- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 4,670
First off, Id like to sincerely thank fellow forumite Jason Burns for graciously loaning me his personal Aitor Bolo Machete for this review. He is interested in my observations of it after he read my review of the Becker Knife & Tool Patrol Machete and thought that the rest of the forumites might enjoy reading this as well.
At 17 ¾ overall, the Aitor Bolo Machete is a formidable cutting and chopping tool. The blade itself measures 13 ¾ and flares towards the tip in typical bolo fashion to add forward weight and momentum to your swing. The Aitor catalog does not state specifically what steel is used, through my experience I would venture a guess that it is of a low grade 400 series stainless steel. It is ground out of 0.095 stock with a full tang construction. The 4 handle is comprised of Staminawood (dye impregnated and sealed wood) that is riveted to the tang with three sets of brass rivets. A rather large lanyard hole is present to affix a lanyard cord if you so desire. The sheath is of brown leather with a belt loop that will accommodate even the widest belt with ease. The Bolo Machete is secured using a simple but effective button snap closure around the handle. Overall the sheath is very well made.
Performance wise, the Bolo Machete is a mean chopping tool! The thin blade stock allows it to bite very deep in green wood. With most of the weight being near the tip, it is easy to get a powerful stroke with minimal effort, just let gravity carry the knife down. I could go through small saplings in a hurry with this machete. How does it work on the big stuff? Over the course of several days I spent hacking and chopping in the woods behind my house. There was a pine tree that fell a couple years ago but I never bothered to do anything about it since it was not in the way of anything. With the help of the BK&T Brute, Machax, Patrol Machete, and the Aitor, I successfully chopped the trunk up in sections and was able to remove the wood. With the hard and thick pine wood, the Aitor bit just as aggressively as it did on the saplings, quickly making chunks of wood go airborne. For a machete, it really chops very well, as good as the BK&T Patrol Machete. No problems with performance in this setting, bottom line is that it is a very effective chopper. Briar patches are nasty SOBs
Difficult to effectively remove without feeling like a cursing pincushion! With the Aitor in hand, I was able to take out a small briar patch. The long, thin blade is a great slicer as well.
You can also use this machete to whittle as well. There is a choil in the tang allowing you to choke up on your grip. However, due to the forward weight of the machete, my hand would tire of having to support that blade in a precise task such as that. It is possible though .
Resharpening the Aitor was easily accomplished by a Hewlett 3-sided Jewelstik diamond sharpener. Since its approximately a 400 series stainless, the edge pops back quickly, yet it holds an edge well. I did manage to put a nick in the cutting edge, but that was easily removed with a DMT Diafold.
Overall, I like this machete. Great, solid performer that will take on the big jobs with the bite of a Rottweiler on burger meat. My only complaint is the handle scales. After a while of chopping my hand would get sweaty, and the slick surface of the wood makes gripping a bit more conscious effort to keep your grip from winding up at the very rear of the handle. If they made the handle thicker a la BK&Ts knives and with just a little bit of texture, this would be perfect. Though, the price beyond that of the garden-variety machetes you see selling at gun shows and hardware stores. $97.00 retail. The price is justifiable for a machete this well made and a great performer.
At 17 ¾ overall, the Aitor Bolo Machete is a formidable cutting and chopping tool. The blade itself measures 13 ¾ and flares towards the tip in typical bolo fashion to add forward weight and momentum to your swing. The Aitor catalog does not state specifically what steel is used, through my experience I would venture a guess that it is of a low grade 400 series stainless steel. It is ground out of 0.095 stock with a full tang construction. The 4 handle is comprised of Staminawood (dye impregnated and sealed wood) that is riveted to the tang with three sets of brass rivets. A rather large lanyard hole is present to affix a lanyard cord if you so desire. The sheath is of brown leather with a belt loop that will accommodate even the widest belt with ease. The Bolo Machete is secured using a simple but effective button snap closure around the handle. Overall the sheath is very well made.
Performance wise, the Bolo Machete is a mean chopping tool! The thin blade stock allows it to bite very deep in green wood. With most of the weight being near the tip, it is easy to get a powerful stroke with minimal effort, just let gravity carry the knife down. I could go through small saplings in a hurry with this machete. How does it work on the big stuff? Over the course of several days I spent hacking and chopping in the woods behind my house. There was a pine tree that fell a couple years ago but I never bothered to do anything about it since it was not in the way of anything. With the help of the BK&T Brute, Machax, Patrol Machete, and the Aitor, I successfully chopped the trunk up in sections and was able to remove the wood. With the hard and thick pine wood, the Aitor bit just as aggressively as it did on the saplings, quickly making chunks of wood go airborne. For a machete, it really chops very well, as good as the BK&T Patrol Machete. No problems with performance in this setting, bottom line is that it is a very effective chopper. Briar patches are nasty SOBs
Difficult to effectively remove without feeling like a cursing pincushion! With the Aitor in hand, I was able to take out a small briar patch. The long, thin blade is a great slicer as well. You can also use this machete to whittle as well. There is a choil in the tang allowing you to choke up on your grip. However, due to the forward weight of the machete, my hand would tire of having to support that blade in a precise task such as that. It is possible though .
Resharpening the Aitor was easily accomplished by a Hewlett 3-sided Jewelstik diamond sharpener. Since its approximately a 400 series stainless, the edge pops back quickly, yet it holds an edge well. I did manage to put a nick in the cutting edge, but that was easily removed with a DMT Diafold.
Overall, I like this machete. Great, solid performer that will take on the big jobs with the bite of a Rottweiler on burger meat. My only complaint is the handle scales. After a while of chopping my hand would get sweaty, and the slick surface of the wood makes gripping a bit more conscious effort to keep your grip from winding up at the very rear of the handle. If they made the handle thicker a la BK&Ts knives and with just a little bit of texture, this would be perfect. Though, the price beyond that of the garden-variety machetes you see selling at gun shows and hardware stores. $97.00 retail. The price is justifiable for a machete this well made and a great performer.
