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Whoops! Double post. 
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Do you think a machete replaces a large "chopping" knife?
- Thread starter SnowmanBob01
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All of the jungle and climate stuff aside, h*ll no! Why don't you see machetes cleaning up in chopping competitions? Of course if they had chopping competitions in Africa or the So. American rain forests you might see some. I'm happy to be able to own both - more blades!
What kind of chopping competitions are these? An honest to goodness axe will kick butt on any Bowie. The chopping competitions I've read about in knife mags seem to be showcases not really for chopping, but for custom makers. Do they usually go head to head with $5 Tramontinas?
There are a few different characteristics that can make a knife a viable chopper. Most obvious are mass and length. Mass allows lots of energy to be put into a chop. Length allows lots of speed. Bowies are typically massive, and large. But are often dwarfed by even the smaller machetes. Machetes are often less massive, but much longer. The big difference is cost of manufacture. Machetes are stamped from relatively thin stock and given very forgiving heat treats and simple edge bevels. Bowies are often made from much thicker stock with more complex grinds, fancier steels, heat treats and ornamentation. The only area where they are distinctly different in performance is in lateral strength, due to the thinness of the machete blade. Even overall mass can be compensated for by making a machete with a wider blade, even if it's no thicker than normal.
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Quick question:
I have 2 Cold Steel machetes and they kind of suck. They would never chop through large tree limbs (unless I had a day or so the pound at them).
What is considered a "good machete," something you can chop off a tree limb, say up to 4" diameter or more. And, that you can, as one poster mentioned, split a tree stump in half with.
I'm looking for name brands to look at and lengths. Thanks
I have 2 Cold Steel machetes and they kind of suck. They would never chop through large tree limbs (unless I had a day or so the pound at them).
What is considered a "good machete," something you can chop off a tree limb, say up to 4" diameter or more. And, that you can, as one poster mentioned, split a tree stump in half with.
I'm looking for name brands to look at and lengths. Thanks
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condor/imacasa, tramontina, cold steel... i've chopped down good sized pines with a cs kukri machete. juniper, bodark, oak... machetes chop it all. and they're easily replaced.
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I have a cs kukri machete the smaller of the two and mine regularly bounces or skids along limbs that are only an inch or two thick. Sometimes it bites in but if the angle isn't right it skids down the limb. I guess I should stick to my Busse BWM, but I had high hopes for the cs machete.
Are the first two better than the cold steel machetes? How about the Ontario "mil-spec" machete - anything special about that one. They say it's the Govt. Issue.
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most machetes need a bit of edge work. condors come with a nice convex edge, my esee lite was an arm shaver out of the box. (after i knocked the laquer off with a screwdriver) i don't really like my ontario, but i haven't reprofiled the edge, either. i prefer a tramontina at half the price. they're fun to modify, too. (and can behead a possum at the jaw)
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Whatcha using for sharpening? Stones? A file? I don't have power tools. Did you really scratch the coating off the machete with a screwdriver?
I use an axe & machete combo when I camp. A big knife seems like a poor compromise between the two.
Here's my machete http://www.machete.com/prod01.htm
and my axe:
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I have been using machetes for my whole life in the swamplands of the Everglades as well as in all of the hunting leases I have been in throughout the southern states. I have regularly used it when needed to take down saplings up to 4" in diameter with no problem at all but you must use proper technique, a sharp blade, and your brains.
For taking down a small tree I just chop a few wedges out of it by going around the tree and then just push the tree over without having to hack all of the way through it. If you try and hack all the way through it you are really making life difficult for yourself and will exert a lot more effort. Convexing the edge will help in keeping it sharp using just some sandpaper and a small wood block to maintain sharpness. A file is always with me in case the edge gets dinged or needs a major resharpening after heavy field use.
It is such a cheap and useful tool that you will not be afraid to use it often and the more you use it the more you will come to appreciate it. It will develop surface rust and patina fairly easily but who cares. The edge will usually remain nice and shiny through use and sharpening. Do yourself a favor and order a 14 or 16 inch Tramontina for less than $15 bucks and use the heck out of it. You will need to sharpen it before use because most machetes come with poor edges from factory. Buy an 8 or 10 inch Nicholson bastard file for less than $10 at Home Depot and put a good sharp edge on it or start learning to put a good sharp edge on it.
If you buy a $30 dollar 1" belt sander from Harbor Freight you can put a kickass convex edge on it as well as any other knife you may have and you will never regret purchasing any of the above.
