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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
CUSTOM MACHETE Challenge!
- Thread starter Joezilla
- Start date
Great Review--
Looking forward to more
BTW--that Siegle looks defective
Better send it to me for PROPER disposal..
PLEASE
Good Gawd-you have enough-That knife NEEDS to stay in Oregon- like at my house
:thumbup:
Bill Siegle
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Love the reviews so far 
Glad I joined in on the fun!
Glad I joined in on the fun!
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- Jan 7, 2003
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Very cool. I'm really enjoying this. The glory of a custom machete is that you get a blade made to your specs for the type of work you need it to do. These blades are very different and this thread will yield good info. Which one is "best" really depends on what they will be used for. Even "general purpose" varies quite a bit depending on where you go.
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Great Review--
Looking forward to more
BTW--that Siegle looks defective
Better send it to me for PROPER disposal..
PLEASE
Good Gawd-you have enough-That knife NEEDS to stay in Oregon- like at my house
If it is going to stay in Oregon, it should be in the hardwood forest along the Alsea River. I know just the place for it.
bumpity for a little photo oogling of all of them...
:thumbup:
:thumbup:David Farmer's Custom Machete entry arrived today. Looking like an over sized Punal Gaucho knife, or maybe a Khyber Bowie, it is certainly a unique take on the machete.
Top to bottom: Magnussen's Parang, Siegle's Bolo, Farmer's Khyber Machete, Culberson's Bolo Machete, and Koyote's Bolo Machete. Or at least that's how I am describing them for now.
Toucan Oasis
BANNED
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My guys will be here at 700, in 1.5 hours. I'll let them pick.
For what I personally do, which is putz around in the garden, I'd like the Koyote. It would be the best digger and appears to have enough handle to knock the dogchit out of a big bamboo trunk.
For what I personally do, which is putz around in the garden, I'd like the Koyote. It would be the best digger and appears to have enough handle to knock the dogchit out of a big bamboo trunk.
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- Sep 9, 2005
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Why am I doing these together? Because they are so similar in design and size, that back to back use is the only way for me to detect subtle differences in performance. The Koyote (Christof's) is slightly heaver at 25 oz today on my cheap Sunbeam scale. It has a blade just over 16 3/4" long. Bruce's weighs in a 22 oz with a 17 1/2" long blade. His has a nice Purple heart wood handle while the Koyote uses a unique burlap micarta for scales. Both are differentially tempered 1080 steel, 1/8" thick with convex grinds, but Bruce's has a micro-bevel final edge, while Christof's is a zero grind convex.
Bruce's Edge:
Christof's Edge:
The balance points are slightly different, too, with Bruce's having a slightly more blade heavy feel. Here you see both machetes balanced on the wood.
I apologize for the fuzzy pictures. My camera lens had a smudge on it, and I didn't realize it until the testing was done. Here I tear into some varied brush growing around some trees I need to chop down. The big machete just sailed right through everything in its path. It's an efficient slasher.
While I personally prefer a lighter machete for this kind of work, like a 22" blade Tramontina, I cannot fault this machete at all. It does the job very well indeed. As the man said, "Grow Stronger". Next up: Some chopping action.
Bruce's Edge:
Christof's Edge:
The balance points are slightly different, too, with Bruce's having a slightly more blade heavy feel. Here you see both machetes balanced on the wood.
I apologize for the fuzzy pictures. My camera lens had a smudge on it, and I didn't realize it until the testing was done. Here I tear into some varied brush growing around some trees I need to chop down. The big machete just sailed right through everything in its path. It's an efficient slasher.
While I personally prefer a lighter machete for this kind of work, like a 22" blade Tramontina, I cannot fault this machete at all. It does the job very well indeed. As the man said, "Grow Stronger". Next up: Some chopping action.
Last edited:
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Bruce's machete is a very good chopper, too. A 17.5" blade can get some speed on in, and the blade heavy feel helps. It was quite comfortable for me to chop with, vibration was not a problem.
I did a little wood splitting with it. This is some tough wood with twisted grain, not the easiest stuff to baton through. The machete held up fine to my pounding.
I like the long handle on this one. I can grab it at the rear for maximum power, or choke up on it for more control when chopping in tight places.
The Koyote slashes just as well. While heavier than Bruce's, it swings just as easily because of the balance point being closer to the hand. That convex edge just eats up brush.
Now that I have some of the brush cleared away, time to use these big machetes to take out a tree.
