Entrek or Svord

[jfirack]

I am looking at around a 12" model in both an Entrek and a Svord but can only afford one. Which would you recommend for basic backwoods bumming and why? Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[marcinek]

Entrek.

Svords are not as "crafted" as the Entreks.

 

[elkins45]

Entrek. No hesitation at all. It's essentially a handmade knife at a production price.

 

[bld522]

Piling on. Entrek!

 

[mtangent]

I'm not a fan of Svord. Rough & ready, & the L6 didn't impress me.

 

[Sonnemann]

For a knife that big I prefer the L6 over 440C though.

 

[rctk1]

i have the svord machete in L6, the heat treat on the machete didnt impress me at all. Knife dulls way to quick cutting coconuts and banana trees. Also if the knife isnt wiped down and oiled after each use the rust build up is quick, I'm always having to resharpen the knife periodically because the rust likes to build up along the edge causing a very rough toothy edge.

 

[A.L.]

Svord. Better grind and better steel, in my opinion anyway.
I never had any problems with heat treat.

 

[The Mastiff]

i have the svord machete in L6, the heat treat on the machete didn't impress me at all. Knife dulls way to quick cutting coconuts and banana trees. Also if the knife isn't wiped down and oiled after each use the rust build up is quick, I'm always having to resharpen the knife periodically because the rust likes to build up along the edge causing a very rough toothy edge.

It's true L6 will rust fairly quickly if not taken care of but on the other hand it's lots tougher than 440C. To get one strong enough to be undamaged by cutting coconuts and banana trees you need to make the edge thicker. Very much thicker. 440C isn't as tough as the powder new high carbide steels like S30V, S35VN, Elmax, etc much less a 0.65 - 0.75 % carbon/chrome/nickel tool steel designed for toughness. Yes, 440C should have greater abrasive wear resistance than L6 though keeping the edge thick for strength might lower the cutting ability.

 

[DShiflet]

I have no issues using the Svord machete...for what it's meant to be used for. I have several coconut machetes, and believe me, the Svord is not one of them. Not saying it won't be able to, but the Svord is a light, pack machete, meant for clearing brush and light vegetation, not chopping trees and splitting coconuts. You wanna do that, get you a dao, or a golok or something.