What I'm working on

[Huntsman Knife Co.]

I think the standards for comparison in thin, light machetes are:

* Mora 333 machete (insulation knife) in 12C27 Sandvik stainless, 13 inch length, 7 oz weight, 0.60 inch thick.
* Friedrich Dick 60390300 machete (insulation knife) in X55CrMo14 High Carbon Stainless, 12 inch length, 6.8 oz weight, 0.94 inch thick.
* Svord Kiwi Machete in 15N20 high carbon, 12 inch length, 9.8 oz weight, 0.125 inch thick.

If the weight can be brought down with clever blade shaping like in the Svord Kiwi Machete or the Friedrick Dick machete, then a stronger and thicker blade can be used. The Mora is probably too thin, and there's no clever shaping. I should also point out that all of these blades only cost between $17 and $60 new. Maybe there is some way to push the price down to maybe $70 to $100. Perhaps a blade with a user-wrapped paracord handle could reduce the amount of work you have to put in make them, so you basically just focus on making the blade with a good heat treat protocol, and the user can design their own custom handle for it.

Another thing I fantasize about is a replaceable blade system. What if the majority of the blade were just lightweight aluminum, magnesium or even plastic scaffolding, and the exotic steel is a separate part that slides in? You could make a dovetail rail system pretty easily on a manual milling machine if the blade is perfectly straight. Curves will take some thinking, but maybe the whole front part of the blade where the belly curve is could be removable too.

There might be a way to do that with the entire blade edge, including the curve, with thin stock, if you get clever with lamination and sheet metal working. This might be possible to do very cheaply, if we count the cost of the replacement edges separately. Or maybe this is a bit too demanding, and we should stick with the formula that we know works, with normal 1-piece blades., in the normal thickness you're already using. Maybe that's best, because if I want a cheap, abusable machete, I already have 3 of them In that case, carry on!

I have an aluminium machete blank that was made to test the fit of the prototype CNC handle and it's scary light and fast. However milling in a dovetail way and attaching a steel edge would not be practical as the aluminum would break at the joint with hard chopping. It would also cost a lot to do and there would be issues with the edge coming loose.


What I can do is offer some thinner blades from 15n20 or AEBL with a differential temper for toughness and make them as cost effective as possible. If I make them with a 180 grit rough bevel finish and no handle I could probably offer them in the $100 range. I have a design for a " true grass machete" I think could be good.

 

[Huntsman Knife Co.]

Hunter, that new handle looks like palm swell is smaller. Is that the case?
And thanks for helping on my new bolo. I appreciate it. I took the bolo out tonight. Fifth time since buying it. Wonderful tool

The new handle is actually slightly wider at the front which creates the appearance of a thinner swell. The swell is the same size. It's also slightly shorter overall. 6in v. 6.22 on the old one. Glad to hear your bolo is serving you well!

 

[kookery]

I have an aluminium machete blank that was made to test the fit of the prototype CNC handle and it's scary light and fast. However milling in a dovetail way and attaching a steel edge would not be practical as the aluminum would break at the joint with hard chopping. It would also cost a lot to do and there would be issues with the edge coming loose.


What I can do is offer some thinner blades from 15n20 or AEBL with a differential temper for toughness and make them as cost effective as possible. If I make them with a 180 grit rough bevel finish and no handle I could probably offer them in the $100 range. I have a design for a " true grass machete" I think could be good.

Will it be larger and lighter than the Svord Kiwi Machete? If yes, that might fill a niche that no other blade currently does. I'm not sure what the durability properties of the blade will be to make it worth the extra money, but if it can handle bricks like the blades in your other photos, that would definitely be worth the $100 over the $60 Svord Kiwi Machete. From my arm-chair enthusiast perspective, at least. I'm not sure I will be buying one, but I bet if the handle has some convenient holes for fancy-wrapping it with paracord, I can pretend I'm some kind of hill-billy version of Luke Skywalker for a minute or two before the insurance company tells me I have to put it away (ambulance standby time is expensive).

 

[Huntsman Knife Co.]

Finally got back in the shop! I've finished the last few machete blanks I had in stock and am now turning my attention to getting the breaching hawk run finished.

Heres some pics after the tapering the tang down to .190 thickness. These are still clocking in at slightly over 2.5lbs without a handle so I'm going to need to bring the weight down a bit more. The goal is 2.25lbs with a handle. I decided to cut off the finger grooves to increase comfort and cut off a little bit of weight. I think it was the right call. Also ground in a small fuller

 

[Huntsman Knife Co.]

