Machete Question

steelnut

steelnut

Joined
Jan 9, 2007
Messages
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I know this question belongs somewhere else on BF,
But I would like Hog and Piglet input, Not the 17 year old Camando crowd:D

My friend is in town from Guam where he is an air traffic controller.
While shopping at the mall we went into the Ninja shop where he decides he wants to buy a Condor Machete.
I thought it looked like cheap crap being sold expensively;) .
I talked him out of the purchase with the promise of me finding him something worthy of clearing the jungle out of his back yard.

After searching the internet all I am seeing is CRAP.
The condor is made of 420j....
But this is the style he wants, with the hook end
machete.jpg


Does anyone have any experience with Condor:confused:
Can't get him to pony up for a large Busse....

Is Cold Steel really the only other option?:eek:

Thinking about sending him a Dogfather:D
 
A fellow that goes by Horndawg seems to like Condor. Theres a thread on the Scrapyard forums where he does some tests on them. But you were right not buying from the mall store, the markup in those places is insane more often than not.

Friends dont let friends buy CS. :p
 
I think Gravelface may have a Condor as well... But yeah, check that thread Dwayne posted above :thumbup:
 
I Used For Work In The Farms The Cold Steel And I Like Them More Than The Condor Just Because Of The Steel And The Handle Is Super Confortable
 
I forgot to add that you should check out Tramontina, they come highly recomended from a respected "Jungle Training" unit. I have a few Tramontina knives and so far they have proven to be decent choppers. I lucked in to one of their big bowie piggyback combo's a while back (before they vanished :confused: ) Just a little reprofiling and its one heck of a beater.
 
Get the Worden Special Forces 18" Machete from Ontario Knife company. It's by far the most useful machete I've used!
 
I don't say much, but from what I've heard Tramontina and Martindale come highly recommended and are affordable but not cheaply made.
 
Monoceros said:
I don't say much, but from what I've heard Tramontina and Martindale come highly recommended and are affordable but not cheaply made.
Click to expand...

That's the same thing I've heard. Martindale seems to have a better reputation, but they're more expensive and hard to find in the US. Tramontinas are cheap enough that you'd think that they must be junk, but they have carbon steel blades and I've read comments that say they outperform machetes costing several times as much. I recall that some of the reviews mentioned that they shaped and sanded the handles for comfort and some also used grip tape.

I bought a couple 12" Tramontinas from eknifeworks.com. I was looking for a lightweight, inexpensive emergency tool and those fit well in 12" Nylon Machete Sheaths that Smokey Mountain Knife works also carries. Of course, lots of other companies sell Tramontina - being fairly easy to find is part of their charm, but I included the link because that's where I got mine.

I have absolutely no experience with them, but you might also take a look at some of the Woodsmans Pal offerings.
 
Is he your average American WASP who just happens to be posted to Guam or is he an islander who has a reasonable idea of what works on Guamanian vegetation? Often there are practical reasons why locals go for a particular configuration of machete. If the vegetation is mostly grasses and very light vines a light machete with a forward-tilting hook might really do the trick. The old marines talk about hacking through thick tanga-tanga vines with a machete.

Vines in general are most easily cut by a thin machete. A light/long blade may work best if you have room to swing it. A hook end might help to snag vines that tend to slip away from your blade (particularly if your machete is dull).

For quality I would look for a Nicholson machete. They are derived from the classic legitimus Collins line. They don't cost much. You might have more trouble finding the sheath than the machete.
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/3062429
 
steelnut said:
...the promise of me finding him something worthy of clearing the jungle out of his back yard. After searching the internet all I am seeing is CRAP.
Click to expand...
A couple of options for you:

1. Gerber Brush Thinner -- This billhook is one of the "great unknown" sleeper knives IMHO. It is hooked the opposite way from the one you pictured. But I have found it to be very effective for clearing light brush. It has good penetration for chopping fir branches (19" OAL does it), although it doesn't clear chips for squat due to thin stock with no primary bevel to speak of. Still, it performs well IME for branch and brush work. Someone posted that in Costa Rica IIRC the Gerber Brush Thinner was the most requested knife the indigenous natives wanted to borrow. This one cost me $30 at Sportsman's Warehouse.

3x7-inchers_plus_billhook.jpg


2. An old carbon steel machete like the one pictured below. This one is made from Sheffield Zip steel. Collins was a common govt contractor for machetes during WWII. These older machetes have a little more heft than the cheap CS super-skinny-stock ones. This one proved itself well worth the price I paid for it at a gun show. This sort of machete is fairly common on ePay and not too expensive... $30'ish is fairly common, although sometimes you get lucky and can pick one up for $10-$15 bid. You could also watch for them at yard sales, flea markets, farm auctions, or local surplus stores.

Couple of threads on this machete:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458731
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458652

Zip_machete_full.jpg
 
A lot of folks say good things about the lighter H.I. khukris for clearing brush. A used or a blem will sell on the forum from between $50 and $100.

The "Woodman's Pal" is an excellent choice, but rather expensive.
 
Maybe I'm missing it but did anyone mention the Golok? I've yet to get/use one but I've heard rave reviews and they seem reasonably priced for what you get.
 
I like machetes and have quite a few of them.

Machetes.jpg


Machetes2.jpg


Linders2.jpg


I'll echo what most have already said.

For the buck, you cannot beat Tramontina, especially at $6 each from SMKW. They take a beating, are easy to resharpen, and have fairly decent steel.

The Martindales are nice and are worth the money. I really like my little Golok #2.

You might take a look at the Linders. Stainless steel with a nice convex edge. Decent hardwood handles.

I don't own an Ontario, but they consistenly get good reports.

Take a look in the Wilderness forum and do a search there. You'll find multiple threads on machetes.
 
Just to add, Tramontinas are made in Brazil; Martindales are made in England; and Linders are made in Germany.

I have one Cold Steel machete. Compared to the three makers I list here, it is a piece of junk. I really am half scared to use it because it *looks* like a prime candidate for a blade failure. Thin blade, poorly ground, and a cheap looking plastic handle. I would not buy another one based on its construction.

For clearing out brush, I really like the top knife pictured above. I forget the exact model, but it is a big honkin' Martindale in a bolo pattern.
 
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