Merco Machete/Ax

[udtjim]

Picked this one up today to give it a try. This is billed as a Machete/Ax and it probably lives up to that claim. Time will tell. The Blade is 12 3/4 inches long, two inches tall at the tallest point but the width is a full 1/4 inch and this baby is heavy. It has a full Flat grind and the handle, while it looks at first like cheap plastic, is really a hard rubber which has a good tacky feel to it. It has a lanyard hole and come with a lanyard. The Sheath is pretty heavy duty Nylon which should hold up for quite a while. It feels like it would chop with the best of them. I hope to get a chance tomorrow to do some chopping with it.

The steel is 420J2. A guy should not need to worry about rust on this one. For what it's worth, it has a forever warranty. One last thing, It came real sharp.

 

[LittleHairyApe]

Nice. It looks to be particularly well optimized for northern hardwood forests. Have you taken a swipe or two at some oak or maple yet? I'd like to know what kind of raw brute power a short heavy machete like that can generate. It look really beefy. It looks like it would take down a good sized sapling in a single swipe. And it's heavy duty enough to used as a froe or a draw knife as well. If it were mine, I'd probably want a baldric type of suspension system for carrying that chopper around, but it looks like it'd be worth it. Did you happen to notice how much it weighs?

 

[udtjim]

I didn't notice but I can weigh it today. I didn't get home with it until after dark.

 

[matthewdanger]

420J2 is actually a pretty decent choice of stainless steels for a machete. It is tough and doesn\'t cost a ton. You should be able to put a very nice edge on it.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the handle design after working hard with it for several minutes.

That looks like it has potential.

 

[Sharp Eye]

Looks like it will be a useful tool. Post some pictures when you get it out to do some work

 

[Horn Dog]

I have wondered about those for some time, but never got one. Let us know how it works out.

 

[udtjim]

I hope to try it out today. For a guy who is supposed to be retired, I sure seem to be short of time.

 

[shecky]

I've had one for a while now. Mixed feelings. It certainly is hefty enough to work like an ax. Out of the box, the edge was very thick and obtuse. Reprofiling revealed a weak edge prone to chipping. Took quite a bit of grinding to get down to good steel. Curiously, it rusted noticeably when it was left outside for several weeks. The stainless Mora that was next to it suffered no rust at all, despite being chemically etched. Despite looking like a short machete, it's not something you'd want to swing around for any length of time. I'm not terribly fond of the thick handle. I have no reason to think, however, that it would not perform as expected. Especially now that the edge is thinner, more acute, and durable.