Machetes

tallwingedgoat

tallwingedgoat

Joined
Jan 13, 1999
Messages
1,422
Who makes the best machetes? What would you consider to be the ideal steel for a machete? I'm thinking L6. Why oh why do they come only in round bars?

[This message has been edited by tallwingedgoat (edited 04 October 1999).]
 
I recently purchased an 18" "Tramontina" machete. They retail for about $6.00. Let me tell you something, I used this machete for roughly 6 hours straight, cutting limbs up to 2" diameter with one stroke. I was amazed! It was still sharp when I was done. I touched it up for 2 minutes and the next day it performed better than the previous one. This machete is strong, flexible and sharp. I highly recommend it. After using it, I dont see any reason to spend more than $6.00 on a machete.

------------------

Louis Buccellato
http://www.themartialway.com



[This message has been edited by TheMartialWay (edited 04 October 1999).]
 
Unless it does some pretty mericulous stuff, I don't think I wanna spend more than $50 on a machete. And I'd rather pay a lot less. It's one of those blades I consider disposable.

But like any knife knut, I'd shell out the cash if I'm convinced it's the most unique, superdopper, awesome testiment to human genius, knife in the world (today).
wink.gif
 
One of the best values I have ever come across is my 12" corneta machete. The highly tempered high carbon blade is thin and heavily discolored, but it takes and edge and works great on light vegitation. Better yet the knife weighs in at only a few onces.

As for whats the best machete materials; that depends on what plan to cut.
 
Ontario makes machetes for the US military. A basic model is available for around $13.00 at blowoutknives.com. See the link below.http://www.blowoutknives.com/knives/Ontario/machetes_page_1.htm

 
I'll second the suggestion of Ontario Knives. Not only are their machetes good, but the company is in a very poor area and they need our support.

------------------
Knowledge without understanding is knowledge wasted.
Understanding without knowledge is a rare gift - but not an impossibility.
For the impossible is always possible through faith. - Bathroom graffiti, gas station, Grey, TN, Dec, 1988

AKTI Member #A000831
 
Up here in Canada a retailer of woodworking products purchased an incredible number of antique sabatier knives.They were mostly kitchen knives and of high carbon. One of the items they were selling was a machete made for chopping up coconuts in the French Antilles. I purchase one and have used it for clearing brush at our cottage. It is only about a foot long but of very thick stock. Well hardened, it holds an edge through much abuse. Fit and finish is crude to say the least but for $30 Canadian it was a much better value than the recycled tin can machetes usually available.
 
Jeff and Codeman are right on.For the money, Ontario can't be beat,though I don't know what steel they are made from.They do sharpen quite well with a minimum of effort.Of course,if money is no object, there are many customs around,of which the Livesays would be my choice.

------------------
"To grow older is inevitable.To grow UP is optional."


 
Tallwingedgoat, what are you planning to do with it? You will need a very different construction for cutting leafy vegetation as opposed to hardwood.

-Cliff
 
I've got to go with the Ontarios also. Great value for the money. I've got several,the 18" G.I., 12" beavertail, and 12" Blackie Collins D-guard. I've been very happy with all of them. I've seen several posts blasting the D-guard handles but I've had no problems with mine.

phantom4

------------------
who dares, wins


 
I would recommend the Ontario without hesitation, except that Cliff blasted his to pieces on hardwood. If you're planning to use the machete for what it's usually used for -- vegetation and soft wood -- Ontario is the choice. I say stick with the military model, I greatly dislike the guards on the Black Collins D-guard machetes, but just above phantom is saying he likes his.

If you want to try out L-6, the Barteauxs are made of L-6. They come in 1/16" or 1/8", so you get your choice based on what you plan to do with it.

Among higher-priced machetes, Livesay's RCM would be my top choice. Chiro's good reviews of the Aki ATS-34 machete make it worth a look as well, although 1. I can't see ATS-34 competing with well-done 1095 for this application, and 2. we only have a single review of the Aki, whereas we have a bunch of positive reviews of the RCM. On the other hand, the Aki machete will come in 1/16" if you want, which will be incredible for cutting vegetation.
 
