Machets

[cut it out]

So not much about machetes. Now that it’s summer I use one a lot and last year discovered Tramontina brand ones and must say I am so impressed with the quality and prices for them. I have a Ontario one also but it’s heavier and thicker and same with the woodsman’s pal so not my fav compared to the Tramontinas. I have the 12” and 14” and 18” and love them.

 

[cut it out]

So what’s everyone’s fav machetes?

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Nice pictures.....

My favorites are (idk if I'd call them machetes or choppers?).......

1311 & a parangatang that I added Becker scales to. Both are Amazing.

 

[Dav1]

I often use one for extended periods, Tramontina 14" bolo. Great steel/heat treatment, very tough, great cutter which I've even used to cut up to 5" hardwood trunks. Handle sanded to fit me.

Not just for the price a great working machete regardless.

 

[MolokaiRider]

 

[Floatingby]

I have the Cold Steel 18" latin machete. I like it, it has a good grip, cuts well, it has a nice forward balance, it is properly thin, the blade is coated so rust isn't a problem and has a decent sheath that hang nicely behind the seat of my Jeep; unfortunately it is discontinued now.

I really wanted a Tramontina, but couldn't find one at the time. Nevertheless I am not disappointed at all with the Cold Steel one, clearing bushes and small trees is done in short order with it.

 

[MolokaiRider]

I think the Tramontina is the best value machete you can buy.

Also, the large Old Hickory butcher knife is offered in larger sizes. Once the handle scales are stabilized with glue, it's an amazing machete.

 

[shane45-1911]

I have lots of choppers and chopper-esque knives, but the bottom pic (Tops El Chete) outchops anything I have ever owned or used. These are a few of my favorites, however:

 

[DocJD]

Cold Steel Thai Machete .

Here's one I modified next to stock model that I bought to have one in reserve .








With the extra long two handed handle , you can really generate a lot of speed and power with this machete / sword .

One of my favorite grounds maintenance tools . Weedwacking , brush clearing , even small diameter saplings and soft wood branches removal .

Inexpensive and sturdy .

I wouldn't try to use as a heavy chopper on large diameter hardwood . Not really designed for that POU ,IMO .

Potentially could be an effective weapon , as well .

 

[Bob Denman]

My favorite Machete is a smatchet.
My second favorite Machete is Danny Trejo...

 

[jbmonkey]

So what’s everyone’s fav machetes?

imacasa.....lot of bang for the buck much like the trams.

 

[Hal]

My wife has a serious addiction to the 18" Gordon sold by Harbor Freight.
I never gave them much thought.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

There was a time during my younger days when a machete was a tool I actually used.
But, today, I only have some machetes that I purchased as additions to my collection.

These are the few I own, which are a mix of Tramontina, Condor, Ontario, and Tops...

 

[StrangeDaze]

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I imagine that ontario sp5 is like a stick tang version of the bk29.

 

[StrangeDaze]

https://imgur.com/mfuMQVC

Bk29, i had more use on the bk20 but that is gone now. They were both so similar and i liked the way the 29 looked better. The eraticator is super sweet too.

https://imgur.com/tGyjw5H

The b13 is probably my favorite thick machete/chopper.
ETA: obviously the tops and trough raider are not machetes (although the trough raider is certainly a chopper!) its the only picture i have of the b13 right now.

I do need a thin tramontina, I gave my last one away.

 

[The Grendels]

I do like a good machete. I have the beast of a Wharncliffe that I've used the hell out of since I was a teenager and a recently acquired Condor Mini Duku Parang Machete. At some point I'd like to pick up one of Joe Flower's full sized parangs. After I lent my Wharncliffe machete to a sergeant to cut down a small tree (something it could easily handle), I came across him red faced and not getting very far through with the task at hand. He caught sight of me and yelled angrily I'd ever sharpened it. This was a moment to choose my next words wisely, with a few junior ranks like myself beside me, speaking to an experienced sergeant I had a lot of respect for and who just happened to be using unfamiliar kit.

"The blades on the other side there, Sergeant."

He looked at it without a word and knocked that tree down in two cuts. Then he thanked me for lending it to him and handed it back. I was pretty impressed that he got an inch into that tree using the back of the machete...

 

[Bob Denman]

 

[220-9er]

Ontario 22”, orange handle so I can find it easily after I put it down.

 

[andybtruckin]

I found this at the flea market. I like it, will like it more after I clean it up a bit.

 

[oldmanwilly]

imacasa.....lot of bang for the buck much like the trams.

I second this. I've got a couple of the 12" Imacasas and am impressed that they seem to come in a higher hardness than other brands. I'd like to get another, longer one.

Edit to add: I picked up a Condor Golok a decade ago. It's a really solid, well built tool but I think it's regrettably unbalanced. The tang is very thick but the stock tapers nicely through to the tip. I assume this was done to make it a better cutter, but my experience is that the tang-heavy design delivers less chopping power than it should. Are other Condor machetes built this way (thick tangs transitioning to thinly tapered tips), or are their other designs more effective?

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