Best heavy duty machete ?

Great thread. Fortytwoblades probably has the most knowledge about machetes here, and I intend to get one of his personal designed ones.

One blade that often gets overlooked as being tough is the United Spec Ops machete. Shorter and stouter than most machetes. I had a few of those and they proved to be solid working blades. Today there are many versionos of it that are cheaper but still good. SOG makes one, one is made by UZI and another by Colt.
 
I'd call that old United more of a large knife than a machete, personally, regardless of what the company labeled it as. :)
 
The machete I've used the most is the Ka-Bar Parangatang, love that thing but it's a bit heavy for a machete so you really should save it for heavy-duty clearing of trails, it's overkill for vines but great for fallen trees in the way. For lighter duty clearing I'd say another vote for the Tramontina 14" I got from Baryonyx, it's the most enjoyable and least expensive machete I've owned, very balanced and hard to beat for the price. Just don't go chopping down trees with it, it's light and quick but doesn't have the heft for chopping through mega branches.
 
I have absolutely no experience with machete's other than cheap, rusty hardware store ones. So take my suggestions as simple armchair observations.

If you don't mind spending a little extra for a tough machete that should last several lifetimes, these look like interesting options:

Medford Tech Mech Machete

CPM S7 Shock Steel, excellent grind, and not overly thick. Handle ergonomics look great:

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DPx HEST CHOP

Thick slab of Sleipner tool steel. The grinds are a take-it-or-leave-it thing. Kinda gimmicky. High quality manufacturer, but the owner is a prick.

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TOPS .230 Machete

Standard 1095 run a little soft. The most budget-friendly of the my 3 recommendations.

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The TOPS is built on an Ontario 18" machete blank, for reference.
 
I need another machete. I bought an Ontario 6145 a few years ago and I'm on the third one. They stand behind their product but the handle is JUNK. After a good workout the rivets will come loose and the handle gets loose. This one I got a few months ago is starting to do the same thing :mad:
 
jobasha11 said:
I was curious why D2 would be used because there are a lot of steels better suited in toughness for a chopper, especially with a custom maker.


You mean like cutting an engine block in half?:rolleyes:
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I'm 99% sure i could cut an old small block in half with my 18" GI. Ontario!!
That thing is a workhorse for sure!
 
52100 FellBeast from Hunter Martin.
Or if you are lucky, the discontinued BlindHorseKnives Machete was good too.
 
I have 3 custom machetes. My favorite is my new one from Robert Martin at tearsofthesword. It is a 3V slimline machete. I use it hours a week in my battle with ever-growing bamboo, brush, and blackberry. The HT is great, easy to sharpen, holds an edge, and tough. It has taken the beatings like a champ

I have always found Ontario machetes very good.Good old reliable. My Tops .230 was not good. It could not hold an edge and always got edge rolls. It was easy to sharpen, got very sharp, but I did end up sharpening as much as cutting. Could have just been that certain blade though, not sure.
 
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FFK said:
Ontario Knife makes a quality 18" machete.......no brainer.....$25
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Sure if you like the handles. I personally hate them and will not purchase a Ontario machete at this point. I don't even consider them anymore. Ontario's are where I started after using the really cheap walmart type stuff.

I think 1075 works a bit better than 1095 for me.
 
caine said:
were did you here that
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Ontario has historically made blanks available for knife companies to "pimp out", such as the famous Bark River model. You can literally lay a TOPS .230 on top of an 18" Ontario and see where they cut it and where the handle was extended. The grinds match up perfectly, the stock thickness is identical, the shape of the one fits flawlessly inside the other with most of the edges lining up except where the modifications were obviously made. What's not known is if TOPS or Ontario is handling the heat treatment. Folks have asked TOPS multiple times without getting a straight answer.
 
Up on this thread, my jungle chopper, affordable and really tough my main complain is the handle, not really comfortable.



 
I like Tramontina for machetes. The heat treat is really spot on for machete work and the stock is ground nice and thin. The handles do need some work, but it's worth it to me, for the money. I sand down the handles, put a nice, thin edge on them, and let them sing. Easy to touch up and are just about the best thing I've ever swung at wood.
 
As you can see on the picture i tried to improve the handle, I use it often even if it's quite annoying, it's the best think I've found to open coconuts. If Ka-Bar solves the problem one day it will be an unbeatable tool.


@Sulaco, Tramontina is not really what we can call a heavy duty machete, too thin, too soft, too light...
 
Tramontinas aren't too soft for heavy duty use. They put a respectable heat treatment on them. Indeed, the KA-BAR handle shape really leaves a lot to be desired, which is why I'm not personally a fan of any of the models that use that handle template.
 
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