recommend a good machete to me :)

Z

ZippyDan

Joined
Sep 30, 2005
Messages
61
with a link where i can buy it at the best price (i say this because it usually takes me too long to find a good online retailer of the stuff i want :()

im interested in high quality construction and steel and general all around performance for cutting random things in my way, maybe some chopping, and maybe (but hopefully not) self defense all while hiking/camping

i seem to have a tough time finding quality machetes at a good price. actually, selection seems pretty piss poor in general. only thing ive found so far that slightly interested me was this http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/s...il.html?s=CMBK6 . and im definitely willing to go higher in price than that if the quality warrants it

if this would be better suited to another forum, tell me
 
I've been using an 12" blade length Ontario Blackie Collins for a number of years and have had no problems with it. It has the D guard handle which is O.K. If it came without it, that would have been fine too. I do like the shorter length as it is easier to carry around. Sharpens up easy with a file and didn't cost much. I keep it strapped to my ALICE BoB.

BTW, most machetes will be dull so expect to tune it up yourself.

I think I got it from Smoky Mountain. It's been a long time. For a beater, I use a cheap Tromantina. As far as machetes go, they are cheap agriculture and brush clearing tools that can be replaced easy so they won't be the greatest. When I was in the Philippines, bolo makers would crank out several dozen in a day. Bolos are my preference as they have thicker steel, usually old leaf springs like mine but they aren't as easy to find. They were long used as fighters too.

Check this. I paid less but that was years ago.

http://www.888knivesrus.com/product/OKC12
 
Of the current traditional machetes, Martindale would be near the top. Barteaux is a nice lighter machete maker also. If your willing to buy used, Collins was one of the best makers for a long time.
 
Tramontinas aren't bad, given they're under $10. SMKW is the best place to get them cheap.

I have a couple of Martindales, and they are solid. Check them out at cutsforthknives.com Daren Cutsforth will do right by you.
 
What are you gonna be cutting? I've found tramontina's the best machete for light vegetation. The light weight and fairly soft steel actually work to their advantage here. Alot of times when I'm trimming overgrowth around the house it basically means chopping straight down into the earth to get to the roots. Doing that means I have no idea what's down there most of the time, lots and lots of rocks and sometimes chunks of concrete below the surface left from construction, so while the blades blunt they never break or chip out.
 
hmm, i am... confused? about why most all of the machetes you guys mentioned are under $30. it makes me concerned about their quality... im used to paying a lot for quality blades. what makes this one that i linked to http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=CMBK6 (link didnt seem to work above) worth so much more money? any higher quality machetes (maybe machete is inherently low quality general purpose tool and i should be using another name?) that you guys could recommend?
 
Get a Cold Steel Khukri. You can find their cheap model(97KMS) for under $20 or they have better ones for more. It'd be just fine for hiking, camping, & backpacking. If you don't mind spending more, I'm sure a Himilayan Import would be even better.
 
ZippyDan, you're complaining about cheap blades??? :confused:

I think you hit it on the head though. Machetes are for pretty harsh work, and as yoda4561 has already pointed out, you don't want a blade made out of S30V that you're going to continually chip and then have to sharpen.

I sharpen my machetes with a file. Produces a good working edge which resharpens easily, given the blade steels. These aren't custom knives crafted from wonder steels.

The Martindales are good quality. But if you've just got cash burning a hole in your pocket, get yourself a Becker Patrol Machete. http://www.camillusknives.com/1mainframe.htm?bkt/bk6.shtml~main

I recommend you buy it direct from Camillus for $113.50 instead of from distributors who normally charge $70 to $80. (Actually, 1SKS has it on sale right now for $67.) That way, you can feel better about your purchase. :D :D :D

(Sorry, couldn't resist that last little bit.)
 
The becker machete is a decent tool, but I wouldn't call it a machete, more of a long brush knife, the steel is run a bit hard for a blade that size, and I have some concerns about durability when limbing hardwood trees. I own a Becker magnum camp with similar handles and I'd also add grip security to that as well. The handles are quite comfortable until your hands get a bit sweaty, and the knife has a tendency to try to roll and slide in the grip.

The other machetes recommended aren't high-fit/finish tools, but they've been around quite a long time and are built to be nearly unbreakable, as they're used for some really dirty jobs. You can sharpen them easily with a file or whatever in the field, and if in the event one does get broken or lost or something you're only out a few bucks. The only problem I've ever had with tramontinas is with the riveted wood handles cracking, but since i started oiling mine with some boiled linseed oil it hasn't happened again, easy enough to fashion a new handle though. I really do want to try out one of the martindales, but since I already have two tramontinas, a barteux, and some no-name unhardend POS it'll have to wait.

The military style Ontario machetes have never impressed me, all the ones I've seen have have been poorly balanced and are heavy, the handles don't help much with this. The small 12 inch ones would be fine, but the real (18+ inches) machetes would fatigue the wrists in a hurry.
 
Stop being steel snobs! For their intended purpose, an expensive machete is an oximoron. Machetes, as mentioned above, benefit from softer steels and lighter weights. Being so cheap in price, you can try any of them. You will end up chosing based on handle and balance (important in machetes). Collins are up there in quality, even then, they are cheap...
 
yoda4561, good tip on the linseed oil. May try that on my two Martindales.

