panga style machetes

ONEBIGBOWIE

ONEBIGBOWIE

Joined
Sep 9, 2015
Messages
136
i wanted to get a panga style machete but should i get the condor viking machete with 420hc stainless steel or the cold steel panga machete with 1055 carbon steel? i would be doing more heavy work with it mostly wood choppin and maybe an occasional tree.
 
Condor all the way. The quality difference is significant and I have years of personal experience beating the tar out of the Viking. It's a heck of a machete, and the partial back edge comes in handy A LOT. Cold Steel machetes are great, but they're not in the same league.
 
Another vote for the Condor here. I wish they offered them in carbon steel, but the one I had in 420HC worked just fine & took a hell of a beating. The sharpened back tip comes in handy for a number of things.
 
I like the Condor Viking. But are you sure you can handle one this long? The Swamp Master may be a good alternative? The Viking is just a tad long for me; but maybe I just haven't used it enough to get used to it.
 
Condor over Cold Steel. I might go with the Swamp Master over the Viking, though it really depends on how much length you need for your tasks.
 
I was a bit skeptical about 420HC in a machete. The truth is that I bought it thinking it was carbon steel and only later learned that it was indeed stainless steel. My old forum posts can attest to that fact. But it sharpens up easily with my diamond sharpener. The discovery of that long sharpener solved a lot of my sharpening issues with machetes. I admired folks that could take a steel file and produce a sharp machete. Just never worked for me. I would not hesitate to get either the Viking or Swamp Master. You have to be careful with the really long machetes when cutting. It just depends on how much reach you need and your comfort level and experience.
 
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