Short light weight machete for bushes and vines?

jackman2 said:
Correct me if I am wrong, but is the Fiddleback essentially just the Imacasa Colin, but reground, sharpened and with a new handle? I think I might try the Colin first to see if the smaller size works. And it comes with a sheath for like $20. Figure I could sharpen it up nice. Fiddleback looks great, but I'd hate to buy a 12" machete for that price, only to find it did not work for me.
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The blade is made by Imacasa, but it's a custom designed pattern not available anywhere else. Andy Roy then puts a nice grind on them and his signature contoured scales. They're worth the money, but I might try the Colin first to see if the general style works for you. The Colin is lighter and more suited for vines/grasses whereas the Fiddleback is more of an all-rounder small machete/big knife go-between.

jackman2 said:
Is this heavy?
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For its size, yes.
 
Is it heavy---I don't think so. I own one as well. I modded mine to make good at more than one thing. I love it. Ontario is made in Olean NY.

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I have used the heck out of it after the mods, works awesome for me. $21.99, Made in America, but---you will have to have a custom sheath made for it. That puts some people off, but not me.
 
That model is light--the one originally posted is one of the heavier "military" models, which is hefty for its size--though light overall. A key distinction.
 
I have used machetes extensively for decades down here in the south Florida swamps and I strongly recommend for light vegetation and vines you don't go any shorter than 16 to 18 Inches. I also recommend you start out with a couple of different size Tramontinas which are ridiculously cheap.

For example take a look at this page from Macheteman.com: http://www.machetespecialists.com/trmabr.html

I would recommend you order the 14 inch Bush and the 18 inch Bush Tram and you will be out a whole $14 plus shipping since they are currently on sale. The 14" is close enough in size to the 12" you seem to prefer that you won't notice the difference and those extra 2" make a lot of difference in useability. The 18" you will appreciate more with time especially if you are doing a lot of cutting. The Tram machetes are very thin and light and that thinness is what makes them swing so easily and won't tire you out like some of the thicker machetes will. With the very sharp convex edge all it takes is a very light swing and the vines and grasses will just lop off with no effort. A nice sharp edge will cut with just a very light wrist flick and seems effortless when you get the hang of it. If you are swinging hard not only are you putting your extremities in danger but your technique is wrong and/or your blade needs sharpening.

If you get these what you really need to do on these is to put a very sharp, high and wide convex edge on them and you wil be able to cut all day with just minor touch ups at the end of the day on a ceramic rod, sandpaper wrapped around a stick or whatever you like to use. A Nicholson Handi-file will work in a pinch but tends to leave a rougher edge. I have yet to need a file in the field but keep one in the truck tool box as back up. The convex edge is surprisingly strong and I have yet to roll my edges even cutting down light trees up to 3" to 4" diameter occasionally. I would not use them to baton unless it was an emergency but I would not be afraid to if you did it smartly and used the end near the hilt.

I also recommend sanding and shaping the wood handles until you get them just right in how they feel to you. After sanding, oil the handles down with boiled linseed oil, tung oil, or danish oil and after drying you are good to go.

These machetes are so cheap you will not be afraid to use them hard. Also, if it turns out you don't like the longer 18" one for whatever reason just cut the blade down to 16" or 12" or whatever length suits your fancy. All of mine are modified in one way or another, especially the tip profiles. Most either have slight drop points or golok/parang style squared or rounded off points. I don't like upswept points but that is just me. I have made PVC pipe sheaths for all mine and the PVC sheaths will last forever and are pretty much indestructable. If you decide to buy a sheath and don't want to make one get the plastic military one made for the Ontario 18" military machete, remove the wire belt hanger and run a nylon strap through the slot left in the metal hardware and sew or pop rivet the nylon strap to keep it from falling out of the slot. Do not get a canvas or nylon sheath since with a sharp blade you will end up cutting through it in no time.
 
Ontario 12" modded ala "Pict" of this forum. Outchops my Brute or C.S. Trailmaster. Carry it in Ben Meadows sheath balmoral style any time I'm in the woods. I have a piggyback Farmer on the sheath.--KV
 
You want a 12 or 14 inch Tram. I have both and would opt for the 14 though for light work the 12 will do fine. They're 1/16" thick while the others in this size that are being recommended are 1/8" thick. I.E. roughly half the weight. For what you want I would rule out any of the 1/8" thick machetes.
 