According to Warner, Ken - The Practical Book of Knives 1976 (there may be a later edition) the top dog in bush knives is the Collins machete, with its retangular black paper guarantee on the blade. He further stated that at that time the shortest blade was only around $5, although it was manufactured in Guatamala, no longer Connecticut. He stated that it was preferred to other machetes by those in the know, people using machetes in South America and Mexico.

I am sure this was a good machete at the time because I respect Mr. Warner's knowledge. Is this still true and/or available? (I did not see this one mentioned above unless the Blackie Collins bears some relation.)


Further, the thread is lost in new look limbo, but I would appreciate any further information in a thread I started called Machete Identification Question, currently at: http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/004885.html
I received a little information from not2sharp who stated: "Per Levine's 4th edition Korff & Honsberg was probably a manufacturer of medium grade cutlery out of Remscheid, Germany during the 1930's. I'll come back if I find more."

I have not used it enough to really give an opinion as to its quality. More description is given in that thread. Thank you for any information.
 
I recently located and dropped in on Gentle Ben's knife shop in Ravenna Texas. Ravenna is a tiny town, about a 2 hour drive north of Dallas, with a population of maybe 200. The local economy is largely agricultural.

Ben doesn't carry many high-end custom knives; actually, when I visited him he didn't have any custom knives, nor any high end production knives, nor a whole lot beyond some very basic Chinese and Pakistani products.

Ben's regulars are local farm hands and they don't have a whole lot of money. But, they do appreciate knives and use them daily, and very hard, judging from the condition of some of the "used" knives Ben had in the shop. Frost Cutlery knives are considered "top of the line" in Ben's shop.

The recommendations that I or many of the members will give you on knives is based on our own bias towards quality of finish, retention of resale value, and other status/luxury elements. If you are looking for a basic machete the best bang for your buck would be to buy one of the machete brands that normally serve the South American market. The Ontario machetes are very good, but, IMHO the temper (harder), handles (more ergonomic), and weight (lighter)are better on the Latin American makes.

It all depends on what you are looking for. Incedently, I expect delivery of a couple of Busse knives in early 2000, and I have plenty of "camp" knives by Randall, Greco, Entek, Al Mar, and others. But, if I'm going to clear the weeds in my backyard I would rather use my $4 machete and leave the other stuff in the knife safe.

So let us know if you want to talk about the other stuff.

[This message has been edited by not2sharp (edited 06 October 1999).]

[This message has been edited by not2sharp (edited 06 October 1999).]
 
This is just semantics, but the RCM is not really a machete. It is 3/16" of an inch thick and it way overkill for soft vegetation. It would be outcut significantly by an Ontario for that type of work and any slicing / skinning etc. . However the RCM would be much stronger and tougher.

-Cliff
 
The D handles are simply too big for many people's hands. If they work for you, great. If not, they can be removed and a new handle installed. The blades are very servicable.

An example of what I did to one of the 12-inch D handle machetes is shown in the tactical kitchen knife thread in this forum. It made a great heavy-duty kitchen chopper that can also slice watermelon and cut firewood when we go camping.
 
I've had great luck with the 18" Tramontina 'bolo' machete's that I pick up localy for around $10. Carbon 'mystery steel' but it sharpens up great, and doesn't chip easy. Can't be beat for the money[IMHO] and I would rather have one than US made machete's costing twice as much.

Plus, at that price, every vehicle[including ATV's] the family has has one 'asigned' to it.

------------------
Stay Sharp!
Will Fennell
Camillus Cutlery


 
I have a Collins #323, bought in a surplus store in the early sixties. It has a very thin 18" blade, wider toward the point and slightly 'cutlass curved'; easily file sharpenable, that rusts if you look at it. I keep all but the edge spray painted with primer. The amount of soft herbage this this has cut over the years would make a mountain. I don't know whether this is a better than usual machete, or worse...but it works well for me.

[This message has been edited by gunhou (edited 06 October 1999).]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top