Can't speak to the steel issues on the Becker Patrol Machete, but I can say something (potentially) useful about grip. Two "fixes" might be in order.

(1) Some folks have removed their Becker scales and had them sandblasted.

(2) Apparently, micarta replacement scales are now available from Camillus. Here's a thread about them: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=362115
 
In general, machetes are lower end cutlery in fit/finish. Most folks don't want to spend the money for a high grade one, nor does it make much sense to buy a high grade one considering the types of work they are used for.

If you'll be using it for heavier chopping, maybe try a kukri, bolo, or Bowie. You'll have more options with these types of knives.
 
yoda4561 said:
The becker machete is a decent tool, but I wouldn't call it a machete, more of a long brush knife, the steel is run a bit hard for a blade that size, and I have some concerns about durability when limbing hardwood trees.
Click to expand...

Limbing hardwood trees would mangle them, the edges are ground too thin, they dip under 0.020" thick. I saw more than one just get damaged on softwood trees.

robertmegar said:
Machetes, as mentioned above, benefit from softer steels ...
Click to expand...

They don't benefit from it, just like knives, stronger steels allow a more efficient cutting profile, you just don't expect optimal performance for $10. If you took your plain carbon machete at 45 HRC and bumped it up to 55 HRC and adjusted the edge profile it would cut better and last longer and be easier to sharpen.

Martindale makes solid machetes, as does Barteaux, I have had good experience with Tramontina as well, but others have reported QC problems, the Ontario's I used were really brittle and just exploded on woods (quarter sized pieces), but this is a problem with Ontario in general.

-Cliff
 
ok, i see the point about not wanting to spend a lot on a blade that will naturally take a lot of beating. some people like to spend a little bit a keep replacing, some people like to spend a lot up front on something that will last. maybe when it comes to machetes, nothing will last no matter how much i spend, or maybe the cheapos somehow last the best because of rugged simplicity :P

that said, im still unsure what to buy. according to the measurements, the Becker blade (which is the one i originally linked to) seems a little shorter than i imagined from the picture.

i came across these http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/c...Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=machete&noImage=0 but the specs are unenlightening

these two in particular caught my attention:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...hete&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp
and
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...hete&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp
but again i have no idea how to judge their quality. also, their slimness makes them seem unsuited to chopping, though they would probably be fine for slicing through vegetation and underbrush

finally, this chris reeves "knife" blew me away. its absolutely fantastic and seems exactly like what im looking for:

http://www.newgraham.com/images/CRKTOOTHPICK.jpg

but of course just my luck- it was a limited edition run from the 80s of only 12, and only the particular one in the picture is the ONLY one of the 12 with that particular point. i would buy that blade in a heartbeat as it seems to have the perfect length, quality, width, and handle that i'd want. its not called a machete, but an oversized knife, rofl, so maybe what i want is not exactly a machete

can anyone point me to a blade similar to the one above?
 
Well I suppose if you have 500 dollars or so to burn you could get the new Busse American Kensei. It's about the only knife that big with a ~60 rc blade I'd feel safe about beating around. I seriously suggest going with the suggestions of martindale. If you find it inadequate somehow then you'll still have a solid 20 dollar yard tool and a good idea of how to spend your money on something that better fits your needs.

Edit: On those ontario (I'm pretty sure) swords from cabelas, they're probably okay, but I'm not kidding when I say that any of the 20 dollar machetes mentioned will probably be better tools. Ontario is notorious for very sloppy QC, most are okay, a few are good, and many are crap, and there's no way to tell unless you use it.

Edit #2: I'm actually a staunch supporter of the "get the best tool you can cost be damned" school of thought. Fortunately for a blade of the class of work machetes do, excellent tools with high durability can be had on the cheap. The only things a 20 dollar machete give up over a more expensive blade is looks, edge retention, and possibly comfortable handles (easily fixed). There are actually times when the edge holding is better because the steel merely rolls or blunts instead of chipping.
 
If you've got the cash, the Bark River Northwind and Goloks tend to get excellent reviews. In fact, the Golok is often referred to as a "real-life lightsaber." I don't own either and can't comment or recommend. Honestly, I would hesitate to beat such a beautiful blade up as quickly as I would a $20 machete...

BRK&T Golok
BRK&T Northwind

Good luck!
 
robertmegar said:
Stop being steel snobs! For their intended purpose, an expensive machete is an oximoron. Machetes, as mentioned above, benefit from softer steels and lighter weights. Being so cheap in price, you can try any of them. You will end up chosing based on handle and balance (important in machetes). Collins are up there in quality, even then, they are cheap...
Click to expand...
Exactly......
I just don't see why you can't go down to Wally World and get an el-cheapo chinese model and abuse the living daylights out of it
 
I wouldn't go that far. I'm pretty sure that "no name piece of unhardened junk" I mentioned was one of those machetes, and quite frankly it doesn't even qualify as a tool. The thing can't even make one solid chop without bending into all manner of funny shapes. On the other end of the spectrum the last thing I need is an unknown quantity being too hard and snapping, with smaller blades this is annoying, with something as large as a machete it can be rather dangerous.

Edit: Wow, those bark rivers do look really nice. The price seems quite good for the product too. They're a bit thick for my needs but I may have to pick one up in the future just for fun.
 
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