Similar...but Better Built Machete???

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Kestrel452

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Feb 18, 2015
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Is anyone familiar with a machete that's similar to this, but made with a stronger steel and better build quality? Preferably not Chinese made, and without a serrated bottom. This one's general profile seems like it'd be good for doing things like harvesting pine pitch off tree trunks.

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Are you .looking for a good machete, a machete-sized heavier knife, or a "Machete Survival System"?
 
A well-built, good looking machete that will hold an edge for a while and resist corrosion. I have a Cold Steel "thai" machete, but it's a bit too long and "sword"-like for general outdoors work.
 
Perhaps the Condor Swamp Master which is 16" in 420HC steel. I have the old 14" version and it's one of my favorite users.

Added: Just looked at Condor's website. It appears that this one is NOW 1075 carbon steel vs stainless.
 
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Kestrel452 said:
Great looking machete. Steel sounds like a champ, too. Is it really worth $250?
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He had some in the exchange for $199, but I am sure it will hold up to what you have planned and outperform most of your other options.
 
marcinek said:
So, is something like a Tramontina out of the question? Heck for $250 you could get 20 of them.
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It would be nice to have something more robust, as it's for my SHTF tool stash. That's why I'm a little nutty on how well it holds an edge and resists rusting.
 
My Ontario US(18" heavy duty) has been taking a beating for decades. No super steels needed. There are many fine machetes out there + some that have been moded with better handle scales such as the Fiddleback Forge. There is a web site that exclusively handles machetes-where you can certainly find something to your liking(Google a bit and you should find it).
 
Fell beast is great from Huntsman, stainless steel too which is awesome!
If you want cheaper, Ontario can't be beat for the price, 12 and 18 inch blade ones are great!! Good heat treat!
I got a slimline machete from Shannon steel labs and it performs great, he uses Peter's heat treat.
 
Marbles / imicasa machetes are great quality inexpensive tools. You can get the marbles with a sheath and good sharp edge for 15$ and the standard unsharpened imicasa machetes for 10$ or less.
Tramontina machetes also come highly recommended from many many people.

The imicasa / marbles machetes ( condor is owned and made by imicasa ) are made in El Salvador, and tramontina machetes are made in Brazil.
If you want a machete to use for what they're designed to be used for then I'd go with something made in South America where they rely on them daily and know how to make them.
 
Kestrel452 said:
It would be nice to have something more robust, as it's for my SHTF tool stash. That's why I'm a little nutty on how well it holds an edge and resists rusting.
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Hickory n steel said:
Marbles / imicasa machetes are great quality inexpensive tools. You can get the marbles with a sheath and good sharp edge for 15$ and the standard unsharpened imicasa machetes for 10$ or less.
Tramontina machetes also come highly recommended from many many people.

The imicasa / marbles machetes ( condor is owned and made by imicasa ) are made in El Salvador, and tramontina machetes are made in Brazil.
If you want a machete to use for what they're designed to be used for then I'd go with something made in South America where they rely on them daily and know how to make them.
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This right here is your answer. I have put my tramonitas through some nasty stuff. You can spend more if you want to but you'd be hard pressed to find a better machete that's actually good at being a machete.
 
19-3ben said:
This right here is your answer. I have put my tramonitas through some nasty stuff. You can spend more if you want to but you'd be hard pressed to find a better machete that's actually good at being a machete.
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I really love the blaze orange coating on my marbles / Imi machetes, but would love something more traditional looking like a classic Tramontina.
However since these are just backyard landscaping tools for me I don't actually need anything else.
If I ever decide to just buy another machete just because I want it I'll definitely go with a tramontina.
 
budget - Tramontina, Marbles, Cold Steel
mid price - KaBar, Ontario, Condor
high price - ESEE, F.FORGE, FOX, E.Ratio
 
I can't see what tool you are citing in your original post, so forgive me if this is irrelevant to you.

The black coating on the Cold Steel machetes does a good job keeping rust at bay. Once you get a good edge on it with file and stone, you can cold blue or Rust-Oleum the shiny edge to further the protection.

The Cold Steel machetes are almost bulletproof. They range from 2 to 2.8mm in thickness, the 2mm blades being whippy in longer versions. Stay with the thicker ones as it really makes a difference. The rubber grips are good, the plastic ones less so. The more gimmicky a CS machete, the less practical it will be. As above, the Thai machete could be an effective fighter against an unclothed enemy, but I don't know I'd want it in the field. Perhaps the only gimmicky one I'd like to try is the smatchet machete, but only because . . . well . . . 'cuz SMATCHET! The other I'd like is the Bowie machete, but that's a pretty straightforward design.

I have the 17" seax machete, and while it's technically a gimmicky CS machete, it has the rubber grip, full tang, thicker blade, and easily recontoured point if that's something I feel like doing. But I haven't needed to do it. It does everything CS's beefy, stern faced, blade-abusing video orcs say it does.

Occasionally CS discounts their machetes to the point they are impossible to resist. Check out their ltspecpro.com website for the best deals (Mods, is this OK to say?).

Zieg
 
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