I have tried a few other brands of machetes and none have been as good as the Ontario. I have not tried the Tramontina. It looks good and I hear good things about it. The Ontarios are so inexpensive and so simple that I think they are a safe bet.
I have the old rivited handle 18". The handle did start to come loose but I used a large punch and hammer to tighten them up and they haven't worked loose in over 15 years. The rivits came loose after a few months of hard use. Actually, they started to come loose when I decided that a machete would make a good throwing knife. BAD IDEA. I was smart enough to stop this BS before I did any real damage.
If you don't go out of your way to abuse it, I can actually see an Ontario machete lasting an entire lifetime. I have used the heck out of mine for 16-17 years and it is still going strong. The only mod I did was a few years ago I wrapped the grip in friction tape. Makes for a secure hold and does not increase the size of the grip. I used the same tape that hockey players use on their sticks.
As for the 12" with molded handle, I have mixed feelings. I was told by many people on this site that it was everything the 18" was but in a smaller package. That is true and false. It is true in the sense that it is the same amount of quality and built just as well. It uses the same carbon steel blade which can't be beat but it doesn't have the reasch or the balance of the 18"
You will beat you your hands much more if you use the 12" and it doesn't have the speed or the leverage to do the same work. You will find cutting light veg much more of a chore and cutting thicker branches and small trees to be downright tiring. It will still do these jobs and do them pretty well for a 12" blade but not as well as a 18". That being said, the $15.00 12" Ontario will be easy to take along in a backpack when the 18" seem overkill. Also, the 12" will out preform a heck of a lot of other large blades on the market and almost everyone of them costs several times more. Many costs a few hundred bucks and don't do as well.
For $15.00, you will actually use the Ontario. You will take it with you when you might not want to risk losing your $300 Swamp Rat. You will toss it in your kayak or canoe and it will be there when you need it. It is also very light weight which is another reason you will not hesitate to pack it along.
I have the 12" as well and I cut the D-ring off. I also ground the grip down in the middle where the hump is to better fit my hand. I don't think a machete should have a thick grip. It should be small and oval. No need for finger grooves or any complex design. Just a basic round or oval grip that you can get your hand firmly around is as you need. The grip should be hard but provide some traction. A soft rubber grip is a bad thing. It will tire out your hand because you will have to grip it harder to mantain control and you will get blisters.
As good as the 12" is, if you can abide the extra 6" of the 18". go with that for sure. It is much more usefull and will give you more power. Only if you intend to use the machete as a camp knife would the 12" make any sense.
I have the old rivited handle 18". The handle did start to come loose but I used a large punch and hammer to tighten them up and they haven't worked loose in over 15 years. The rivits came loose after a few months of hard use. Actually, they started to come loose when I decided that a machete would make a good throwing knife. BAD IDEA. I was smart enough to stop this BS before I did any real damage.
If you don't go out of your way to abuse it, I can actually see an Ontario machete lasting an entire lifetime. I have used the heck out of mine for 16-17 years and it is still going strong. The only mod I did was a few years ago I wrapped the grip in friction tape. Makes for a secure hold and does not increase the size of the grip. I used the same tape that hockey players use on their sticks.
As for the 12" with molded handle, I have mixed feelings. I was told by many people on this site that it was everything the 18" was but in a smaller package. That is true and false. It is true in the sense that it is the same amount of quality and built just as well. It uses the same carbon steel blade which can't be beat but it doesn't have the reasch or the balance of the 18"
You will beat you your hands much more if you use the 12" and it doesn't have the speed or the leverage to do the same work. You will find cutting light veg much more of a chore and cutting thicker branches and small trees to be downright tiring. It will still do these jobs and do them pretty well for a 12" blade but not as well as a 18". That being said, the $15.00 12" Ontario will be easy to take along in a backpack when the 18" seem overkill. Also, the 12" will out preform a heck of a lot of other large blades on the market and almost everyone of them costs several times more. Many costs a few hundred bucks and don't do as well.
For $15.00, you will actually use the Ontario. You will take it with you when you might not want to risk losing your $300 Swamp Rat. You will toss it in your kayak or canoe and it will be there when you need it. It is also very light weight which is another reason you will not hesitate to pack it along.
I have the 12" as well and I cut the D-ring off. I also ground the grip down in the middle where the hump is to better fit my hand. I don't think a machete should have a thick grip. It should be small and oval. No need for finger grooves or any complex design. Just a basic round or oval grip that you can get your hand firmly around is as you need. The grip should be hard but provide some traction. A soft rubber grip is a bad thing. It will tire out your hand because you will have to grip it harder to mantain control and you will get blisters.
As good as the 12" is, if you can abide the extra 6" of the 18". go with that for sure. It is much more usefull and will give you more power. Only if you intend to use the machete as a camp knife would the 12" make any sense.