences became very apparent.

The Parang swings easy and hits hard. It feels like everything I put in gets to the wood. The handle shape also lends to a comfortable swing. I tried this thing out last year in its stock form. It felt overly tip heavy. Trimming it up has really helped the balance. I wish it were a little thinner, I think it would chop better.

The Tramotina Golok was tearing it up. It was wicked fast to swing and due to the thin edge and speed it really cuts. Like all Tramotina’s the handle works well and is comfortable. The balance seems near perfect.

Now, the Martindale. It certainly feels better in the hand sitting in the shop then it does in the field. It has a weird feeling of bouncing off what is being cut. I attribute this to the blade thickness and shape. It felt like a lot of energy was wasted chopping. When cutting at an angle it has a tendency to deflect off at a angle. Not only is it irritating but also dangerous. The handle was comfortable but was on the thin side. I also didn’t like how the rivets protrude from the handle.

So this little outing has reinforced one thing. Thin blades seem to work better in my environment. While I didn’t have a chance to work any green wood, the thinner blade seems to just cut better. While the extra weight of the Parang seems to develop more energy but the thicker blades keeps it from cutting as deep.

The Parang can make impressive cuts as illustrated above with a single swipe.

I tend to favor the Parang so far. Maybe its because its so different from everything else I have. In terms of chopping performance it is probably even with the Tramotina. The Tramotina has the advantage of being thinner and probably edges ahead slightly. The Martindale has left me so far disappointed. I will continue to test it, I just had higher hopes.

A 14” bolo will be entering the scene next

More to continue, please jump in share your pattern, your length (Laugh) whatever else you like ?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I favor pieces that are on the thinner to moderate side (I like them to be thick/hard enough to have a good degree of stiffness, but no thicker) with a nice broad zone defining the sweet spot or the profile of the piece as a whole. Broad regions increase chopping ability by concentrating mass behind the cutting edge, which gives you the advantages of both a thin and thick blade--the blade has increased mass but doesn't suffer from being thicker, so you get doubly effective cutting power.

My favorite pieces are my Condor Viking and Bush Knife, followed by an Imacasa cuma, and a couple of Fiddlebacks, which are easily the nicest machetes I own--they're just of a more general-use pattern rather than being maximally tuned to my particular targets and method. For grasses I have an Imacasa guarizama pattern and a Condor Bush Cutlass.

 

[bananajoe]

Ang Khola style kukri, kind of like a hand axe, would do well on the size of trees in the photos. A little too heavy for brush and grass though.

 

[bladerique]

Machete pattern is decided by intended targets, intended means of portability, and personal usage methodology and preferences. This is why when someone doesn't know what sort of criteria they'll have it's typical for folks (myself included) to recommend a typical Latin pattern in the 18" range since it's the most general-purpose pattern with a middle-of-the-road blade length. For people who'll typically be facing woody targets a heavier weighted design like a bolo or a rozador might make the most sense, while someone tackling grasses might want a guarizama, sable, or cuma styled machete. Many patterns operate along more of a sliding scale between the criteria of hard vs. soft targets, and long vs. short.

That's a great machete cheat sheet

 

[Rprecision]

Continuing on……………….

Two more Machetes’ enter the Malay

14” Tramotina Bolo and a Saw back Ontario 12”

First off with the Ontario, my current favorite in its plain back version. I picked the saw back a while back before I had a clue how to use a machete. It has a flat thinner grind with a more robust convex chopping edge.

Chopping…………..

For not being as sharp as the others in testing it did rather well. I didn’t have any weird harmonics smacking it around. The handles on the Ontario’s are built for speed not fun. While it didn’t leave any blisters it could stand the same finishing treatment my other user has. Remove the gaps, round things out a bit more, just generally clean it up. This is a .125” 1095 blade that is really well rounded for general use.

Saw work or more accurately lack there of………

So the saw feature is useless. I kind of expected that going in and can be fairly said about most saw backs. The saw doesn’t cut the shape binds up the blade, making an already dicey situation even more. This Machete will be dedicated to use somewhere so its really not that big of a deal, but anyone asking, a saw back feature is worthless. To be more accurate while I didn’t try it, battoning with one could even be fun to watch!

On to the Tramotina ………..

This machete seems to exemplify value vs. performance! She can be had @ $6.75 without a sheath. .050” thick with 1070 high carbon steel.

The handle is comfortable, its light in the hand, fast, and the weight just feels like its right.

She chops like a champ and its fair to say it’s the best chopping machete I have used yet.

Its was given a nice convex edge, robust in the chopping zone and little thinner near the handle to allow for finer work. The backside was rounded out the tip, yet sharpened square just ahead of the grip for fire steel and scraping.

All right so far so good I decided to start pushing things how about battoning ? I took the Tramotina to task

Punched her right into a knot. You can see the flexible nature at work. At this point I was convinced I was going to see some lasting effects from this, I.E. edge damage, bending, etc.

Here is the finished product split clean down the center directly through the knot. I was pretty surprised to find no damage. In fact the edge was paper cutting sharp just like before the split.

Nice and straight

Here’s a quick look at the lower section used for smaller cutting

The downside to these is finding a sheath. Tramotina doesn’t offer a direct fit so to buy one you would have to look to other product lines.

I decided to make my own

Here’s a shot of the test group.

I have all but given up on the Martindale. As outlined above it just sucks for my use! The rest of them work well with the Parang, and Tamotina’s leading the pack. I really like the portability of the Ontario which usually stays nestled in a pack.

So, that’s it for the moment I am looking to mod an 18” Ontario w/ custom handle but that a little ways out

Please jump in share some pictures, thoughts, whatever

 

[TheGame]

Thanks for sharing your opinions on the various machetes. I recently got into them myself, and I really seem to go for a machete a lot in the warmer months of the year. They are great with grasses, and can hold up to chopping fairly well, too. My favorite production machete is a Condor Bolo, works like a champ.