Here is the new design for the True Grass Machete, pictured with the Classic style Fell Beast for reference. This is a pure trail blazing machete.

It will be made from .070 AEBL with a spring tempered spine and 57-58 edge. They will only be available as a ground blank for now. The design is simple, straight forward and classic. I can make any blade length and will offer multiple sizes. Pictured are a 17in blade and a 12.5in blade.

Between the stainless steel, light weight, and snappiness, I think this will be a great blade for guys who really spend alot of time off the beaten path.

 

[kookery]

Exciting update! I don't know anything about AEB-L. How does it compare to the 52100 in the Fell Beast?

One other thing, I have noticed that straight edges don't cut as well as a curved edge, in slashes and chops. That's why the Baryonyx Machete is all curved. Straight edges have a lot of excellent uses, but the thought has crossed my mind to get another Baryonyx Machete and grind off the billhook side and grind the rest down to only a lightweight all-curved edge. Is it possible you might make a companion machete with a fully curved edge?

What little I have read so far about AEB-L, it's stainless, so I might be able to use both a straight edge and a curved edge for things like kitchen duties, when I'm not slashing grass and chopping zombies. My favorite kitchen knife is a Mora 333 ultra-light "sharpened feather" machete. If I get a True Grass Machete, I'm definitely going to try using it in the kitchen next to my Mora 333 to see how they compare. Both blades have a straight edge that's thin enough for some nice slicing.

 

[Camber]

Hunter, what's the price point on a 17" AEBL machete?

Unfortunately, economic situation has changed, but I am interested.

 

[Huntsman Knife Co.]

Hunter, what's the price point on a 17" AEBL machete?

Unfortunately, economic situation has changed, but I am interested.

The true grass machetes will be $129 shipped.

 

[Huntsman Knife Co.]

Just got the new Fell Beast blanks in a couple days ago. Getting the pin holes reamed out and then sending them off to HT tomorrow. The new NITRO V steel looks very cleanly rolled. Almost no surface imperfections at all.

Pictured are the new blanks. On top is what I'm calling the Tyrant Bolo. Its the same pattern as the Fell Beast Bolo but cut from 3/16th stock. Its a special request for a customer but I had a couple extra blanks cut. On the bottom are the 12in and 10in Fell Beasts in 52100. I've always preferred longer blades for their reach but the 10 and 12 blanks are so light and snappy that I can see where the shorter machete crowd is coming from. Also included are the new CNC scales! Couldn't be happier with how these turned out. I only have natural and black micarta for now but I'm working on getting more colors and materials soon.

 

[kookery]

Nice looking blanks. I like the curves on the edges of the curvy ones. I would like to see the curve on the spine of bolo removed to bring it down to the weight of the straight. A full curved edge appeals to me because it cuts better, and to have it at a lower weight is nice.

For their lengths, the smaller blades are very curvy because they have the same curves and the bigger straight edge blade, but at a shorter length, so you have a larger area to bite deep into the target. I bet it has a larger sweet spot too, depending on the balance. I would like to see the pokey "horn" on the top rear of the handle turned down to reduce friction and bruising on the palms of the wielder. That comfort is part of the reason Condor's golok is the most popular premium quality machete...and it has HUGE....tracts of land (curves)!

 

[Camber]

I really like the idea of the Tyrant Bolo. I'll be curious to know how much more it weights than the 1/8" one, supposing the grind is higher.
Not something many think about (myself included until someone smarter pointed it out to me), but a 1/4" thick machete with full height grind ought to be similar in weight to the same machete in 1/8" thick with the standard machete grind.

What blades are you doing in the Nitro-V Hunter? Of all the Sandvik class steels, it looks like one of the top two choices for use in a chopper.

 

[Huntsman Knife Co.]

I really like the idea of the Tyrant Bolo. I'll be curious to know how much more it weights than the 1/8" one, supposing the grind is higher.
Not something many think about (myself included until someone smarter pointed it out to me), but a 1/4" thick machete with full height grind ought to be similar in weight to the same machete in 1/8" thick with the standard machete grind.

What blades are you doing in the Nitro-V Hunter? Of all the Sandvik class steels, it looks like one of the top two choices for use in a chopper.

