Cold Steel machetes

W

wreckager

Joined
Nov 23, 2009
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Ive been looking for a cheap user machete,and have decided that the cold steel machetes suit that job well.My question is which model would be best for general backyard chores E.g chopping back brush?
 
Cold steel machetes are great IMO,I would get the latin or if your looking at pics. online get one with a handel like the latin because I find the handel on them alot more comfortably then the handel on the bolo or hevey mechetes.
 
I have the 18 inch latin machete, and sheath which i had to buy seperately. After a good sharpening in this case using a metal file which took about 15minutes the machete was ready for use. I did remove the cold steel sticker using a stainly knife blade . Use it when walking the dog around the fields on smallholding cutting back new hedge growth which starts to touch the electric fencing wires. Cutting hazle, sycamore, thorne, holly, bramble etc up to about 1 inch thick with no problems at all . Handle comfortable and feels secure when swipping the vegetation. Good tool for intended purpose . FARON
 
22" latin.
But if you want to save a little dough, everybody here seems to think pretty highly of Tramontina machetes.
 
My buddy has a few of the Cold Steel machetes and we use them to clear shooting lanes where we hunt. They are really good for they money.
 
I'd get an Imacasa or Hansa but that's just me. If it must be a CS one, I say go with the Latin, panga, or bolo (do they still make the bolo?)
 
What sort of plants do you intend to be mostly cutting with it, and how dense is the vegetation? That will affect what style is most appropriate for you. :)
 
The vegetation is mostly vines and thin limbs.Also i live in Australia so i'd rather not bother about getting an imacasa through customs (expensive).I kinda dont like the look of the latin machete for some reason,but the bolo and heavy machetes look quite good.
 
Wreckager I live in OZ too - If your chopping get a Bolo style or golok style. If your slashing / peircing get the American latin style machete -- a bit harder to find in oz , Tramontina make one you should be able to find , flexible light blade for clearing vines / tall grass.
If you can find martindales w702 model its kind of inbetween a bolo and a latin. would be cheaper than the CS models , they usually about $30 , next price up from the tramontinas and martindales.
 
I guess cs is more expensive because of the nylon handle and painted blade. The paint should protect from rust , but be prepared to give it a good sharpen , because they dont come with much of an edge ,& the paint is thicker at the point where it gums down after being dipped and hung at the factory. The only CS models I've seen in OZ in a store is the Bolo and the heavy , but every now and then there is a whole bunch of models on ebay (way over-priced) for like 45$. I wish SOMEONE would import some Imacas for decent prices --- I think tyey would sell well.
A couple years back you could buy Okapi machetes , but the supply seems to have dried up.
 
I would recommend the Crocodile Machete by Pro Force.
crocodilejunglemachete.jpg
 
mossyhorn said:
I would recommend the Crocodile Machete by Pro Force.
crocodilejunglemachete.jpg
Click to expand...

It's not by Pro Force--It's actually manufactured by Ralph Martindale. :)

wreckager said:
The vegetation is mostly vines and thin limbs.Also i live in Australia so i'd rather not bother about getting an imacasa through customs (expensive).I kinda dont like the look of the latin machete for some reason,but the bolo and heavy machetes look quite good.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about customs, but I've shipped two machetes to Australia (actually one machete and one billhook, both to different folks) and shipping from the 'states was around $20 by USPS, which I don't think is too awful a price to pay for getting the right tool for the job.

If you're mostly cutting vines and thin limbs I'd actually avoid the heavier patterns, as they're going to be more tiring with extended use and you don't need that kind of mass to cut something so light. If Martindale is more available to you than Imacasa, I'd go for something along these lines. It ought to do very well on the light targets you seem to be going after.

yhst-29358752693524_2099_19770580


However, if you're willing to go the Imacasa route I'd go for something like this fellow--a Cuma pattern:

yhst-29358752693524_2099_2204627


I mod machetes for resale in my spare moments and, among a few others, I'm working on customizing one like the model above. It's a real heavy hitter with good forward mass/momentum and that forward curve will hold light grasses, vines, and thin limbs INTO the edge instead of slipping off the point like such light/flexible targets are prone to. :)
 
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Correct, but it is marketed by Pro Force and also sold under Sheffield.
 
i have the 24 inch latin, and i love it
it is pretty long, but it is the best out there for the money
 
I have the 12 inch bowie machete. For the $12 I paid, it'ts hard to beat the value there. That said, look at this:

[youtube]fj4jn6WfPlw&feature[/youtube]
 
Can't believe any body has not suggested a CS Kukri machete.Don't have one yet but meaning to get one.I would imagine it was be the best of the bunch for yard work.
 
im going to go against the grain, and say CS machetes are JUNK. ive owned CS proucts, so im not a hater, but i was REALLY dissapointed with mine. i bought a Woodsmans Pal and it was worth the money. yes i realize i could have bought a couple more CSs for the price, but if they all were like the first ones, theyd be in the scrap pile by now anyway. everything from a cracked handle from the factory, to ones blade looked like a banana it was so curved. yes it might have worked, but all in all everyone let me down. one of them had nearly 2" of blade chip right off the end with regular usage. spend the money, and get a good machete.
 
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