Looking for a new machete

R

randomlooker

Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Messages
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The setting: Pacific Northwest, used mostly on blackberries, vine maple, slide alder, and the like. Woody, springy stuff, up to small trees a few inches in diameter. I've been using a Cold Steel barong machete, which works okay, but I'm starting to want something less pointy. Any suggestions?
 
Tramontina, Imacasa, Hansa, Bellotto all are good brands. The Tramontina Bolo is one of my all-time favorites, and is also one of the least expensive great tools out there.
 
condor parang -- or golok if you need something 3" shorter.
 
lol can we make this a sticky. it seems now every week someone is looking for recommendations for a new machete :) just messing around of coarse.

i would recommend condor or wait and hopefully soon the fiddleback machete's will be out

also if you wanna spend a bit more money koyote makes a bas ass bolochete
 
Stalk the Fiddleback Forge subforum. They're close. I can smell them.
 
Thing is there's a ton of different designs of machetes and related tools, all evolved for particular types of vegetation found around where that design originated. A FAQ/guide along the lines of 'What styles of machetes work well for what climate/environment' would be useful.

I've been looking mostly at the Condor Parang and the ESEE lite.
 
i have the esee lite machete and it hands down out-chops my becker bk-9 and junglas by a mile it's not even funny. if i carried an axe or know absolutely i don't need to split wood, i'd sell all my choppers and stick to machetes. the esee lite machete is just an imacasa blade with a micarta handle just so you know.
 
Or if you don't care for the handle get an Eco Survivor which is the same blade as the ESEE, just not the handle.
 
randomlooker said:
Thing is there's a ton of different designs of machetes and related tools, all evolved for particular types of vegetation found around where that design originated. A FAQ/guide along the lines of 'What styles of machetes work well for what climate/environment' would be useful.

I've been looking mostly at the Condor Parang and the ESEE lite.
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Recently I was looking at getting a new machete. For several reasons I couldn't get it, but I did get very good advice on the designs I was looking at; the Condor Parang and Golok. It turns out the Parang is a dedicated chopper that is very front heavy. The Golok is 3" shorter and is also a very good chopper and front heavy, but its weight is a little more balancedly distributed than the Parang's and better suited for a general use camp machete. If you think what you need is a dedicated chopper, go with the Condor Parang. If what you need is a good general use camp machete that is also a very good chopper, go with the Condor Golok.
 
Smokey Mountain Knife Works and Machete Specialists are both good to go for machete purchases.
 
Condor Bolo machete. 15" blade

1/8" thick with convex edge (1075 steel)

less than $20

There is probably no better chopper for logs/wood/branches than an actual ax. And for lighter and denser-patterned vegetation, swinging one of these all day will put hair on your chest, and muscles on your forearms.
 
For your uses I recommend the Condor Viking. The sharpened back edge is good for brambles because of the hook-like edge (it prevents woody-stemmed plants from slipping off the edge during the cut) and the 20" blade gives you enough reach to keep you from scraping your knuckles up. The overall weight is nice and low, but the mass is all concentrated at the end so it can take out trees without too much difficulty (for a machete). I use it in circumstances similar to yours and it's been my go-to piece for years now. :)

CIMG8360.jpg
 
Buy American..buy ONtario. Damn fine machete to boot!
 
Ontario SP8 from Quartermasters. Looking at the Barong, it really seems more like a jungle knife (i.e. lighter for frequent swinging at soft vegetation). Sounds like you're looking for something with a bit more weight behind the blade.
 
14" vs 18"....

For general backpacking/camping in the NE which one would I want? I would lean towards the 14" for packability, but do I lose functionality by giving up the extra 4 inches? I'd probably also use it for light gardening in the backyard to clear some weeds and brush every now and then.
 
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