1 tool option machete

M

MAkives

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May 5, 2015
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Hey guys its me just a regular outdoorsman who has tried all manner of blades: Axes, tomahawks, big knives, small knives, and machetes. Sometimes i find having to many cutting tools on me can be cumbersome and i find myself gravitating towards the blade that i can use to chop, split kindling, and carve decently with which most of the time happens to be my machetes. Right now i have used a multitude of machetes but i currently only own 2 a schrade bolo and a tramontina that i modified but i know theyre not what im looking for.

As the title says im looking for a do it all blade and im having trouble deciding because ive used machetes where the grind just doesnt work at all and renders the machete into nothing more than an oversized slicer. Another problem is the balance is meant mostly for is chopping so some machetes wont be good in the slicing department.

I need something with a at the most 14 inch blade. If it gives you any ideas ive looked at machetes like the svord kiwi, condor eco parang. Condor mini duku and a few more. Budgets anything under 100
 
FortyTwoBlades' designed Baryonyx Machete
the-baryonyx-machete-5.gif

http://www.baryonyxknife.com/bama.html
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-opinion-on-batoning/page2?highlight=billhook
Oops, 2" too long.
 
Slicing and chopping require 2 different sets of features. It's like saying you want a car that can do 250mph, get 100mpg and can mudbog in.
 
If you want a machete I pick the Ontario 12"
If you want a "one tool option " I pick the BK4.
I have both & both are good but the BK4 is a very good "one tool"
 
A while back I picked up a machete that I later discovered to be a 1941 Collin's & Co. Legitimus. Unfortunately I only have one picture of it in it's scabbard atm (I took the picture to show off the scabbard and sling I had made for it).

NxDlqtT.jpg


But it's after the Columbian Style. I can slice, and chop with it equally well. It makes a good fireplace tool, It's pretty easy to keep sharp, with good edge retention, and a mid blade balance. It's spring steel. It's 21" blade length and about 26" overall. Very meaty scales with heavy pins (it has never come loose or rattled, through long and abusive use). I have split small wood, trail blazed, trimmed bushes with etc. Recently a live oak fell on my trailer (with me in it). And during the clean up I thinned out the thick of it so they could get at the big parts with the chainsaws easier. Was one stroke cleaving through up to 3" branches. And I chopped through one branch about 12" diameter inside of 5 minutes with it (should have left that to the saws but just wanted to do it). Best machete I have ever owned. You can pick up old Collin's Machetes on ebay for as little as $60 after shipping sometimes. I've heard from a friend who has owned quite a few older machetes that some Ontario's are comparable. Might be worth looking into.

[edit: I remembered that I made a short response video to someone on youtube that featured this machete, so posting that here for if you want a better look at it]

[video=youtube;yIDopGSRyW0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIDopGSRyW0[/video]
 
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For a "do-it-all" woods knife, it's tricky, you need long enough and heavy/thick enough for chopping + light and short enough + thin enough for adequate slicing with an edge capabple of holding sharp while also being tough enough to not roll or chip too easy...


Top 3 recommendations;
H&K Feint - 440c (stainless)
KaBar/Becker bk9 or bk5 -cro-van (carbon)

All three make as good as I've come across "do-it-all" knives...I've been packing heavy of late when I go to the woods, but if I had to rely on ONE knife only on the woods, it would be one of those 3...

The Feint slices best, ricasso allows you to choke up for more detailed work if needed, light(est) to carry, and santoprene handle provides comfortable grip.

The bk9 is the chopping king of three due to extra weight and design...

The bk5 is the "tweener"
 
Once upon a time a Kentucky hunter realized the Iroquois were making a midnight call. He bugged out wearing his birthday suit, carrying his rifle and his hunting knife.

He did just fine.

By hunting knife I mean a big chopper. The kind Jim Bowie used. The kind Davy Crockett used to kill bears. We have his own description.
 
You need to know how to use it well too.

I do think the "1-tool" is what you make the MOST out of it and not having to cramp all into one. Sounds like multi-tool to me.
Jack of all trades but none of the best.
 
fiddleback forge - a hair over your budget though at $100 plus $10 shipping last time i checked. i really like my svord kiwi machete as well, better than my fiddlebacks and at $50'sh with a decent sheath it's a nice deal.
 
Why not take something like a 14inch tram and put the edges you want on it? thin out near the handle for carving, convex the sweet-spot for chopping. I think the advantage of the longer blade is room to have variable edge geometries to take advantage of each section. There is always some level of compromise, but as long as you work with the limits of the tool you should be able to make a one tool solution work.
 
What about a differentially-ground parang style machete? I think they generally have a steeper grind towards the handle for fine work, and a more obtuse grind further up for chopping. Not sure who all makes them, but I know Bark River does, and its way more $$$ than your price range. Maybe you could grind one of the cheap Condors to your liking? That way you know from the start what your are working with.

Edit- I just checked and one of our forum sponsors, KSF, has one of the Bark River Parangs for pretty reasonable (only 1.5x your budget) pricing. Might be a worthy option to consider.
 
Have you considered a kukri? I'll second the BK4 suggestion, or if you're not a fan of that particular blade, there's always the traditional Himalyan Imports ones. A traditional kukri would also include a smaller blade for precision work.
 
Hunting knives always do. A Skinner, a patch knife, a task knife. They come as a set. At least they ought to.

It's the same setup as Nessmuck's hatchet and Moose.
 
Ontario 12" machete (thin out the edge a bit) or Tram Bolo (do the same, give it a new edge). Had both, gifted my Bolo to a friend, and have not really missed it because the Ontario does just about anything you could ask it to.
 
http://filipinobolos.com/


This is it for me, tough and rugged for chopping and splitting and a tip that is ultra sharp for whittling and such. Takes some getting used to but the tip can be very dexterous for small tasks. The handle is comfortable and the blade long and heavy to facilitate heavy chopping and hacking through shrub brush. I keep the tip hair whittling sharp and the belly more convexed and tough for chopping and the portion closer to the handle wider for battoning. It's odd for a lot of us north americans but for a lot of people in SE Asia this is the only steel tool they own or use. Well priced and hand made,
 
frankly, there never has been, or ever will be, a single tool that covers all tasks. Some come fairly close, but it's just not going to happen.
 
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