custom machete

[jcs71]

I have a question for all of you. Have any of you thought about having a custom machete made for the hell of it and of course to use?
I know a lot of you just go out and buy one and modify it. What I was thinking is getting one made out of something like ats-34 with micarta handle. I thought of the blade length to be 15 inches. It is between 18 which is standard and 12 which is looked at with somewhat high respect. As I said the handle will be micarta. I would guess probably around 1/8 inch thick blade. I thought it would be neat to have one made out of a stainless variant so it wouldn't rust too easily and take a very , very good edge. The sheath I haven't quite decided yet but looking at a synthetic of some design. I am keeping my mind open for a nice leather sheath too. Any thoughts?

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Ross Aki used to make exactly what you describe. Generally the price of a custom machete would be 10-100X the cost of a decent one, so not a lot of people are so interested. I would suggest 12C27M vs ATS-34. Far tougher and more corrosion resistant.

-CLiff

 

[Dantor]

I agree with Cliff, it is hard to justify it with so many good, way less expensive machete's out there...

 

[RescueRiley]

carbon steel can't e beat for a machete...it's a high impact piece of equipment and will get dull and chipped from use regardless of the steel used...a hard stainless steel while having good edge retention is converesly difficult to sharpen , and with the price of good machetes if you get one and it rusts up on you you can get a new one, or just sand the rust off and continue to use it I have an ontario 12 inch, its a beast chops great, battons like a charm and takes a functinonal machete edge easily when I come home I wash it with soap and water, dry it and coat it w/ vegetable oil and havn't had a problem yet..and at 18 bucks you can afford to get acouple other things to go with it.

 

[shecky]

There may be a market in the US for a "boutique" machete. In places such as the tropics where machetes are commonly used, they are simply viewed as disposable tools. I doubt there'd be much market for premium steels/heat treats/fancy grinds in these places, because high priced machetes would be subject to just as much abuse, face all the same, or worse, risk of failure/loss, and is seems unlikely they'd offer enough in better performance to justify the additional cost. They'd increasingly be objects of desire, not tools. Current machetes are as good as they have to be, and no more.

There is a growing boutique machete market in the US. Cold Steel and Condor/Imacasa have recently been marketing some unusual machete and machete-like large knives. These new wares have some novel features to help justify the higher prices, it's yet to be seen if any of these features will actually offer enough value to render the $6 machete obsoete.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

There are a few of these already; RTAK, Patrol Machete and even a few of the larger Swamp Rats. There are also similar knives like the Valiant Goloks, not machetes, but long knives which work very well for such work.

-Cliff

 

[mrostov]

I've got an 18" USGI machete made by SWI that has a green plastic sheath that I've had since the military. It's been a real workhorse. One thing about a carbon steel machete, if you get blood on it, don't just put it back in the sheath and forget about it. It quickly rusts the blade pretty bad, way faster than plain water.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

...........and with the price of good machetes if you get one and it rusts up on you you can get a new one, or just sand the rust off and continue to use it ....

Or, you can spray the blade with any old rust preventative paint that you have laying around the house, When you use it, the paint will come off the parts that contact the wood, which won't rust anyway, if it is being used pretty regularly, and the parts that aren't are painted,

Doc

 

[foxyrick]

Never mind a custom machete, just find one of these:

Al Mar Pathfind. 14" blade (near enough), stainless, razor sharp on both edges. Has cut a few trees down in its time and cleared campsites in very bushy areas.

Rick.

 

[Andros]

There are a few of these already; RTAK, Patrol Machete and even a few of the larger Swamp Rats. There are also similar knives like the Valiant Goloks, not machetes, but long knives which work very well for such work.

-Cliff

The Valiant Goloks are exceptional bladeware! I have a Large Survival Golok and a Golok Kelapa and I know by experience that they are true performers:thumbup:! No bells and whistles, just plain business.

 

[Andros]

Never mind a custom machete, just find one of these:

Al Mar Pathfind. 14" blade (near enough), stainless, razor sharp on both edges. Has cut a few trees down in its time and cleared campsites in very bushy areas.

Rick.

This is a big knife, no doubt about it. I would think that it should also be a heavy one. What is the blade thickness of it? If I remember well it should be 1/4". If I am not mistaken then, that should create a lot of fatigue to the user. Machetes have been around for years being used by people who depend theit lives on them. There is at least one good reason for which they are around 1/8" thick.

 

[mrostov]

Probably one of your best bets for an over the counter solution would be a Cold Steel LTC Kukri.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Machetes actually have the same weight as thicker bowies because the bowies have primary grinds. A 1/4" knife with the same width and a flat grind weighs the same amount as a 1/8" thick knives with a machete grind. Some machetes are however very light (martindale) due to distal tapers.

