Gift Machete

D

DLSW

Joined
Dec 12, 2013
Messages
3
Hello,

I've been looking for a new machete type knife for my girlfriend and decided to just ask people who know.

I would like to get her one as a gift. She is in ecological restoration in the Midwest. This means some wetlands, national forests, lots of kudzu, and brush. 5'5" 140 and a little over average in strength, but not a body builder (sounds attractive I know). I want a nice , long lasting, and usable(not ornamental) machete (loose term) that she could carry comfortably on a daily basis out in the wilderness. Price would be $150 or under. But is not a must.

I'm looking for any advice you might be able to offer: from specific models, to overall length, blade length, weight, etc...

Hopefully you can help me elevate my status as worlds' best boyfriend a little higher.

Thanks Everyone,
DLSW
 
CK-G-500x.jpg

(G) Svord Golok (British Army Pattern) 11" Svord Interpretation
http://www.svord.com/

DM100.jpg

DM100 Vietnam Style Machete $ 133.00
50cm overall, 30cm/12" blade, 4.5mm D2 steel blade, wooden handle
http://deweyknives.com.au/
 
You can consider ESEE Junglas which has a 10" blade too but it's slightly over $150 for a brand new knife. This thing is built like a tank.
 
Agreed for 30-50$ there are plenty of good options out there. You might consider getting a machete and having a custom sheath made for her. That should still be within your price point, and if she is really going to be carrying it a good sheath would be nice.
 
not sure how tall she is, but a 14" or 16" blade on a machete is what my wife prefers -- light enough not to wear her out, heavy enough to do some work.
If you can find one, get her a fiddleback machete -- absolutely the finest handles on a machete I've ever handled. Wife (see above) laid claim to mine as soon as it came in the front door and she picked it up. The blade on it is made by Imacasa (same folks who make the ecosurvivor listed above and supply ESEE the blades for their Lite machete)
If you don't want to spend $100 on handles for a $10 machete (Fiddleback), check Ontario out - their 12" HD machete is an easy carry and chops nearly as well as a 16" blade -- but the handles are not the most comfortable on the planet.
Tramontina makes a good blade, but you'll want to spend a bit reshaping the handles to fit her.

Baryonyx (42blades here on the forum) has a nice selection of stuff, reasonable prices, and excellent customer service -- he also offers "special handling" for a few $$ more -- which is redoing the basic edge shape, sharpening, cleaning up handles if they need it, etc...
 
The Baryonyx machete with special selection and sharpening sounds good. You could look for a model with a nice leather sheath, then sand and stain the handles. I have done a lot of machete work with a 14 inch Tramontina from Brasil - a good machete need not be expensive.;)
 
I like Imacasa. I would suggest getting her a thin stock one in the 14" range. Something pretty light so she'll actually carry it.

A note to the spendier machetes. A lot of them are imacasa's with "special" attention given to the edge and handle and then they charge an arm and a leg for it. Fiddleback, ESEE, Blindhorse etc. Save your money and buy an Imacasa from 42blades for about 20 bucks and get the special upgrade. He'll deliver it to you with an edge that is just as good as the Blindhorse machete I paid a premium for.
 
Thank you so much for the input. I checked all of the suggestions out. Loved the reviews I read for the fiddleback stuff, but just don't know if that blade is the one for her regardless of price. I really like the idea of buying from 42blades and doing the special upgrade. Blade thickness is my conundrum right now. What is too thin for light woody plants, and what is too thick for dense grassy areas?

As far as cost, I'm looking at the Condor line, so I can get a nice looking blade just in case it does end up staying in the gun cabinet more than I hope... And a $10 machete wouldn't be as nice of a trophy if that's what she chooses to use it for.

All information assessed: how does everyone feel about the 13" condor kukri on baryonyx? Seems perfect, or too small?
http://www.baryonyxknife.com/kukri.html
 
Any decent machete will be thick enough for wood but if it's on the heavy side it'll be really tiring to swing on light vegetation because you have to bring it to a stop after each swing.
 
DLSW said:
As far as cost, I'm looking at the Condor line, so I can get a nice looking blade just in case it does end up staying in the gun cabinet more than I hope... And a $10 machete wouldn't be as nice of a trophy if that's what she chooses to use it for.
Click to expand...

A machete in a trophy case? Can't say I've ever heard that one before.
 
In general for someone new to a machete I recommend starting with an 18" Latin pattern, with the specific model being tailored to the selection of tasks and environment that the user predicts will most probably arise. The 18" Latin pattern machete is the closest to a "plain vanilla" model as you can get in that it is very broadly applicable--a "jack of all trades, master of none" sort of machete, so to speak. This is why they are the most universal pattern available, although variations in specific form still are better or less suited to certain tasks or environments. The previously recommended Condor El Salvador model in the 18" length sounds like an excellent choice, although I might add the suggestion of the Speed Machete model. The width of the blade at the sweet spot combined with the distal taper and curved grip make for a versatile powerhouse that's a joy to use. Joe really outdid himself designing that one, and I've been surprised at how little attention it got compared to the other 2013 releases. It's a VERY efficiently designed machete. :)
 
18" Latin pattern sounds OK, but how about a Latin King Super....made from recycled Dana 44 front axles from a trashed Rubicon, and endorsed by Miss Ricon Beach?



 
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