Advice on machete pattern for all around Eastern woodlands?

V

Von Aether

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Jun 30, 2011
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I need a machete. I just obtained access to some hunting property that is lowland crisscrossed with creeks and streams. Undergrowth is thick across large amounts of the property, and I need to cut some trails and clear vegetation in areas to hang stands. So this is a perfect opportunity to add another sharp object to the collection.

I'm planning for something relatively compact to make for easy carry, since I won't be bushwhacking for significant amounts of time or area. I have permission to cut strategically to allow hunting, but I plan to leave the landscape untouched as much as possible. Vegetation is a mix of briars, vines, creepers, bushes and saplings. I always have my folding saw, so branches or trees of any noticeable size can be cut with the saw (or my pack axe). The machete is really for the times I come into a thick growth of the vines/briars/brush, which an axe or saw is ill suited.

What pattern makes for a good all-around machete? Bolo? Parang? Latin? Other?
 
Unfortunately I'm out of them right now (working on getting another run done at the moment) but my Baryonyx Machete was designed with the North American temperate zones in mind.

How compact were you looking for? For thorny stuff I usually like at least 16", preferably more. Keeps your hands from looking cat-scratched.
 
A slightly heavier-than original (1/4" or 5/16" to 3/16" distal tapered) JEST bolo pattern works pretty well-the one I made for my own use is a 9" blade, maybe 16" OAL.
This was it's twin:
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Unfortunately I'm out of them right now (working on getting another run done at the moment) but my Baryonyx Machete was designed with the North American temperate zones in mind.

How compact were you looking for? For thorny stuff I usually like at least 16", preferably more. Keeps your hands from looking cat-scratched.
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Something between 12" and 16". Compact enough to fit inside or on a daypack. I'm willing to trade a little reach for portability. If the machete is too long and bulky, then I'll end up leaving it back at the truck. I realize there is a tradeoff here, and if I was looking to say, clear a field of briars, then I'd be looking for one of those real long machetes, but I also wouldn't be walking around with 30+ pounds of treestand on my back.

The Baryonyx machete looks too big in the picture, but then I watched your video and the size was smaller than I expected. And the vegetation being chopped in the test, what I'm looking at is very similar. The Baryonyx looks like a great tool for what I need, so please tell the guys in South America to get grinding :)
 
Long, light and fast is what you need for clearing brush. The South American machetes fit the bill. Get an 18" to 26" model and put a lanyard on it. My favorite length is 22".
 
Square_peg said:
Long, light and fast is what you need for clearing brush. The South American machetes fit the bill. Get an 18" to 26" model and put a lanyard on it. My favorite length is 22".
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This.


If your intended use is "briars, vines, creepers, bushes and saplings" then a fast and light Latin style machete will fit the bill perfectly, it pretty much what they are designed to do. I keep a few Latin Machetes to keep the trails at the cabin clear of vines, briars, and other green growth here in the hardwood forests of southern Ohio, they are superb tools for the job.
 
The main reason I would avoid a Latin pattern if possible (although it would work fine in a pinch) is that a lot of briers are both hard and flexible/springy and will require greater exertion to make the cut than other patterns because of the tendency of the canes to slip off the edge. Something like a short panga with a partial back edge put on it to make a sickle-like hook would really do the trick. Imacasa makes a number of them in the right size range, as well as a deluxe Condor model called the Swamp Master that already has the back edge on it. A cane knife or a corn knife model would both be good choices as well. Their relatively straight edge at the tip isn't as good as a hook, but it prevents slippage a lot better than an upswept point does.
 
I may get some flak for this but for less than 20 bucks I've beat the crap out of my Gerber compact parang. It fits in my red rocks rambler sling pack which is a pretty small pack. I don't even feel it
 
I've got myself an older Martindale 22 (could have been a 26") machete that sees a lot of use, as well as a no-name older Panga that does quite a bit of work.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The main reason I would avoid a Latin pattern if possible (although it would work fine in a pinch) is that a lot of briers are both hard and flexible/springy and will require greater exertion to make the cut than other patterns because of the tendency of the canes to slip off the edge. Something like a short panga with a partial back edge put on it to make a sickle-like hook would really do the trick.
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As someone who cuts a lot of blackberries and other brush I completely disagree with this. Let uncut vines slip off the edge. That last thing you want is to hook the vines. Then they get pulled towards you. The whole trick to clearing briers is to reduce the biomass into short pieces (<18") that will lay on the ground and get trampled in without hooking you. As you work forward into the brier you are continually cutting a sphere in front of you and to both sides with a diameter to match the location of the sweet spot of the machete in your swing. Longer machete keeps the sphere further away from you. Working this way you can go straight through a blackberry bramble wearing shorts and a t-shirt and never get thorned.

No back edge is ever needed. You cut on both the forward stroke and the backhand, twisting your wrist to present the blade to the work. Practice with your off hand so that half the work is done with each hand.

Same for clearing trails. Clear one side of the trail with your favored hand, the other side with your off hand. The stroke should be (righthanded) from your left shin up and out past your right shoulder. This way debris is pushed off the trail naturally by the cutting stroke. With this stroke you can widen a trail nearly as fast with a machete as you can with a powered brush cutter.