A full height grind blade in 1/4th should be pretty close to a 1/8th machete when its all said and done. A full height flat grind ends up removing close to half the total steel. However, if the grind does not go all the way to the spine then the thicker stock blade will end up weighing much more. This principle is one of the reasons I'm such a big advocate of the hard use machetes. Why pay 2X as much for a 1/4th thick blade when a 1/8th blade can do all of the same things? The only reasons for using thicker stock in a blade is (1) to prevent breakage/ for toughness and (2) for weight and (3) to aid in splitting/batonning efficiency. At the end of the day, I think a Fell Beast can do pretty much everything a much thicker blade with a full flat grind can while being much easier on the wallet.

I'm very excited for NITRO V. I will know more after testing but from all accounts its very similar to AEB-L but with enhanced qualities. AEB-L makes a great machete so any improvements in toughness, edge holding, or stain resistance will be icing on top. While its over twice the cost of 52100, its still relatively inexpensive which is a huge plus. 3V is 6X the cost of 52100

 

[Camber]

That's an excellent point Hunter, and I should have made it (I was just caught up in thinking about seeing the principle in action...like with the American Parang, which is really light for it's size). Doing .25 stock with a full height is going to raise the price substantially, especially in a 17" blade...really, 2x the cost is being generous I think. I think it'd be a rare case where it would come in under 3x the cost, and as you said for not a lot of increase in anything.

In that sense, it's worth saying that for a true chopper the Fell Beast is one of the best deals going out there, when you consider the steel, heat treatment, warranty (and testing behind it), handle and sheath, you are getting a ton for your money.

The Nitro V really does have a lot of promise, very similar to 14c28, which is made to be a tougher AEBL with better stain resistance, so, well, nothing to not like there! Can't wait to see the blades you do in it!

 

[Huntsman Knife Co.]

That's an excellent point Hunter, and I should have made it (I was just caught up in thinking about seeing the principle in action...like with the American Parang, which is really light for it's size). Doing .25 stock with a full height is going to raise the price substantially, especially in a 17" blade...really, 2x the cost is being generous I think. I think it'd be a rare case where it would come in under 3x the cost, and as you said for not a lot of increase in anything.

In that sense, it's worth saying that for a true chopper the Fell Beast is one of the best deals going out there, when you consider the steel, heat treatment, warranty (and testing behind it), handle and sheath, you are getting a ton for your money.

The Nitro V really does have a lot of promise, very similar to 14c28, which is made to be a tougher AEBL with better stain resistance, so, well, nothing to not like there! Can't wait to see the blades you do in it!

Hopefully more fell beasts getting into circulation will help change the tune on what most people think a machete/ thin blade is capable of

Here's one more design that I forgot to post. This one was an accident. Its actually a blank that will be used for kydex forming but the shape turned out great. I'm calling it the Fell Beast Chef. I'm going to experiment with a single sided flat grind that will hold up to hard chopping but also be great for chopping up meat and veggies at the camp site.

 

[Camber]

That does look like a good chef knife profile.

 

[kookery]

I use my machetes in the kitchen, so that chef knife has its appeal. I will still probably just get a regular machete when I do eventually buy one the Huntsman Knife Company blades. AEB-L, NITRO V, and CPM 3V would all be well-suited to the kitchen due to their stainless qualities. Slicing a gigantic watermelon or a pumpkin is so much easier with the blade length of a machete. And for coconuts and similar big hard foody things, machetes are used exclusively.

 

[kookery]

What blades are you doing in the Nitro-V Hunter? Of all the Sandvik class steels, it looks like one of the top two choices for use in a chopper.

I'm very excited for NITRO V. I will know more after testing but from all accounts its very similar to AEB-L but with enhanced qualities. AEB-L makes a great machete so any improvements in toughness, edge holding, or stain resistance will be icing on top. While its over twice the cost of 52100, its still relatively inexpensive which is a huge plus. 3V is 6X the cost of 52100

The Nitro V really does have a lot of promise, very similar to 14c28, which is made to be a tougher AEBL with better stain resistance, so, well, nothing to not like there! Can't wait to see the blades you do in it!

