BOB machete recommendations?

I can't seem to find my older bolo machete, so I'm thinking about replacing it. I'm not a collector or looking for something premium or expensive. It mainly has to be functional and affordable. I'm considering the Marble Jungle Machete - Bolo Camp, Cold Steel Bolo Machete 97BM, and the Cold Steel Magnum Kukri Machete.

The Marble comes with a whetstone and has a wood handle, the others are polypro. The Magnum Kukri has a 17" blade, whereas the standard is 13". All three of these cost under $20, as priced at OutdoorPros or eknifeworks, and include a cordura (not canvas) sheath.

I understand that some or all of these are made in China and may come without a proper edge from the factory - and I'm prepared to apply that myself.

My questions are:

1) Does wood or polypro make a better handle?
2) Is the Kukri form that much superior to a bolo shape? The Marble bolo appears to have a topside edge for part of the blade near the tip.
3) Is the 13" standard kukri sufficient for camp/trail clearing work (small limbs and saplings up to 3"), or would the 17" magnum be a better choice? The Magnum practically looks like a sword.
4) Does anybody have any personal experience with any of these that they can share?

Thx!
 
well this is out of the right area, but i will go ahead (and hope i don't get in trouble)

The magnum kukrhi machete is nice size and wieght IMO, the steel (mine is brand new) or the angle of the factory grind are making sharpening on this thing a bit difficult the edge keeps rolling over. and when i switch sides to work the edge more it rolls right over to the other side. its pretty soft IMO.

but if this blade could be .5mm thicker, and a tad bit harder it would be a beautiful blade in hand, its a swift blade and easy to swing and recover from, I think that has alot to do with the less pronounced arch of its namesake.

I love the blade pattern, I am however a bit let down at the steel. but it is 20 bucks with that in mind, its a great blade.
 
philster,

Welcome to Bladeforums!

I can't answer all your questions but I prefer wood handles. However, I've used synthetics without much problem.

For blade shape, a regular machete works fine for me on soft jungle type vegetation. For drier, springier branches in the Sierra foothills, I prefer a khukri. I like the way the inward curve sort of captures the branches on the sweet spot in the blade. Then the springy stuff doesn't glance off the blade, as it can with some machetes. For serious brush clearing, I like a khukri in the 15-18" range but I've used the 22" HI Sirupati effectively.

DancesWithKnives
 
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ron_m80 said:
well this is out of the right area, but i will go ahead (and hope i don't get in trouble)

The magnum kukrhi machete is nice size and wieght IMO, the steel (mine is brand new) or the angle of the factory grind are making sharpening on this thing a bit difficult the edge keeps rolling over. and when i switch sides to work the edge more it rolls right over to the other side. its pretty soft IMO.

but if this blade could be .5mm thicker, and a tad bit harder it would be a beautiful blade in hand, its a swift blade and easy to swing and recover from, I think that has alot to do with the less pronounced arch of its namesake.

I love the blade pattern, I am however a bit let down at the steel. but it is 20 bucks with that in mind, its a great blade.
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i've come to love softer steel'd choppers.

if you spray adhesive on some tongue depressors and put some coarse grit good quality sandpaper on them (cut the profiles out with your X-acto blade, or if you have a grinder, grind the profiles of excess sand paper on the sticks) - then run those sticks up and down the edge and you will get a lovely convex edge that takes a beating - it's also a good trick for compound grinds, where the blade is thin up by the handle, for detail work, then axe-like on the sweet spot, and then thin again at the point, for grazing swings, etc.

HTH

vec
 
If you're going to be cutting green branches in the 2-3 inch range, the khukri rules. My regular Himalayan Imports models (15-18 inches) will handle 2+ inch stuff with one well-placed slice. When I was training kali several times per week, I could one-slice 3" green branches with the 22 " HI Sirupati khukri.

DancesWithKnives
 
i have had a spear point, double edged CS machete bend beyond repair while stripping cedar staves for fences, not my favorite brand. but certainly not the worst out there
 
DWK2 said:
If you're going to be cutting green branches in the 2-3 inch range, the khukri rules. My regular Himalayan Imports models (15-18 inches) will handle 2+ inch stuff with one well-placed slice. When I was training kali several times per week, I could one-slice 3" green branches with the 22 " HI Sirupati khukri.

DancesWithKnives
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i have a few of those - but most folks can't carry them for long periods afoote - the question was specifically regarding a BOB machete.

HI is outstanding though.

vec
 
i have a machete about 20 inches long and it has a picture of a bulldog etched into the blade just above the handle. does anyone know who made it. i got it from my grandpa after he died. thanks
 
I've had very good service with Barteaux brand machetes..dont know what the steel is but it will take a good edge and keep it. the "D" guard handles can be had in blaze orange or black and can be rounded or shaped with a wood rasp. The woodsmans pal is also a good choice if you are ok with a bull-nose or blunt tip design. I use mine a lot and I would rate it first class in edge holding and comfortable use for long periods. it also is a very "sheeple" freindly design for strapping to a B.O.B. best to all. anrkst
 
the double edge machete by cs looks nice. i had a machete that a masai warrior gave me. it was just like that one, but had buffalo hide sheath and a cow tail leather for the handle.
 
vector001 said:
i have a few of those - but most folks can't carry them for long periods afoote - the question was specifically regarding a BOB machete.

HI is outstanding though.

vec
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The sirupate and especially the Kobra HI models are much more machete like, and should be no problem to carry.

But back to the original question which I presume to be talking about a latin-style machete: just pick one. It's really hard to f8*k one up -- it's just a cheap slab of sheet metal with a handle on it.

They tend to be soft as far as blades go, which means they just sort of curve and bend when they hit things like knots in wood, instead of breaking, and although edge retention isn't great, they are easy to sharpen. If you just want a basic machete, pretty much any of those listed will work. If you want a slight improvement, then the one from Off the Map outfitters mentioned above is nice. If you want to go high class, then the Bark River machete is way up there in quality, and price.
 
Snake Dr. said:
These are Real Nice "I Think Anyway" A little pricey but there most likely worth It, Doe's anyone have one of these ? These are made for the Force Recon unit of the Philippine Marines.
here's the Link, http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=587503
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I don't "get" that design, but I am ordering one of their Dahong Palays. Everything I've been able to find on them says their quality is top notch- seems an amazing bargain if that's true.

+1 on the BRKT Machete- very sweet and if I remember correctly, just barely in the OP's price range. Seems a bit high for a BOB, but then, I've started putting better knives in mine- might as well have them where you need them.
 
My personal choices are a bit different then most. For my BOB I tend to carry a smaller blade and a Ontario SPAX, which has worked out really well for me. But I do have a Ontario SP-8 and a KaBar Cutlass I carry when in the woods, and both proformed very well. I don't know your area, but for mine, typical Machetes just dont hold up well. And for a BOB, I tend to prefer something I can not only cut with, but also pry, and the SP-8 works really well for that.
 
Right now I carry a 15" or 20" (length over all) Sirupati style Khukri (think bent machete) but am thinking of carrying a 12 to 14 inch Machete at times. I have the 12" Ontario with D-guard, 12" Tramontina and 14" Bolo Tramontina. Right now I'm leaning towards the 12" Ontario. Hope your able to come up with something that works for you.

Heber
 
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