A what machete? I swear it's for work

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blackdeathquinn

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Feb 8, 2012
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Hi everyone on BF, this is my first real post other than an "I'll take it," so I'm excited to have a question I'm sure will excite everyone.

I recently started a job in which I actually needed and could carry a decent sized knife that can deal with some abuse. Doing research to find such a knife was when I can across what my girlfriend calls my new porn addiction, beautiful pictures of knives and BF. I settled on a great blade to use as a EDC, the Spiderco Tenacious. So, for the past three weeks I've done some heavy work with this knife and I have put out a shout-out to how awesome this economic knife is. But today I was told I would need something much bigger come harvest season.

Then a coworker for a station south of us whipped out this epic machete called a cane machete. Now this isn't it but has the same blade type.
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I'm new to this whole farming thing but man o man, I like their knives.

So does anyone know of someone awesome who makes these or can make these. Think I might need a personal one :) and if not I might be able to scavenge enough raw material from work for one, but it would be my first construction.

Anyways, it was a moment that I could only explain as an unexpected waking wet dream being that I have an excuse to purchase this bad mama jama.
 
Tramontina and Imacasa both make good ones. They're relatively inexpensive as well. Search Google for "Imacasa 15 Inch Hooked Cane Machete" to see Imacasa's. The one you posted a pic of is a 13 inch Tramontina, I think.

Cold Steel makes what they call a "heavy machete" which is basically a cane machete with no hook, an which is sharpened all the way back to the handle, unlike a traditional cane machete. I'd recommend the Imacasa or the Tramontina for actual harvest work.
 
Its a cane machete. imacasa and tram make 'em. good.companies who make afforable working tools. just have to put your edge on them.

thinking about it baryonyx or 42 blades as he goes by here has a custom he makes that is different but similiar with the wide blade and hook part that some of these cane machetes have in their design. Thinks he calls it the "baryonyx", might be worth a look.
 
Oh, and you'll want to get a "canoe file" as well. This is a canoe shaped sharpening stone which is ideally suited for sharpening machetes. Lansky makes a good one they call a "Lawn and Garden Tool Sharpener."

Imacasa also makes a canoe file, which is often sold by sites that deal in these types of machetes.
 
gomipile said:
Tramontina and Imacasa both make good ones. They're relatively inexpensive as well. Search Google for "Imacasa 15 Inch Hooked Cane Machete" to see Imacasa's. The one you posted a pic of is a 13 inch Tramontina, I think.

Cold Steel makes what they call a "heavy machete" which is basically a cane machete with no hook, an which is sharpened all the way back to the handle, unlike a traditional cane machete. I'd recommend the Imacasa or the Tramontina for actual harvest work.
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Yup! The Tramontina or Imacasa models would both do well although I immensely prefer the Imacasa. The blade is much stiffer--I can't stand the whippiness of the Tramontina although it works quite well and is exceptionally light.

jbmonkey said:
Its a cane machete. imacasa and tram make 'em. good.companies who make afforable working tools. just have to put your edge on them.

thinking about it baryonyx or 42 blades as he goes by here has a custom he makes that is different but similiar with the wide blade and hook part that some of these cane machetes have in their design. Thinks he calls it the "baryonyx", might be worth a look.
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Indeed--the design is called the Baryonyx (from the Greek "baryo nyxa" meaning "heavy claw") and I had some extras of the prototype model up for grabs for a while. It's still listed on the site, though they're all gone at the moment. You'll have to wait until next year for a production one--it'll replace the Beaver Tail in Condor's line in 2013.

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meako said:
Ralph Martindale.
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Martindale makes a mighty fine machete, and are the absolute best in the business when it comes to distal taper.
 
So, I'm settling around the idea of the 12" handled classic cane/corn From Imacasa. Machete although comparing it to the sizes to newer styles it's quiet small. But, the cane I'm cutting isn't large in diameter. From what I understand it's not the same as the surgar cane I've seen in the past but its still about a 3/4" . Another crop is is a test plot if corn but I'm sure I could use any machete I end up buying for cutting corn as well. This one also says classy...oh mean classic. But work is practical. Who goes into the fields with something they don't want beat up.
 
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That piece is actually pretty large. Here's a photo of one I converted to something resembling a massive bowie blade on an axe handle. :p

CIMG1694.jpg
 
I think the Imacasa 15" with the standard handle would probably be the best fit for your job.
 
So I've worked for two days cutting and transplanting energy cane. The two machetes I used are similar to the ones pictured below.
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One was the classic 12" handle and 10" blade.

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The other was the 13" Tramontina

I admit that my experience with a cane machete before now was none, but yesterday I quickly became familiar with my borrowed spray painted safety orange handle friend the 13" Tramontina. What I have to say about my experience is that cutting cane was fun, digging in the leaf matter to a knurl of 6 to 8 stalks stretching about 10ft to 14ft into the air was awesome. The edge holds for about 75 to 100 stalks before loosing a clean cut depending on how much leaf matter is around which destroys the edge. So a hand hone stone is a must. I must say that I agree that the blade thickness is thin and has a ting when/after cutting. I also don't admit to having the ability to properly hone a machete but I did work with some experienced workers.

Of course after the fun we had to pick it all up after bundling it in 60lbs bails, walk across 15-20 rows of tall cane in a South Texas spring. 100%humidity and 94 degrees. Go from 30-40 mph gusts outside of the plot to dead still swamp air in the thicket. My boss and I cut 3,500 lbs of stalks or @1600 cane which isn't much compared to what is being produced for actual production and not research. The experienced workers knew a lot about the cane and the specific strains we were taking. Which were selected to compare the difference in leaf shedding and yields. Lets just say I don't get paid because of my degree but my coworkers were. Be it that when the work started to buckle down they were on their phones but hey they are getting paid because of their degree.

We planted the cane today which was super easy compared to yesterday. Planted much like you do for bamboo its most recognized cousin. Thus I have the energy today to type this up.

The imacasa didn't get much use due to a loose handle and deemed to dangerous to use personally so I kept my distance. I do think that it was due to ample use and work but I don't know.
 
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