Folding Machete request

stabman

stabman

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2007
Messages
21,327
I recently cut down a Hawthorne tree with my G-10 Extra Large Espada in order to make a walking stick.
It worked well, but I had to use a brass hammer to get a warp out the edge afterward (it's fine now...frozen wood at -10 degrees Celsius can be tough).

Which got me thinking...

Take the same design with the same thickness of stock, and just make it with a convex blade grind instead of a hollow grind.
Talking about the blade grind itself, not just the edge.
Instant true folding machete.

It wouldn't weigh much more, the steel cost would be the exact same, but it would up the utility value a bunch, while retaining any fighting usage needs for folks who want that.

Come on, let's get it done! :)
 
why not just use a regular machete....."folding machete" doesn't sound very safe. I trust the tri ad lock but any mechanism can malfunction.
 
Rip Gut Tactical said:
why not just use a regular machete
Click to expand...

A full machete doesn't fit in my pocket or backpack.

Why not use a saw?
Why not use an axe?
Why not use a bulldozer? ;)

Variety is a good thing, which is borne out by the fact that most knife manufacturers manufacture more than one knife. :thumbup:
 
stabman said:
A full machete doesn't fit in my pocket or backpack.
Click to expand...

Won't fit in a pocket, okay, but won't fit in a backpack? What kinda backpack do you carry? The only backpacks I've seen that are too small to carry something like the Svord Kiwi Machete, the Imacasa 12C, or the Ontario 12'' Cutlass Machete(for example) are things like the Hello Kitty backpack my niece carried to kindergarden...
 
DShiflet said:
Won't fit in a pocket, okay, but won't fit in a backpack? What kinda backpack do you carry?
Click to expand...

A Junglas fits in the pack.
It's a Swiss Gear backpack.

For a full machete, I want more than a 12 inch blade, which sure won't fit in the pack.
 
Maybe I should have said EASILY fits in the backpack.
As in you can still carry books, lunch, and your shopping without any issues. I forgot it in there for a month one time. :)
I like a handy tool that can be unobtrusively carried, and the G-10 Extra Large Espada fits the bill...except for the blade grind as regards straight up toughness.
 
The Espada is a very thinly ground knife designed for shearing. It's a specialized tool and one I would never recommend for hard use bushcraft chores that involve chopping.
It's the wrong tool for the job
I've seen people processing wood with other folders from our line up (XL Recon I, Rajah II etc) and although it's possible in an emergency for sure, I still wouldn't recommend it.

I usually suggest packing a Trail Hawk head (with sheath). It's relatively small and not too heavy. It can be used as a wedge to split wood and can scrape, carve, hammer and hack with ease. It can also be used to fashion it's own handle - then you have an axe :)
Best of all, it keeps your knife clean, sharp and ready for tasks that require a finer and more precise edge.
I met a group of survivalists a few years ago who taught me about the trick with the hawk head and it really opened my eyes. I never leave home without one (usually wrapped in paracord and kept in the trunk of my car with my SF Shovel).
I recommend it often
 
Sounds like a silly idea. A folder isn't made to absorb shock. Wouldn't take more than a couple dozen smacks to some hardwood and your lock would fly apart, maybe leaving your blade lodged in your neck or chest. Not good.

There are plenty of folding saws that would fit your needs, though.
 
crystalEyes said:
Sounds like a silly idea. A folder isn't made to absorb shock. Wouldn't take more than a couple dozen smacks to some hardwood and your lock would fly apart,
Click to expand...

Well there are people here who have done just that on knives with the Triad lock that didn't even develop blade play after that, much less have their "lock fly apart".
 
DShiflet said:
Well there are people here who have done just that on knives with the Triad lock that didn't even develop blade play after that, much less have their "lock fly apart".
Click to expand...

There's also people that fall out of crashing airplanes, thousands of feet in the air, and manage to land on the ground safely. Some people survive being struck by lightning. But when you're chopping something hard with a $60 folder you've got to ask yourself a question: "do I feel lucky?"

The cold steel rep above even said "possible in an emergency". If those cats won't endorse it, I wouldnt try it.
 
crystalEyes said:
Sounds like a silly idea. A folder isn't made to absorb shock. Wouldn't take more than a couple dozen smacks to some hardwood and your lock would fly apart, maybe leaving your blade lodged in your neck or chest. Not good.

There are plenty of folding saws that would fit your needs, though.
Click to expand...

Wrong, wrong, wrong.
It isn't the first tree I've cut down with that knife.
The lock is still rock solid.
All I ever had to do is tighten the pivot.
The edge is the only part that took any damage.
 
But it's all a moot point, seeing as Cold Steel has no interest in such a thing.
S, I will just have to build one myself. :)
It won't have a Tri-Ad lock, but I know how to get the result I'm going for.
 
Don't let me stop you, man. I'm content to sit back and let evolution sort em out. I'm just sayin I would not practice forestry clearing with a pocket knife. Surely you have enough sense to admit that a folding saw would be a safer, faster, and easier way to fell a tree. Cheaper too. I still use one I got from cabelas years ago for like $20.

Silly idea. Thats all I'll say on it.
 
crystalEyes said:
Surely you have enough sense to admit that a folding saw would be a safer, faster, and easier way to fell a tree. Cheaper too.
Click to expand...

Faster? Depends on the size of tree and the saw.
For the size of tree I was dealing with, I've found that a saw was no faster.

As to safety, I have a healthy (or unhealthy) disregard for the concept.
I recently found out that 3/8" rope is not the best choice for sliding down 3 storeys using only gloves.

Safe? Nope. :)
Brighten up the drudgery of our boring, oh-so-safe, "I want to die connected to tubes!" way of life?
Yep.
 
Well can't argue with you there. However, I'm too heavy and frail for those kind of shenanigans now, and depend on my health to earn a living. To each their own I guess.

I like a kukri for chopping. Even a small one can handle good sized limbs and small trees.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top