Hunting and Survival Machete

Marion David Poff,

Many thanks for the picture of the Marauder. Mine's in storage while I'm moving home. I've used mine a whole lot and its held up to the work. On the heavy side for light work and not as effective as a forest axe on the heavier stuff. Its still one of my favourite tools though. I'm sure Cliff would put a keener grind on it, but I haven't because I regularly hit the dirt with it. Mine has a couple of dings to the edge that are slowly being sharpened out; though its not that soft a blade, but boulder flint is hard when you hit it :(

I've missed hit a couple of times with it, well lots actually, and always been lucky that it glanced off my shin or boot without injury. Easily done with this type of tool when you start to tire or are having too much fun ;)

What is the moulded grip made off because I realy can't fault it? Anyone have an opinion on this?
 
Greenjacket, Rinaldi's Armageddon is $395, so upwards of that I would assume. Marion thanks for the links, I have been looking for that for some time to put a picture to Greenjackets words. That is a very solid looking blade, the only thing I would change would be the addition of a primary grind. The second knife from the top in the next picture has just such a grind and is an excellent light brush knife :

http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/images/al_bolo_bm_pab_ak_side.jpg

As Greenjacket noted you always ride between functionality on balance, you can't optomize something for really light vegetation and thick wood at the same time. My only real problem with that design in general is that the concave curvature reduces performance in thick wood chopping, and thus a more straight blade is often preferred, but this doesn't do as well on light brush as you have a loss of hooking action. You need to figure out where you want the performance to be maximized.

If I have a decent axe for felling, I would take the blade with the curved design for maximum ability on light brush clearing and limbing. However if I don't have the axe, I prefer something with a straight edge, and a dropped handle. Just extend the Battle Mistress "E" out to 14", widen the blade to a full 2", and thicken the handle and completely enclose the grip. As for the Blackjack handle, many synthetics are very durable, no idea on that one, however the end hook on the grip looks a little too sharp for me, though a lot of people prefer them that way.

-Cliff
 
Sometimes bigger is better. But when it comes to the machete I think smaller ones have some real advantages.
My first machete was an Ontario 17" with the D-knuckle-guard and I liked it alot ...at first. But after using it for a couple of months I decided to downsize to a 12" Ontario without the D-guard.
Here's why:
While the 17" blade did allow for a longer reach it also caused alot more fatigue, it was awkward to use in tight spots and thick vegetation (we call them "thickets" down here), and there is a greater chance of hitting your own leg with downward swings. Not to mention the extra weight on your belt and it getting caught on vines and branches easier.
The D-guard was a nice knuckle saver at first but I soon developed blisters from it rubbing my 5th finger (the pinky).
I also found small tasks, like cracking a coconut or cutting a pineapple, to be alot less controlled and precise (the 17" blade was abit overkill).

I really like the 12" blade machete because it's not too small and it's not too big either. It's easy to control and I can cut for a long time before I reach arm fatigue, and it's more comfortable to wear too.

Just a few thoughts (hopefully helpful),
Allen.
 
Cliff says that a straight blade has some advantage on thicker wood. allenC says that too long a blade makes close in work more difficult. My findings with the Marauder bares some of this out. Firstly, with the bolo reverse curve of the Marauder, there is a definite sweet spot that takes most hits. Just three inches of blade is doing most of the work as if behaving like an axe. Secondly the weight is more than a machete, probably twise. Close in controled work, with a more choked up grip, is difficult. Not because of the reverse curve, but because of the heft of having that much more weight to the blade. A feather weight machete or medium, shortish, golock doesn't have this control problem.

What this knife is good at is clearing thicket and woody brush. The additional weight, combined with length, and a reverse cuve catching cut, detwigs thicket well; allowing one to then attack the trunck of the bush which the blade has plenty of chop to do. For example Hawthorn. The heart of the hawthorn bush is difficult to get at as it is well protected by thorns and the trunck is hard, knurled. and knotty. A jungle thin machete could buckle under the hardness of the wood. Whatever you use to tackle such thicket it takes power breakage to get through so the tool better be robust. Length only matters when you first start the job.
Its also great for limbing out green felled timber that needs to be cut as it hasn't had the time to dry and become brittle.

