Best latin machete.

[Sam Cade]

Poor value if you ask me.

I commend you on your mastery of understatement, sir.

 

[Sidehill Gouger]

I was looking at the Ontario Woodscraft machete. This machete is much more nicely done than most Ontarios I have seen. It comes with a fire steel (pouch in canvas sheath), but rather on the pricey side ($100+ at that store). I wasn't impressed with the sheath, but I didn't look it over real carefully.

I have one and the sheath seems fine to me. A machete sheath is mostly just a safe way to store the blade in the truck on the tractor rather than something I wear around the woods. Sheaths tend to be a problem for machete makers because any really quality model ends up costing more than the machete. The Ontario model is made in the U.S. by De Santis.

 

[22-rimfire]

I think the Ontario Bushcraft model (called it the woodscraft model in previous post) appears to be a poor value too. I hinted at that. (Probably an understatement.) When machetes get into the $100 price area, I really have to justify their purchase as compared to lesser priced machetes. I suspect everyone knows (if they read my posts) that I really like Condor machetes, but the key with the Condor stuff is the leather sheath (and of course the blade itself) which tends to be the weak link with many other manufacturers. Often they are not even available for purchase as an accessory.

Yes, Sidehill, many of the sheaths tend to become where you store the machete such as in your vehicle or (tractor or truck), but I have had Ontarios cut right through the cheap canvas sheaths even from just minimal storage, use, and it bouncing around in my truck. Then they get taped up with duct tape for a while and finally move into the machete graveyard for me unless I really like the machete and buy another cheap plastic or canvas sheath to repeat the duct tape effort later.

I have observed that I have gotten used to seeing the black painted finish on machetes. Now when I see a non painted blade, I somehow think it's better? Good marketing.

 

[Sidehill Gouger]

The Ontario Bushcraft sheath has a hard liner. I believe I mentioned it made in the US by a the well known handgun holster company De Santis. As for price, a $100 pocket knife is pretty low these days but a machete made from a decent steel with the help of a well known custom knifemaker is too high at the same price? To each his own.

 

[22-rimfire]

I noticed the liner. Don't know how effective it is. But yes, I noticed it. As far as price goes, I agree with you. But everything is relative to what else is available in terms of quality and price. Many look at the Condor stuff and believe it's over priced as you can get machetes for under $10 and certainly under $20 if you want to.

I've been looking at the injection molded plastic (poly) handles and they seem to be a lot better than the plastic slabs that Ontario puts on some of their machetes. I'm going to have to get at least one example and give it a try. It may perhaps be the Condor El Salvador model after I try this new one with the wood handles out.

 

[DShiflet]

The Ontario Bushcraft sheath has a hard liner. I believe I mentioned it made in the US by a the well known handgun holster company De Santis. As for price, a $100 pocket knife is pretty low these days but a machete made from a decent steel with the help of a well known custom knifemaker is too high at the same price? To each his own.

People who use machetes every day of their lives, people who machetes are an integral part of their livelihood, use machetes like Imacasa and Tram. So yeah, when you can get a machete perfectly suited for making a living with for $10, $100 does become a pretty high price for a machete.

 

[Sidehill Gouger]

And you can get a perfectly good butcher knife for $10 so why do you need a $$$ hunting knife? Or a pocket knife for $20 that will cut stuff just like a Benchmade or Spyderco. I own plenty of those Latin machetes and have spend a fair amount of time down south of the U.S. Did you know that machete you pay $15 for here is probably $3.00 in Belize or Guatemala? And as for people that use machetes everyday for making livelihood, I've been one of those too. The Ontario had a good sheath and a blade made from heavier gauge high grade steel than you will find on a Tram. with a native walnut handle by an American company. Of course that is going to cost a little more.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

And you can get a perfectly good butcher knife for $10 so why do you need a $$$ hunting knife? Or a pocket knife for $20 that will cut stuff just like a Benchmade or Spyderco. I own plenty of those Latin machetes and have spend a fair amount of time down south of the U.S. Did you know that machete you pay $15 for here is probably $3.00 in Belize or Guatemala? And as for people that use machetes everyday for making livelihood, I've been one of those too. The Ontario had a good sheath and a blade made from heavier gauge high grade steel than you will find on a Tram. with a native walnut handle by an American company. Of course that is going to cost a little more.

Heavier stock ≠ better, and Condors use walnut from both America and Guatemala. If you get one with dark ashy-brown wood it's American walnut, if more reddish in color it's Guatemalan.

 

[22-rimfire]

I do like the wood handle on the Ontario Bushcraft machete. You also get a fire steel with it (in sheath pouch). So, you are getting more than just a machete.

 

[zhyla]

$100 for a pocket knife makes sense because it sees little hard use. A machete is used to whack things all day. It's like buying a $100 hammer.

 

[Sam Cade]

And you can get a perfectly good butcher knife for $10 so why do you need a $$$ hunting knife?

Beats me. I use a sani-safe Dexter-Russel for most of my butchery tasks.

Did you know that machete you pay $15 for here is probably $3.00 in Belize or Guatemala?

The last bunch of Incolmas that I purchased worked out to about $4 each.

The Ontario had a good sheath and a blade made from heavier gauge high grade steel than you will find on a Tram. with a native walnut handle by an American company. Of course that is going to cost a little more.

I figure that Bushcraft machete costs OKC slightly more to make than wooden handed old hickory 14" butcher knife that sells for $20.

How much do you reckon the sheath is worth? I think it is worth about $15.


Trams are nominally 107x, it isn't like 5160 is "better", though I have seen Trams with bad heat treats. I've seen more blown out 1095 Ontarios than I have bent Tramontinas.

In many ways the Bushcraft Ontario is going to be a worse tool than a plastic handled Gavilan or IMACASA that costs 1/10th as much.

 

[22-rimfire]

Tried out the wood handled Condor El Salvado (18"). I like it. It just wizzes through flexible vegetation and up to half-inch trees. It's light and fast. I suspect I wouldn't want to use it much for thicker trees, but it would do in a pinch. This machete will see a lot of use.

 

[hobbiest]

Kinda like that belt clip fortytwoblades. I have some kydex lying around to make a sheath. Never tackled anything that big but figure it will be fun to try.

BTW you can buy a 194.00 hammer at the local farm supply.
Check out stiletto hammers

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Kinda like that belt clip fortytwoblades.

It's a traditional Italian chopper carrying method referred to either as a "portaroncola" (billhook carrier) or just a "gancio" (hook.) Quite ingenious and works on a wide range of machetes, billhooks, chopping knives, grass hooks, etc.

 

[Sam Cade]

Italian chopper

I hear some guy has a truckload of assorted Italian choppers for sale. :thumbup:

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I hear some guy has a truckload of assorted Italian choppers for sale. :thumbup:

Oh yes indeed!

 

[Steely_Gunz]

This works nicely and is actually much safer than one might expect.

That is very clever I see you have them at a really reasonable price as well. I'll be purchasing one sooner or later I believe. I keep my machete in a very, very, VERY rough Five-Minute-Sheath I cobbled together for it out of old leather motorcycle pants and rivets using only a Swiss Army Knife awl and a hammer. Works, but not as elegant as that.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Isn't it slick? I use mine for a ton of different tools and I don't have to change a thing, either. Here are some other pics I took at the same time.

 

[Sam Cade]

Is there any offset on the long "corn hook"?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Nope! It's straight.