ontario machetes - standard vs economy?

[shadeone]

ok, ive found a few army surplus stores that claim to have the ontario 12" machete in stock but the doofusses woking there cant tell me over the phone if they are the standard version or the thinner economy model...

if i go to these places, is there a way to tell for sure that i am getting the standard version? if there is only one version in stock, i have nothing to compare it to thickness wise and its not like i can tell what one is the standard without ever having handled one before...

is there any differences in the handles? do they have stickers that say what model they are on them or anything?

shade

 

[Any Cal.]

I 'think' the standard model is .125", while the economy is thinner. I know mine is 1/8", and I specifically did not get the economy, though I can't tell you the thickness of that one.

 

[Blue Sky]

The economy is on the left, standard on the right:


(Click to enlarge.)

Use the lower edge of the scale for reference. The economy is around 1/16" thick, the standard 7/64". The standard is noticeable stiffer and heavier. For chopping wood it is the better choice as far as efficiency goes, but if weight is a concern the economy chops pretty well in it's own right, though sometimes it will bend a bit in a deep cut if one part of the blade hits a hard spot or wants to follow some gnarly grain. Doesn't seem to hurt it any, just looks a little disconcerting when you see it.