Machetes Hate Me or Vice Versa

cziv

cziv

Joined
Nov 24, 2005
Messages
10,038
My wife complained all winter about a bush that made a chalkboard screeching sound in the wind this past winter. Right by her sink.

Today I grabbed my two CS machete (paper slicing sharp) and went out to eradicate the problem. As in all previous summers I went out full of confidence and was beaten down by my inability to cut anything with them. :mad:

Sure I smashed my way through a couple of small limbs (finger thick and green) but I've see guys on TV or read here that just wave them back and forth and everything is neatly sliced. I've seen guy cut small trees with machetes for gosh sakes.

Mine are the 18" Kukri model and about a couple more inch straight one, with a heavier and longer blade, maybe called a spearpoint. I don't see them on CS site anymore.

In the end I walked back in the house, grabbed the ESEE Junglas and whack whack whack and whack all offending branches lay neatly sliced on the ground.

Machetes won't work for me. What am I doing wrong? :confused:
 
Cut at an angle to the "cuttee". A 30-45 degree angle from the axis of the branch you are cutting and don't stop the blade when it hits, follow through with your strokes. Have a firm grip but relaxed wrist.
 
Machetes and choppers require different techniques to cut. If you try to use a machete like a chopping knife, you will have disappointing results. Don't use a machete like a hammer, swing it fast like a whip, and through what you're trying to cut. If you practice by cutting tall grass, you'll figure out the proper technique.
 
IMO, the CS machetes are not good. The edges of mine were uneven, the geometry of the whole package is off, and the handles aren't sized for average hands.
I have much more control and cutting power from my 18" ESEE Lite Machete, than my 16" CS Bolo.

Anything from Condor/Imacasa will come sharper NIB, and have a better handle.

ESEE, Condor, Fiddleback Forge, and Blind Horse are all excellent machetes.

ONtario machetes will require a good edge and maybe handle mods, but the steel is good, and they will cut. I like the 12" Cutlass, after it's convexed.
Bark River has modded some Ontario Machetes, KSF has them right now.
 
well i have had the same trouble with my CS kukri machete. It just doesn't work for that blade pattern IMO.

I have good luck with my Ontario machete, and my Condor golok. Practice.
 
singularity35 said:
Cut at an angle to the "cuttee". A 30-45 degree angle from the axis of the branch you are cutting and don't stop the blade when it hits, follow through with your strokes. Have a firm grip but relaxed wrist.
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I do that but I can't cut through - like you said I don't follow through. I'm old and losing my athleticism I need a sharper machete :D

moonwilson said:
Machetes and choppers require different techniques to cut. If you try to use a machete like a chopping knife, you will have disappointing results. Don't use a machete like a hammer, swing it fast like a whip, and through what you're trying to cut. If you practice by cutting tall grass, you'll figure out the proper technique.
Click to expand...

I'm definitely a chopper guy then. My Junglas and other big knives cut really well for me. I'll practise in some tall grass and my neighbors will think I'm crazier than they already probably do. :D

foxx said:
IMO, the CS machetes are not good. The edges of mine were uneven, the geometry of the whole package is off, and the handles aren't sized for average hands.
I have much more control and cutting power from my 18" ESEE Lite Machete, than my 16" CS Bolo.

Anything from Condor/Imacasa will come sharper NIB, and have a better handle.

ESEE, Condor, Fiddleback Forge, and Blind Horse are all excellent machetes.

ONtario machetes will require a good edge and maybe handle mods, but the steel is good, and they will cut. I like the 12" Cutlass, after it's convexed.
Bark River has modded some Ontario Machetes, KSF has them right now.
Click to expand...

I want a new machete or two but it's hard to know what would work for me. My use is for clearing brush usually "thin" wild bushes with very resilient branches. They're always popping up all over my property. :(
 
Thin and long blade, with a handle that fits your hand. Pinch grip is the best for light vegetation, you can keep swinging without getting tired muscles.

Look at the ESEE lite machete, it's a thicker handle, but can be sanded to fit your hand. The Fiddlebacks look to have awesome handles, but are an Imacasa blade.
 
cziv said:
I do that but I can't cut through - like you said I don't follow through. I'm old and losing my athleticism I need a sharper machete :D


I want a new machete or two but it's hard to know what would work for me. My use is for clearing brush usually "thin" wild bushes with very resilient branches. They're always popping up all over my property. :(
Click to expand...

You need a cane knife. Thin and light. They are used for cutting sugar canes.

ff2f7d220c94f4fa2e4b9404ee48_grande.jpg
 
singularity35 said:
You need a cane knife. Thin and light. They are used for cutting sugar canes.

ff2f7d220c94f4fa2e4b9404ee48_grande.jpg
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That's bad*ss-sweet man! That would go right into my zombie collection with my katana. :D

It looks like an ESEE Lite might be in order. I don't understand all of the machete types but I don know that I've heard all good hings about them. It would beat buying others until I find one that works. I was thinking about the Ontario milspec 21". It looks long and lean.
 