I did a little wood splitting with it. This is some tough wood with twisted grain, not the easiest stuff to baton through. The machete held up fine to my pounding.
I like the long handle on this one. I can grab it at the rear for maximum power, or choke up on it for more control when chopping in tight places.
The Koyote slashes just as well. While heavier than Bruce's, it swings just as easily because of the balance point being closer to the hand. That convex edge just eats up brush.
Now that I have some of the brush cleared away, time to use these big machetes to take out a tree.
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Just so Christof wouldn't feel left out, I went back after I had done all the chopping and split some wood with his machete. I never doubted it would do fine. At least these pics aren't as fuzzy. 
Back to the task at hand, this dying Red Bay must come down. I might as well use the big machetes on it.
Done! Now I have to buck the limbs. I really could not tell much difference in chopping performance between the two machetes. Maybe the Koyote bit a little deeper, but it is really too close to call.
Back to the task at hand, this dying Red Bay must come down. I might as well use the big machetes on it.
Done! Now I have to buck the limbs. I really could not tell much difference in chopping performance between the two machetes. Maybe the Koyote bit a little deeper, but it is really too close to call.
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Just for fun, and as further testing, I used all five machetes to buck the limbs. Of course, they all did this fine, but I do have a favorite one for this task.
The heavy short bolo from Bill Siegle just excells in close quarters chopping work.
Having a nice straight section of the tree to use. I gave it 15 chops from each of these machetes. The Koyote went the deepest. The other big machete was so close, my technique and consistency could easily account for the difference.
The next deepest was the Siegle Bolo, followed by Rick's parang and David's Pig Sticker Machete, which were about the same.
The heavy short bolo from Bill Siegle just excells in close quarters chopping work.
Having a nice straight section of the tree to use. I gave it 15 chops from each of these machetes. The Koyote went the deepest. The other big machete was so close, my technique and consistency could easily account for the difference.
The next deepest was the Siegle Bolo, followed by Rick's parang and David's Pig Sticker Machete, which were about the same.
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Machetes differ so much in ideology... edge grind, weight, balance, shape, general purpose... I don't see how any one of these machete designs could be a loser, as long as fit and finish are par.
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Now comes the hard part. I'd be happy to own any of these machetes. Really, we have two categories here: Long ones and short ones. In the short ones, the light, efficient mini-parang from Rick Marchand is my personal favorite for a belt carry blade that can do it all. But performance is what it is, and Bill Siegle's super comfy heavy chopper can out chop the parang or David's cool pointy machete. David's knife wins the cool factor. It's a slashing and sticking machine, and as I have shown, it can chop well, too. Any mountain man or swamper would be well equipped with the Farmer knife. But as a short machete, I think Bill Siegle's bolo is the top one here. Despite its weight, it slashes brush as well as the others, even if it takes a bit more effort. The handle is easily the most comfortable one of the bunch, too. But that is just my impression and opinion. Joe may see it differently in his review.
Now for the big ones. Performance wise, there just isn't any significant difference that I can tell. Both chop and slash brush very well. Both have large, comfortable handles. It all comes down to personal preference on this one. I prefer the balance and feel on the Koyote machete.
None of this is scientific. The makers made what they thought a proper machete should be, and I used them the way I use a machete. All the edges are about as good as they were out of the box, and there were no failures of any kind with any of these fine machetes. Not even one chipped or rolled edge. That is a testament to the quality of all these fine blades.
Now for the big ones. Performance wise, there just isn't any significant difference that I can tell. Both chop and slash brush very well. Both have large, comfortable handles. It all comes down to personal preference on this one. I prefer the balance and feel on the Koyote machete.
None of this is scientific. The makers made what they thought a proper machete should be, and I used them the way I use a machete. All the edges are about as good as they were out of the box, and there were no failures of any kind with any of these fine machetes. Not even one chipped or rolled edge. That is a testament to the quality of all these fine blades.
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No losers here, for sure. As I said, I'd be happy to own any of them. :thumbup:
:thumbup:
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Awesome testing. Can't wait to see Joe's videos, too. You can tell so much about a machete by seeing it in motion.
Rick--I hope you still have that giant axe-handled beast around? I love the parang, but I really want to see the big guy in action!
Rick--I hope you still have that giant axe-handled beast around? I love the parang, but I really want to see the big guy in action!
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That is about the sneakiest way out of a tough descision I've seen in a while...
Bravo, Vic:thumbup: You did a great job on everything!! Congrats to the other makers.... what a challenge, indeed!!I still like the Farmer.
Rick