Need help choosing a quality machete

The one thing of note with the Bushcraft Parang is that the sheath as it comes from the factory needs a little breaking in. There's a synthetic leather strip that runs down the interior of the edge side of the sheath to help prevent wear, but it doesn't want to lay flat without a little guidance because it doesn't have a crease in it yet. Flatten that puppy under some heavy books or similar and then it works fine and dandy. Other than that it sounds like a good match. :)
 
find an old ont. knife company blackie collins knuckle guard 18 inch, i have in 12 18 24. I like the leather sheath one. no cat. # for this knife per ont. knife telephone calls over the years. but they call it a dhbk 12 18 24 according to man i spoke there to. the 18 is great, heavy hitter, enough carbon to stay sharp, will have black handle knuckle guard with blackie collins molded into handle. < $30 many times, just have to look at sites.
 
"Quality machete" sounds like somewhat of an oxymoron.... i wouldn't really think anyone would need or want a quality machete when the cheap ones are plentiful and do the job so well, plus if it breaks, plunk down another ten bucks and get another one.

I would say check out condor's stuff, or if you can find it get him an old Becker patrol machete. They are very nice for a machete.
 
I met a surveyor once who used the crap out of machetes for decades, and he said the best (cutting & durable) ones he'd used were old Legitimus Collins machetes, which can be found on fleabay.
 
I know a couple people with Andy Roy's/Fiddleback Forge machetes and they are very happy with them. I'm pretty sure there are a couple sheath makers doing sheaths for those.
 
rpn said:
Man, you are on the pacific coast of CostaRica...they don't have imacasa 'chetes in the supermarket between the toilet paper and aguacates?! ;) :D

Seriously though, that's a good brand and tramontinas too...
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That's my thoughts. Just tell him to pick out an Imacasa or a Tram from a local store and also tell him to buy a medium bastard file with it. Most of the aftermarket souped up custom machetes I've seen have all been based off of Imacasas. Fiddleback, Blind Horse etc all use Imacasa machetes.
 
AntDog said:
"Quality machete" sounds like somewhat of an oxymoron.... i wouldn't really think anyone would need or want a quality machete when the cheap ones are plentiful and do the job so well, plus if it breaks, plunk down another ten bucks and get another one.
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Not an oxymoron at all! High quality &#8800; expensive, and inexpensive &#8800; low quality. Cheap = low quality and cost // premium = high quality and cost. Imacasas are very high quality, but very inexpensive. They just don't do any work to them that the end user can do for themselves to keep them affordable to field laborers.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Not an oxymoron at all! High quality &#8800; expensive, and inexpensive &#8800; low quality. Cheap = low quality and cost // premium = high quality and cost. Imacasas are very high quality, but very inexpensive. They just don't do any work to them that the end user can do for themselves to keep them affordable to field laborers.
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You are correct sir. I should have said expensive instead of quality. I have been around long enough to know the difference! Excuse the mistake.

On topic, would you recommend Imacasa or Condor for something like this? I have a Tramontina that works well, but it has seen better days and it is waaaaay too long to do what I need it to. I need something a little shorter and less unwieldy.
 
In the same sort of size range, you also have the Village Parang and the Pack Golok which would probably serve you. I have not tried out the non-wood handle models as I have found the wood handles to be very comfortable and easier to modify if needed.
 
AntDog said:
On topic, would you recommend Imacasa or Condor for something like this? I have a Tramontina that works well, but it has seen better days and it is waaaaay too long to do what I need it to. I need something a little shorter and less unwieldy.
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Yup! Tramontina is good stuff and I recommend them without hesitation, but I consider Imacasa head and shoulders above them. Imacasa and Condor provide a lot of variety and value. There's something there for just about everyone.
 
Only machete I have ever owned was an ancient 22 inch Collins.... That was a beastly cutter, once cut down a foot- thick juniper to see if it was possible. It now belongs to my baby brother who continues to use it, he even rehandled it with pcord himself. Any opinion on these 42?
 
Collins was and still is known as the king of machetes, and for a good reason. They're long dead, but there's a lot of them still around. Just treat 'em as a finite resource--use 'em hard but you might want to use a Tramontina or Imacasa for chopping around rocks. :D
 
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