Help me choose a bushcraft machete

Condor golok is a nice machete. It's a bit thick for grass but it will work. It's great on thorns and bushes and thinner woody targets. Mine got stolen so now I have a Scrap yard 1311, another nice golok style.

My parang has some nice stuff.

Fox knives pathfinder has a few features you're looking for.

The saw back will be the hardest piece to find. I've only seen latin machetes with tgat setup.

A standard latin machete, even the cheap ones, should last a long time if you don't hit a ton of stones with it. Joe Flowers has a few vids about using a machete for bushcraft, if memory serves me right.

For a straight up kuhkri, the only one I've seen that isn't really thick is the HI foxy folly. It's pretty nice, but still not machete thin. I would compare more to a parang in use than a machete. But, it's a lot thinner than the standard kuhkri which is closer to a hatchet than a machete in utilization.
 
No Imacasa fans? When it comes to machetes I like them 18-20 inches and plenty flexible. When it comes to chopping I prefer an axe, hatchet, or kukri. I currently have a Fiskars machete and don't much care for it; too heavy, too stiff. Fiskars does make a machete with a sawback if I recall.
 
I live in the UK, the Skrama and a Siky does the heavy work before getting out the chainsaw. Anything smaller its a small knife, fixed or folder.
I do like a long springy machete for the reach but use a ditch hook more (billhook on a long shaft/handle). Machete's rig ding too much in my neck of the woods, best for the jungle.
A Skrama is about 11/4lbs which is plenty enough before go for an axe at 2lbs plus. The thinking mans golok, its a fantastic tool. Beaten the snot out of mine and its still doing the biz; a reach for tool. I don't need anything heavier for the work I put it to. Its stiffer, more compact, and as controllable as a machete. Works for me.
 
Hmm. What will you be cutting?
I dont reccomend a saw back. It creates stress risers.

I have a 3V machete in stock but it's not the kukri profile you are looking for. But it has excellent cutting geometry and is light.
Once my books reopen I could build something like this for you.

I have a thinner kukri that uses 3/16ths stock and machetes that use 0.150 stock. All can be 3V or 8670.IMG_20170710_124633.jpg Screenshot_20190328-121746_Gallery.jpg Screenshot_20190328-121813_Gallery.jpg Screenshot_20190328-121847_Gallery.jpg
 
ShannonSteelLabs said:
Hmm. What will you be cutting?
I dont reccomend a saw back. It creates stress risers.

I have a 3V machete in stock but it's not the kukri profile you are looking for. But it has excellent cutting geometry and is light.
Once my books reopen I could build something like this for you.

I have a thinner kukri that uses 3/16ths stock and machetes that use 0.150 stock. All can be 3V or 8670.View attachment 1099905 View attachment 1099906 View attachment 1099907 View attachment 1099908
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Nice work! Love that bolo
 
I'd recommend the Baryonyx machete too but it's a big one If you dont mind the added heft it's a fantastic piece.

Unless you are looking for flash $100 is top buck in machetes. When I spend more than that I dont use them much. That's why I like modding tramontina and imacasa machetes. Inexpensive and disposable. If you damage or loose one you're out $20. If I lost my Bark River Bravo machete I'd cry.
 
Others have more experience with the machetes; but for a folding saw, if you want something strong, practical, and well made, look at the "Wicked" brand saws. Definitely not flimsy; quality construction and materials.
 
I love my Big Chris 3V machete.. I took her out for an hour or two today even. It’s more hard use than light duty, but it fits both roles exceptionally well. It’s 22” overall, 16” blade. Weighs-in about 23 ounces, and I believe it’s .15 thick(not 100% on that, but I think that’s what I measured it to). It’s pretty fantastic. I’ve abused this to the extent where I’m checking the edge expecting damage, only to see absolutely none at all.

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It wouldn’t be my first choice to fillet a fish with, or even something I’d want to swing it all day, but it can handle a lot more than your average machete. I’d throw out all of my others in favor of this one. Though, my deltoids and biceps would grow by a few more inches if that were the case, haha.
 
