heavy duty short machetes.. no luck so far finding it..

H

Hacken

Joined
Aug 1, 2012
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i've been looking like forever on the internet to see if there are any short heavy duty machetes but no luck so far.. you guys know of any places online that sells heavy duty machetes with blades of no more then 7-8 inches?.. might just have some one to custom make me one.. i've heard of bill siegal but seems way to far off from my budget.. i am guessing 300-up for a simple one.
 
Ontario Knives SP8-95:

DCFC0222.jpg
 
looks awesome! i like the handle especially.. is that a heavy duty type machete?..
 
By "heavy duty machete" I assume you mean a blade thickness of approximately 1/8". The reason you are probably having trouble finding what you are looking for is that 7"-8" blades are rarely called machetes.

Your best bet is probably to get an Old Hickory 7" butcher knife. I use a 14" one as a heavy duty gardening machete. You'll probably have to shape the handle a bit to get it comfortable. Thankfully the wood is rather nice in quality, so it shapes easily.
 
The Fallkniven A2, while not a machete, has an 8" blade. The ESEE Junglas is a short machete, but its blade is a hair over 10". Honestly, I don't think you can really call something with a 7-8" blade a machete. This is the one I have:

http://www.ontario-knife-store.com/sp8-machete-survival-knife/

I suppose you could shorten it if you really want it to be under 8" long. It's certainly heavy duty, plus easy to sharpen.

Edit: someone posted a picture of the same one I have a few minutes before I replied. I didn't mean to be redundant.
 
Hacken said:
looks awesome! i like the handle especially.. is that a heavy duty type machete?..
Click to expand...

It's about 1/4" thick 1095 steel, which should hold up to lots of abuse.:)
It's called a machete, although machete purists tend to say it's a chopper rather than a machete.
You can find them for around $60, and there's a few YouTube videos showing it in use.
It's about 8 inches from where the edge grind starts, and 10 inches from the end of the handle. The leather and cordura (I think that's what the material is called) sheath is nice, and it has an overall compact feel to it.:thumbup:
 
Becker BK9 (2nd from left) might fit the bill, as well as the Kabar cutlass (far right), and won't put you out too much green.
6899170307_404c170b08_z.jpg
 
+1 for the Junglas. Little more than 8" but I've never heard of a 7-8" machete either. Junglas is one of the best hard use choppers out there and for the money can't be beat by really anything
 
I consider blades in that length to be choppers or "bolos" or "parangs". I think Khukris also fit that description.

I think this sudden craze for "heavy duty" or "hard use" machetes to be rather silly. Machetes have always been for "hard use" as they are the primary working tool of hundreds of millions of poor farmers all over the world. Their $3-$9 machete does everything from clearing land, building the home, making tools, raising & harvesting crops, butchering cattle, performing any random chores and also protection. They are used every single day of the year, and not just for an occasional outing to bust wood like most Americans do with theirs.

Technically, machetes should be "whippy" in order to cut through green vegetation. Too thick of a blade and you are no longer able to clear grass and brush easily.
 
Most choppers in the 7-9" range are really more of "large chopping knives" than machetes. The KA-BAR Cutlass is probably one of your better options in that range. Just curious--is there a reason it needs to be so short? Most true machetes only go as short as 10" and that's pretty darn rare compared to 12"+ with most being between 14"-24".
 
CWL said:
Technically, machetes should be "whippy" in order to cut through green vegetation. Too thick of a blade an you are no longer able to clear grass and brush easily.
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Well, in the Northern hemishere, there's more woody stuff to get through than green stuff.:)
My Junglas has been great for getting those pesky thorn tree branches out of my face, and works well for assorted woodsy tasks as well.
If I were going to South America, I'd want a more traditional machete.
The climate dictates the tool, so I think that's why we see more machete/chopper hybrids round these parts.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Most choppers in the 7-9" range are really more of "large chopping knives" than machetes. The KA-BAR Cutlass is probably one of your better options in that range. Just curious--is there a reason it needs to be so short? Most true machetes only go as short as 10" and that's pretty darn rare compared to 12"+ with most being between 14"-24".
Click to expand...

I'm just guessing here, but I'd bet it's so that it'll fit in a pack more easily, or carry like a normal knife with belt carry.
 
CWL said:
I consider blades in that length to be choppers or "bolos" or "parangs". I think Khukris also fit that description.

I think this sudden craze for "heavy duty" or "hard use" machetes to be rather silly. Machetes have always been for "hard use" as they are the primary working tool of hundreds of millions of poor farmers all over the world. Their $3-$9 machete does everything from clearing land, building the home, making tools, raising & harvesting crops, butchering cattle, performing any random chores and also protection. They are used every single day of the year, and not just for an occasional outing to bust wood like most Americans do with theirs.
Click to expand...

Hit the nail on the head, right there!

Technically, machetes should be "whippy" in order to cut through green vegetation. Too thick of a blade an you are no longer able to clear grass and brush easily.
Click to expand...

I would just like to add that there are a lot of machete patterns out there that aren't necessarily intended for grasses (scrub brush being the "lightest" target in their intended range of function) and whippiness isn't so much the function that creates an effective cut in my experience. Rather, high tip velocity seems to be the primary factor. I'm far from infallible though. :)
 
Different blades depending on the type of forest/jungle.

Whippy machetes to cut green brush & vines

Thicker blades like a Golok for harder woods and cane

Sure, one can work in the other, but every zone has evolved their tools to be most efficient for the necessary tasks.
 
CWL said:
Thicker blades like a Golok for harder woods and cane

Sure, one can work in the other, but every zone has evolved their tools to be most efficient for the necessary tasks.
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And I think this is why we see more tools of this sort being used around here.:)
 
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Martindale 10" paratroopers machete. The blade is 4mm/157" thick.
 
I personally prefer the Ontario SP8 over the Junglas. They both weigh about the same and are of similar size, but the flat tip of the SP8 makes it easier to dig, plus the saw on the spine actually works. Still, if you want to clear brush, I'd recommend something lighter and longer.
 
CWL said:
Different blades depending on the type of forest/jungle.

Whippy machetes to cut green brush & vines

Thicker blades like a Golok for harder woods and cane

Sure, one can work in the other, but every zone has evolved their tools to be most efficient for the necessary tasks.
Click to expand...

I think you misunderstood me perhaps? I agree with what you're saying except for the recommendation for "whippiness" in a machete for light targets. Whippiness is often a side effect of a thin blade, and a thin blade usually means a light blade. A light blade means it's easier to achieve a high tip velocity, which is what enables a machete to cut lighter targets like grasses that would normally want to deflect or bend out of the way rather than be cut. Whippiness is typically viewed as a negative characteristic, which can be countered in thin and/or long blades through the use of distal taper and/or a stiffer heat treatment. Low-to-middle grade machetes are usually not tapered, and so exhibit whippiness and "blade flaccidity" in longer or thinner designs that are designed mostly for grasses and lush vegetation. I have an Imacasa guarizama pattern machete in what is at least a 24" blade (possibly even longer--I haven't measured it) that is light as a feather and very fast in the hand, but is nice and stiff thanks to its distal taper and stiff heat treatment. I also have some crappy Nicholson/Collins 22" Latin-pattern machetes that are so floppy I can't stand to use them. Very thin but more nose-heavy, soft, and without distal taper. :)

mossyhorn said:
yhst-29358752693524_2217_1363155.gif
[/IMG]

Martindale 10" paratroopers machete. The blade is 4mm/157" thick.
Click to expand...

Good thinking! I always forget about that one!
 
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