Recommendation? Best tool for Blackberry?

[Square_peg]

Barteaux used to make a machete with a kinda squared off D shaped plastic handle that protected your knuckles somewhat.

I felt constrained by the closed handle of the Barteaux. They don't swing so freely or fast. They were sturdy and good steel. Plus I liked that they were make nearby in Oregon. I gave my last to my brother in Salem - sent it home.

 

[catspa]

I’m too old to be a fast swinger, so they suit me fine.

Parker

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

The speed with a machete cut comes from the fingers rather than the arm/shoulder so age doesn't matter much unless you can't give a firm handshake anymore.

 

[Mecha]

I sometimes wonder how any of the larger animals in the area deal with walking through it.

They don't.

I can't speak for NW blackberries, but we do get some high blackberry bushes here and corn hooks can be ground super thin and laid on the canes and pulled to sever in neat cuts rather than just flailing around with it. A slasher on a pole allows you to keep your distance to the point where it's a non-issue. Looking at pictures of Rubus ursinus online I'm not seeing anything I wouldn't be comfortable tackling with a slasher ground nice and thin. Like, a scythe-thin edge.

The NW blackberries being talked about here aren't Rubus Ursinus, but an escaped hybrid of the Himalayan Blackberry and the native blackberries, a huge franken-berry resulting from the same Oregon State University projects that resulted in the Marionberry and others.

These blackberries really will have 25-foot canes over an inch in diameter, tangled with old dried woody ones. The thorns are large and hooked. They are extremely aggressive and will envelop and destroy an entire house if left alone, slowly tear down trees, or completely dominate a field.

The best way to deal with a huge patch is with a bulldozer and a flamethrower.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

They don't.

The NW blackberries being talked about here aren't Rubus Ursinus, but an escaped hybrid of the Himalayan Blackberry and the native blackberries, a huge franken-berry resulting from the same Oregon State University projects that resulted in the Marionberry and others.

These blackberries really will have 25-foot canes over an inch in diameter, tangled with old dried woody ones. The thorns are large and hooked. They are extremely aggressive and will envelop and destroy an entire house if left alone, slowly tear down trees, or completely dominate a field.

The best way to deal with a huge patch is with a bulldozer and a flamethrower.

Yes this thread is from years ago and I've since been educated on them. While I still don't have first-hand experience with them if I was going to be manually tackling them I'd still opt for a slasher-type socketed hook on a long pole.

 

[Boattale]

Brush hog.

 

[Mecha]

Yes this thread is from years ago and I've since been educated on them. While I still don't have first-hand experience with them if I was going to be manually tackling them I'd still opt for a slasher-type socketed hook on a long pole.

Oops, necro thread!

What I've found with these berries is that there is no perfect solution when it comes to a hand-held blade, and they're going to be a pain no matter what. So whatever someone is most comfortable with would be the thing to use.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

They don't.

I haven't yet come across a wild animal entangled like that. Either it doesn't happen often with deer and elk, or the cougars are quick to clean up while avoiding the trap themselves. I suppose it is the short coats? But black bears seem to be immune and I know they eat the berries.

 

[Mecha]

I haven't yet come across a wild animal entangled like that. Either it doesn't happen often with deer and elk, or the cougars are quick to clean up while avoiding the trap themselves. I suppose it is the short coats? But black bears seem to be immune and I know they eat the berries.

True, I just think it's a cool video and a sheep would probably be just about the only thing that would get tanged like that. However I don't think it's possible for a large animal to move through a dense patch of that stuff.

 

[scdub]

+1 corn hook!

I’ve got one that I purchased from Baryonyx several years ago and use it extensively on blackberry bushes. It cuts them AND wood AND allows you to drag piles around easily without getting too close. Wonderful tool.

 

[Square_peg]

Brush hog.

A Bobcat with a brush deck on front is the best. I had one when I worked for the local DNR. It's so nice to be able to raise that deck and bring it down on huge brambles. That thing kicked ass on NW blackberries!

 

[Square_peg]

True, I just think it's a cool video and a sheep would probably be just about the only thing that would get tanged like that. However I don't think it's possible for a large animal to move through a dense patch of that stuff.

I don't think anything large goes through our big NW brambles. But I've been surprised by the brambles my rottie has been thru. Sometimes cuts her face or paws or body. But it doesn't seem to phase her. It freaks the crap out of the bunnies.