Gerber Gator Machete?

J

jawilder

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
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My machete flew off my tailgate the other day and i couldn't find it anywhere on the road. I watched the sparks fly, but just couldn't find it anywhere. It's no big deal that I lost it b/c it only cost me 8 dollars or so but now I am in the market for a new machete.

My local selection would include the Gerber Gator machete/saw, Ontario various sizes from army surplus, or Cold Steel (they don't have Kuhkri).

Out of these three, which would you suggest? I have no problem putting a good edge on one if it comes with a crap factory edge.
 
i have heard several stories of the gerber failing badly at the handle/blade junction, due to a very short tang.

in my opinion, you can't go wrong with ontario or cold steel. i would say if you go ontario, try to get the thicker version (around 1/8" thick) instead of the "economy" version (around 3/32" or 1/16" thick).
 
The Ontario machetes are great. Still have mine and I keep it super sharp. Other good brands are Tramontina and Wetterling, although the Wetterling machetes are very hard to find. Those Tramontinas are made of carbon steel and really take a nice edge and hold it for quite a while. They're pretty inexpensive, too.
 
I have a Gerber Gator and although it hasn't given me any problems I would vote for the Tramontina
 
I'm not a fan of anything that big that I'm carrying in my hand and swinging as I go with saw teeth on the back.

Tramontina or Condor. Considering how Ontario is treating RAT these days, I wouldn't buy anything from them.
 
yeah, I dont like to get to caught up in politics, but ontario is taking a nose dive. Go for a Tramontina, martindale or a coldsteel.
 
The Tramontinas are hard to beat for the price. If you want a nice machete with a quality sheath, take a look at Condor. They don't rust and they chop great.
 
I second the motion to find a tramontina... My dad passed one down to me thats older then me and its been to hell n back..
 
Of the three I'd go with the Ontario.

The little 12” Cold Steel Sax Machete looks like it could be turned into an interesting camp beater with a bit of imagination, not least because of the blade shape and the drop to the heel appearing to be good for big scale food prep. Given the size of the Gerber Gator though I suspect you want bigger.

Although I've not had a go on the Ontario offerings several people that I consider worthy have flagged them up as a diamond in the rough. You've said sharpening isn't a problem for you, what about teasing out a bit of potential with some grinding? Bark River certainly took the Ontario to new highs with a full on stage 3 improvement, but I think you should get a lot out of one just stopping at stage 2, profile anew.

”Some days I think everyone should just go out and buy an Ontario Machete and have a date that everyone sends them in and we'll modify all of them at once into great machetes.”
-Mike Stewart 04-12-08 11:12.28

He muses:

Make them all the same length
Blast off the Black Crap.
Re-Grind the Blade
Even up the profile of the handle
Make new handles out of Micarta-G-10-or Wood
Bring them to a Heavy Convex Edge
Have Reid make up new sheaths.

Kick off:

1210793536-We_Start_Here.JPG


Trial:

1210870332-Proposed_Changes.JPG


And there was light:

1st_KSF_Machete.jpg
 
I fully support RAT Cutlery and hesitate to buy Ontario. I wouldn't if RAT made a machete. I am considering taking a thick Ontario and putting a convex/scandi grind on it but don't have a belt sander to put a good convex edge on it.

Would you suggest someone who can/will do this or something similar to what BRKT does? -or- how much does brkt charge to modify the Ontario?
 
Wot KuRUpTD said. I've only seen satisfactory accounts of his work, and given that your first go is free and the blade isn't an heirloom you've much to gain for a small stake. siguy has posted in this thread if you want to poke him. Here's one of his pages http://www.freewebs.com/sfaknives/Sharpening Service.html

EDIT:

It occurs to me though that getting someone else to do the work kinda violates what I thought the brief was – pick one of those three that are locally available to you. On that, it could well be that some of the advice above, especially Horn Dog's as he's taken a belt to a bunch of machetes including the Ontario I think, could be a better route.
 
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