Tactical Knives - Make mine a machete

Machetes have their place in all parts of our world. They may not shine everywhere, but they do have their place. Before I got my first machete I thought it wouldn't be useful to me. Now, I am using one all the time.
 
j williams said:
I dont have the ESEE one, but I do have several Condors, and just got the Parang in the mail from Joezillas passaround. I absolutely love my 14in carbon El Salvidor. Its thick, and sturdy, and the edge is awesome.

I really believe the Machete is the king of edged tools. I have a few axes, and they serve their purpose being a hardwoodsman. However for most aplications, I am amazed at the ability of the machete to take on most jobs very effectively. I love em.
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you are gonna love that Parang - it's a dream to cut with. (be careful with the scabbard - a couple of the home-made staples like to catch on things)
I tested it side by side with the Condor kukri-like object, and both cut exceptionally well, but the extra length on the Parang was a "must-have" for trimming honey locusts. (and I still got bit a couple of times!)
If you don't absolutely need the reach, the Condor KLO (and CS kukri machete) are great for clearing small stuff without adding a lot of weight.
 
bushflyr said:
DITTO! Bust her out and use her.

And, for all of you chat don't have an El Salvador trip planned, you can get one HERE for much less than the cost of a plane ticket. :cool:
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:P I'm going to El Salv in two weeks. Loved that article Jeff!


"As long as you aren't building a Log cabin" LOVED THAT QUOTE!
 
TrailWolf said:
Best darn souvenir I've ever bought!

I remember being hesitant to use it, and to dirty up that pretty leather sheath it came with, but both have really really held up more than I could have imagined... I say break her out!

Like I said, its probably my oldest knife I still own and most used...
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I have used it a couple of times...I mean, it IS a knife; I couldn't really let it sit on a shelf no matter how pretty it looked. The nice leather sheath was one of the biggest deterrents to using the machete. But the few times I did use it, there was no damage at all. Not knowing much about the brand, and seeing how cheap it was, I assumed that the quality wouldn't be all that great; looks like I was wrong!
 
I have several machetes in my collection - this one is a recent addition and fast becoming a favorite although it is a little heavy (your wrist soon gets tired).

Very sharp though (keeps its edge too) and I honestly can't fault the workmanship - definitely my highest quality jungle knife.


It has a gorgeous blade though that cleans up very easily with just a dab of metal polish...

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mach1.jpg


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styx said:
Don't know how well it chops, but it looks good
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Actually it surprised the heck out of me. I was concerned that the blade was both stainless and hollow ground - both of which are supposed to be bad things for "machetes" if you believe all the conventional wisdom.

I also thought that it would get covered in scratches and lose it's nice appearance after an hours real use. It seems that I was wrong on both counts.

These photos were taken after using it for several days and hacking at various stuff with it including some hard woods (just for testing). It cuts very well and at least matches my other machetes in that regard. It also cleanup up very nicely again with only a little metal polish and I was amazed that I couldn't see any scratches on the blade. This is good quality steel and the SEKI folks have done gorgeous work on the hand grinding. The only minus (apart from the price) is that it is slightly heavy and you will feel that in your wrist.

It also kept a very keen edge - the first time I polished it up again I accidentally sliced open my thumb almost painlessly. It is VERY sharp for a machete.

We'll have to see how well it does in the long term and I am still concerned about the thin sharp tip if it accidentally hits a rock. But so far it is fast becoming my favorite machete and I have collected a small pile of them.

I think the thing about machetes is that they are normally cheaply made because they are nearly always considered "tools" (unlike a fancy knife) and they are usually sold in areas where the folks buying them really need them to be cheap because themselves are poor.
 
