Machetes rock

upnorth

upnorth

Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
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I have turned my attention to some of the C.S. machetes lately, and it has been fun. The last two that I got in were the 'jungle' version. It has been more and more apparent to me lately that machetes are actually quite versatile. Some of the attributes , in my view, are:

-Wide availability and inexpensive
-Light weight, particularly considering size
-Size variability from extremely large to medium smallish
-They can be battoned through smaller diameter wood
-Self defense tool if need be
-Good wood choppers, particularly for smaller diameter material, brush/trail clearing
-They come in a wide variety of styles and designs
-They are easy to sharpen to a decent working edge, run an axe file across it
-They can process materials for a shelter quickly
-Used to process various foods around the world
 
yep. there is a reason its the only cutting tool many need/use in the jungles of the world. like a combo of a hatchet and big knife. not better than either but can do most of the tasks of both pretty darn well.
 
Ya I got a boat anchor kukri in about a month ago. I took it out last night, and believe me I appreciated those machetes again.
 
I love machetes, I got tons of them from lots of different brands. Got lotsa Cold Steel machetes, Condor/Imacasa, Hansa, Marbles, Okapi, Ka-bar, Aranyik, Bellotto, Tramontina, CRKT, the works. And I got all different patterns, latin style, bolos, pangas, billhooks, cane/corn knives, barongs, parangs, goloks, e-neps, kukris...
 
I'm a little addicted to Cold Steel's machetes. I have the Royal kukri, regular Kukri, Barong, Smatchet, and Bowie machete. My regular kukri is my heavy yard machete.
 
DShiflet said:
I love machetes, I got tons of them from lots of different brands. Got lotsa Cold Steel machetes, Condor/Imacasa, Hansa, Marbles, Okapi, Ka-bar, Aranyik, Bellotto, Tramontina, CRKT, the works. And I got all different patterns, latin style, bolos, pangas, billhooks, cane/corn knives, barongs, parangs, goloks, e-neps, kukris...
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I am on the cusp of seasonally transitioning to another hobby, maybe two as I bought the wife a sweet rod and reel recently, at her request. She gets a kick out of catch and release pike. But I also feel that I may be transitioning in my views on cutting tools. I have a ridiculous, but fun, heap of blades that I putter around outside with, and it feels more and more attractive these days to have less weight. I recently got a C.S. special forces shovel which will live in a vehicle, and I think that I am going to get two more. Once I see how well or poorly they chop, I may be revising this whole thing once again, which is amusing considering how many axes and hatchets I have.
:rolleyes:
 
mwhich50 said:
I'm a little addicted to Cold Steel's machetes. I have the Royal kukri, regular Kukri, Barong, Smatchet, and Bowie machete. My regular kukri is my heavy yard machete.
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Thanks for the reminder, I wanted to grab one of those smatchets. I haven't had time to whack wood with many of them yet, but I am intrigued with the slant tip. Feels like a freakin wood cleaver !
 
The Smatchet is like a budget Gladius. I stripped the black paint (30 min) with rubbing alcohol, old t-shirt patches, and a little elbow grease.
 
The steel in these machetes is awesome once you get past the burnt edges. Really holds up well.
 
mwhich50 said:
The Smatchet is like a budget Gladius. I stripped the black paint (30 min) with rubbing alcohol, old t-shirt patches, and a little elbow grease.
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Same here with the rubbing alcohol. I remember buying a C.S. mag Kukri machete many years ago and trying to strip those irritating stickers off. Then I went Condor for a while. Now back to really interesting C.S. again, and those stickers, lol. Now I just scrape/wipe until satisfied and there seems to be enough black left so as not to be a concern. And really, getting a few speckles on an inexpensive machete is not much of a big deal. Jeez, I remember leaving a C.S. hawk in the trunk of my wifes car from the fall to next spring. It was stripped and blued. Even that thing came out ok for the most part.................. I am of half a mind ( my normal state) :D To just Tremclad rust paint rattle can some of the blades orange. When having an evening fire and leaving in the dark it is easy enough to leave things behind, even with a flashlight. I left a Mora out at the lake once, that someone scored when they arrived.
 
I just got a Marbles 14" "camo finish" bush machete and an 18" orange bush machete w/wire wrap. Not wild about painted blades, so I tried stripping using Easy-Off (yellow can) oven cleaner. It readily took off the white camo stripes on the 14" and the black Marbles logo on the other, and dissolved the sticker on the blade. But the basic ground colors were not affected much at all. I couldn't find any of that good, deadly methylene chloride paint stripper in my home chemical arsenal. Guess I'll just leave the paint for now - they look a little better anyway.

While made by Imacasa, they are a tad thicker/heavier.
 
Definitely love my cold steel machete and I plan on getting a few more soon.

As for the labels,I first try to peel the label at one of the corners as slowly and carefully so there are not tears, but if there is one try another corner and so forth.The goal is to get the label off as cleanly as possible and down to the baked on surface otherwise the removal of the top layer. If at the end there are a some paper fiber and adhesive that is where I saturate the surface with motor oil,and just scape the remaining bites with my thumb nail until just the adhesive remains.Next is where some more oil, elbow grease,and a paper towel comes into play................No more label
 
Try a hair dry (not a heat gun) to heat and loosen the label adhesive. Comes off clean.
 
Upnorth....try one of the 12 in barongs....love that thing....really versatile with the pointed tip

BEAR THE DOG posted one of his trips where he said Jeff Randall from ESEE would not let it out of his hands
 
I love em. Inexpensive, tough, fun to modify and even more fun to beat on. And actually the 1055 is underrated IMO, it holds an edge very well, is incredibly tough and easy to sharpen. My 18" bowie machete is pretty much a light sword, hacks branches off with ease. My favorite is probably the kukri machete, chops like a hatchet and the handle is pretty comfortable.
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Have two 17" sax machete seconds. One is perfect as is. The other was bent in the last third, so I cut it down, giving it a needle point. Tough as nails. Wicked cutters.

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Zieg
 
Got some Tramontinas from an outdoor gear place going out of business, thanks to a heads-up post from a member here. 14" bolo and 14" machete/knife. First ones came in today and I just ordered more because they seemed to find more stock. Average cost of the 11 knives delivered is $7.18 each. I'll mod some, sell or give some away unless some zombies show up. I'm partial to Imacasa/Marbles, but these look good. Very nice wood handles.
 
ThePeacent said:
Marbles, Condors and Cold Steel machetes are my favorites for budget/value big blades
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Sadly, Condor prices are going up, not so budget anymore. I was looking at their recently released 2017 lineup, and they're all like $80-90. Used to, the ones with wood handles were like $50-60, and the Micarta handled ones were the more expensive $80-85 models. But the new lineup, with plenty of blades in the 13 inch range, with the same 1075 steel and wood handles, are $85 and the micarta ones are now like $100-105. Kinda annoying, I love my Condor stuff, but I loved paying $60 for a 13 inch blade a lot more than I love paying $85 for one.
 
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