Machetes are so cheap I have quite a few with one or two always in my truck, one in the storage box of my 4 wheeler, a couple more in my garage for general gardening/tree trimming use, etc. It is the ultimate "beater" blade.
Be careful when chopping with it and always try to swing away from your body. A sharp machete used carelessly can easily cause serious bodily damage to yourself, a bystander, or pet which may be too close when your machete goes through whatever you are cutting.
YMMV.
For taking down a small tree I just chop a few wedges out of it by going around the tree and then just push the tree over without having to hack all of the way through it. If you try and hack all the way through it you are really making life difficult for yourself and will exert a lot more effort. Convexing the edge will help in keeping it sharp using just some sandpaper and a small wood block to maintain sharpness. A file is always with me in case the edge gets dinged or needs a major resharpening after heavy field use.
It is such a cheap and useful tool that you will not be afraid to use it often and the more you use it the more you will come to appreciate it. It will develop surface rust and patina fairly easily but who cares. The edge will usually remain nice and shiny through use and sharpening. Do yourself a favor and order a 14 or 16 inch Tramontina for less than $15 bucks and use the heck out of it. You will need to sharpen it before use because most machetes come with poor edges from factory. Buy an 8 or 10 inch Nicholson bastard file for less than $10 at Home Depot and put a good sharp edge on it or start learning to put a good sharp edge on it.
If you buy a $30 dollar 1" belt sander from Harbor Freight you can put a kickass convex edge on it as well as any other knife you may have and you will never regret purchasing any of the above.
Machetes are so cheap I have quite a few with one or two always in my truck, one in the storage box of my 4 wheeler, a couple more in my garage for general gardening/tree trimming use, etc. It is the ultimate "beater" blade.
Be careful when chopping with it and always try to swing away from your body. A sharp machete used carelessly can easily cause serious bodily damage to yourself, a bystander, or pet which may be too close when your machete goes through whatever you are cutting.
YMMV.
Absolutely... but a machete doesn't replace a big chopper, it IS a big chopper - IFF you pick the right machete... I am fond of this (the blade is only 11 inches) >>>
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Yesterday, I tried my 2 CS machetes again and was thrilled with an increase of results from my 1st attempt.
I had an edge on them but I used a the Nicholson file to put one on this time. It wasn't as nice, like a knife edge, but a real toothy and kind of funky looking.
Since this was my second attempt ever with a machete I didn't know what to expect. My target was small branches growing around barn doors, brick piles and other paths that the mower couldn't reach. I was able to cut down a lot of stuff and only quit because I didn't want to be sore today (I'm no spring chicken).
I think my technique was better. I can't describe what I did except maybe not "holding it like a chopping knife" (death grip) but an "in between grip" that was only hard enough to keep the machete from flying out of my hand.
Some of swings that weren't intended to do much went through small branches with such speed that I'm glad I paid attention to the complete arc of the swing (start to finish) in advance, thus never allowing the blade to hit me - unless of course something misdirected it, which didn't happen.
I've come to believe that this is a technique and once learned by experience, will get more and more easy to do. :thumbup:
I had an edge on them but I used a the Nicholson file to put one on this time. It wasn't as nice, like a knife edge, but a real toothy and kind of funky looking.
Since this was my second attempt ever with a machete I didn't know what to expect. My target was small branches growing around barn doors, brick piles and other paths that the mower couldn't reach. I was able to cut down a lot of stuff and only quit because I didn't want to be sore today (I'm no spring chicken).
I think my technique was better. I can't describe what I did except maybe not "holding it like a chopping knife" (death grip) but an "in between grip" that was only hard enough to keep the machete from flying out of my hand.
Some of swings that weren't intended to do much went through small branches with such speed that I'm glad I paid attention to the complete arc of the swing (start to finish) in advance, thus never allowing the blade to hit me - unless of course something misdirected it, which didn't happen.
I've come to believe that this is a technique and once learned by experience, will get more and more easy to do. :thumbup:
They're just too different to say one is better than the other in all cases. I've used my RD 9 for tasks that were far better for a machete (clearing soft brush, eg) and I've used a cheap wood-handled, made in China machete for batoning (you can really feel it sink into the wood but when it stops it STOPS -- it's that convex edge that admittedly I don't keep as sharp as I could).
Though it can be awkward, a machete is often so light weight you you can easily find a way to bring one with you into the outdoors (in your vehicle or lashed to a backpack -- I don't really like the feel of an 18" machete swinging from my hip).
