American made Buck machete and otf oddball topic

jbmonkey

jbmonkey

sure sure
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first the machete....

one of the tools I use the most is various machetes. have many brands from all over the world. South African to Asian to Central America and American. even have a custom made titanium made one from the Pacific Northwest made by bladeforum participant maker Mecha. what I dont have is a Buck American made. yeah ontario makes some and I have those, but im a Buck fan.

realize price point is a big key here. also realize competition is fierce worldwide for these very useful tools. also realize many places in the USA don't have a real need for a machete, but im in the jungle and use it more than any big knife.

Buck already plays with 5160 and 420hc and both should be fine for a good mid sized or even smaller machete. have their talon and froe already and these are good tools, but not quite the same as a true machete. anyways id like one....

now otf....

this has been chatted about in the past without much interest. course now sog has a larger American made one with zero blade play in the 350 price range. cheaper than microtech. soon gerber will have one out in the lower price point and American made im reading.

realize many collectors here have zero interest in these, but market is buying these out fast as they pop up. regardless of price points.

its great Buck is hanging on to the classics and expanding i hear the traditional, but they should consider these other markets and their competition expanding.
 
How would it be different from the Froe or Talon? Never used a machete, why is it different?
I suspect it would probably be kinda like Buck's set of throwing knives, high quality but beyond the price point for that type of item
 
Real Latin American machetes run $10-20; and modern examples from Schrade, Kershaw, Cold Steel are perhaps $15 more, why would buck want to be in that market? I would rather have them make a series of classic American Bolos and sidearms.

n2s
 
DeSotoSky said:
How would it be different from the Froe or Talon? Never used a machete, why is it different?
I suspect it would probably be kinda like Buck's set of throwing knives, high quality but beyond the price point for that type of item
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thickness and spring ability, heat treat for impacts and weight
 
not2sharp said:
Real Latin American machetes run $10-20; and modern examples from Schrade, Kershaw, Cold Steel are perhaps $15 more, why would buck want to be in that market? I would rather have them make a series of classic American Bolos and sidearms.

n2s
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none of those brands come with a finished edge only a primary.

who cares about real Latin made machete. vs. a not real one? have dozens of them in every brand. nothing great except they are cheap. all cheap ones are crudely finished or unfinished.

Buck could make an out of the box finished one. condor makes real latin American machetes too..... high quality ones finished, and they aint cheap and they sell. tops as well. plenty of room for a mid priced high quality finished one.
 
The Froe and Talon are Bucks I think are cool ..But I don't need one enough to pay a premium for that kind of tool. But for a Out the Front auto I feel differently after the Blade Show. My son Richard asked me to look for him one there but only a quality example. On Friday after I set up I wandered over to the big Microtech booth since limited research told me they made a respected knife. They were extremely busy and as I waited in line I watched a guy pay OVER $700.00 for a red handle one..I ask if they had anything cheaper and was told they had a Blade Show special for $160.00 cash only behind the booth. After calling my son I bought one for him. They brought 900 to the show and 20 minutes after I got his they were sold out. He loves his! The show special model normally sold for $297.00 and is actually collectable. A OTF knife was not on my radar at all before but now I think there is a huge market Buck should consider. A quality OTF knife is not cheep toy and I was absolutely amazed how much folks were willing to pay for them..
 
jbmonkey said:
none of those brands come with a finished edge only a primary.

who cares about real Latin made machete. vs. a not real one? have dozens of them in every brand. nothing great except they are cheap. all cheap ones are crudely finished or unfinished.

Buck could make an out of the box finished one. condor makes real latin American machetes too..... high quality ones finished, and they aint cheap and they sell. tops as well. plenty of room for a mid priced high quality finished one.
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I’ll play. Machetes are a favorite subject for me. What would you imagine an ideal Buck machete would look like? Would it have an 18” blade like the Ontario military models? Would you want a cross guard? How about g10 or Micarta handles? If they were going to make one, 5160 would be nice, and it should be matched with a sturdy Kydex sheath. Priced at around $200-250.

N2s
 
i would like something managable in size;
along the lines of this..

Who has a George Lainhart style machete/knife but doesn't know or won't admit it

Alright guys, if you have been around long enough I would think that at one time or another if you have picked up one of these knives and may not know what it was or perhaps you aren't willing to admit it. What I am talking about is the George Lainhart Special ops jungle Machete. George...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
gotta be a wide, flat v-ground blade
with no flex.
a light weight multi carry option sheath.
tip of sheath had better be puncture proof..
easily replaceble scales.
 
not2sharp said:
I’ll play. Machetes are a favorite subject for me. What would you imagine an ideal Buck machete would look like? Would it have an 18” blade like the Ontario military models? Would you want a cross guard? How about g10 or Micarta handles? If they were going to make one, 5160 would be nice, and it should be matched with a sturdy Kydex sheath. Priced at around $200-250.

N2s
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I'm not playing with you. find some other thread.
 
I have a couple of Condor pieces.
I like them. Nice wood handles, and substantial in size and weight. They could do a better job on the finished edge.
I believe they are easily worth the price. Not American made, tho I think they have pride in their product, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I've eyed some Tops pieces, but I end up seeing a lot of "fantasy, end of the world designs", so I just move on.

I agree w/ JB tho, there's a market for a quality finished machete in Buck's catalog. Keep it simple, and don't overdue it.
And don't put some stupid engraving on it trying to make it collectable.

I've eyed the Talon, but it's not really a machete.
I think if Buck made one, it would probably be expensive. But you get what you pay for.

OTF's don't interest me. Too many law implications, for the manufacturer, and the user.
I suspect Buck stays away for those reasons. Just my opinion tho.
 
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I don’t think they need to compete with the cheap machetes. I would like to see them bring back the custom length 124. Maybe that would satisfy us both?

We were lucky they finally made auto 110’s and 112’s I doubt we will ever see an OTF. It would have to be a complete new design.
 
Yea OTF 110?
Don’t laugh they made a fixed blade 110 after all. I have my dad’s machete he used in the jungles of Philippines before he went to Vietnam. Was made for ww2. It would be interesting to see what a high quality machete would look like and how much better it would perform.
DN
 
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jbmonkey said:
none of those brands come with a finished edge only a primary.

who cares about real Latin made machete. vs. a not real one? have dozens of them in every brand. nothing great except they are cheap. all cheap ones are crudely finished or unfinished.

Buck could make an out of the box finished one. condor makes real latin American machetes too..... high quality ones finished, and they aint cheap and they sell. tops as well. plenty of room for a mid priced high quality finished one.
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I agree with all of it
 
The machete is one of my favorite tools. Ive got two in the truck, one on the buggy, on the 4 wheeler 3 or 4 short ones on the shelf for projects, and had a stainless one on the tractor that broke. I didnt like how stiff and heavy it was anyway, But at least it didnt rust!
I like 24", 18" is to short.
But not sure i could spend big money on it for the abuse they get.
 
Recently I’ve been thinking about getting either a Buck Froe or Tallon and this thread got me curious about what makes a machete.
Out here in our part of the country there’s not a lot of overgrowth or brush but occasionally some areas will have a bit to clear out to make camp or clear a path or weeds grown up along side of a building and such.
When I was a kid my dad had one about 20 inches long that was made from a mower blade that we used around the farm and ranch. It was very crude but it got the job done.

So I’m curious if the Froe or Tallon would work as a machete in this regard for clearing a patch of brush or weeds in occasional situations? Or are they to short for that kind of use? Thanks in advance.
 
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