Machete?

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Also, while Condor has the occasional lemon slip through, their customer service is second to none. If you ever have ANY problem with a Condor product, they'll take care of you right! :cool::thumbup:
 
The 3 Trams that I got were all sharp-ish. The sweet spot on all of them were functionally sharp and good to go out of the box but the rest of the blade at the tip and near the handle were dull. I say if you want cheap and functional go for it. A little sharpening and a little rounding of the handle and they're even better.
 
Ontario Camp Machete, Condor's vast high carbon selection, Imacasa, Tramontina, Sheffield, Martindale, all better choices at or under 20 dollars. As for size and style, depends on the type of vegitation you're chopping-but a Bolo is a good start.
 
Martindale is some seriously sweet stuff. Only Condor/Imacasa and Martindale can distal taper a machete worth a damn as far as I'm concerned. The one thing I'm not a fan of with Martindale is the frequency with which the blades are a little warped from the factory, but it doesn't affect performance.
 
go to your local military surplus store and pick up a <$10 machete and $3 canvas sheath.
It's probably a Tramontina or Ontario.
Avoid the ones with China stamped on the blade.
If you don't have a surplus store, try a farm store -- at worst they will have a Corona machete under $20 -- which isn't a bad tool and while you're paying more there than you would at an online store that specializes in Machetes, you won't have to worry about shipping and may be able to hand pick your blade.
 
I recommend this.

753_knife-kid-gtfo.gif
 
1066vik said:
go to your local military surplus store and pick up a <$10 machete and $3 canvas sheath.
It's probably a Tramontina or Ontario.
Avoid the ones with China stamped on the blade.
If you don't have a surplus store, try a farm store -- at worst they will have a Corona machete under $20 -- which isn't a bad tool and while you're paying more there than you would at an online store that specializes in Machetes, you won't have to worry about shipping and may be able to hand pick your blade.
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Probably gonna end up doing this for now. There is a military surplus by my wife's workplace so I'm gonna get her to stop in and look and pick me one up if they have any. Then I'm gonna get me something a bit nicer (unless this one really impresses me) next year.

Thanks for all the input! Condor is at the top of my list with their stuff like this right now. Also looking at a couple of their smaller fixed blades now as well. Will it ever end??
 
only thing I've seen at milsurp places are cheap china crap-it's worth waiting, those damn things won't do you any good
 
PayetteRucker said:
only thing I've seen at milsurp places are cheap china crap-it's worth waiting, those damn things won't do you any good
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My thoughts as well, but no harm in looking! I've heard some folks are able to find Ontarios and Trams at those places, and even a Collins once in a very blue moon! :eek: but the majority of places I've ever been had nothing but cheap Chinese/Pakistan-made garbage.
 
For your things you want to do with the machete, I like something like this one:

http://www.schelp.de/Motor-Kettensa...g/Stihl-Schweizer-Gertel--43-cm.html?refID=gb

It´s a so called "Schweizer Gertel". Normally I like to cut down little trees or bigger busches with that. Especially the Leather-Ring-Handle feels good in hand. The Carbon Steel is getting a good and sharp edge. If you loose it, the prize is not overwhelming expensive.

I don´t know if such a thing is available in the US. But here in good old Germany, you can get such a Gertel on every hardware store.

Kind regards
 
been pretty happy with the 14" & 16" trams a buddy picked up at a surplus store.
10 minutes with a well used 120 grit belt on a 4x36 sander to clean up the grinds & handles and we've both gotten good service out of them.
another one I was shopping in over in Kansas City had Ontario 12" & 18" machetes under $20.
 
Humppa said:
For your things you want to do with the machete, I like something like this one:

http://www.schelp.de/Motor-Kettensa...g/Stihl-Schweizer-Gertel--43-cm.html?refID=gb

It´s a so called "Schweizer Gertel". Normally I like to cut down little trees or bigger busches with that. Especially the Leather-Ring-Handle feels good in hand. The Carbon Steel is getting a good and sharp edge. If you loose it, the prize is not overwhelming expensive.

I don´t know if such a thing is available in the US. But here in good old Germany, you can get such a Gertel on every hardware store.

Kind regards
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They're usually called billhooks here in the 'States. Unfortunately they're also not very common. The easiest one to find is by Fiskars/Gerber. Condor also makes one I'm fond of they call the Bush Knife. Imacasa makes a machete type known as a cuma and I rather like that as well, though the only Imacasa dealer in the US has only the larger ones available.
 
After handling and using an Imacasa I cant say I want to own much else for the price. Good steel, rough finish but once finished is an excellent tool. I love Imacasa's and Trams because there are so many models and if you mess one up it doesnt break your heart.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
My thoughts as well, but no harm in looking! I've heard some folks are able to find Ontarios and Trams at those places, and even a Collins once in a very blue moon! :eek: but the majority of places I've ever been had nothing but cheap Chinese/Pakistan-made garbage.
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Both of my Collins Legitimus are from Army Stores. Sadly, my dad bought them 40 years ago. Toward that end, the machete is a Central and South American tool. If you buy one either made there or intended for sale there, you will get a) a tool designed to do the job and b) one at a good price because folks who have to cut brush for a living don't have a lot of money to spend. I think the Tramontina, Imacasa route will serve you well...best probably.
 
Yup! Imacasa is--to my mind--the inheritor of the Collins legacy. Great tools for the money, and the closest to Collins in terms of overall build quality. Collins was and IS one of the very best machetes around though. Just make sure if you find one that it's not a rare model before you go banging up a valuable collector's piece! :p
 
Just wanted to update and say I wound up picking up an Imacasa and it should serve me well. Thanks for the input everyone
 
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