Best small machete

mercop

mercop

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Mar 26, 2002
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Unfortunately I have been away from the woods for a long, long time. Now my son is 10 and just got into Scouting, and I have become a leader. There are lots of places to do stuff around me and I plan on he and I venturing a lot next year. I am a huge fan of the machete for field craft as well as self defense (short sword) and was wondering if anyone could advise on a some good short machete choices. I am thinking in the 12-14 inch category. Small enough to hide in the Bag of Evil. I know that some good ones often come with POS sheathes, not an issue for me since I have several kydex makers to take care of that. Any information is very appreciated- George
 
I am a big fan of the Martindale Golok. Once sharpened up properly, you would be suprised what it can do :)
 
Try a Cold Steel Barong or Bowie 12 incher. I have both, dull as dishwater as shipped but gets almost shaving sharp on an Edgemaker Pro sharpener. The Barong is a better chopper, the Bowie a better stabber. I beat the snot out of the Barong cutting, shaping and driving tent stakes with the flat of the blade. No bending or cracking :-) Cold Steel quit making these but Smokey Mountain has some for about 15 bucks. A barong is now part of my "get lost" kit along with a standard Kaber and Leatherman Wave.
 
Check out the Condor Inca Knife, good quality and a decent leather sheath. You won't have to reprofile the blade to get it sharp or rework the handle to prevent blisters.
 
Oops! Looks like Smokey Mountain is out but other sites have them. I am dirt cheap and spend somebody elses money a lot faster than my own. That said, I suggest getting the bowie, spear point, barong, sax and kukhri, all in 12 inch length. Try them all and carry the best one for you!
 
While I have several machetes, my favorite all around is a no-name 14" bolo that I picked up for around $5 many years ago. The blade is great, but the handle sucks. Why am I mentioning a machete with no name that you probably can't find? Because of the size. The blade is .104 inches thick, with most of the weight out toward the tip. It actually weighs slightly more than my 18 incher, but it's worth carrying. This thing is a cutting machine. Cuts thick wood, thin wood, splits, batons, sharpens sticks, cuts notches, stirs fires, strikes sparks off of rocks, strikes great sparks from a GG fire steel, digs small holes, and is a great all around woods/camp tool. If I were in a jungle or the cane fields I might want something longer and thinner but, for where I live, this is an outstanding tool. Keep in mind that I said "for where I live," which is Southern California. Something else may work better for you in your terrain. I've used this beast in the desert, the foot hills and the mountains, as well as around the yard, and it works great. For me, a 14" inch bolo is great.

I can't wait to get my hands on the Condor version.
 
For $20, get a 12" Ontario machete. You won't be disappointed...
I stripped the coating and full-height convexed mine. Also modified the handles. I love it.

I'm thinking of getting another one to modify!


But check out the Bark River Golok. Small and compact, but thicker and better at limbing and heavier chopping...
 
Like Bill I'm a big fan of the Martindale #2 but it really needs power tools or a big sack of patience to dig down to. It is my favorite big dog though, no doubt about that. Not so sure it's what you're after though.

I suspect as you mention self defense you'll want something a hell of a lot faster in the hand. Condor certainly has a bunch of stuff in that direction.

Personally, I'd ease off a bit of the defense aspect and probably pick a 12” Ontario. You're not losing so much of the big straight knife capability like one does with a golok yet it isn't so lame it'll roll on a few scrawny twigettes. Get one of these reground and I think you'll have what you're looking for. There's a couple of people here who'll do the work for you free or near as damn it if you don't want to.
 
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Mercop - Congrats on becoming a Scout Leader, it's a great program. If you are on a budget, I really like the 12" and 14" Trams. If you have a couple of extra bucks, I really like the David Farmer Custom Golok... Fast, light, and sharp.
 
Stickman said:
Check out the Condor Inca Knife, good quality and a decent leather sheath. You won't have to reprofile the blade to get it sharp or rework the handle to prevent blisters.
Click to expand...

I second this option. Nice and compact with a versatile desing and no out-of-box modding needed. Quality sheath included. ;) :thumbup: Though if you were looking for something that would also be phenomenal for SD, there's the aptly-named Combat machete. I have one (though not for SD) and it's a great light-weight machete for general work.

The Inca Knife:
CTK1030S.jpg


Combat:
CTK3006BB.jpg

Yes, that's a partial top edge. Looks a bit like a gladius, eh? :D
 
resinguy said:
I had a chance to use one, great cutter. But a little longer than his request, no?
Click to expand...

Yup, I think they started life as 18" Ontarios. Still, gives a good idea of what could possibly be drawn from the 12".

EDIT- add quote


"I've been asked many times which kind of knife(knives) I would take to the woods if I knew I would be stranded there for a time. Easy answer. A $20, 18" Ontario Machete and a Swiss Army knife with a moderate assortment of tools. BUT, they'd both have my choice of edge and in the case on the Ontario some smoothing of the grip. How's that for the true confessions of a custom knifemaker?

I darn sure wouldn't want a boat anchor."

- Hossom 02-28-07 09:20.18
 
I own and have used the:

Martindale Golok
Ontario Improved Camp Machete 12"
Tramontina Bolo
Condor Inca 12"

The Martindale requires the most work to make proficient. I'd say you need a belt sander to reprofile the edge.
The Ontario is hefty and comes with a thin edge that takes little effort to get sharp. It works very well.
The Tramontina also has good edge geometry and takes an edge easily with benchstones. It works very well.
The Condor Inca comes with the most refined edge. May not need any sharpening or just a touchup when you get it. It also works very well.
 
A couple of questions we should have asked the original poster are:

How much weight do you want to carry?

What do you want to use it for (aside from defense)?

How much do you want to spend?

Would you be carrying the machete along with an axe, or in place of an axe?


For instance, in the terrain I travel in, I have no need of an axe: my 14 inch, 15 oz. bolo does it all for me. If I were in the North Woods in winter, I would probably want an axe. What do you need?
 
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