I had a machete that I found under a cars seat when I was 6 or7. (yeah crazy kid) but as I got older, I was finding more uses for it all the time, camping, for wood, making a clearing, ect. Then later around the house, vines, tree branches, ect. Its easy to see why its one of the most used tools in the world. A sad part of this is,my machete was made by some co. called "Ligitimas/Collins" with a Crown for its symbol. I lost that moving about 7-8 years ago, and have never found one that cut like that one did. And it was rather Large. The car was on an Indian reservation back in 1960 or so. I guess he had it for a long time, so it must have been very old. Know anything about them? Thanks edgy. :thumbup:
 
Try eBay - I'm guessing that the company no longer exists but there are sure to be a few used ones around. You can make some "permanent search" terms and get notified if one ever comes up for sale.

But I have several good machetes in my collection - have you tried an 18" Ontario knife. That one is a very good cutter too (once you fix up the edge) and it is not at all expensive.

I know exactly what you are saying about machetes - they are VERY useful tools and not just for hacking through the jungle. I even use a few of mine regularly for yard work (but then parts of my yard are jungle).
 
Probably the unbelievable factor in it comes from it looking a bit like that thing from "The book of Eli". And unfortunately a lot of things seen in movies are more hype than function
 
styx said:
Probably the unbelievable factor in it comes from it looking a bit like that thing from "The book of Eli". And unfortunately a lot of things seen in movies are more hype than function
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Take it from me this machete is certainly no movie prop. I wouldn't hesitate to take this into the jungle as my only blade.

Generally machetes are quite poorly made cheap things but this is the same quality as an expensive chef's knife (no surprise as HIRO make those too).

But that is exactly the problem with this item - it is NOT cheap.
 
2Edgy4u said:
A sad part of this is,my machete was made by some co. called "Ligitimas/Collins" with a Crown for its symbol.
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Collins machetes still show up every once in a while, I picked up a 22" model for $20 not too long ago. The "legitimus Collins" just means "genuine Collins".
 
nitsplitter said:
Take it from me this machete is certainly no movie prop. I wouldn't hesitate to take this into the jungle as my only blade.

Generally machetes are quite poorly made cheap things but this is the same quality as an expensive chef's knife (no surprise as HIRO make those too).

But that is exactly the problem with this item - it is NOT cheap.
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That I can believe. If it was no good you wouldn't be mentioning it here
 
shotgunner11 said:
I HATE, HATE to say it but a machete simply out performs a large knife of pretty much any style.

I love my junglas, it's one of my prized possessions and favorite knives but head to head, out in the wilds, a cheap, 6 dollar machete is lighter, easier to use, bites deeper, chops faster, hacks through brush better, is quicker and easier to maintain and your not going to cry if it gets destroyed.

There's a reason the machete is the tool of choice all over the globe by folks who depend on a blade everyday.
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Nicely said, had I read this post earlier I wouldn't of started my thread :D:rolleyes:
 
shotgunner11 said:
I HATE, HATE to say it but a machete simply out performs a large knife of pretty much any style.

I love my junglas, it's one of my prized possessions and favorite knives but head to head, out in the wilds, a cheap, 6 dollar machete is lighter, easier to use, bites deeper, chops faster, hacks through brush better, is quicker and easier to maintain and your not going to cry if it gets destroyed.

There's a reason the machete is the tool of choice all over the globe by folks who depend on a blade everyday.
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I couldn't agree more. I've sold all my big Busses. Might as well be practical right? As of today, the sharpest blade I have is an Ontario machete. It is the heavy duty model. I convexed it and took it all the way down to a mirror polished edge. It scares hair away ;).
 
imaginefj said:
I couldn't agree more. I've sold all my big Busses. Might as well be practical right? As of today, the sharpest blade I have is an Ontario machete. It is the heavy duty model. I convexed it and took it all the way down to a mirror polished edge. It scares hair away ;).
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My only remaining big chopper is my Junglas. It'll never go but all the others are gone.

I have a ton of machetes, my favorite being a Tramontina bolo. Also have a Lite machete on order and after beating the tar out of TTD's last weekend I think it might take the top spot.

I've stopped lusting after choppers and find myself stopping at all the local hardware stores and sorting through their machete selections.:D
 
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