Methods for testing machetes

G

Gear Dog

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A co-worker and I talked about testing two machetes he owns and I have a third to add. I've never done this before and tried to come up with ways of comparing them in a standardized way. What do you think of the following?

With a 1" dowel rod, conduct the following for each machete
1. How many pieces can be chopped in 30 s
2. How many pieces can be sawed in 30 s
3. Subjective: Perceived sharpness of blade following 1 and 2

With a larger log:
1. Chopping depth in 30 s
2. Subjective: Perceived sharpness and integrity of blade and handle following chopping

With sticks of comparable length and thickness:
1. How quickly one can strip the branch of bark

Subjective Tests
1. Ease of clearing brush over a standard stretch
2. Review comfort of handle and weight following brush clearing

Other
1. Unique features of each machete (type of metal, full tang or not, handle design, lanyard, fquality of sheath)

What do you think?
 
How good a machete can chop in 30 seconds not only depends on the blade, but the strength, speed, and overall skill of the user. These timed trials would not be standardized tests. To be standardized it would simply be better to count the number of consistent hacks required to achieve your desired task. Also, sharpness can be determined objectively.

Do what you were going to do, but if you want to be fair to the blades you have to remove the human element.

What 3 machetes are in the running?
 
I think it'd be fun to set up a course and run through it with a different machete each time. I find out all I need to know about how good a machete is by a few dry swings a taking out a couple saplings though.

LouDawgg69 said:
What 3 machetes are in the running?
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I'm also curious as I heard sawback:eek:
 
jobasha11 said:
I think it'd be fun to set up a course and run through it with a different machete each time. I find out all I need to know about how good a machete is by a few dry swings a taking out a couple saplings though.


I'm also curious as I heard sawback:eek:
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Gerber Gator Machete Jr 10.75"
SOG Sogfari 10"
United Edge UC8008 18" (longer and heavier than others, but its the one I own)

I will modify the test at least one way, to see how many whacks it takes to cut through the 1" dowel rod 3 times. Need to think about other potential mods.
 
You need to invent machine or gizmo that will consistently swing various choppers at a known and steady rate for a couple of hours on something hard such as an oak log. Before and after will be quite instructive, as will measured depth of cut.
 
The best test of a machete is in the field cutting real targets while performing real tasks. Many of the performance qualities of a truly superb machete go far beyond merely cutting speed and depth of cut. It's not stuff that can be tested in a lab.
 
Agreed. Have each person test each of them while the other isn't there, for their abilities for the tasks for which they were designed. Then compare notes...tall grass, thin woody limbs, thick limbs, brush, etc. In fact, I think thicker bendy brush is the best test...Any machete can go through a thin limb or two in that brush, but good ones with good technique can hack off big swaths. Just compare notes when you're done...you may not have a consensus on what the best machete is, but I bet you'll know which one each of you would choose when heading into the woods, and that's the most valuable result! Haha!
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The best test of a machete is in the field cutting real targets while performing real tasks. Many of the performance qualities of a truly superb machete go far beyond merely cutting speed and depth of cut. It's not stuff that can be tested in a lab.
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That I can understand. Ergonomics is very important but if the implement happens to be made from inferior steel then that negates everything.
 
Why not just test on stuff you'll actually cut? 30 seconds? I can't remember ever needing to machete fast. Now how many chops to get through something? Thats more like it.

All I really care about a machete is
can I use it for long lengths of time without getting tired/joint fatigue?
can I easily sharpen it?
can it maintain a edge fairly well?
can it handle 2-3 inch trees?
 
There is a large, active team of serious machete testers living in dense tropical and sub-tropical rain forests around the planet....farmers, ranchers, hunters, gatherers. Most of them choose to use brands that are priced right, made locally or widely used locally if imported and they go for utilitarian features such as edges that they have to sharpen to adapt to their own uses and the same with the handles if they are made of wood.

Where do you live and plan to use your machete? Here in MN for summer use a Tramontina or an Imacasa works for every sort of use I have to clear overgrowth, thin out invasive trees, cut trails or clear shooting lanes for hunting. For the winter time machetes stay home and Grandpa Axe and Uncle Chainsaw get more use. Don't over think the whole thing. Machetes are affordable...buy several of the most commonly sold ones and get out to work on your technique. Don't lock your wrist and hand on the handle...let it pivot. Keep it sharp is half of the secret to getting work done.
 
Imacasa (marbles, condor) and Tramontina are the machetes to go. Also the south african made ones sold by cold steel, I've got a latin stile and it's actually not bad.

Edit: those are the most commonly sold brands, but there are many others commonly used in South America. I'll avoid sog, gerber, and any other chinesery.
 
300Six said:
That I can understand. Ergonomics is very important but if the implement happens to be made from inferior steel then that negates everything.
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No it's more than just ergonomics. It's handling dynamics, vibrational characteristics, how the specific bladeform (both profile and in thickness) correspond to different kinds of methods of use under varying circumstances, etc. etc. There's a lot to it, really. And you won't understand those subtleties without getting in real-world field time with the tool and others like it. :)
 
You would also determine if the steel is inferior under real-world use...especially in terms of edge holding and field sharpening ability. That's also when you'll notice things that can't be tested otherwise, such as which one fatigues your grip after walking and using it for a few hours, etc. You wouldn't get that from standard timed tests or the like. Get out an chop stuff and see which one makes the grade to your preference. It wouldn't surprise me if you come to different conclusions than someone else.
 