-Cliff

 

[foxyrick]

Andros,

It's exactly 4mm thick, or 0.157" = 5/32", half way between 1/8" and 3/16". Both bevels semi-hollow ground.

It's not as heavy as it looks, although I wouldn't describe it as a fast knife.

For light bush I certainly agree that a thinner, longer and much cheaper machete would be much better. This one handles heavier bush and small branches with ease though, easier than the machetes I have tried. More momentum behind the swing. Also chops firewood quite well, although it tends to bind easily in deeper splitting cuts. I've cut down two 4-5" thick trees with it, no problems.

You can even use both edges on lighter stuff and just swing back and forth. So, heavier, but fewer swings required.

To be honest, I bought it when I was too young and nieve to know any better. I went to the knife shop for a big Chris Reeves knife, but they didn't have one in stock so I bought this.

I do enjoy using it though. No Regrets!

Rick.

 

[shecky]

Machetes actually have the same weight as thicker bowies because the bowies have primary grinds. A 1/4" knife with the same width and a flat grind weighs the same amount as a 1/8" thick knives with a machete grind. Some machetes are however very light (martindale) due to distal tapers.

-Cliff

Do you know of any reasonably priced Bowies that are decent? The only one I might consider would be the Ontario SP5 (?) full grind 12 incher, but your sample seems to have had less than stellar performance. Most decent Bowies are well out of my price range, and feel heftier than I might like, though I've never had the opportunity to actually weigh them.

I bought a Meyerco "axe" on closeout for $6 that is more like a 12" Ontario machete/Bowie, with a 1/4" thick full grind blade in 420J2. It's about a half pound heavier than a Tramontina Bolo. Heft alone seems to make it chop OK, the stock edge bevel had a grind of about 45-50 degrees inclusive. The belt sander too that hard shoulder off the bevel, but 420J2 seems to take small chips easily. I'd use it more as a beater, but I'm afraid a hard chop will hurl a chunk of blade in my direction. That aside, the handle, size and shape would be really nice if implemented in a tougher steel.

 

[Bill Siegle]

I used to offer custom machetes from 3V. "Custom" and "machete" are two words that the market has a hard time buying. That being said, there is nothing quite like a custom anything Sculpted handles that fit,steel choice with the specific traits YOU want and some thing missing from almost all commercial machetes, a descent sheath. If you have the funds to spend, find a maker and get your dream blade made. You'll be happy you did

 

[loki67]

A long way in the right direction would be after-market removable micarta scales for the Ontarios. They would really improve a great blade. With those and a decent sheath you could destroy the blade get another one and have basically the same setup in minutes.

 

[mmmotorcycle]

Maybe Moodino could chime in. He has designed a half a dozen or so machetes with Justin of Ranger Knives. If I recall correctly, they go for about 125 USD.

 

[the possum]

One thing about a carbon steel machete, if you get blood on it, don't just put it back in the sheath and forget about it. It quickly rusts the blade pretty bad, way faster than plain water.

While I'm generally not too concerned about keeping such blades pretty, I've never seen blood as a problem. It dries so fast I don't get any noticeable staining. On the other hand, if you just try to sorta wipe the blade off in wet grass, the added water will speed things along. Stomach contents (acid) are usually worse.

I used to offer custom machetes from 3V. "Custom" and "machete" are two words that the market has a hard time buying.

Got any links to pictures of 'em? Maybe "Brush Knife" would be a better moniker for sales.

Machetes actually have the same weight as thicker bowies because the bowies have primary grinds. A 1/4" knife with the same width and a flat grind weighs the same amount as a 1/8" thick knives with a machete grind.

Thanks for bringing that up. I am often puzzled by folks who assume machetes must be light and fast handling just because they're made from thin stock.

What is the blade thickness of it? If I remember well it should be 1/4". If I am not mistaken then, that should create a lot of fatigue to the user.

Again, mass distribution is what really matters when it comes to things like fatigue, speed, and power. Not what thickness stock it happens to be ground from. (just talking in general there; not necessarily about the pictured blade.)

Machetes have been around for years being used by people who depend theit lives on them. There is at least one good reason for which they are around 1/8" thick.

Yeah, probably because that's the cheapest way for manufacturers to crank them out. If the folks who depend on machetes for their livelihood had money, they wouldn't be using machetes. They'd be using big power equipment.

Wish I could say I've had the funds to experiment with various offerings in this category, but I haven't. Maybe one of these days I'll just have to make one.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Do you know of any reasonably priced Bowies that are decent?

That would be the issue, the price of a decent bowie is at minimum 10x and more reasonably 100X the cost of a decent machete. The only way to get similar prices on knives like that is to buy local knives from places like India and other similar countries. They cost about $2-3 CAN.

-Cliff