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

I'm not so sure that kendo techniques will be applicable to a machete--especially since holding higher up on the handle will effectively shorten your blade length. 22" is pretty short already for mimicking katana behavior, and the tool is of a very different overall class. Also, for a working machete an on-the-back method of carry probably won't work out so well from a practical standpoint. But experimentation is fun! Hopefully you'll take some pics of the process!
 
I think you are actually looking for more of a cleaver with that blade length. Years ago, I ran onto a cleaver type knife that I called my "pineapple knife". It worked okay and was not expensive. I found that for true chopping, the blade was too short and you ran the risk of damaging your hands which I did back then. My suggestion for precisely what you are looking for is the Condor Hudson Bay knife. It is a fine "knife" and very versatile, but I wouldn't suggest you tackle an 8" hardwood tree with it unless "ya just have to".

I purchased the Condor Pack Golok and am quite pleased with it as well. It is a bit bigger than your criteria. But it is a heck of a chopper! I would not hesitate to carry this anywhere in the woods if I felt I needed a chopper. Take a look at some of the other Condor products see if something else appeals to you.

Other ones mentioned that I like are the Kabar Cutlass Machete and any of the similar sized choppers that have been mentioned. The Pack Golok is a much tougher blade than the Cutlass Machete. But I like both.

The Kabar Becker BK-4 might work for you. It does not have as long a blade, but there are other Beckers in the Kabar line that are bigger. But the BK-4 is one tough hard use knife. It would make a good light chopper and general camp knife although I personally like the Hudson Bay knife better.
 
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I went with the esee 6 instead.. if the 6 is not good enough i can always go with the junglas or heck i might even just get that one too i really like both though
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CWL said:
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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.
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this 'sudden hard use craze' is probly a reflection of the virtual impossibility of finding a machete in usual american hardware/lawn/garden centers (where the majority of people shop) that is not absolute crap.
 
wouldestous said:
this 'sudden hard use craze' is probly a reflection of the virtual impossibility of finding a machete in usual american hardware/lawn/garden centers (where the majority of people shop) that is not absolute crap.
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LOL--very true! :D
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Hmmm...the ESEE-6 is NOT a chopper... :o
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While true, I was recently impressed by what an ESEE 5 and 6 can do in the chopping department. Using a lanyard and two finger grip, a person can make short work of wrist-sized green mesquite limbs. The ESEE 6 is my "one-knife knife" since it does cover a lot of ground by itself. That said, I highly recommend the Junglas for a chopper. But first, buy a 12" Tramontina Bush machete and be amazed/astounded/pleasantly surprised at what $6 worth of South American steel can do! Take care.
 
wouldestous said:
this 'sudden hard use craze' is probly a reflection of the virtual impossibility of finding a machete in usual american hardware/lawn/garden centers (where the majority of people shop) that is not absolute crap.
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Sure, blame the equipment, not the Operator...

Peasants and subsistence farmers throughout the world make do with what they have. Namely a $3 machete or equivalent, these are the same low-end soft carbon steel machetes that get churned-out of factories in South America, China, Europe, etc. Perhaps you are being charged 4-5X the price for the same tool, but it is pretty-much the same.

Why don't you go and spend some time traveling in 3rd World countries and see how much others can manage without ever needing "hard use" blades or "super steels". I have.

Way too many think that expensive tools will somehow impart knowledge.
 
CWL said:
Sure, blame the equipment, not the Operator...

Peasants and subsistence farmers throughout the world make do with what they have. Namely a $3 machete or equivalent, these are the same low-end soft carbon steel machetes that get churned-out of factories in South America, China, Europe, etc. Perhaps you are being charged 4-5X the price for the same tool, but it is pretty-much the same.

Why don't you go and spend some time traveling in 3rd World countries and see how much others can manage without ever needing "hard use" blades or "super steels". I have.

Way too many think that expensive tools will somehow impart knowledge.
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lol
ive bought machetes at wal mart, home depot and places like that and i have bought machetes made in latin america.
imacasa and tramontina brand machetes (to name my two favorite brands) from down there are better tools than a coleman brand machete from wal mart.
never bent the edge on a latin american machete like it was a tin can, for example. never bent the entire blade on a latin american machete either.
those latin american and box store machetes were equivalent in price, by the way.
 
Way too many think that expensive tools will somehow impart knowledge.
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We all know that is the case. :D Why else would you keep buying more and more knives when you don't even need the ones you own currently?

A trip to South or Central American and some time in the villages will show you what the locals can do with a machete. I wish I was so talented.
 
wouldestous said:
lol
ive bought machetes at wal mart, home depot and places like that and i have bought machetes made in latin america.
imacasa and tramontina brand machetes (to name my two favorite brands) from down there are better tools than a coleman brand machete from wal mart.
never bent the edge on a latin american machete like it was a tin can, for example. never bent the entire blade on a latin american machete either.
those latin american and box store machetes were equivalent in price, by the way.
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Bingo. A lot of folks mistakenly think that all thin machetes are crap and will crumple up under hard use because all they've experienced are the Wal*Mart or Chinese/Pakistani flea market specials they picked up at the local army/navy store. And yet the same $$$ would buy them a nice Tramontina or Imacasa that would give them a much better impression of the tool.

