Best heavy duty machete ?

jobasha11 said:
The edge retention isn't what I'd be worried about... it's the lack of toughness.
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I think D2's toughness is very underrated. Its not 5160 or S7, but its not gonna fall apart, given a good HT. Bad HT can ruin any knife, be it S30V or 1095, see Ontario RTAK II for example.

Viper Tecnocut makes a 9,5" chopper out of D2, the Carnera, and it seems to hold up well chopping wood. Boker Vox Rold is another recent example of D2 holding up great to hard use.

If you want to chop steel chains or rocks, buy INFI. But D2 is good, proven steel, heck Busse himself used it a couple of years ago. Lots of other, very respected knifemakers/designers use it, too.

Back to topic: Depending on what you define as "heavy duty", I'd go with a front heavy machete, such as a Golok or a large (>9") fixed blade
 
I haven't test them against every machete out there but the ones I make are pretty good :)

.108 thick 52100 with a 58RC edge and spring tempered spine. Its a whole different animal than any machete I've used.

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For brush AND saplings I really like Imacasa's 22 inch colima pattern. It's long and weight forward so even butter knife dull it will still sail through 2" thick saplings. That thing is a beast.
 
Buy a half dozen Imacasa or Tramotina machetes in one of the longer lengths. Sharpen them up and rotate them as they get dull. The next day repeat the same procedure. It is what I do on my own tree farm.
 
Martindale. 24" Latin style. wood or plastic handles.
Or, a 24" latin style Tramontina. I don't think they are as comfortable to use as the martindale out of the box... but both might need a little handle sanding... especially the wood handles.

Price point is great for both.

My crews prefer the Martindale.

Unless you can find an old Collins 24" Latin style... Those were the best, IMHO

Doc
 
Down here in South Fla. the machete is very common. You get them at HD or Lowes......1095 with nylon handle.
 
A 14" Tramontina bolo can do everything you need and is easy to use and light on the pocket. The best machetes are light, tuff and inexpensive tools. They take alot of abuse. You will be cutting near the ground where hitting the soil and small stones is a common occurrence, and you will be tuning it back up with a bastard file. Sure you can always get a big heavy camp knife; but that will never be as efficent and the heavier and harder blade requires additional care less the added momentum cause that much more damage to the edge when you inevitably hit something hard. A good camp knife can be a versatile tool, especially for wood processing. It is a reasonable substitute for the hatchet and can also work as a draw knife, but it is not a machete.

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KalEl said:
I haven't test them against every machete out there but the ones I make are pretty good :)

.108 thick 52100 with a 58RC edge and spring tempered spine. Its a whole different animal than any machete I've used.

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What an excellent machete ! I truly admire your work . You wouldn't happen to make these in 1095 carbon steel by any chance ; would you ? Or 440c ?
 
carbonsteelfan said:
What an excellent machete ! I truly admire your work . You wouldn't happen to make these in 1095 carbon steel by any chance ; would you ? Or 440c ?
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Spring tempered 52100 is kinda like 1095 on steroids. You're asking for a step down the quality ladder ;)
 
The "best" heavy duty machete is very subjective. You may have to experiment a bit with what you like. The Martindales and Tramontina are good. The Condors (made by Imacasa) are probably where I would focus my attention since that is where I ended up in my search for my "best". But you might want to get both a short chopper machete for hardwoods and a longer thinner bladed one for a longer reach in briars and so forth.

I have been very happy with the Condo Pack Golok and Village Parang but find myself using the Condor Pack Golok the most. It's a short ~12" machete and very heavy duty. I also use the Condor Puerto Rican a fair amount but it has been discontined. It has a 14" blade with wood handles which I sanded down to fit my hands better. The handles were way too thick for my hands when I got it. I have some trouble controlling my cuts with blades over 16" and you certainly don't want to cut yourself with a blade skipping off a tree. I don't chop with machetes every day, so I did not get one with a really long blade. But certainly the extra reach is useful in briars and softer vegetation.

I also like the regular Condor Golok and Parang. Those were the first two machetes that I used that I really liked.

The Baryonyx machete would certainly work for bigger stuff. It is quite the beast; don't have one. I don't do enough chopping to merit buying one with my exiting choices unless it is just to play with.
 
22-rimfire said:
The "best" heavy duty machete is very subjective. You may have to experiment a bit with what you like. The Martindales and Tramontina are good. The Condors (made by Imacasa) are probably where I would focus my attention since that is where I ended up in my search for my "best". But you might want to get both a short chopper machete for hardwoods and a longer thinner bladed one for a longer reach in briars and so forth.

I have been very happy with the Condo Pack Golok and Village Parang but find myself using the Condor Pack Golok the most. It's a short ~12" machete and very heavy duty. I also use the Condor Puerto Rican a fair amount but it has been discontined. It has a 14" blade with wood handles which I sanded down to fit my hands better. The handles were way too thick for my hands when I got it. I have some trouble controlling my cuts with blades over 16"
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The Puerto Rican is discontinued though you can still get the Swamp Master, which is the same thing as the Puerto Rican, but 16'' vs 14''. My Swamp Master's handles were likewise too thick. Also agree with your comments on Condor in general, I don't care WHAT you're cutting, they have a model that should suit you.
 
not2sharp said:
A 14" Tramontina bolo can do everything you need and is easy to use and light on the pocket. The best machetes are light, tuff and inexpensive tools. They take alot of abuse.
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Not2sharp has it right. Machetes are disposable tools. Buying a $100 machete with fancy steel is like buying a $50 box of Kleenex.

Cheap, soft carbon steel is what you want. Easy to sharpen and will hold an edge longer than stainless. A $5 machete from a real South American machete factory will be carefully tapered and balanced. You may not find that in equally cheap Chinese machetes, though like everything else they may catch up.

There are a lot of machete types. I've tried a bunch of them. They vary mainly in thickness and how much weight is at the tip. Clean cuts in light vegetation is all about velocity, so the lighter it is the better it will cut. An 18" Latin style blade is about right for general use for me. Too short and you give up velocity, too long and they get floppy and unwieldy.

For chopping thicker stuff on the ground a small cane machete has come in handy now and then. I also find the Imacasa 28" "El Terminiator" to be perfect for one task: trimming bamboo. It's ridiculously long and floppy, but the added velocity slices through bamboo effortlessly.

Machetes are all about technique. Angle of attack matters a lot. Don't whack something tough at a right angle, it may just bounce off. Hit it with an angle that let's it catch the material. There's also a wrist technique that I won't attempt to describe here. I think Sam Cade covered it in one of his machete articles last year.
 
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KalEl said:
I haven't test them against every machete out there but the ones I make are pretty good :)

.108 thick 52100 with a 58RC edge and spring tempered spine. Its a whole different animal than any machete I've used.

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20140427_072002_zpsd3d6f75d.jpg
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I got to play with on of those at the Beckerhead Spring Gathering this year, awesome 'chete. :thumbup: It was identical to the one with purple G-10 and the finger hole. :thumbup:
 
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