are machetes safer

[psy-ops]

I was thinking that it is much easier to trip on a smaller blade and stab yourself than a larger.

you never hear of a guy who fell on his machete.

I realize that a machete is longer and there is the potential to cut your leg or someone else while beating a path through brush. I have deffinitely cut myself tons more on a smaller knife and I can't even remember ever cutting myself on a machete. of course I use the smaller knife more.

when I was younger I hit my shins with an axe while splittting firewood but it was not serious. sometimes not having a sharp edge is good.

 

[Josh Feltman]

I don't know if they are necessarily safer. I think large blades like machetes present their own set of dangers. They are definitely harder to stop than smaller blades once they get moving.
--Josh

 

[Jimbo]

Machetes can be dangerous - but the most deadly of all in my estimation is a tip heavy parang.

 

[stormcrow]

Tools aren't dangerous. People are.

Watch an experienced machete user when s/he swings. The arc of blade travel never intersects with a body part. The same technique prevents hitting yourself with an axe.

The benefit of using a machete over a smaller blade is, obviously, reach. As well as getting more blade impact force for amount of muscle energy expended. Getting more with less, as it were. Making one less tired after a day of clearing brush.

The trade off is you are carrying more weight and bulk when not using it.

If you have to cut 3 vines, you're better off using a ka-bar. If you have to cut 300 vines, you're better off with a machete.

And thank you for your support.

 

[GREENJACKET]

I'll second Jimbo, large heavier blades are difficult to stop. Glancing blows and when they cut through unexpectingly are things to watch out for. You really need to set yourself up correctly in the first place and have respect for the damage they can do. Easier said than done when tired. Experience pays off.

 

[Jerry Hossom]

I think Stormcrow's points are good ones. I've been around 200 men using machetes, many (maybe most) of whom had never used anything larger than a steak knife in their live4s and none injured themselves with the machete. Some dropped trees on their buddies' heads, but the machete was only the accomplice in that...

I think it depends on what you're doing. I wouldn't want to use a machete to split wood, but I sure wouldn't want to use an axe to take down a high limb or clear trail. A machete is pretty easy to control, since they really aren't very heavy. Frustration from using the wrong tool or being inexperienced with any tool probably results in more injuries than anything IMO.

 

[bensano]

Originally posted by Jerry Hossom
Frustration from using the wrong tool or being inexperienced with any tool probably results in more injuries than anything IMO.

This is worth reading twice.

Ben

 

[Outdoors]

Originally posted by chrisaloia
I was thinking that it is much easier to trip on a smaller blade and stab yourself than a larger.

you never hear of a guy who fell on his machete.

...

I was clearing a trail along a road edge this fall and slipped down the slope. My machete was in hand, fortunately my hand was up. If my hand had been pointing down, I could easily have put the machete thru my calf or thigh when I fell. It'll make ya think, that will! This is why I don't sharpen the tip (last 3" or so) of my machete.

Why don't we hear more about accidents like this? Well, how many people actually use their machetes? I'd submit that a machete is as dangerous any other knife, just less frequently used.

I'd take issue with the idea that "no tools are dangerous". Personally, I'd say all tools are dangerous (as in "all guns are loaded"). Knowing how to use them and having proper respect minimizes the risks. Really it's just a difference in phrazing, I think we're saying the same thing. For sure there are dangerous people, though

Pat

 

[pedro]

I believe the impression that machetes are safer come from the fact they are very rarely used for carving type jobs and therefore stays away from a wide range of 'little' and common accidents. In spite of that there are other types of accidents which are common for machetes. I've seen a hand being almost completely chopped off while openning a path in a group. When a machete is in use, you have this sword like piece of sharp metal flying around the person using it, so when accidents happen they are characteristic of the circunstance.