machete recommendation? fortytwo\others?

remmmm

remmmm

Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
1,142
I have a specific need for a machete, use would only be for clearing an area in an overgrown field. I'm talking waist\chest high and thick, but no wood or even brush, just grass and monster weeds. Need something light weight that I can easily attach to the outside of a pack and will allow me to quickly clear an area in this field. I'll have other hard-use knives with me, so again - weight is very important, easy carry is important - durability and versatility not really important.
 
Sounds like you need a scythe! The longer the better, is what I would guess. I have the Condor Bush Cutlass/sword, even for it's length and light weight it can struggle to cut through overgrown grasses. The grasses seem to cause lots of drag, even though it is very sharp. The blade just seems to get tangled up and progress is slow.

I don't know if any of that helps, but how much area do you need to clear? Bending over to clear down to the ground is going to get old real fast.
 
If that's only as large of an are as you need to clear then I'd go with something like these:

yhst-29358752693524_2242_7093556


yhst-29358752693524_2242_13085279


yhst-129988217023674_2232_322678


Need to clear anything bigger than that and you might as well bring a scythe. They're more portable than you might expect so long as you pack a small adjustable wrench. Just take the blade off and stick it in a cardboard sleeve in your pack and carry the snath on its own--it's very light and can be tucked in the crook of the arm.
 
The blade shape on the corn knife isn't very conducive for that particular task and if going with something that short you might as well use a grass hook. A longer machete combined with a "helper stick" would get the job done better, methinks.
 
A grass scythe would be the proper tool. Yes ? A long machete would also be hard to attach to a pack, pack attachment is what i had in mind with the corn knife suggestion. Easy peasy, just like a hawk. IMHO,an Ontario machete with the military sheath is the best option for attaching to a pack---short of a custom sheath.

100_1178.jpg
 
A corn knife is shaped for a different task and method of use than cutting grass, and a grass hook is mostly used for trim work for areas not able to be cleared by a scythe or reel mower--think of it as the manual equivalent of a string trimmer. :D
 
Corn knives work nice for 'Bacca :)

Pretty good Queens Annes' thistles.

The cut on a pull stroke- towards the user and up.

Bill
 
Exactly--the upward stroke of a corn knife isn't going to make for a good cut close to the ground, but it's great if you're cutting thick stalks to harvest a crop.
 
remmmm, I know you asked about a machete, but I have an identical situation each deer season preparing an area for my ground blind. I bring a 18 inch machete in case there are branches or saplings to remove, but I use one of these-



for waist - chest high grasses and weeds. I can clear a 10 X 10 area in a couple of minutes with little effort. It's light and the handle is short enough that it could be strapped to the outside of a pack, but I put everything else on my back (including the ground blind) and carry the cutter in my hand.
 
neeman said:
For only a 10' x 10' do not buy a specialized tool
A machete that you will use elsewhere

You will be suprised how fast the work will go
Click to expand...

I've never let redundancy stand between me and a gear purchase, where's the fun in that :)

I really don't have anything but a few super cheap junk machetes right now, so I definitely "need" a decent one :)
 
mrgreen said:
remmmm, I know you asked about a machete, but I have an identical situation each deer season preparing an area for my ground blind. I bring a 18 inch machete in case there are branches or saplings to remove, but I use one of these-



for waist - chest high grasses and weeds. I can clear a 10 X 10 area in a couple of minutes with little effort. It's light and the handle is short enough that it could be strapped to the outside of a pack, but I put everything else on my back (including the ground blind) and carry the cutter in my hand.
Click to expand...

How do you use that, sweep motion? I bet it would get the job done in short order, but I don't think it would be practical to try to carry in\on a mid-size pack.

I attempted to clear a spot in this area last year using only a big stick and my dogfather and it was a PITA. The dogfather did great on the thick weed stalks, but a thick 10" chopper is no good on grass. When I go back into this area for an overnighter this spring, I'm coming in prepared :)
 
Get a 18" or 20" Tramontina or spend more on a Condor Eco-light or Imacasa in a similar size. Weeds be gone in no time.
 
You're right, you use a sweeping motion. It cuts in each direction, does the job very quick. The handle is only a little more then waist high, would still be awkward on a daypack. I guess you could hold it like a hiking stick. I like being able to clear the weeds while standing upright, makes the rest of the day much more comfortable.
By the way, I have a great machete made by Fiddleback Forge but I still use this for the type of stuff you describe.
 
We canoe/kayak camp along the rivers in PA..Our favorite camping spot was way overgrown this spring..I'm talking 5-6 ft river weeds and high grass.. Two 10 dollar HarborFT machetes cleared out a 30x30 area in 20 minutes..Two guys hacking down and two guys cleaning up behind..The rest of the summer was just light maintenance in that spot..

Mine came with a nice rubber handle and a cheap sheath..It lives in my front hatch on the kayak...CD
 
10 by 10, grass and weeds? Thin, sharp and light is what you need, all you need really. An Ontario 12 or 18 incher econo-model will do that in no time at all. And they are tougher than you think, I like the econo's almost better than the thicker ones. I'd go with the 12.
 
If planning on making a gear purchase that can be used for OTHER tasks later then a more general machete pattern is the way to go--even the heavier ones can be used for clearing a space that small. However, if planning on making your purchase for repeated use for the specific class of task, go with a specialized pattern. The wonderful thing about machetes is that they're inexpensive enough to purchase multiple patterns for different kinds of work. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top