Machete BLAH!

T

theedge13

Joined
Feb 11, 2008
Messages
1,745
So, i work right next door to a home depot and i needed to get another bag of garden soil. well, i like looking in their lawn and garden tool section this time of the year because they have axes, machetes, etc. Today i picked up and examined this

Machete-22-inch_product_main.jpg


Looked impressive in the package and i just got a fiskars 14" hatchet at Sears that i have just about fallen in love w/!
Took the machete out of the package. Grip felt nice. Blade was thin and flexible like most machetes are...BUT i did a little shake test and i could feel the thing flexing in the handle. Was horrible. If i just picked up a dud let me know..but this put the nail in the coffin for this one for me. WONT be getting one of those anytime soon.

For a reference standpoint i compared it to the way my CS Khukri machete (12") felt. NOT RIGID AT ALL (the fiskars) :grumpy:
 
The Fiskars Woodzig IMO is the best folding saw out there, they make some top quality stuff. A tram or imacasa is going to wobble when you wiggle it too, there's not much more to it than that. Doesn't necessarily affect performance, alot of times thinner machetes bite deeper with less effort because of their thickness or lack thereof. The ESEE light machete is .066 inches :o and people are raving about it. Any way you can find out the blade steel? What kind of grind is the edge? All the fiskars products I've delt with have always been top notch.
 
Double grind blade for superior chopping performance
Tempered steel blade
Durable cutting edge
Softgrip® handle for added comfort
22 in. blade length
Lifetime Warranty

Copy/pasted from Fiskars site..

i understand about the wobble...but maybe im not much of a true machete guy...the cs khukri is thicker and doesnt wobble...i did also play w/ this and it felt REALLY awesome in hand... totally different beast...but just saying...feels like that lil hatchet i just got and fell in love w/.
7860_p.jpg
 
theedge13 said:
Double grind blade for superior chopping performance
Tempered steel blade
Durable cutting edge
Softgrip® handle for added comfort
22 in. blade length
Lifetime Warranty

Copy/pasted from Fiskars site..

i understand about the wobble...but maybe im not much of a true machete guy...the cs khukri is thicker and doesnt wobble...i did also play w/ this and it felt REALLY awesome in hand... totally different beast...but just saying...feels like that lil hatchet i just got and fell in love w/.
7860_p.jpg
Click to expand...

I have a few of these. Its a great tool, and works much harder than it weight belies...

Chris
 
theedge13 said:
I also messed w/ this and it was pretty nice IMO for $15

3d0f0a93-d302-4e5d-aef2-ce3090bc8b10_400.jpg


Very light too!
Click to expand...

Have one of these... Rips pretty good, is very light, don't love the handle but I need to just grab a rasp and shape it a bit. It's a lot bigger than a fiskars / kershaw type folding saw.
 
Fiskars is a scandinavian company, probably the forefront of the industry, and scandinavians are known for their edged tools. I don't think they could get away putting their name on something unless it is real quality. Throw it up in the exchange if you don't like it, then go buy a Condor Bolo. These things are thick, rigid and built to take a nuke.
 
Oh i didnt buy it bro...just played w/ it instore. Ya i hear ya..scandis know knives...it was just an initial impression...like i said...maybe im not a true machete guy :)
 
Fiskars billhook thing looks like a great Zed defense tool :D may have to get one for sure!
 
PayetteRucker said:
Fiskars is a scandinavian company, probably the forefront of the industry, and scandinavians are known for their edged tools. I don't think they could get away putting their name on something unless it is real quality. Throw it up in the exchange if you don't like it, then go buy a Condor Bolo. These things are thick, rigid and built to take a nuke.
Click to expand...

True, but the machete in the OP was made in China.

The Imacasa stuff is much better and at least 1/2 the price.

n2s
 
Don't forget that you can always spend more and get a quality machete with micarta scales - the ESEE Lite Machete! Condor blade and micarta handles - it has to be a good'un! Of course if you don't want to spend so much then an Imacasa is a good option.
 
PayetteRucker said:
Fiskars is a scandinavian company, probably the forefront of the industry, and scandinavians are known for their edged tools. I don't think they could get away putting their name on something unless it is real quality. Throw it up in the exchange if you don't like it, then go buy a Condor Bolo. These things are thick, rigid and built to take a nuke.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about that. it seems to be after fiskars bought out gerber that gerber went down the tubes.
 
