12“ machete and RTAKII which one is better?

[upnorth]

The rtak is a god like big knife and does everything a big knife should near perfectly. Beats the shit out of a Junglas as well. Esee knives have uncomfortable painful flat sided handles while the rtak is nice a comfy.

Cool. I have a bunch of ESEE's and the only one that bothered me was the shorter grip on the 4, which I replaced through TKC I believe, a ways back. I wear an XL glove so a larger grip is usually better for me. I am liking what I hear about the RTAK2.

 

[Yonose]

I agree with CelticCross74, spectre and Sharpknives86, it’s a compromise blade for chopping, and trail clearing, but if something jumps out at you and you can aim the rtak2 for it’s heart, it’s gonna die!

 

[bikerector]

Different tools for different purposes, IMO. I have an HK feint which is similar to an RTak 2 and I like it for faster hikes where there may be some trail clearing but it's limited. It's quite light, clears vines and small limbs easily but I can still clear up some downed trees/branches if they've fallen over my bushwhacked trail I frequent.

I carry a machete for heavy cutting days but it's either 14" golok or a 20" panga. I don't think a thin, short machete would be my cup of tea as it's still limited in length meaning I have to bend a lot to do what I want to do. I'm also curious if there is too little weight towards the tip to carry through tougher objects, unless everything you're cutting is pretty soft.

I find it interesting how many people complain about machete sharpness out of the package. Sharpen it, problem solved. It's apparently a practice in Latin America where many are made to send off machete's dull because the purchaser wants to put their own edge on it, or the manufacturer is saving money and doesn't want to do that part. Still, easy fix and factory sharpness should never be used as a measure of a bladed implements performance out in the world unless you do not sharpen your own tools.

 

[Yonose]

I still don’t own the classic Ontario 18” but I’ve got a few Tramontina and Imacasa. The former come dull at the tip while the latter are dull a few inches up. I always thought that the fully unsharpened areas were for practical reasons. You shouldn’t stab with such a thin piece of flexible steel, and you might need to hold your finger on the unsharpened blade to choke up for precision. And if you can’t sharpen it you really don’t need one.

 

[Brad "the butcher"]

I hate the thick blocky handle on my rtak 2....great blade but handle sucks.....I am willing to take a grinder to it and welfare a junglass handle

How did that guy say the junglass was square and blocky?....reverse what he said and it makes sense to me.....
and a choil on a 10 in blade is just stupid

 

[Yonose]

I’ve always wanted to try the junglas, but the rtak2 is imo better value. The handle slabs are “blocky” but for about half the price, I couldn’t justify, unless the blade were of unknown quality (it’s not! what Ontario does with 5160 is remarkable for a production blade). I have handled the 12” okc machete, it doesn’t seem to be as well liked as the 18” version.