Machetes vs. expensive magic steel knives, survival

I have observed that many of the "Hogs" here are more knife collectors then anything. (nothing wrong with that, if i had the money i would buy more knives too.)

As a side note I think one of the thin Busse game wardens would be a good backpacking knife.
 
In the tropics, a machete for sure! I have several machete's, and they would be way better than nothing in a survival situation, but in North America a hatchet (Gerber Sport Axe for traverling light, or the Camp Axe if weight isn't an issue) and a high quality multi-tool will get me by just fine.
 
Well I agree a good machete and a good fixed blade is all that is needed. I do not see a cheap machete going through hard wood like this (It broke my recon). I always have my Barkie and BK6 when out in the woods.














 
not2sharp said:
Survival is a state of mind; and, if a big chopper serves as a talisman to get you there, then it is a survival tool. Just about every knife that is popular today has existed in some fashion with some culture at some point in time. There have always been big heavy survival knives; it is not a new invention; and, countless of indigenous people who did depend on them, used them to both survive and thrive. The machete's principle attributes is that it is cheap, readily available, and efficient to use; but, it is no magic elixir. It does poorly on hardwoods (binds,bends,breaks), is weak for digging or prying, the bounce from the highly flexible blade is potentially dangerous, and the cheap and readily available part ends at the edge of town.

The right kit for survival, and the kit that would have been carried by any well stocked expidition of old, would have included a wide variety of cutting tools; everything from felling axes, to carpenters tools; from butchering kits to surgical tools. Think of all the professions that we have known who actually use knives on a a daily basis - would any of them limit themselves to a single knife. Your survival kit should have a maximum variety of cutting tools.

Now, on a practical level, few of us go on real expeditions anymore; and, even when we do take a trip, help is often just a call away. When we talk about survival we mean spending an unplanned night or two in the woods. There is no need to forage or trailblaze; we will not be clearing land or building heavy long term shelter; nor, should we expect to have to fend off savages nor feroceous wild animals. Our knives are there for comfort. They help us to build a fire to stay warm, to build a blind to shield us from the wind and rain; to fill in at thousands of little tasks when more appropriate tools are simply not available.

So carry whatever works best for you. If a hunting knife, or SAK, is what you are familiar with, then use that rather then a machete. How, well you do will be a reflection on you rather then your knives and tools. Keep your wits, relax, and take it all in; the rest will work itself out soon enough.

n2s
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Well said sir, I don't know if anybody could sum it up any better!
 
jarlaxle said:
Welcome to the forums. This is a good thread. I'm an avid backpacker and busses are just not practical for me. I've only handled one and it was way to heavy to be backpacking with. I wore it on my hip for a dayhike and it threw my gait off because i had to adjust to the weight so much. For me a small hatchet, RAT3, and a back up folder work great on overnights.
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Well, a big knife is more packable than an axe (similar to a hatchet). I tend to pack a large blade and a smaller ~5" utility blade.

I agree though that a large blade can be awkward on your hip after considerable distances. I tend to put the sheathed big blade in my pack and wear the much smaller utility blade on my belt. I guess the danger there is in getting separated from my pack, but in that case, I would at least still have the smaller blade on me.

jarlaxle said:
I have observed that many of the "Hogs" here are more knife collectors then anything. (nothing wrong with that, if i had the money i would buy more knives too.)
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While Busse fans do tend to amass a number of knives, I think most of them have, at a minimum, several knives that they use for different circumstances. I use at least one representative of every Busse variation I own. That goes from the little Game Warden (used for backpacking, hunting, EDC) up to the sword-like AK-47 (used for brush cutting and imaginary zombie slaying :D).

jarlaxle said:
As a side note I think one of the thin Busse game wardens would be a good backpacking knife.
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The GWs are good knives for backpacking. I especially like the thin (.140") slicers. Even better is the 4.5" Badger III. Hard to find, but well worth the search.
 
johnwaynesandw said:
Well I agree a good machete and a good fixed blade is all that is needed. I do not see a cheap machete going through hard wood like this (It broke my recon).
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Surprisingly, toughness is an area where machetes tend to really shine. Judging by the way they file, Tramontinas can't be harder than about Rc52. In fact I tend to think significantly less. I find they're tempered more like springs than knives. Martindale even advertises their machetes at a hardness of less than Rc50.

Interestingly, machetes also tend to rarely run more than .125" thick. Often significantly less. A blade that thin, if hardened significantly, is bound to be rather brittle when used for such things as chopping. But they rarely break. I can only recall instances of Ontarios breaking, a case of odd tempering that has been noticed with other Ontario's wares.

Edge holding ability is where the lack of hardness seems to be most detrimental. Even then, it seems to me that chopping isn't all that hard on an edge holding compared to slicing. Batoning even less so.
 
I really should have included the hatchet in with my original post along with, or without, the machete and small knife.

I mean no disrespect to the all the hatchets out there.
 
My CS Trailmaster and my CS Gurka Kukri will out chop any cheap machete out there. Now my heavy duty Ontario machete is a different story.
 
Darrell 3644 All I can say is BINGO!. Give me a 100.00 and I will pick up a Machete and a couple knives that will last a lifetime. Oh and have enough change left for a lunch or two.

I have lots of knives but when it comes down to it, about three would do it all.
 
as has been said already, I presume: machetes are good on light vegetation and brush. For trees a chopper of some kind is preferable. (Hatchet, Big Knife, Khukuri, Axe).
 
johnwaynesandw said:
Well I agree a good machete and a good fixed blade is all that is needed. I do not see a cheap machete going through hard wood like this (It broke my recon). I always have my Barkie and BK6 when out in the woods.














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What ever happened to your Recon? Did Cold Steel replace it?
If they didn't maybe you could make a new smaller knife out of the blade.
 
Where I live in Canada a machete is not very useful. My favourite light weight kit is a
Scrapyard SS4 with a polished and thinned zero edge blade and a slightly modded CS Norse
(the smallest one) Hawk. But I sometimes (especially quading) carry just my Scrapyard HookGuard which is perfect for limbing ,chopping ,digging and hammering. It can really do everything just not well. It is sure as heck better than a machete where I live.
 
The machete should shine with smaller, flexible stuff. I would not want anything else to clear brambles, for example. They are also economical and relatively light.
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I'd far rather use one of my sirupate type kukris (eg. 16" blade, hollow-forged 21oz) than a machete for doing that, or gorse, or for trimming back tree branches - hawthorn, blackthorn etc.
 
You're absolutely right!
"...I think that for realities sake, a person with a cheap machete, and a decent small folding or fixed blade knife could do anything a person wanted to do without buying one of the expensive fixed blade knives..."
And there is NOTHING to correct
 
Most machetes are hardware kit for working in smallholdings and gardens. My machete works well for this but requires frequent trips to the belt sander. Hard wood turns it aside and mucks up the edge. The moment gardening ends it is wiped off and oiled. It is put away.

For serious intent, going into the bush I leave it well behind taking a small axe and decent sheath knives.

I would like to get a decent Kukuri (dad's wall hanger spl bend on first hack at a branch) but they are hard to come by in RSA as are good machetes. The wood here is very hard (Rhodesian Teak and Acacia) and eats cheap kit.
 
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