As much as I love having my RD 9 with me, most of the action that knife has seen often would have been better performed by other other knives. While the big knife is more versatile, I love knives too much not to have a multitool, a folder, and a camp kitchen knife with me on anything longer than a dayhike.
And here in Minnesota, there's a pretty decent stigma associated with large blades of any kind, so I'm pretty unlikely to carry either large blade when out for a dayhike, even far from the cities. (Though the large chopper will fit inside the pack, unlike the machete.)
Though it can be awkward, a machete is often so light weight you you can easily find a way to bring one with you into the outdoors (in your vehicle or lashed to a backpack -- I don't really like the feel of an 18" machete swinging from my hip).
As much as I love having my RD 9 with me, most of the action that knife has seen often would have been better performed by other other knives. While the big knife is more versatile, I love knives too much not to have a multitool, a folder, and a camp kitchen knife with me on anything longer than a dayhike.
And here in Minnesota, there's a pretty decent stigma associated with large blades of any kind, so I'm pretty unlikely to carry either large blade when out for a dayhike, even far from the cities. (Though the large chopper will fit inside the pack, unlike the machete.)
cziv,
Those top 2 wood handled 14" and 18" are a nice pair to have. I would not go longer than 18" blade because they start getting unwieldy unless you use them every day for a living like they do in Central and South America. I think you will probably like the shorter one more but that is just a guess on my part. Make a squished pvc tube sheath for it and you're all set.
Those top 2 wood handled 14" and 18" are a nice pair to have. I would not go longer than 18" blade because they start getting unwieldy unless you use them every day for a living like they do in Central and South America. I think you will probably like the shorter one more but that is just a guess on my part. Make a squished pvc tube sheath for it and you're all set.
Personally I'm partial to the 1/8" thick Ontario models, they're nearly twice as thick as most machetes. I've even used my 22" ontario to cut through a 20+ inch pine after hurricane Rita. it wasn't fun, but I wanted to see if I could do it, and it did surprisingly well without all that much exhaustion. But in the end I decided to stick with my Stihl for anything larger than 8".
My preference is a machete for brush and softwoods, and an axe for hardwoods. If I had to choose only one tool to take with me to last a very long time out in the wild, then a nice thick spine Busse would be my choice since it can accomplish just about any task and is damn near indestructible, but for an average outing I'll keep my machete. It's lighter, longer, cheaper, and cuts better IMO.
My preference is a machete for brush and softwoods, and an axe for hardwoods. If I had to choose only one tool to take with me to last a very long time out in the wild, then a nice thick spine Busse would be my choice since it can accomplish just about any task and is damn near indestructible, but for an average outing I'll keep my machete. It's lighter, longer, cheaper, and cuts better IMO.
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seasoned osage orange. the only wood i've encountered in s/e oklahoma that a machete doesn't excel at. but, then, nothing really excels at that.
went to my grandma's house for sunday dinner, and to help clean up the bodark in her back yard. thing's monstrous. three main trunks, each 3' or more in diameter. climbed up with my ESEE light, and chopped away a lot of young growth, and quite a bit of dead stuff. as long as it was an inch or less, the machete handled it fine. had a nice tough dead limb about 4" thick, and after a couple of chops, it was like hitting granite. rolled the edge for about an inch right on the sweet spot.
tried with a hatchet, and it wasn't making any progress, either... there's a lot of good potential handle scales in that tree...
went to my grandma's house for sunday dinner, and to help clean up the bodark in her back yard. thing's monstrous. three main trunks, each 3' or more in diameter. climbed up with my ESEE light, and chopped away a lot of young growth, and quite a bit of dead stuff. as long as it was an inch or less, the machete handled it fine. had a nice tough dead limb about 4" thick, and after a couple of chops, it was like hitting granite. rolled the edge for about an inch right on the sweet spot.
tried with a hatchet, and it wasn't making any progress, either... there's a lot of good potential handle scales in that tree...
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Simple enough, get yourself a Woodsmens Pal
http://www.woodmanspal.com/index.html
""A machete with the power of an axe"
"The WOODMAN'S PAL® machete is designed to trim, prune, chop, split, blaze trails, brush out lines, clear campsites, chop firewood, split kindling, build hunting blinds or lean-to-shelters."
http://www.woodmanspal.com/index.html
""A machete with the power of an axe"
"The WOODMAN'S PAL® machete is designed to trim, prune, chop, split, blaze trails, brush out lines, clear campsites, chop firewood, split kindling, build hunting blinds or lean-to-shelters."
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