I have to admit I do like straight edges. They may not catch the cut as well as a reverse curve, but do better when making things. I like both, so I am in two minds at what is best.
 
Thanks Cliff... The Megiddo is a new design and is still a work in progress... The handle will be slightly modified from the prototype you posted.. The standard A2 price is $375 with no sheath. The sheath was made by Rob Hummelbaugh and adds about $50...
The Megiddo will be available in A2, CPMS30V, and CPM3V, all in 3/16" thickness... I dont offer a sheath standard as many people find no need for a machete sheath....

Take Care
Trace Rinaldi
www.thrblades.com
 
As soon as the fields dry we'll be cutting some trails in the thick stuff ourselves.We use a tractor with a brushhog and chainsaws for the "fine work".:p
 
Not sure about the length, but a kabar grass machete might be what you are looking for. It has a very comfortable kraton(?) handle and has a lanyard hole.

Edit: Checked out the grass machete on google, it only has a 14 inch blade. Still a good choice, but falls short of your needs.
 
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Dudes, this thread is from 2002! After 10 years I think it's safe to say the decision has been made.
 
I'm partial to Cold Steel's machetes myself. The latin models are in the size range you want. The only reservation I have about them is the "utility" edge. If you can sharpen them, they work great. If not, you'll probably want to consider another source. The only utility in the factory edges of the 3 I have were if you needed to practice sharpening. I did handle some more recent pieces last weekend and the edges are much improved appearance wise, but I couldn't say about the performance. My Panga and Kukuri machetes looked like they were sharpened by banging a rock into the side of the bevel. My Kukuri model still has the factory edge angle, about 15 degrees per side, just cleaned and polished and I ground back enough from the original edge to remove any burned metal from sharpening it with the 10 grit stone they appeared to use at the factory. It will go through a 4x4 a couple of times and still shave my arm, and will cut free hanging 3/4" rope with no trouble. My Panga and Barong models have been heavily modified w/r to edge geometry, so I can't compare them to what you'll get from the factory.
 
http://www.machetespecialists.com/

I can recommend Tramontina and Imacasa. The machetes that people who use machetes everyday, use. I've carried a 12" or 14" Tram in my hunting pack for the last 4 years.

You'll be surprised what a thin sharp blade can cut through. These things hold a good edge. Yes, they take work to get them sharp from the factory, but it's worth it. You can buy several of these for the price of most others.

The Ontarios are too heavy for extended use, the handle is uncomfortable, and you're join to work to put an edge on them, also.

If you're cutting in close quarters, the 14" is about perfect. If you have plenty of room to swing or need to clear wider paths, go with an 18". Longer machetes are going to be cumbersome to carry, in a hunting situation. If you're doing preseason clearing of wider trails or need to clear a large area, the long ones work well. An 18" would still do those jobs, too.
 
Whoa, this thread is back from the dead! Caught my eye, then I see I was the first responder 10 years ago. I think I've been around here too long.
 
Two ways to go here. If you want a ready to go package that's very affordable go with Ontario GI machete and sheath. Great setup for the money and will last a long, long time. If you want something fancier, take a look at fiddleback forge's machete. You'd have to get a kydex or leather sheath made for it, (several folks do) but it's really nice. I wouldn't go for something like a sharpened, banana shaped, pry bar. If that design worked so well, you'd see something similar being used by people who live in jungles where they live with those things. BTW machetes are supposed to be flexible enough not to bend when hitting a glancing blow, but they should not deform the edge on any type of wood. Just make sure you don't chop into the rocky ground. If you want to cut stuff more than you want to look cool get a real machete.
 
Ancient thread! Ancient thread! And there's tons of suggestions here that run counter to the OP's requirements. Was anyone even really paying attention back in 2002?
 
But it is such a good topic!!!!......You might look at some of the more exotic traditional Indonesian patterns. Condor is one line http://www.condortk.com/index.php...seems a German cutlery/tool maker from Solingen built a big plant in South America some time ago and got it up and running; was bought out by locals and continues to serve the SA NA markets. I have a Golok on order but haven't received it yet. I need min for slashing, hacking down the honeysuckle/ red cedar thicket that take over my back forty. The Parang model might work nicely also.
 
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