McFeeli said:
I love my Big Chris 3V machete.. I took her out for an hour or two today even. It’s more hard use than light duty, but it fits both roles exceptionally well. It’s 22” overall, 16” blade. Weighs-in about 23 ounces, and I believe it’s .15 thick(not 100% on that, but I think that’s what I measured it to). It’s pretty fantastic. I’ve abused this to the extent where I’m checking the edge expecting damage, only to see absolutely none at all.

pVHdrK5.jpg


It wouldn’t be my first choice to fillet a fish with, or even something I’d want to swing it all day, but it can handle a lot more than your average machete. I’d throw out all of my others in favor of this one. Though, my deltoids and biceps would grow by a few more inches if that were the case, haha.
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That's awesome
 
EdgyEddy said:
Do you think it is the sheath that makes the Extrema Ratio so expensive?

I also found this:
https://www.knivesandtools.com/en/pt/-sog-kukri-machete-sogfari-mc11-n-machete.htm
Looks pretty close to what I am looking for but then again I know nothing about different types of steel or this brand. I looked up your suggestions and the ESEE ones look nice.
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Oh dear, you'll end up with a zombiekiller blade that is totally unpractical. I do second the opinion that you don't need to go further than a Tramontina if yoy want a real machete, south-american style. I'd take the 14-inch bolo in that case, which is an extremely effective blade due to its forward weight. You will need to get a third-party sheath for it or have one made to your liking. A Tramontina needs adapting as they come rough, you will typically need to put your own grind on it, smooth the spine and sand the handle to make it more comfortable.
Sawbacks are really a no-no. They tend to be a best a bad saw, at worst useless and you will hurt your off hand with them. Sawback injuries are really nasty. Just carry a good folding saw. For trail clearing, which is what you typically carry a machete for, a saw does not help much.
If you are looking for a European/nordic short machete that you can use in more boreal environments and that can be carried on the belt or in a sling over the shoulder, get a Skrama. Seller Varusteleka in Finland (the only place that sells them) has very nice sheaths for them, for belt carry, or you can use a molle-style sheath and attach a sling to that. There are practically no chopping blades out there that can beat a Skrama with a factory edge, no matter how expensive (if you want a good laugh look at the comparison video by Dutch Burhcraft Knives where it destroys everything else). On or two are equal. Just. Put a convex edge on it and it's simply the ultimate chopper (my personal opinion; some will disagree I suppose, although very few will disagree that it is likely the best chopper/nordic type machete you can get for the money, given its price).
Just for your info, I had a typical sawback machete that I got to hate; I took the sawteeth off with a disc grinder after I hurt myself with it (it bounced back and hit my off hand, ripping right through my glove). I have a heavily modified Tramontina bolo that is wonderful for clearing trails from flexible nasty stuff like brambles, and is so light that you can use it for hours without even a hotspot on your hand; and I have been using a Skrama for almost two years, during which time it became my favorite delimbing, batoning and chopping tool, not for playing in the bush but for serious pruning and clearing our property and for making stacks of firewood for our home.
The greatest Youtube expert on machetes is Dave Pearson 'reallybigmonkey'. He has a lot of rigs like you describe, with knives and other stuff attached to the sheaths. Fun to watch, too. I think his favorite is an Ontario.
Oh, and I'm Dutch too, although I live in France.
 
EdgyEddy said:
Hey all,

I am looking for a high quality machete that will last me a lifetime. Price is no issue, but I do have a few requirements:

- It has to have a (decent) saw on the backside
- I want to be able to attach to the sheath (or put in a pouch) a silky pocket saw and a multitool
- I want to be able to attach a sling so that I can carry it over my shoulder with my carving knife in the front
- Not too big as I also want to be able to carry it comfortably on my belt
- I prefer a sort of semi-kukri style shape, with a thicker part at the front (excuse my vocabulary, I am Dutch), but a straight backside. Not an absolute requirement

Does anyone know of a good machete or big blade that covers these criteria?

This is going to be an entirely new setup, meaning I will buy a new knife, saw and multitool as well. That means that in terms of attaching those to the sheath, I am able to take into account for example shopping for these items with sheaths/pouches that have molle attachments or something similar. For now all I have is the absolute worst machete you can buy (was given to me by someone who didn't want it anymore, couldn't have cost more than 20 euros), a decent knife and a tiny multitool. My cutting tools definately need an upgrade.
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EdgyEddy said:
I found a few more. Can you tell me anything about what I should look for in terms of steel, if I want something that will last a lifetime?

I found a few more, would be great to see what you guys think.
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You need a custom-forged, hardened titanium alloy machete. It can't rust and will last forever, and will also do both heavy chopping and deal with thin wispy targets all in one blade.

But most importantly, I need to cross the Netherlands off of my "sent a blade there" country list.

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