ka-bar machetes

N

northwoodsgirl

Joined
Nov 5, 2008
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8
hi, ive been doing alot of research lately on machetes. i just bought a cold steel recently and found out its a piece of shit. i didnt have much time to do research though i needed one now. but im doing of research for my NEXT buy and heres my current list of possible buys... *'s = what i think im going to end up with
let me know if anything in there is going to turn as a POS or if you think im missing something. i want something thats not flimsy but not so heavy i cant cut large grass and vines with it if possible. i want something between 10 and 18 blade length. i am thinking im most likely going to end up with the ka bar kukri or cutlass but i figured id add some more info about my situation if anyone wanted to give extra input. but ANYWAYS... my main question was whether or not anyone has any experience with the ka bar machete line? how rugged are they? are they dependable? or are they shit. i think that ka bar has a decent quality to their knives, these are a 1085 steel i think. that sounds like a good choice to me. not thin and flexy but not shatter prone maybe?

scrapyard dog father

Nepalese Dotted Panawal Khukuri
http://www.teraasekeskus.com/tuotteet.asp?osasto=isotveitset&ID=2221

malay parang lading?

ontario RTAK

*busse battle mistress??

*martindale machetes

*kabar cutlass
https://www.kabar.com/product_detai...ryId=1,2,3,7&categoryName=All-Purpose/Utility
http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=19089
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/13906-1.html
http://www.manventureoutpost.com/outdoor/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1018
http://cgi.ebay.com/KA-BAR-CUTLASS-...-IN-STOCK_W0QQitemZ360108565620QQcmdZViewItem

*kabar kukri
https://www.kabar.com/product_detai...ryId=1,2,3,7&categoryName=All-Purpose/Utility
http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=19090
http://cgi.ebay.com/KA-BAR-KUKRI-MA...XED-BLADE_W0QQitemZ220319098902QQcmdZViewItem
http://www.manventureoutpost.com/outdoor/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1017

ontario black wind wakizashi
http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20837

*himalayan imports
http://yhst-7333098713883.stores.yahoo.net/index.html
 
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I think the Condor machetes with the Latin American style blades are as good as it gets.
 
They have a very broad range of styles, including some of the heavier chopping styles it seems you're looking for. Perhaps a BRKT Golok?
 
I don't think you are going to enjoy using a battle mistress, a dogfather, or a khukri for cutting grass and vines. They are too heavy, and are really not in the machete class. Machetes are made from thin stock BY DESIGN, not as a cost saving measure. Swinging a dogfather at grass would be an excercize in futility, much like swinging a machete at a seasoned hardwood log. They are designed for two different tasks. Yes, you can chop with a machete, and you can cut vines with a battle mistress, but they are both suboptimal choices. A machete is a much better choice for cutting vines and grasses, and a battle mistress is the better choice for chopping wood (given the choice between a machete and a BM that is).

Tramontina and Ontario machetes are highly regarded on the wilderness and survival skills forum.
 
you missed me... what i meant was i want a long relatively thick machete... IE long knife for use on THICK pieces of grass thin vines up to small trees. not just a 2 mm thin blade for small grass. i mean twig and stick sized brush but also being thick enough to withstand blows to small trees and not bend readily. my main purpose is not to chop down thin grass stalk. it will be gathering materials and shelter building. which is mostly small trees and large brush. i want a blade that can handle the midrange of tasks not a thin thin blade for small vines and not an extremely heavy blade for medium or large trees either. by the way im not too worried about fatigue it will just put me in shape more and this is a man talking im on my girlfriends name. so any new opinions with this in light?

ontario machetes have a big shatter problem. tramontina are a bit too thin and cheap for my wants. i want something of quality that will last. that doesnt neccesarily mean a busse but i just dont think the tram or martindale are up to speed with quality opposed to some of the other companies
 
that brkt does look decent. ill look at the specs but my search continues. id really like someone who has used a kabar machete to step forth please please? by the way only modern CHEAP machetes are thin by design thats because the market has changed in favor of profit, not your woodworking. old machetes were apparently at LEAST 4 mm thick. its just that people werent as fat back then. same thing happens with axes. they market boys axes as the largest you can buy nowaday unless youre getting a fireaxe or search ebay for an OLD 6 pounder. 3.5 is heavy as it gets. america is just going soft living indoors and eating too much fast food. the companies dont give a shit its just more money in their pockets so they ruin our outdoor tools and the majority of the pop. doesnt notice or care.
 