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

Good thread... Thanks for sharing you findings, I'm surprised the Martindale has performed so badly.. I too modded an 18" bush to a 14" golok it has sat outside all winter and is dedicated to baton smaller kindling for the fire place as needed.I've torqued it to the extreme, hit it against the concrete floor,etc this has turned into my total beater, I had it out today working on a raised garden and decided to chop some sand stone, chop, chop, chop.. zero chips on the blade, no rolling, nothing.. I'm curious what my other chetes would do... I've tried to break this thing multiple times over the winter to no avail.. I also have the 14" bolo and a marbles I'd like to pair it up to, but I need to let my wrist injury heal up a bit more...

 

[ROCK6]

Good testing…that’s the only way to figure out what works best for you for your uses in your environment.

I’ve found my style choices will change a little along with the season. In the spring and summer, a standard machete works fine as does the thinner goloks or parangs. I’m dealing mostly with blackberry stickers, vines or dense foliage. I the fall and winter, I prefer the shorter, heavier choppers. We do have oak and chopping downed, seasoned oak is pretty rough with a lighter chopper.

I too am surprised your Martindale didn’t do as well. The handle stock handle on mine sucks and probably should be replaced, but my edge has had a convex profile and is one of my best choppers despite the thinner blade.

I don’t think it’s the complete resource on machete styles and uses, but Machete Specialistsdoes pretty well at explaining the designs and their intended uses. The "standard" design which they call the "Bush" machete is probably the most used, but even with some modifications (especially a decent convexed edge) it can be a great performer as a chopper as well as clearing lighter foliage.

The forward-weighted designs are excellent choppers, but get heavy if you’re doing repeated clearing of grasses, vines and lighter vegetation.

ROCK6

 

[maximus0723]

Wow, awesome thread.
First thing I noticed was that Parang handle. Beautiful.

Not surprised to see these knives doing so well. It's the sheer amount of metal contacting large area of wood. Also your convex grind.

Have you tried Scandi grind near the handle and Convex near the apex.
Scandi for finer work and Convex for heavy duty.

May also wanna give a shot to Condor Kuk.

 

[Rprecision]

Thanks for sharing your opinions on the various machetes. I recently got into them myself, and I really seem to go for a machete a lot in the warmer months of the year. They are great with grasses, and can hold up to chopping fairly well, too. My favorite production machete is a Condor Bolo, works like a champ.

Machetes are awesome, in my enviroment in the winter its hard to beat a Stihl Chainsaw !

Good thread... Thanks for sharing you findings, I'm surprised the Martindale has performed so badly.. I too modded an 18" bush to a 14" golok it has sat outside all winter and is dedicated to baton smaller kindling for the fire place as needed.I've torqued it to the extreme, hit it against the concrete floor,etc this has turned into my total beater, I had it out today working on a raised garden and decided to chop some sand stone, chop, chop, chop.. zero chips on the blade, no rolling, nothing.. I'm curious what my other chetes would do... I've tried to break this thing multiple times over the winter to no avail.. I also have the 14" bolo and a marbles I'd like to pair it up to, but I need to let my wrist injury heal up a bit more...

Thanks for joining in, sounds like you have done a bit of testing yourself ! Heal up my friend

Good testing…that’s the only way to figure out what works best for you for your uses in your environment.

I’ve found my style choices will change a little along with the season. In the spring and summer, a standard machete works fine as does the thinner goloks or parangs. I’m dealing mostly with blackberry stickers, vines or dense foliage. I the fall and winter, I prefer the shorter, heavier choppers. We do have oak and chopping downed, seasoned oak is pretty rough with a lighter chopper.

I too am surprised your Martindale didn’t do as well. The handle stock handle on mine sucks and probably should be replaced, but my edge has had a convex profile and is one of my best choppers despite the thinner blade.

I don’t think it’s the complete resource on machete styles and uses, but Machete Specialistsdoes pretty well at explaining the designs and their intended uses. The "standard" design which they call the "Bush" machete is probably the most used, but even with some modifications (especially a decent convexed edge) it can be a great performer as a chopper as well as clearing lighter foliage.

The forward-weighted designs are excellent choppers, but get heavy if you’re doing repeated clearing of grasses, vines and lighter vegetation.

ROCK6

Thanks for sharing, your post is what keeps me really motivated. I would love to hear more about your Parang's and BRKT Golok, both have always kept my attention.

I just wish the BRKT was a little more affordable! I dont mind thrashing on a blade, but at the $200 +, it tends to change things at least for me!

Wow, awesome thread.
First thing I noticed was that Parang handle. Beautiful.

Not surprised to see these knives doing so well. It's the sheer amount of metal contacting large area of wood. Also your convex grind.

Have you tried Scandi grind near the handle and Convex near the apex.
Scandi for finer work and Convex for heavy duty.

May also wanna give a shot to Condor Kuk.

Thanks for jumping in.

I really prefer a convex grind. If you look closely I do a thinner convex by the handle in place of the scandi. I found on my other Ontario 12" that a fine scandi tends to chip out. I have found the more full profile convex is easier to maintain in the field, is more durable and performs just as well as a scandi if not better.

I have never given the Kukuri much thought. Not that I have ruled them out the design kind of turns me off.

Thanks for all the posts

 

[EMT_Lee]

If I'm going out and I know I'll be clearing away a lot of thorns and things, I tend to prefer a 18" machete to give me a little more reach, while still being somewhat compact. If I'm going for a longer hike, or camping, I'll generally bring a shorter machete like the BRKT or a 12" Collins (not pictured).