Need a machete

No idea. I always spent a lot less for a cold steel machete. They needed sharpened before they could cut semi-melted butter, (worse factory edge I've ever seen on a knife) but once sharpened they were great. I liked their "heavy machete" for dropping palm fronds and peeling and opening Florida coconuts.
 
I recently bought a Condor El Salvador for cutting down tall flowers, tall ornamental grass, and clearing briers. I was cutting low to the ground, so I picked a long blade like the one on the El Salvador. If you are cutting a path through brush, you want want a different blade and a shorter one.

I don't know much more than that, but for my purposes where I use my machete twice a year, the El Salvador works great.
 
afishhunter said:
No idea. I always spent a lot less for a cold steel machete. They needed sharpened before they could cut semi-melted butter, (worse factory edge I've ever seen on a knife) but once sharpened they were great. I liked their "heavy machete" for dropping palm fronds and peeling and opening Florida coconuts.
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Quoted to add @afishhunter's cold steel to the list... Most of the brands intended for sale in Central America do not come sharpened. @FortyTwoBlades offers a special grade option for a nominal fee on these should you go that route. If not be prepared to spend some time with a file or angle grinder with a flap wheel (carefully) to get them up to snuff. The time spent is, in my opinion worthwhile, as for the cost of lunch for 2 at McDonald's you get a hard working tool that should outlast you if taken care of.
 
I like the Skrama over any machete, but Ontario makes nice ones In the USA.

www.varusteleka.com

Terävä Skrama 240, Carbon Steel

The Skrama is a versatile heavy-duty bush knife - a tool that builds shelters chops firewood and even carves feather sticks! If youre taking just one knife into the bush the Skrama is a viable option.
www.varusteleka.com www.varusteleka.com

ontarioknife.com

Machetes

Ontario Knife has one of the most extensive range of Machetes Tools knifes with free shipping.
ontarioknife.com ontarioknife.com

Less than $50 for an 18” Ontario USA made machete and Baryonyx’s special blade work.

www.baryonyxknife.com

18" Cutlass Machete w/Sheath

www.baryonyxknife.com www.baryonyxknife.com
 
My Condor came sharpened. Good enough for the tall flowers, but I needed to touch the edge up with a puck to make it easier to cut the ornamental grass. Each stem had a tough covering near the ground.
 
$100-$150 is kind of a tough price range for machetes. Most are gonna be pretty inexpensive, like the Cold Steel or Ontario versions that are plenty capable. The LT Wright Overland machete looks pretty nice but will cost more like $200, even more for any Bark River. You could get in your price range if you picked an Ontario, then purchased a nice kydex sheath for it.

By " breaking down campfire wood", do you mean batoning? If so, maybe a large knife would meet your needs.

The Terava products look pretty interesting but I'm not giving them any business, as they like to blaspheme the name of God to your face if you visit their website.
 
For a beater, a 12" Ontario machete can do a lot of tasks. I was using mine in my little woods today to limb and clean up the trails I make for my wife and I to walk our dog. I have several different sized machetes and goloks...Ontario, Tramontina, Martindale, etc etc

They all work as long as you can put an edge on them. I'd like to try Condor next. I haven't owned one of theirs yet.

I do tend to like the 12" to 15" versions for my uses generally, though I have longer.
 
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