+1 on the Tramontina. You need to do a little edge work on them, particularly around the tip and the wooden handles need a bit of sanding for fit and comfort. They are perfect for vines, canes and grasses. Fairly good at chopping (particularly hard materials), they'll take the top off a coconut no problem. They struggle a bit on thick wood and that's where a golok/parang would be better. You don't want anything thicker than 2mm in the blade because the extra weight will tire you out and is unnecessary in that situation. I've tried the ESEE version of the Ontario, and while it's a good blade with a more comfortable handle, the handle would still need modifying for comfort (and micarta is a bit harder to work) and the balance was quite down towards the handle, great for "machete fighting arts" but not so hot for ground clearance, where a more tip heavy blade and a "flick" gets amazing cutting results with little effort. Over here you can get 8 Trams for one of those ESEE/Ontarios or 3 for the price of a Condor.
 
A short, lightweight machete? That's called a knife...

All kidding aside - not quite a machete, but a Woodsman's Pal works really well for clearing brush and vegetation. I haven't tried the compact version yet, but the classic is awesome
 
lately I have been strapping my Helle Lapplander to the pack for clearing light stuff/blackberrys etc off overgrown trails

works pretty well and the full leather tooled sheath strapped to the pack looks non-threatening. I have had a couple people ask about it this year and did not get the wild eyed "look" when I showed it to them.
 
umberto00 said:
A short, lightweight machete? That's called a knife...

All kidding aside - not quite a machete, but a Woodsman's Pal works really well for clearing brush and vegetation. I haven't tried the compact version yet, but the classic is awesome
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The Woodman's Pal is short and heavy. For the same weight you could have a much longer blade. I don't care for it in general, let alone for bush/vine work.
 
+20 on the 14" Tramontina. They are as handy as the day is long. There is a place on line which also has some basic nylon sheaths. I bought my young son this set up. IIRC, total was about $15 before shipping, 5 for machete and 10 for sheath. Five minutes with sandpaper made the handle feel great. Sharpening wouldn't take too long. They're almost disposible at that price. Good luck.
 
white avenger said:
Though not technically a machete, the Gerber Gator Brush Trimmer is just about the best thing that I have ever found for trimming the kind of brush and undergrowth we have here in North Georgia, everything from kudzu vines to small saplings, it handles them all, and it's a realistic price to boot.

http://www.machetespecialists.com/gegabrtrblga.html
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For a billhook I prefer the Condor Bush Knife or the non-Gator version Gerber/Fiskars puts out. The Imacasa "cuma" pattern works astoundingly well, also, and has been invaluable for clearing vegetation along the electric fence line out in the horse pasture.
 
Whitlashflash said:
+1 on the on ontario. No, its not really heavy.
I have the 18 inch and swing it all day long.
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Not to put words in his mouth but I'm assuming since he'll only be using it occasionally that he's worried about it weighing his pack down and not his arm. A similar sized tram with thinner stock is going to weigh less and accomplish all the things he needs so I see no reason why he would want a heavier machete that costs more. Unless we're talking pure preference then that's a different story. :D
 
Shotgun said:
Not to put words in his mouth but I'm assuming since he'll only be using it occasionally that he's worried about it weighing his pack down and not his arm. A similar sized tram with thinner stock is going to weigh less and accomplish all the things he needs so I see no reason why he would want a heavier machete that costs more. Unless we're talking pure preference then that's a different story. :D
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That was my understanding as well. Likewise a lighter weight blade isn't just for being less tiring--high tip velocity is important for cutting light targets, as they are prone towards bending out of the way of the blade rather than being cut. High speed allows for cutting to take place before inertia is overcome, essentially cutting the plant before it gets the chance to move.
 
I have and love the Ontario 12 inch military model. To me it is not a heavy machete. What I like about it is that I have had it now for 9 years and it's still holding up. The 1st time I used it to chop wood, I hammered the spine with the back end of Craftsman hatchet. The blade took a good beating that day and never broke. It has good edge retention and I like the 1095 steel blade. The only piece that broke that day was the back rivet that helps hold the handle together. To fix it I used some 550 cord to tie it back together and it's still holding up.
 
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