Machetes, what are the better ones out there?

I was just out in the garden making a frame out of bamboo for my wife's pole beans.


I used a 18" Garza machete old as hell broken handle, it is my beater and damn this thing cuts. I must say it is a little better than my Tramontina bolo. but the Tram is a little thicker feels more substantial. both hold an edge pretty good! and dig small holes great.


I have been doing alot of yard clearing with both this spring, I will take them over any 1/4" thick survival blade. they are so versatile. I used to think I can't cut thick branches 4-6 with a machete. Now I know that isn't a problem. so as for survival I say machete all the way. sure you can't fell a tree but you can get all the small stuff no problem and the small stuff is what you are gonna use more.


and self defense I would take a light, sharp, fast, and LONG:D machete over a 1/4" thick clunky survival blade that is half as long and twice as heavy.
 
It's amazing what you can do with a thin, light, FAST blade. I've always liked 12 inch machetes, and lately I've been playing with my 7 inch CS Hudson Bay butcher knife. It has a distal taper, and the Carbon V takes an incredible edge. Due to the knife's design I've been able to use this blade to snap cut branches up to 1 inch thick. A light belt ax would cover more of the chopping aspect, while still being light enough to carry the butcher knife. Wide, thin blades have a lot of good survival uses. Emergency e-tools, spatula, food prep, light chopping, draw knife, etc..
 
chrisaloia :

... I would take a light, sharp, fast, and LONG:D machete over a 1/4" thick clunky survival blade that is half as long and twice as heavy.
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Well that is an obvious choice, as your knife is of the overbuilt "tactical" variety and thus yes will not be that great for general brush work. However, properly ground for general wood craft, a blade ground from 1/4" thick stock is actually thinner than a 1/8" machete for half its width, which is the primary cutting part.

Such a knife will readily out cut, out chop and be far more durable than a machete even significantly longer. Not to mention it will be much stiffer and thus be more functional over a broader range of tasks, as well as transmitting less shock upon heavy chopping work. A machete has the worst design possible for a knife as it is full stock thickness behind the edge due to the lack of a primary grind.

My Battle Mistress with a modified edge profile, for example will easily outperform a standard 1/8", 12"-14" machete in any cutting task, and at the same time is far stronger, stiffer and overall much more durable. Not only is the edge angle more acute than a standard profile on a 1/8" machete, the blade is 1/2 as thick behind the edge and stays thinner for a good distance up the blade. The only real downside is the lack of reach, which is an issue of real significance. I wish Busse would put out a ~14" version of the same blade.

Then again, machetes are much less expensive than knives of similar sizes with primary grinds, and thus on a per cost basis they obviously have great advantages. But if you are looking at pure performance, get someone to make you a knife with a proper primary grind and the comparison will be as night and day.

In terms of machetes, there are many to choose from :


There are some khukuris that are light and thin, and are of similar balance to the heavy duty machetes. Check out the ~25" Kobra from HI, specifically posts by Tom Holt. The Patrol Machete from Camillus is a solid choice for soft vegetation, as well as light brush, and occasion thick wood chopping, but the tip is thin and realtively easy to damage on harder wood.

Newt Livesay makes really heavy duty machetes, which have edges that are overbuilt in terms of thickness for wood work, but with some edge modification you can make solid performers out of them that will easily surpass the low end production. Martindale makes decent machetes as well, I have used one, and have others coming. They seem to be a significant step over something like Tramontina.


Barteaux makes a very solid heavy duty machete as well, however expect some edge work initially to get the blade up to full performance. The heavy duty models are a bit overkill for light brush, but will work well on hardwood saplings and the like. The Barteaux are significantly better than Ontario's which I found to be too brittle (blade and grip), and Tramontina which I found to have QC problems, and can be soft with poorly crafted handles. However the designs of the Tramontina blades are solid, and if you get a good one you will be pleased with its performance.

-Cliff
 
Well a few of us have been clearing deer trails in the brush the last 3 Sat.We use a tractor with a bucket on the front and a brushhog on the back.:D With 2 guys clearing the big stuff with chainsaws.

But...its been pretty wet and we had to do a lot of "hand" work.i have used my Martindale alot lately,and like it fine.I reground the edge(thinner)it cuts vegitation and sapplings really well.Because I have been cutting at ground leavel it has been buried into the dirt countless times and hit many,many rocks,not a big deal.

I hope it dries out soon,we got a few more acres of fields to clear and I sure as hell are not doing that by hand.
 
I have 2 Tramontina machetes.
The steel is too soft, it does not hold an edge, and it rolls easily.
I would definitely not recommend them.

The Ontario 18" I find too brittle and thick.

I also have a Colima made in Guatemala.
The steel is much better than Tramontina, but the handle quality is very poor.

The best one (somebody in an earlier post mentioned it) is Gavilan made by Incolma of Colombia.
It is 1/16" getting thinner toward the tip.
The handle is quite good.
I dulled a good file forming the edge; the steel is very hard.
I tried it on dead branches and on dry ash firewood logs, hitting as hard as I could.
The edge is still intact and shaving sharp.

I would like to get a few more, but I am not visiting South America again in the near future
(the folks there say Gavilan is by far the best with Tramontina the worst; Bellota in between)
Does anybody know how to get them in North America?
 
has anyone pured super glue between the crevices of the tramontina wood handle and blade?

would this solve the loosening issue?


btw my Tramontina is doing extremely well, been really using it for monthly brush clearing in my yard. The edge holds extremely well!

For $9. total is was the best buy I ever made.

I think tramontina is the best one I have owned, though I really want a martindale golok, but money is tight.
 
Tramontina sells one model with a handle wrapped with copper wire. You might try some Gorilla Glue or epoxy, then wrap the handle with thin copper wire.
 
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