I have a bunch of machetes. 6+ at least. I realized the other day that there is only one I really like and that is my 28" Tramontina. It is the heavest machete I own. It can't chop, not that I care. It is isn't agile in the hand and is definitely front heavy. But is the only machete I own that is long enough. I am not always trying to cut something just out of reach. I do still have to reach out on occasion but it isn't like my 18" where it always seems like I am trying to make my arm longer. I think I want to try a 22-24".
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After 4 years I finally realized why I don't like any of my machetes.
- Thread starter Squashfan
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Square_peg
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22" to 26" suits me fine. I use the 22" more.
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I generally like 20-24" for serious machete work. I'd take a longer one for grasses, but then in most cases I just use my scythe for that.
I forgot I posted this! Next time I am at the worlds largest knife showplace I will see if I can find a 20-24".
It just is silly that I seem to see so many 18" and under machetes, not talking about choppers, just machetes that would be terrible to take in to the jungle. But maybe the 18" and under would do ok for blazing new trails. For serious work I'll have a longer machete, thank you. Just a thought I had.
It just is silly that I seem to see so many 18" and under machetes, not talking about choppers, just machetes that would be terrible to take in to the jungle. But maybe the 18" and under would do ok for blazing new trails. For serious work I'll have a longer machete, thank you. Just a thought I had.
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I'm hooked on kukris.
Grew up on the farm, cleaned a lot of fences and trimmed a lot of trees by hand. I'll take my kukri over anything I've ever used. It's not long, but it does work with every swing.
Grew up on the farm, cleaned a lot of fences and trimmed a lot of trees by hand. I'll take my kukri over anything I've ever used. It's not long, but it does work with every swing.
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The majority of the machete-buying North American market isn't particularly machete-savvy, and 18" Latin-pattern machetes are sort of the plain vanilla do-all with the widest range of potential application, which is why they're so common. 14" is the most packable size that still performs well for typical machete tasks and is easier to use in very tight circumstances. Personally I find 16" to be the ideal when I need something more compact than an 18" but you don't find many in that range. 20" and above starts taking a bit more familiarity with the tool to wield in a controlled manner, which is why you don't find them as often here, but the performance boost in serious work is quite large and you see them much more often in places of the world that have a deeper culture of machete use.
I like 16-18" machetes for my typical uses, but I am using them to move though the woods more easily, as opposed to actual clearing. I carried a 22" cheap-o machete for years (note: all the wasted years! haha) and it was too long and unweildy for *my* uses. However, if I wanted to clear a significant area with brush and saplings, a longer machete would be better. And I totally agree that once you get to 20" or so, that tip speed becomes much greater and the longer machetes pack a lot more punch, especially of it's well-balanced and the user knows what they are doing (and the steel is good with a good grind/sharpening, obviously).