- Joined
- Apr 20, 2013
- Messages
- 7,205
I grew up using machetes exclusively they are second nature to me. Its all about angle of attack to the object your cutting. When it comes to the 6 You dont have to hit the sweet spot but let the branch/vine drag down the blade/edge untill it gets bunched up against the curve and the magic happens. If I cant hold the branch/vine with my support hand then I swing at an angle that forces the branch/vine to pull against its own resistance, meaning not towards its main trunk but away from its main trunk. Its hard to describe in words. Banana trees, sugar cane, and saplings are a breeze. Vines with waitaminute thorns not so much lol
Prolly because I live in the Northeast - and thus have little (read: none) experience with "real" machete territory - my experience has been better with other machetes. I was lucky enough to have one of the Northeast Beckerheads let me swing the 6, but we're talking hardwood saplings and forest brush...hardly what it was made for. Also, we have lots of puckerbrush (things with thorns, spines and whatnot) that I'd rather go at with a thinner blade without the recurve. Hitting actual wood with the Patrol Machete is....uncomfortable. Given my north European ancestry and my complete lack of heat tolerance (it's 50°f & I'm in shorts) I doubt I will inhabit those sorts of environs, so....the 6 is not for me. The RBK, OTOH - that's more in line with my needs.