I always have a lanyard on a machete used this way. It allows you to loosen your grip, reducing fatigue. The slight movement allowed by the relaxed grip also slightly increases blade speed and cutting efficiency. Plus it protects against a flying machete injuring a nearby friend, co-worker or pet.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Something like a short panga with a partial back edge put on it to make a sickle-like hook would really do the trick.
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Blackberries2.jpg

Blackberries3.jpg



Take your short panga to this and keep 911 on speed dial. You'll need it.
 
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Square_peg--I think you missed the part where he said he wanted a SHORT machete with a blade no longer than 16". The partial back edge on a short panga would compensate for the lowered ability of the tool to generate good tip velocity. The ideal would be to have a long, light machete. But that's not what he's looking for. With the sharpened hook you use that as your primary edge--not for back-cutting. You make the cut in the direction of resistance so that it holds the cane under tension and when it tries to slip off the hook it gets held harder into it, cutting it instead.

I personally advise against lanyards for extended cutting because they predispose people towards continuing to cut even when tired. If you're having trouble holding onto the machete in a comfortable loosely pinched grip then you need to stop cutting right away and take a break because that's when catastrophic accidents happen.
 
Good advice in this thread, but I think the conversation is going a little off of my question. That briar patch picture that Square_peg has posted looks like pure hell, is fortunately for me nowhere near what I have to deal with. I'm looking at more a briar bush here and there, and not a wall of thorns. I appreciate all the advice, but as I mentioned, I need something compact for occasional use.

So here's what I'm looking at:

Baryonyx Machete (unfortunately not available)
Condor 14" Eco Survivor
Condor 15" Bolo
Condor Bushcraft Parang
TOPS .170 (probably out of my price range)
Svord Kiwi
Ontario 12" Cutlass Machete
Condor Pack Golok

Honestly, I think I'm starting to come to the conclusion that probably most any machete will work for the limited amount of cutting I need to do. But it's interesting and helpful to actually think and hear about how different patterns would work.
 
Out of those models that are available I'd go with the Svord Kiwi hands down. Compact, but it's very zippy and easy to get up to the necessary speed. After that I'd go with the 14" Eco Survivor. The other models are too slow to accelerate to be really effective at the task (though you could still make them work if you had to.) If looking at the Bushcraft Parang you might find the Eco Parang to be another option to consider as well. It's lighter and faster, though fairly short, but the shape of the blade makes for very low amounts of deflection even right at the tip.
 
I think the Condor Swamp Master would be a very good choice as 42 suggested. The "hooking" aspect is only used as needed. I have the 14" model (discontinued Puerto Rican) and use it quite a bit over others. I like the hooking aspect. The Puerto Rican tends to stay in my work van, so it tends to be used over others since it is available. I had to sand down the wood handle on the Puerto Rican a bunch to make it comfortable, but that effort worked like a charm with an electric sander.

Other Condor Possibles: The El Salvador (latin style) which I REALLY like if you want light and fast and a great all around machete. But it is 18". The Duku Parang machete would serve your needs in either length. I have the Village Parang and like it a lot. Have not handled the longer Duku Parang yet but it is similar to the regular Golok which I have. I'll probably pick the longer version up in the next few months. The Pack Golok is another that I like if you want shorter and a stiff machete yet. I used to use the regular Golok a lot and it was my go to machete for a while until I got the El Salvador.

The big thing you want is a comfortable handle. This is very important. The wood handle on the Golok and Parang type machetes is very comfortable to use. The El Salvador has an exceptional handle (wood one) and I suspect the poly handle would be very comfortable too. I have the Kumunga in poly handle and it is very comfortable.
 
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Is the Woodman's Pal not well thought of by y'all? That bunch of stickers looks like the best thing (non powered) would be a sickle.
 
The Woodman's Pal is short, ungainly, and an overall poor geometry with soft heat treatment. A lot of people rave about them...but I think their enthusiasm is based mostly in not having tried properly tuned-up alternatives.
 
Maybe I can provide some input here. I really enjoy machetes and have made all of the styles you've listed so here's my thoughts on them.

I made this model for north american forests and I've been very happy with it. Its a pretty standard machete shape with some latin influence but obviously not a true latin machete. It has a ~18in blade but I really think the extra length is well worth any difficulty in carry. A few extra inches reach not only helps you reach out and touch stuff but it adds alot of power to the blade and only a couple extra ounces in weight. I think this model is 21 ounces so its really not alot to carry when you consider the utility you are getting.

20140602_170343_zps8cb1760a.jpg


I've also experimented with a big ass bolo model. Its pretty heavy compared to the more standard shape and is definitely more oriented to chopping than bushwhacking. Not sure on weight but its probably like 25 ounces or so.

I also have one experimental machete blank thats a 13.5in blade and the same shape as the blade shown below but machete thickness. Haven't finished it yet so I don't know how it will preform but I really like the bolo=ish shape and think its makes a great machete.

763fce7e-91fe-4aef-90f2-b44dd8a4dd79_zpsahvelqa0.jpg


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As for parangs, I haven't made a machete version yet, but I've made a chopper version thats a little uner 3/16th or so thick and in my testing its been a total beast but its obviously more of a chopper/machete hybrid or heavy machete than an actual machete. I'm a big, big fan of the parang blade shape but for north america, I think a more bolo esque shape with some more height is better in a compact blade.

IMG_20150806_164450_zpskfnn3n09.jpg
 
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