The only Gerber that I have used is the Brush Thinner, which is made in Finland by Gerber’s parent company Fiskars. The Brush Thinner’s billhook tip comes in handy when working in tight places where it would be difficult to safely get a good swing, but it can get in the way too, especially for chopping since you have to be careful to work with the portion of the blade behind the “beak” of the billhook tip. The Brush Thinner seems to be very well made and durable, but I consider it more of a specialized tool than a standard machete.
Fiskars also makes some nice axes and folding saws, some of which are sold under the Gerber brand….but be careful, both Gerber and Fiskars sell similar looking items that are made in China. Before you get anything from Gerber or Fiskars, check to see where it is made, if it is the USA or Finland, you should be OK.
I have used an assortment of machetes from Barteaux, Cold Steel, Martindale, Ontario, and Tramontina. The ones I would recommend for someone looking for a general purpose machete:
Ontario 18” with the orange D-guard handles – this is an excellent all around machete it chops well and it works on all types of vegetation from thick vines and saplings to light grasses. The down side is that it is heavier than need be for light vegetation. Ontario uses 1095 steel which will hold an edge better than most machetes made of lower carbon steel, the trade off is that 1095 is not as tough and is more likely to break or chip if it is subjected to hard impacts. Ontario seems to use some sort of military style phosphate finish which is more durable than the paint used on some other machetes.
The 12” version of the above D-guard Ontario makes an excellent camp knife.
Tramontina 18” machete – I have the one with the plastic handle which is comfortable but may be too short if you have large hands and/or wear work gloves. Trams seem to be well made and at around $6 are probably the “best buy” of the machete world. Steel is tough and seems soft. Tramontina factory edges are fairly decent, those that I have seen need sharpening but little re-profiling. This machete is lighter than the Ontario and CS Latin machetes, which make it more of a soft vegetation machete, though it is still usable for chopping. For what it's worth, Tramontinas blades are left bright which looks better than the ugly black paint Cold Steel uses on their machetes.
Cold Steel 18” Latin machete – almost as versatile as the 18” Ontario with thinner blade stock making it less tiring on light vegetation and less suited for the heavier vegetation and chopping. I prefer the CS Latin to the similar handling Tramontina, but only after Cold Steel’s horrible factory edge is reworked. Virtually all machetes need some sharpening as they come from the factory and most need some re-profiling too, but CS’s machete edges are by the worst that I have seen. The things I prefer on the CS Latin compared to the 18” Tram are the handle (longer with no rivets to come loose) and the slightly thicker blade stock. CS machetes may be ugly and come with the worst factory edge, but they are very rugged and seem to be made of good materials.
Other CS machetes that I have tried where the Panga which I didn’t like (mostly because of the handle) and the Kukri machete, which I like almost as much as the 12” Ontario and better than CS’s pricier LTC Kukri.
Another Cold Steel product definitely worth mentioning is the SF shovel….I found it to be an excellent chopper and a usable machete for everything except grass and other really light stuff.
Frank
Fiskars also makes some nice axes and folding saws, some of which are sold under the Gerber brand….but be careful, both Gerber and Fiskars sell similar looking items that are made in China. Before you get anything from Gerber or Fiskars, check to see where it is made, if it is the USA or Finland, you should be OK.
I have used an assortment of machetes from Barteaux, Cold Steel, Martindale, Ontario, and Tramontina. The ones I would recommend for someone looking for a general purpose machete:
Ontario 18” with the orange D-guard handles – this is an excellent all around machete it chops well and it works on all types of vegetation from thick vines and saplings to light grasses. The down side is that it is heavier than need be for light vegetation. Ontario uses 1095 steel which will hold an edge better than most machetes made of lower carbon steel, the trade off is that 1095 is not as tough and is more likely to break or chip if it is subjected to hard impacts. Ontario seems to use some sort of military style phosphate finish which is more durable than the paint used on some other machetes.
The 12” version of the above D-guard Ontario makes an excellent camp knife.
Tramontina 18” machete – I have the one with the plastic handle which is comfortable but may be too short if you have large hands and/or wear work gloves. Trams seem to be well made and at around $6 are probably the “best buy” of the machete world. Steel is tough and seems soft. Tramontina factory edges are fairly decent, those that I have seen need sharpening but little re-profiling. This machete is lighter than the Ontario and CS Latin machetes, which make it more of a soft vegetation machete, though it is still usable for chopping. For what it's worth, Tramontinas blades are left bright which looks better than the ugly black paint Cold Steel uses on their machetes.
Cold Steel 18” Latin machete – almost as versatile as the 18” Ontario with thinner blade stock making it less tiring on light vegetation and less suited for the heavier vegetation and chopping. I prefer the CS Latin to the similar handling Tramontina, but only after Cold Steel’s horrible factory edge is reworked. Virtually all machetes need some sharpening as they come from the factory and most need some re-profiling too, but CS’s machete edges are by the worst that I have seen. The things I prefer on the CS Latin compared to the 18” Tram are the handle (longer with no rivets to come loose) and the slightly thicker blade stock. CS machetes may be ugly and come with the worst factory edge, but they are very rugged and seem to be made of good materials.
Other CS machetes that I have tried where the Panga which I didn’t like (mostly because of the handle) and the Kukri machete, which I like almost as much as the 12” Ontario and better than CS’s pricier LTC Kukri.
Another Cold Steel product definitely worth mentioning is the SF shovel….I found it to be an excellent chopper and a usable machete for everything except grass and other really light stuff.
Frank