Hopefully more fell beasts getting into circulation will help change the tune on what most people think a machete/ thin blade is capable of

I didn't see you directly answer the question Camber had about which blades are going to be made in NITRO-V. Are you going to make all of them in NITRO-V, in addition to the ones you are already making in 52100 and CPM 3V, including the Fell Beast? My biggest pet peeve about machetes is how few of them are available in good quality stainless, or in "super steels", especially with normal thin widths. I saw your posts about the lack of demand for fine machetes here:

AEB-L and toughness in larger blades. | BladeForums.com

I think it's a chicken-and-egg problem. There are few high-end machetes available, and people don't buy high-end machetes because there are few available. I have never wanted to spend a lot of money on any single blade, but you seem to be cost-conscious, and it has been mentioned many times that your blades are very economical compared the rest of the blade market. If I ever buy a fancy machete, it will probably be one of yours.

 

[Camber]

Kookery,

I think there are a few issues with quality stainless machetes:
1. Historically they just haven't been necessary. While I don't understand it since I've never been there, obviously non stainless versions are regularly used (perhaps more than knives in any other forest) in the Amazon w/o issues. I assume with patina and edges that we would consider less than optimal they get by just fine.
2. Most of the super steel stainlesses are not tough enough or ground easily enough to make ideal machetes. I don't believe the data supports that steels like Elmax and M390, etc are tough enough for machetes (although I'm sure there are those would disagree), but even then, they are so abrasive resitance I don't think it makes sense to use them on a super long blade, often with a wide single bevel...that's a lot of maintenance (especially if it chips as I believe those steels would be prone to do if used in machete...w/o a belt grinder I think you'd be at it a long time).
3. AEBL class steels, which are tougher for stainless (much lower carbon and few carbide formers) and easily ground have really just become popular as high end steels in the last 5 or so years as people started giving them good heat treatments and really seeing what they can do in custom applications
4. the low class 420 steels commonly used may be ideal considering how stain resistant they are and how easy to grind they are...they are also very tough...personally I prefer the higher hardness you can get with AEBL class steels, and also the assurance of heat treat by getting it through someone like Hunter, along with the many other details

 

[Huntsman Knife Co.]

I didn't see you directly answer the question Camber had about which blades are going to be made in NITRO-V. Are you going to make all of them in NITRO-V, in addition to the ones you are already making in 52100 and CPM 3V, including the Fell Beast? My biggest pet peeve about machetes is how few of them are available in good quality stainless, or in "super steels", especially with normal thin widths. I saw your posts about the lack of demand for fine machetes here:

AEB-L and toughness in larger blades. | BladeForums.com

I think it's a chicken-and-egg problem. There are few high-end machetes available, and people don't buy high-end machetes because there are few available. I have never wanted to spend a lot of money on any single blade, but you seem to be cost-conscious, and it has been mentioned many times that your blades are very economical compared the rest of the blade market. If I ever buy a fancy machete, it will probably be one of yours.

The latest run will be NITRO V for the 17.5 in models and 52100 for the 12 and 10in models. I'll be offering both steels for the time being. However I'm considering moving the bulk of my big blades to NITRO V but I won't make that decision until there is an abundance of testing and feedback from customers. 52100 has long been my go to steel for big blades and its a wonderful steel. But if NITRO V proves in the long run to have the same edge stability and toughness as 52100 while being completely stainless, I think making the move from 52100 to NITRO V is the right choice. Stain resistance is something that I really value and I think is overlooked by alot of people.

I don't have any 3V machetes available yet but I will be doing a limited run of them this summer. They will be very expensive ($350+) but will be the pinnacle of performance for a machete. IF they are popular I can make more.

I'm also working on getting S7 in machete thickness. I personally don't believe that S7 has any realistic advantages over 52100 in a machete but its the toughest steel out there and alot of users really like it so I'm going to try to offer it.

As for your last point, historically there have been very few high end machetes and even fewer in quality stainless steels. The Fell beast is really not a true machete but a chopper/machete hybrid or heavy machete and I think thats one of the reasons that users have liked them so well. Its a really versatile blade with alot of chopping power that can do the work of a big chopper while costing less. You can get a fell beast for under $300 shipped with a sheath and a lifetime warranty. You won't find many high end choppers that can compete with that.

The True Grass machete will be available here in a few weeks so Ill consider that to be a test if people are really interested in a high performance true machete made from top quality materials. I'm hoping that they will be well received and I'm doing everything I can to keep the price down so they will be accessible.

 

[dogrunner]

Hunter,
Do you have a list of takers for the TG machetes (can I call them that ?)? Put me down for a 17" if you'll have one available - I'll give it a try (and compare to the FB I picked up last year).