I have a ka-bar khuk and I love it, thin and thick in the right spots, not to heavy and will do a days work. Great in between blade.
 
2mm is plenty for an 18 inch machete, I can blow through a 10 inch diameter bananna tree in one swing with my 18 inch tramontina, piddly little vines are not an issue :p If you want a heavier machete though check out the ontario ones, they're closer to 1/8 thick, and IMO too heavy for a proper machete. They make some thinner ones too these days, not sure if it's manufacturing variance or they just have different product lines.
 
It sounds like you got the Cold Steel latin machete which is way too thin for wood. Cold Steel makes some thicker machetes that are much better choppers but still light enough to swing. I have the 12" Barong and Bowie and will be buying the 14" kukri. Ontario makes an even better 12" machete out of 1095.
 
I have an Ontario 12" that is thicker than a regular machete. I had Siguy from WSS forum convex it and its a great chopping,lightweight piece. It outchopped my C.S. Carbon V Trailmaster and my BK-1 after all had been freshly sharpened by Si. Try one!--KV:thumbup:
 
Machetes tend to top out at about 1/8" thick, with a simple edge bevel. Most are even thinner. A 4mm thick machete is a rarity. Waaay back in the day, if they were made that thick, they were probably forged that way. Modern machetes are stamped from sheet steel. Thicker long knives certainly exist, but they tend to not be called machetes, and have prices to reflect the heavier steel and more complex grinds.

I haven't found Cold Steel machetes to be particularly bad compared to other machetes. It seems you're wanting a different tool altogether.
 
You're probably not going to find a high quality "real" khukuri that will go through vines and saplings better than a machete. Oh, they do make lighter ones like Sirupatis and HI makes one called a Kobra. However, a khuk's place is in the chopping department. Most 18" khuks are going to come in at around 1.75-2+lbs. If you get the thinner ones, they work just fine for thin stuff...just no better than a good machete. A standard khuk will come in with a spine thickness of around 3/8". A "thin" one might come in at 5/16":eek:
 
I think a Battle Mistress or Dogfather would be swell if you have the loot, but I think if you are on more of a budget my toy might work fine. I got the SP8 military Ontario machete.... I only gave $31 new for it... hard to beat. The beast is .25" thick, built like a panzer with a nice sheath. It chopped as well as my small fisker hatchet, split lumber as well or better then the the hatchet. The handle is nice and comfortable, the finish is great imho, and after about an hour of mayhem it did not loose any of the blade coat, and looks as good as new. I pounded it through many pieces of hardwood oak with no visible effect. There was no edge damage, and it took a couple minutes to get it very sharp, push cutting paper. Mind you it still felt sharp after use, but the touch up got her back to new.

From my research I do not know of a Machete of its size and strength. I would not buy it to cut grasses, but for anything else...it is gonna be a winner.
AI
 
I'm not an expert by any means!!!!!
I got a Gerber machete because I needed one now.
I was suprised on how well it has held up.
I've cut quite a few limbs and such with it and I haven't been let down.
Just my 2 cents worth.
 
can you tell us why you don`t like the cold steel machete?
is it because it`s thin? I think machetes are supposed to be thin. my tramontina seems to handle pretty much everything I throw at it.
and its 1,8mm IIRC. and I don't see any problems with it being cheap. to me that's a big plus, not the other way around.
I think you are looking for something other than a machete.
 
Hi there,
Old thread but cannot resist adding some info here, for posterity...hahaha. Ive been looking for machetes for some time now..also trying to find out what wil work for me. Preparing for a 6 week amazon trip near the peruvian border.

Sabatier, french cutterly legend, makes 4mm thick ( hurray!) machetes they provided the french legion with. 22inch blade and about a kilo(around 2.2 lbs)
Only found it at a great german site called Dick (...)

link: http://www.dick.biz/dick/product/705620/detail.jsf

99euros, not cheap, but who cares if you know what you want.
tally ho, Jan.
 
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