I don't know. Scandinavian machete sounds like Jamaican bobsled team to me. I'll stick with South and Central America for machetes. I confess to having lusted after Scandinavian knives so this isn't just bias, I'm just not convinced.

Mac
 
Ya i hear ya...i was just posting a caveat emptor more or less. but that was just my opinon of it. I like my CS Khukri machete cuz it is thick and rugged... and in all honesty, since i got that fiskars 14" hatchet, i have become more of an axe (well hatchet) man over a machete. YMMV
 
phaserrifle said:
I'm not so sure about that. it seems to be after fiskars bought out gerber that gerber went down the tubes.
Click to expand...

I bought my first gerber 3 years ago and they seemed to be in the tubes at that point. Not sure when Fiskars bought em out but they consistantly make some of the best gardening and landscaping tools out there. They have stuff they don't market in the US that would blow your mind. I used to work for a landscaping company and my boss was Norwegian, he'd go to Norway a few times a year and come back with boxes full of Fiskars tools. They are time and again unbeatable when it comes to performance and durability. I don't know if this machete is Fiskars made or if they just put their name on it, but based on their reputation it's probably a good working tool. I wouldn't base Gerber's complete fail on Fiskars as the owning company.
 
PayetteRucker said:
I don't know if this machete is Fiskars made or if they just put their name on it, but based on their reputation it's probably a good working tool. I wouldn't base Gerber's complete fail on Fiskars as the owning company.
Click to expand...

I've seen some real crap put out with the Fiskars name on it. I have a Gerber Legend from the first run of them, and it's a freaking fantastic multi tool, and all I've heard about them since then was that they are garbage. I've seen the fiskars names on some cheap machetes and other crap in places like walmart and the quality was definitely sub-par.

They don't seem all that interested in protecting the reputation of the Fiskars name, at least not in the US.
 
theedge13 said:
Double grind blade for superior chopping performance
Tempered steel blade
Durable cutting edge
Softgrip® handle for added comfort
22 in. blade length
Lifetime Warranty

Copy/pasted from Fiskars site..

i understand about the wobble...but maybe im not much of a true machete guy...the cs khukri is thicker and doesnt wobble...i did also play w/ this and it felt REALLY awesome in hand... totally different beast...but just saying...feels like that lil hatchet i just got and fell in love w/.
7860_p.jpg
Click to expand...

A friend brought one of those on a recent trip. So light, but they work really well. I love fiskars stuff.
 
MustardMan said:
They don't seem all that interested in protecting the reputation of the Fiskars name, at least not in the US.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I agree. The Fiskars name used to stand for excellent steel and craftsmanship. I would choose a Fiskars scissors over any other in anywhere near the same price-range, hands-down, and I've used some really good fillet knives and folding saws they made in Sweden and/or USA; but I'm not so sure of other stuff with their name on it.

There is a Fiskars plant in my town. Perhaps I'm biased because of that.

Assembly-line knives with plastic handles don't generally inspire a high degree of interest or confidence with me. I've been proven right, more often than I've been proven wrong.

I gave up all hope on "Gerber" products a long time ago. That's just my opinion, of course.

Could it be that Fiskars/Gerber is now owned by someone else, or managed differently these days? I notice an awful lot of their stuff has CHINA etched on it the last few years. That's not usually a good sign.

I only have one Tramontina machete (14" blade, I think it cost me around 12 dollars), not exactly a beautiful piece of work. But it's a very solidly-built cutting tool and takes one heck of a beating. That would be my recommendation for anyone wanting to make saplings/bushes/grasses much smaller, very quickly.
 
I know most folks 'round here love Tramontinas but I wish they were either a little thicker or a little harder/stiffer. The steel on them is just really soft and thin compared to other major machete manufacturers (Imacasa, Hansa, Lasher/Cold Steel). They're great bargains all the same but just not what I'd generally reach for as my first choice in machetes. :)
 
The 0.066" thick x 18" long ESEE lite machete does not flex by shaking sideways it....
You can flex it by hand, but it doesn't do so by motion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top