Axes and Machetes......your opinions

I've tried a few machetes. Nothing scientific but here are my impressions.

Tramontina- the best $6 you'll ever spend, pretty tough for being so thin, will take a pretty good edge, great on the light green stuff, wouldn't be my first pick for thick seasoned wood

Martindale- good steel but both of mine came with terrible edges and fit and finish in line with the $6 Tram, not a big deal if you have a belt sander, a pain in the behind with just a file, heavier blades would give you a little more bite for thicker woods if you don't mind putting some elbow grease into 'em

Reflections of Asia- hand forged "villager" grade bolos, good stuff, may need a little edge work but not half as much as the Martindales, well worth the $30

Himalayan Imports- awesome khukuris, more expensive than the above mentioned blades but well worth it, more of a hatchet substitute than a machete substitute, the big ones are heavy to carry affield

Can't speak on axes. I'm in SoCal and there aren't many times I need an axe.

Frank
 
I really like the Fiskars hatchets, and think they are an excellent value for the money. If you need a heavier machete, I think an Ontario Military issue is a good choice. For a lighter machete, Tramontina or Cold Steel have a lot of good models. I think a khukuri is a useful blade to have, but kind of redundant if you already have an axe and a machete.
 
Anyone have any experience with Ontario's Spax?
I'm L/E & have had a few occassions where an ax would have been pretty handy.
But, I'm L/E, so $70.00 is a lot to spend on something I'm going to use infrequently.
Anyone have any idea how they hold up? Is the chisel end good for a windshield?
 
Whether you need an axe or machete depends on the type of vegetation where you live.
I live in north saskatchawan where we have a boreal forest with a mix of hard and soft woods so an axe is much more useful to me than a machete(I own a half dozen machetes though). If you live somewhere like Florida you will be much better off with a machete.

For an axe some people swear by the Fiskars/Gerber but I much prefer a hickory handle for it's strength and shock absorption and if I am being honest looks.

Do you want an axe or a hawk?

A hawk is nice if you have to hike with it but generally an axe will get more work done.

For an axe if money is no object get a Gransforth, I wish I had one.
If money is an object get a Wetterling. With some edge profiling and sanding etc you can make them almost as nice as a GB.

I love Hawks and rather like the H&B ones especially considering how inexpensive they are. Check out there site for sure.
If you buy a CS Hawk don't order it buy it in person so you can inspect the wood and the head. I got a very good Norse hawk ,stripped the awful coating and blued it and now I really rather like it.
 
Merlyn, I have an Ontario 12" machete and it is a handy outdoors tool. It was less than $20, 1095 steel and made in the U.S.A. The factory edge is nothing nice though. You will need to put a file to it. But I like using the machete for camping chores. But I think for long term wood chopping an ax or hatchet may be the way to go. I have read many posts stating the Fiskars small hatchet is worth every penny. Readily available at Lowe's Hardware stores and around $20 also. I think if you got either one you have good tools for the money and in general.
 
As far as Hatchets go... Try Mineral Mountain Hatchet Works. They rock and are built like a tank. Swamp Rat Knife Company also makes a damn fine axe called the Crash Rat I think. Either are winners.

For Machetes I personally don't think you can beat a Martindale in a production machete. Machetes don't need to cost $100.00 to be good. The Martindales are high quality. Though you could always get someone like Ranger Knives to make you a custom one for lot's more money.

Don't know much about axes... I just buy those at the hardwear store. A buddy of mine used to chop wood for a living and considers himself an expert on axes :rolleyes: and he told me his Paul Chen double headed battel axe will out chop all of his professional axes. LOL.
 
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