That's the way I read it at least. :)
 
jdk1 said:
While true, I was recently impressed by what an ESEE 5 and 6 can do in the chopping department. Using a lanyard and two finger grip, a person can make short work of wrist-sized green mesquite limbs. The ESEE 6 is my "one-knife knife" since it does cover a lot of ground by itself. That said, I highly recommend the Junglas for a chopper. But first, buy a 12" Tramontina Bush machete and be amazed/astounded/pleasantly surprised at what $6 worth of South American steel can do! Take care.
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Agreed--the 6 CAN chop if you HAVE TO, but it still can't be classified as a chopper in the slightest, let alone as being in the same class as a machete. :D I love my 6 and agree that it's a great "if you can only have one" knife, though.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Bingo. A lot of folks mistakenly think that all thin machetes are crap and will crumple up under hard use because all they've experienced are the Wal*Mart or Chinese/Pakistani flea market specials they picked up at the local army/navy store. And yet the same $$$ would buy them a nice Tramontina or Imacasa that would give them a much better impression of the tool.

That's the way I read it at least. :)
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Good, soft carbon steel makes a good machete. People here think machete's are swords or are super knives with perfect edges, well they aren't. They are hard working tools that can be touched-up in the fields with a file or rough stone. Inexpensive isn't the same as "cheap".
As for those who buy flea market knives... there is truth to what is said about fools and their money.

Reading here about people wanting to baton with their machetes... :rolleyes:
 
CWL said:
Reading here about people wanting to baton with their machetes... :rolleyes:
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I've seen people do it, and it worked.
Of course, they did it right. I'm not sure how some people mess it up so badly.
How do those morons in the YouTube videos manage to break all those knives? Is there a master class in stupid or something?
 
CWL said:
Good, soft carbon steel makes a good machete. [...]
Reading here about people wanting to baton with their machetes... :rolleyes:
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Soft compared to knives, yes. But I wouldn't say soft in the general sense makes a good machete. A stiff spring heat treatment works best, in my opinion. A good machete is not so soft that it takes a permanent set to the blade during normal chopping (which the Wal*Mart machetes, for instance, are known to do.)

I've batoned with my machetes on countless occasions, and they do great as long as you aren't being stupid and trying to split logs as thick as your chest with 'em. :D I mostly baton wrist- to arm-thick pieces of wood for kindling purposes, or when using the machete as a "chisel" and tapping the spine for rapid but controlled material removal when crafting stuff. :)
 
stabman said:
I've seen people do it, and it worked.
Of course, they did it right. I'm not sure how some people mess it up so badly.
How do those morons in the YouTube videos manage to break all those knives? Is there a master class in stupid or something?
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You can use the tool inappropriately and then wonder out loud, as if amazed, how you managed to break a knife (I am thinking about Nutinfancy here). Exclaiming "I did not even put any side pressure at all........you saw" When the slow motion shows 20 degree flex, twisting, and prying throughout.


I managed to slightly bend my machete. I have a CS Magnum Khukri. They are a bit softer than I like. I was really pounding the spine through a bit of wood. I got a bit of a skew in the spine (the edge still looked straight).

I took the poll on a maul and tapped it back, ever so slightly, into place. Good as new. That machete is thicker than most normal machetes.

It is one of the reasons that machete's make such good survival tools. No edge blow out. Smack a rock and roll the edge? Take another rock and bend it back. Not a lot of blade failures, because the steel is softer.


If I was in the OP's situaion, I would take a look at the Junglas. (sounds like he already got an ESEE).

I also would look at Condor. For the the price of any ESEE, he can get two, three, or more Condor products. I love my Condor Hudson Bay, and recommend it for the money (along with most of their tools).
 
Bigfattyt said:
You can use the tool inappropriately and then wonder out loud, as if amazed, how you managed to break a knife (I am thinking about Nutinfancy here). Exclaiming "I did not even put any side pressure at all........you saw" When the slow motion shows 20 degree flex, twisting, and prying throughout.


I managed to slightly bend my machete. I have a CS Magnum Khukri. They are a bit softer than I like. I was really pounding the spine through a bit of wood. I got a bit of a skew in the spine (the edge still looked straight).

I took the poll on a maul and tapped it back, ever so slightly, into place. Good as new. That machete is thicker than most normal machetes.

It is one of the reasons that machete's make such good survival tools. No edge blow out. Smack a rock and roll the edge? Take another rock and bend it back. Not a lot of blade failures, because the steel is softer.


If I was in the OP's situaion, I would take a look at the Junglas. (sounds like he already got an ESEE).

I also would look at Condor. For the the price of any ESEE, he can get two, three, or more Condor products. I love my Condor Hudson Bay, and recommend it for the money (along with most of their tools).
Click to expand...

LOL that reminds me--I was using my CS barong machete to clear a path through some tall grass (it was all I had with me at the time, as it lives in my car) and I smacked a rock and the needle-like point smooshed backwards at about a 30-degree angle. I just flipped the blade over and tapped the tip against the offending rock to knock it back in place, then "sharpened" out the worst of the edge damage on the curb. Fixed up nicely when I got home, too. :D
 
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