The edge on your CS was probably sufficient for the job. I'd suggest a bit of chopping on the side so that you can do a great job on the bushes and other chores that your partner dictates. It takes some work to get proficient with a machete. You will benefit from speed and accuracy. Get a very keen edge on a Tramontina, rehearse and don't look back. A properly tuned machete in the mit is a marvelous thing!
 
Try a 'toothier' edge on those blades. It is not unusual for a very fine edge to skate on fibrous material.
 
A.P.F. said:
Try a 'toothier' edge on those blades. It is not unusual for a very fine edge to skate on fibrous material.
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I was going to ask that very thing. I've sharpened them with some sort of "bastard file" that the guys suggested in another machete thread and I wrote it down and went to Ace and found the exact file they said to get. It puts a wicked looking edge on them but it looked like the teeth of those sharks that have a million spikes going every which way.

I smoothed them out to be more like a neat, sharp V grind. Perhaps I should go back and try the raggedy, filed edge with no smoothing it out eh?

I'm scared to swing into this stuff with complete abandon as the blades spin in my hand - bounce off in unexpected directions and other scary stuff. Accidentally I must have hit some thin branches correctly last summer, as a few swings I made went through so easily that I didn't know I'd made contact!

I'll try a filed edge and another machete than these CS $18 jobs. I appreciate the input. :thumbup:
 
I was under the impression that esee never actually made their 'light machete' but rather re-branded another company and slapped on their logo and a steep price tag. Anyone remember the company's name? I might take everyones advice and stay away from the CS version now but won't be paying triple for micarta handles.
 
mat_890 said:
I was under the impression that esee never actually made their 'light machete' but rather re-branded another company and slapped on their logo and a steep price tag. Anyone remember the company's name? I might take everyones advice and stay away from the CS version now but won't be paying triple for micarta handles.
Click to expand...

ESEE uses Imacasa/Condor blades, but then cuts the tangs to precise shape and machines/assembles the micarta handle for it. The extra cost is all in the work it takes to make a fully encapsulated micarta handle for a machete--no small task!

And yes, a "slinging" action works best with machetes, almost like you're trying to "throw" the mass at the end of the blade forward.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
ESEE uses Imacasa/Condor blades, but then cuts the tangs to precise shape and machines/assembles the micarta handle for it. The extra cost is all in the work it takes to make a fully encapsulated micarta handle for a machete--no small task!

And yes, a "slinging" action works best with machetes, almost like you're trying to "throw" the mass at the end of the blade forward.
Click to expand...

I was on your site (sig link) and wondered which one you'd recommend for what I'm cutting. I liked the 18" Condor EcoSurvivor. I like a traditional American looking machete w/o all the shape of the Tapanga or Golok stuff. I might be missing something though.

I couldn't find the Imacasa machetes though. Thanks. :)

BTW, do your machetes come "sharp."
 
They do, indeed, come sharp. The edge is one of the criteria I hand-inspect on every piece I receive. Condor actually outdid themselves on this batch, too--I had to ship a few back because of burnt tips. :p

You said you'd mostly be using it for cutting bushes, right? So you're dealing with relatively long, quarter-inch thick woody branches. Too heavy of a pattern and you're going to end up pushing the branches out of the way--the key is good tip velocity in this case. I'd go with either size of the Eco-Survivor (I might even go with the 14") or the Speed Bowie. The short blade length and the curve of the handle will allow you make nice quick cuts with a flick of the wrist. Something on the shorter and faster side is going to get the job done best. :)
 
you might also check your local army/navy surplus, camping supply, or farm store and see if they have any Tramontina machetes - I recently picked up a 14" model for $8. Took less than 10 minutes at home with a 120 grit belt on my 4" belt sander to profile the edge, clean up the spine, and reshape the handles to they actually fit the metal underneath and my hand. (very light passes so you don't build up much heat when profiling the edge)
 
Some species of very woody shrubs (don't know the name) out here in the northeast are terrible to cut through with a machete. Even with my lightweight 18" eco-survivor (Condor) they still are difficult - tend to move away from the cut rather than being cut. While larger up to 2" diameter saplings I can typically fell in one cut.

The machete pinch grip with a snapping motion of the hand to increase tip velocity is essential technique.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
They do, indeed, come sharp. The edge is one of the criteria I hand-inspect on every piece I receive. Condor actually outdid themselves on this batch, too--I had to ship a few back because of burnt tips. :p

You said you'd mostly be using it for cutting bushes, right? So you're dealing with relatively long, quarter-inch thick woody branches. Too heavy of a pattern and you're going to end up pushing the branches out of the way--the key is good tip velocity in this case. I'd go with either size of the Eco-Survivor (I might even go with the 14") or the Speed Bowie. The short blade length and the curve of the handle will allow you make nice quick cuts with a flick of the wrist. Something on the shorter and faster side is going to get the job done best. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks speed kills ;) Too much weight = slower pushing motion which is bending these darn things more than cutting them.

Are my 2, CS machitties, 18" kukri and 20" spearpoint suited to anything?
 
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