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The Condor 18" wood handled El Salvador latin machete is the best one I have found. It's a little expensive but comes with a wonderful (and useful) leather sheath. It isn't as expensive as some however. It is a great all around machete. It would be my choice if I could only own and use one machete.

The wood handle fits me perfectly with my medium hands. No adjustments. However, do wear gloves when out swinging that machete (any machete).

A friend was in the same boat as you.... I showed them mine and they bought one immediately online.
 
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A simple Tramontina 18" would be fine, really. I take a size 8 (small) glove and don't really have an issue with anything by Tramontina or Condor.
 
22-rimfire said:
The Condor 18" wood handled El Salvador latin machete is the best one I have found. It's a little expensive but comes with a wonderful (and useful) leather sheath. It isn't as expensive as some however. It is a great all around machete. It would be my choice if I could only own and use one machete.

The wood handle fits me perfectly with my medium hands. No adjustments. However, do wear gloves when out swinging that machete (any machete).

A friend was in the same boat as you.... I showed them mine and they bought one immediately online.
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Good call, but you specifically mention the wood handled machete. They're pretty heavy. I would recommend the young lady go with one of the orange handled "Eco" version of their machetes; the handles are a plastic of some sort but just as durable, and much lighter and more maneuverable.

Just my $.02.
 
It is hard for me to see any handle as being more maneuverable than the thin wood handled Condor handles on the El Salvador. But I certainly don't own every possible choice. Just giving my best insight on the issue based on my experience to date. The issue is primarily comfortable use for me.

The "soft" spongy neopreme versions are very comfortable, but fatter. Don't know if Condor still does the neopreme handles. I have one of these (El Salvador model) I bought a couple years ago as well as on the handle of my Condor Kumunga (now discontinued) which is a short machete/big knife.
 
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bobobama said:
Good call, but you specifically mention the wood handled machete. They're pretty heavy. I would recommend the young lady go with one of the orange handled "Eco" version of their machetes; the handles are a plastic of some sort but just as durable, and much lighter and more maneuverable.

Just my $.02.
Click to expand...

Except the wood-handled El Salvador is the same thickness as the Eco.
 
Deal with Baryonyx (42 Blades) on the machete. He carries many different brands and has significant experience because he sees them all or most of them and I only see a few.

The issue as I see it is that you get a machete or several machetes you actually use. I have used the cheap ones and not saying the Trams are cheap.... I'm talking Walmart bendable ones with plastic handles that I absolutely HATED to use with a passion and only used them if I had to. You don't want that.

The machetes I commonly use are; 18" Condor wood handled El Salvador, 14" Condor Puerto Rican (discontinued), the 16" Condor Swamp master, and the short stiff Condor Pack Golok. I have others, but they are seldom selected for use. The Swamp master is a great machete for brush clearing, but the handle is probably too fat for small hands. I would lean toward selecting two machetes for different kinds of cutting that you are likely to have to do. Used to use the standard Golok a lot until I tried out the Puerto Rican and pretty much never use the Golok any more.
 
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The Tramontinas here have rather small handles. The wood can be shaped a bit to fit. 18" would give some reach which is useful for brambles. The 14.5" bolo is compact but has a bit of weight forward for chopping. FortyTwoBlades could tell you which ones, if any, have the blade thickness tapered toward the tip. My bolo and 14 in. bush machete have no noticeable taper. My 18 in. is not handy at the moment.

http://www.baryonyxknife.com/tramontina.html

I have quite a few different styles and sizes of Incolma Gavilan (Colombia) and Imacasa (El Salvador) machetes. They appear to have good steel and temper. Any of the Central/South American machetes are worth considering. Marble's has a number of models that are actually produced by Imacasa.

Machete ... small hands ...
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Baryonyx is also beginning to make sheaths for machetes that do not come with one. He uses a thin kydex type material. I am looking forward at some point of trying out one of his sheaths. He has a thread on this topic a while back when he first discovered the material and starting working with it.
 
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