Need a machete

[MolokaiRider]

 

[not2sharp]

Need a machete $100-$150 what do I buy?

Why do you need a machete? The whole category of machetes, sidearms, camp knives, pioneer tools and like tools is huge and not all of them were designed for purely practical purposes. Some were primarily weapons, or worn by gentry or their foremen as badges of rank. Others were issued to military. police or prison guards and served as dress accruments. There are many good ones designed as specialized tools and entire schools of thought on which shapes and sizes serve best for specific roles. Clearly, the simple and common “Latin” machetes tend to work best for most people. They are light, durable and effective in dealing with grass, briars and light brush. Just the thing for trimming your back yard or maintaining a trail.

If you really have a need or want something to process wood you are really getting into the area of things like the froe, billhook, khukuries, bolos which are designed to deal with sticks. Where you are clearing camp sites, emplacements and building fortifications. For actual heavy wood use, the right tools would be the axe, splitting wedge, saws and other specialized wood processing tools. There was a time when we weren’t shy to carry real tools into the woods. But, camping today is supposed to be low impact. I doubt you will be building cabins, clearing virgin farm land, bridging a stream or setting up a butcher shop.

Most likely, you will most enjoy something like the Becker BK-9, a Junglas, Hoodlum or Talon. These are good middle of the road tools that work well for most hikers and casual campers. There are hundreds of popular brands and thousands of model choices. So take the time and find something that meets your needs, fills your hand, and is healthy for your wallet.

n2s

 

[Just Tom.]

My last little bike-camping trip was the first time I brought a machete along when camping - and I actually found a use for it.

It is a cheap 13” Okapi brand machete which I bought for no particular reason, and use around the yard from time to time. I decided to get a sheath for it and bring it along. The tent I have is a cheap affair I bought years ago for my daughters to play in, and it offers minimal rain protection. They were calling for rain overnight, so I used the machete to sharpen some tall stakes, which I used to set up an additional tarp over my tent.

I had already cut the stakes for firewood using a small folding saw, and I sharpened one of them with my pocket knife (which while a little slower also worked just fine), and in the end it didn’t rain after all, but still, I used the machete and it was kinda cool if probably unnecessary. I think I will bring it along next time, too .

 

[Drop bear]

The crocodile machete. Martinez? Is a classic. And is thick. So will probably split a bit better.

Edit. The Martindale

Condor do a version called the Australian machete. With a nicer finish for more money.

 

[AgentSteel]

Yes the Martindale is thicker than a regular machete. More of a mix between a machete and a camp knife.

 

[mazzman]

Just for grins, a 1945 Legitimus Collins & Co. US-marked (Model 37?) 18" machete with a rare USMC-marked 1945 "Bakelite" scabbard. These "BM" scabbards were manufactured in 1945 but not issued until after the war. This one came from a Marine who had it in Vietnam.

Also, perfectly serviceable machetes were selling for $0.39 to $0.49 in Jamaica in the 1970's. You just had to grind more of an edge on them, but they worked in the jungle.

 

[Nexus-6]

around the house breaking down camp fire wood, etc

I'm no expert but I can tell you what not to buy. Gerber - Blade is too thick and regardless of how well you sharpen, it just mashes the briars and saplings. Also, the handle is terrible. I found an older Barteaux, and I like it a lot, but my experience so far is limited.

 

[Henry Beige]

In my mind, I think of machetes in two categories, slashers and choppers. For slashers, the best bang for the buck comes from latin machetes and bolos, with blades from 13” on up, in the neighborhood of 1.5-3mm thick. I like to use 14” bolos from Tramontina and Imacasa around the yard. If you are only going to get one, the 18” Tramontina bush machete (with an edge from Baryonyx) will work well across a pretty wide range of brush. These all sell for $20 or less.
A lot of the machetes you get from knife manufacturers will set you back 50 or 60 bucks for a blade made by one of the latin makers with a fancier handle.

Choppers tend to have thicker blades, from 3-6mm thick. The best ones have blades in the neighborhood of 13-16” long. My favorite choppers are the Condor Golok, and the various Condor parangs. There are shorter models, and lots of “big knives” with blades around 10”. They can chop pretty well, but do not generate the head speed of the longer blades. For wood processing in camp, I would favor the Skrama. Blade is only 9”, but the long handle allows it to generate head speed like a 13” or 14” chopper.. this is a very versatile blade, one that I would not want to be without. The BK9 is also versatile, and the comfortable handle allows you to work for a long time.

 

[Just Tom.]

These things occupy the space between machete and Bush Hog, and would be my choice for any serious brush clearing. I have used them extensively in the past:

Not exactly something you would take camping, though.

 

[dantzk8]

For harvesting sugar cane here's what you need :



That's a machete.

Dan.

 

[screened porch]

These things occupy the space between machete and Bush Hog, and would be my choice for any serious brush clearing. I have used them extensively in the past:

Not exactly something you would take camping, though.

I've heard those called bank blades, because they were used to clear scrub from railroad embankments, and I've heard them called Kaiser blades, because "old man Kaiser invented them"(a retired railroad man told me that),and I've heard them called brush hooks.
Anyway, ya gotta have one.

 

[Wild Willie]

I've heard those called bank blades, because they were used to clear scrub from railroad embankments, and I've heard them called Kaiser blades, because "old man Kaiser invented them"(a retired railroad man told me that),and I've heard them called brush hooks.
Anyway, ya gotta have one.

Some people call it a sling blade...

 

[Hickory n steel]

This gavilan K-18 bolo is the most versatile beast of a machete I have ever used if you can find one.
The steel sings like crazy and it has so much power in the cut.
A broad distally tapered blade with weight right where you want it without being too heavy.

 

[Another Shepherd]

These things occupy the space between machete and Bush Hog, and would be my choice for any serious brush clearing.

To me, a Bush Hog is a mower about 8 feet wide that is pulled by a tractor. Is that what you mean by a Bush Hog?

 

[Just Tom.]

To me, a Bush Hog is a mower about 8 feet wide that is pulled by a tractor. Is that what you mean by a Bush Hog?

Yes.

Surveyors often need to cut lines of sight through some of the nastiest, thickest stuff imaginable, most often without any sort of mechanical assistance. On very rare occasions you can get someone with a Bush Hog or some other tractor-mounted device to assist clearing along fence lines and such, but most often not, for a variety of reasons.

Machetes are next to useless for a lot of what the field crews contend with - so the brush hook (bank blade) becomes your primary tool.

 

[Just Tom.]

I've heard those called bank blades, because they were used to clear scrub from railroad embankments, and I've heard them called Kaiser blades, because "old man Kaiser invented them"(a retired railroad man told me that),and I've heard them called brush hooks.
Anyway, ya gotta have one.

Where I work, we call them brush hooks

 

[screened porch]

I've probably posted my 24" Collins Legitimus here before, so here it is again.

 

[Rsmith_77]

I like my 12" Ontario
I'll have to take some pics tomorrow when the sun is out

 

[Drop bear]

I want to give people a one stop shop so they can grab a custom for a good price, take it out of the box and go to work.

Could you do cheap ish competition choppers that way?

Then you are sort of hitting two markets.

 

[David Mary]

Sure why not? 8670