Show off your machetes!!!

mneedham

mneedham

Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
2,776
It's still Pict and Bearthedog's fault.... My humble collection, a couple of Trams, a Martindale Golok (not really a machete..), a RTAK, a CS 2-hander, a CS kukri (never used it, grip felt funny..), and a Chinese kukri machete (worst blade I have owned, don't know why I put it the pic). What do you have?


mike078.jpg
 
Those are nice collections:thumbup::thumbup:. Trams and Ontarios seem to be the favorites around here, but have either of you guys ever used either the Condor or CS machetes? Impressions?
 
First, the true machetes:

machetesbillxm7.jpg


Three sizes of brush cutters:

3brushctrsei1.jpg


That's me (6' 3") providing scale for the large Briar Axe brush cutter:

baxebillkt1.jpg


My personal collection of Valiant blades from the Indonesian Archepelago:

personalvaliants2ic9.jpg


Two blades from Reflections of Asia:

rndtipbolobowieub5.jpg


Medium sized khuks from Khukuri House:

dscf0126cy4.jpg


Large khuks from Khukuri House:

dscf0131xz3.jpg


Tora Sirupate with 15" blade:

tora15insirck0.jpg


Testing the Tora Siru:

dscf0370ke4.jpg


Yeah, I dig machetes and their close relatives. :D
 
mneedham said:
HDW,

Sweet.. Of the true machetes, what make is your fav?
Click to expand...

I'd have to be the oddball and say Martindale. The blades have a distal taper that gives you more blade speed than any other make. So, for example, the 23" OAL South American model (fifth from left) is the best chopper in the set for light brush that requires a fast blade. Martindale also offers tremendous variety in their blade shapes.

The Tramontinas lack the dital taper, but that's an advantage if you're chopping heavier stuff. That 14" bladed Tram bolo (second from right) is another winner.
 
mneedham said:
Those are nice collections:thumbup::thumbup:. Trams and Ontarios seem to be the favorites around here, but have either of you guys ever used either the Condor or CS machetes? Impressions?
Click to expand...

I have CS Magnum Kukri Machete,and I`m not satisfied,with fact that back twisted in S shape ,after some heavier work.I have straightened it as much as possible,and hanged it on the wall.But maybe it was just bad luck,for what I have read,some had good experience with CS machetes in general.
 
I'll geta photo up sometime later this week. I have been cleaning up my sheaths in preparation for taking two more groups out so I'll have ot take a shot of them before they get all mucked up again.

Those Valiant Goloks are really cool. I wish we had Martindales for sale here but Tramontina has pretty much a corner on the market. I want to pick up a few examples of them once I get back in August. Mac
 
I only have one, it's all I've ever needed:

machete2.jpg


Ex Australian army. I've had it for a bit over 20 years, maybe 22, so I'm not sure how old it is. There's an identical one in the WWII section of the Australian War Memorial.

Mine used to have the orginal bakelite handle but a couple of years ago that disintegrated so I repalced it with timber and gave it a fresh coat of paint as a rust preventative. The pic was soon after that work.
 
I have a 24" CS Latin machete. I got it real sharp but when I was using it, it warped on me and it bends on me when I try to use it. Don't use it any more if I have a choice. I need to get a new one.
 
So Tram and Ontario are popular, HDW likes Martindale (Condor seems to have that distal taper too, but nobody has weighed-in on them). Any users of Corona, Barteaux or other brands?

Bear - Like that micarta!

Dave M. - How is harbor freight?

Gotta a feeling that I'm gonna be buying more machetes....
 
Veyy nice, I like. The customs with Micarta scales are really cool. I need to get myself at least one machete one of these days.
 
Dave M. - How is harbor freight?
Click to expand...

It came as dull as a butter knife. I profiled the edge with a file and then sharpened it with sandpaper on a mouse pad, to wind up with a convex edge. It cuts light vegetation really well now, especially with a draw cut. The Ontario is better on woody stuff, since it has a thicker blade. (FWIW, the Ontario was pretty damn dull from the factory, too.)

The handle on the HF was unfinished wood with a couple sharp edges. I sanded it down a bit and added the paracord wrap, which made it a lot more comfortable.

The HF sheath was the cheapest canvas I've seen. I covered it in several layers of duct tape as shown in my pic, and it's now usable.

For $5, I ain't complaining.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top