SC T100 said:
You would also determine if the steel is inferior under real-world use...especially in terms of edge holding and field sharpening ability. That's also when you'll notice things that can't be tested otherwise, such as which one fatigues your grip after walking and using it for a few hours, etc. You wouldn't get that from standard timed tests or the like. Get out an chop stuff and see which one makes the grade to your preference. It wouldn't surprise me if you come to different conclusions than someone else.
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Yup. I find the best and most meaningful observations often arrive after more than an hour of continuous task-driven work. It's the point where if you haven't been preemptively pacing yourself well fatigue starts to set in and you start going "man--I wish it was more like this/less like that/I shouldn't have been using it that way." :D
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
No it's more than just ergonomics. It's handling dynamics, vibrational characteristics, how the specific bladeform (both profile and in thickness) correspond to different kinds of methods of use under varying circumstances, etc. etc. There's a lot to it, really. And you won't understand those subtleties without getting in real-world field time with the tool and others like it. :)
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Gimme a break! Axes chop wood and machetes slice through bushes and vines. Seems to me you want everyone to smoke dope while pretending to perform these objective machete tests. "Hey man that blade is really far out and purdy and the coyote-lookin one cut me in on the leg when I wasn't looking. Huh? Sharp? Whazzat? Seriously whacking bushes is a real gas man!" Sometime tomorra I'm a really gonna get into this and get through there man but first I need another smoke".

Slander/Jibes aside (I think you know perfectly well what I'm getting at) out there there are hundreds of years old standard proven designs and lots of wonderful non-Yuppie steels out there for competitive machete manufacture so major deviations from standard either become thumbs up or thumbs down in very short order and don't require whacking through a mile long grove of bamboo in order to find out.

Mind you, a mile long grove of cleanly-sliced bamboo would suffice to sell me on whoever/whatever got through there first! Especially if it was a conscientious 3rd world mom/pop product which was tuned to it's customer's demands and used scavenged car and truck springs from far and wide.
 
300Six said:
Gimme a break! Axes chop wood and machetes slice through bushes and vines. Seems to me you want everyone to smoke dope while pretending to perform these objective machete tests. "Hey man that blade is really far out and purdy and the coyote-lookin one cut me in on the leg when I wasn't looking. Huh? Sharp? Whazzat? Seriously whacking bushes is a real gas man!" Sometime tomorra I'm a really gonna get into this and get through there man but first I need another smoke".

Slander/Jibes aside (I think you know perfectly well what I'm getting at) out there there are hundreds of years old standard proven designs and lots of wonderful non-Yuppie steels out there for competitive machete manufacture so major deviations from standard either become thumbs up or thumbs down in very short order and don't require whacking through a mile long grove of bamboo in order to find out.

Mind you, a mile long grove of cleanly-sliced bamboo would suffice to sell me on whoever/whatever got through there first! Especially if it was a conscientious 3rd world mom/pop product which was tuned to it's customer's demands and used scavenged car and truck springs from far and wide.
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You really don't get what I'm saying at all, do you? Or maybe I'm just missing sarcasm? :o

I'm actually talking about traditional patterns used by field laborers, in simple carbon steels. Not "major deviations" from tradition, but rather the reasons FOR the tradition. There are tons of different patterns out there, let alone variations within the pattern, and reasons behind the design of each and every one of them. Many of those reasons are ones that are experienced in real-world use and will not be made evident from the style of simplistic testing proposed in this thread. Machetes are designed as multi-functional tools with broad application, and so a wide range of tasks AND circumstances need to be taken into account when assessing a design. A chopping test like that proposed would give you some data, yes, but it'd be a drop in a bucket and the time spent would be better put to use just taking the tool out in the field on a few different occasions and doing some work with it in different places doing different things and seeing how it does.

What I'm getting at is that this is all an overcomplication of an oversimplification. :D
 
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I don't get it. Smoke dope? Yuppie steel? We're talking about testing and using basic machetes to see which one you prefer. How is that bad or worth ridicule? Maybe I'm missing the "sarcasm" or whatever that post was.

I can tell you from years of experience, the various brands of readily available machetes do perform very differently in the field. Length, pattern (I've only ever used basic carbon steel Latin-pattern or modified Latin patterns), handle shape, handle material, lateral blade flex (my pet peeve), steel quality, sharpening ability, etc. all play a role in determining the user's love for one over the other, which you couldn't get from quick tests. Field use is the best way to find out which you prefer. Get out and have some fun with them! :)
 
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what does breaking 1" lumber show in regards to machete performance. you could flip them over and do the exact same thing with the spine... or a hammer. brute force breakage.

machetes are for slicing. i dont think a single piece of wood was actually sliced in the video. this is why the shorter the machete got, the less effective it was. less force generated with the shorter lighter blades.
 
I find that the best way to compare one machete to another is to use one for an hour then a day later use a different one to do similar jobs. Each of my small collection of six machetes has a use that they are suited for but they don't all do every task the same. My Collins 24" is fine for cutting overgrown garden weeds and cattails but is a sorry tool for cutting brush...to whippy. My Svord Kiwi machete works nice for the length and weight to chop light brush and do some bushcraft work. My 18" Tramontina latin pattern does about everything I ask it to but it is a bit light for whacking away at thicker branches for any length of time. I have two 24" Imacasa latin pattern machetes that have more heft and will get through thick branches with less arm shock but working with one that length and weight all day is another way to build muscle and have a sore arm. Lastly my no name 18" bolo that I got from my FIL will do in a pinch for light work but the steel on it is not as durable and it never makes that nice 'schwing' tone when you chop away at a branch or weed. He always called it his corn knife and it had a cheap plastic handle that I replaced with walnut scales. I enjoy it just because it was his and if he were still with us he would be perplexed about anyone being sentimental over a cheap tool.
Thanks for doing the video and trying to show a comparative review but the real test is to find a machete that is right for the job that needs to be done. It might also look a lot like an axe or a hatchet but don't take that to mean I think one is better than the other.
 
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