Can a long machete feel as solid as a 20" machete?

Oh If any of us here is an expert it's Joe! But Tramontinas are a bit softer than Imacasa/Condor machetes. Harder than Cold Steel/Lasher, and I'd be hard pressed to gauge where they stand vs. Hansa. Very similar hardness, but maybe Tramontina is just a hair harder?

For the record I just took my calipers to the Hansa. Thickness at the base of the blade is 1.85mm and it only starts tapering 8 inches from the tip of the 24" blade, finishing at 1.25mm. It's stiff enough during the swing if your tracking is good, but it does still experience a slight dip if held horizontally and any wobble in the swing causes it to flex under its own weight. It's 99% of the way here to being "solid".
 
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ian_33 said:
So how do you compare Imacasa/Condor & Tramontina? love to hear your expert opinion!
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Tramontina has most variation in Heat treat, quality, and workmanship I've seen. Give me anything over a Tramontina if possible. I know it sounds like I'm spouting stuff without research, so here, all of these are broken from testing:


bbc3bbd5.jpg

Which doesn't tell you much, but lets just say its worse than this lasher that was tested.
a0baaf33.jpg
 
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wa.... the triangular bite is really....:eek: Is it a Cold Steel Panga? How to make such a deep bite?

sound you prefer Imacasa/Condor... :)
 
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Are those Rockwell numbers on that notched blade? If so, there seems to be a lot of variation.
 
ian_33 said:
wa.... the triangular bite is really....:eek: Is it a Cold Steel Panga? How to make such a deep bite?

sound you prefer Imacasa/Condor... :)
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It's a Lasher Tools panga, so yes it's a Cold Steel. :D Cold Steel contracts their machetes through Lasher of South Africa, with the exception of the out-of-production Chinese made models. The panga is a "stock" model so the Cold Steel ones are simply rebranded by putting a different sticker on 'em. Personally I like Tramontina better than Cold Steel/Lasher, BUT my preference by far is for Imacasa/Condor. My favorite manufacturer by far.

Joezilla said:
Tramontina has most variation in Heat treat, quality, and workmanship I've seen. Give me anything over a Tramontina if possible. I know it sounds like I'm spouting stuff without research, so here, all of these are broken from testing:


bbc3bbd5.jpg

Which doesn't tell you much, but lets just say its worse than this lasher that was tested.
a0baaf33.jpg
Click to expand...

Are you able to divulge the nature of the testing? Just nerd-curious. :D In terms of fit and finish I've found Tramontinas very consistent and all of them have felt the same on the grinder when Special Grading them, but that doesn't mean they aren't inconsistent in other ways.
 
I own two Barteaux Machetes. One a twelve inch. One a twenty four. Back when I bought them, Barteaux had a great reputation.

The twelve inch is a great little chopper.

The twenty four inch is fine for grass or vines. If I try to chop with it, it vibrates like a Slinky hurrying downstairs.

The twelve inch Barteaux chops much better.

That’s why I think a heavy short machete is better in North American hardwood forests.
 
Last I knew the owner of Barteaux was looking to retire and was taking offers on selling the company. Does the 24" have any distal taper? Just curious. I have no problem taking out full-blown trees with my 20" Condor Viking.
 
I don't have it available to inspect right now. To the best of my recollection, neither of them have much distal taper.
 
I was suspecting such. If you happen to get a chance see if you can take a measurement! :)
 
heres some of my stuff. all are at least 24" long;
IMG_13271.jpg

the imacasa 'pata de cuche' is the one in the middle. i like it the best.
they have all been used to cut everything from blackberry bramble to tall grass to vines thinner than a pencil to woody brush several inches thick.


fortytwo; looked at the sticker on that orange handled one and it is indeed made by hansa. its light years ahead of 'box store' machetes but i would prefer an imacasa or a tramontina any day of the week. i slightly warped the edge once from a bad swing on a bush i was trying to cut. lol

joe; your results with tramontina are interesting. ive been getting tramontina machetes for the guys who work with me because they are slightly cheaper and one of them has a tendency to not return equipment. imacasa stuff seems to hold an edge a little better, though.
 
wouldestous said:
fortytwo; looked at the sticker on that orange handled one and it is indeed made by hansa. its light years ahead of 'box store' machetes but i would prefer an imacasa or a tramontina any day of the week. i slightly warped the edge once from a bad swing on a bush i was trying to cut. lol

joe; your results with tramontina are interesting. ive been getting tramontina machetes for the guys who work with me because they are slightly cheaper and one of them has a tendency to not return equipment. imacasa stuff seems to hold an edge a little significantly better, though.
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I'd rather have a Hansa vs. Tram in the longer lengths, personally. Hansa's heat treatment is kind of interesting in that it has an almost "plastic" feel to it. I'm not quite sure how to describe it but it's a distinct sensation I've not experienced with any other flexible steel item.

Oh--and I fixed your typo for ya'. :D:thumbup:
 
interesting that you like the hansa over the tramontina. i like the hansa ok for grass and softer vegetation but in my work im rarely cutting just one thing.

overall that middle imacasa in my pix is what i reach for the most. its the most bangin' all purpose machete.
in your experience how do the panga and other pacific island patterns compare to the standard latin pattern?

lol i wonder if fancier is still reading this or if we have dorked-out too much for him. lol
 
Heeheehee dork-itude aplenty for sure! I actually use the same Hansa as you for heavy clearing work. It does heavy chopping well but the length gives it enough tip velocity to still handle grasses decently enough. Really wreaks havoc on goldenrod and thistles either when I'm just doing trimming work or am taking out a small patch. Otherwise I bust out the scythe.

I like the heavily flared panga style (vs. the evenly weighted types like Lasher/CS) a lot because it has little mass at the base of the blade, opting instead to concentrate it at the nose where the bulk of the work is being done. Sharpening a back edge on the spine at the tip makes a handy hooked edge for brambles or other woody-stemmed plants that want to slip off a swept edge.
 
Still here. I'm quite surprised at the volume of information that I've received. Thanks All!
I'm inclined towards my Imacasa panga for chopping, but I've got a Martindale "latin style" that I like for clearing grass. The Martindale's edge does not withstand impact with soil as well as the Imacasa, but it is also thinner. The handle on the Imacasa has needed to have the rivets reset, but the Martindale handle is riveted through washers and has remained tight.
 
So how would we put together a special order for these extra long, extra big, imacasa machetes?

Inquiring minds want to know!
 
Just let me know what ones you want and I'll see if I can get my paws on 'em. No guarantees but I can at least inquire and see if it's possible! :)

Here's the catalog. "Siguente" is the "Next" button.
 
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I know it's not one of the super long ones but the "machete 1008" on page 2, middle row is sweet! That wide blade @ 22 inches long would make a sweet chopper. On a machete 24 inches or longer I have no preference, I have never used one that long before. (BTW, THIS is great service!)
 
^I actually carry those already. You can't see in the stock image but the blade has a deliberate bend 6-7" from the tip that makes it easier to chop level with the ground without having to stoop so much. I've been using one to clear electric fence lines of weeds and it does a great job. I've tried it out on standing wood and the angle doesn't really get in the way at all once you get used to it, and can actually help execute tricky cuts when cutting near stuff you don't want to hit. It's not tapered, though, so it does "sag" slightly but it's not too bad and easily compensated for.
 
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