Thoughts on marbles machete's .

[Hickory n steel]

I've been needing a machete for a wile now as I get lots of pig weed...ect in my backyard, and I want something decent that's better than the 10$ Walmart machetes, and 5$ flea market machetes but don't need to spend much just for the backyard.
I often see the marbles machetes which are made in El Salvador for 15$ ( certain catalog that's sells rough rider pocket knives ) and they seem like they'd be a good deal. I like how they have the ribs forged in for rigidity, love the bright orange paint, and that there are various shapes / sizes to choose from for the same price. . I could get a tramontina from Amazon, but the handles don't look as comfortable plus I like the fast shipping and no tax I get from this retailer.


Do any of you guys have experience with them, and do you think they're worth buying for the price ? Obviously my requirements aren't major, but if they come decently sharp and hold an edge ok then that's really all I need.

 

[ti lock]

are they made in China????

 

[Hickory n steel]

are they made in China????

El Salvador.

 

[DShiflet]

are they made in China????

No, they're made by Imacasa(who also makes Condor products) in El Salvador, which means you'll be getting a good machete at a low price. Marbles machetes usually come fairly sharp too, and Imacasa uses 1075 steel, so good stuff. I personally prefer Condor, but Marbles is certainly a good cheaper options.

 

[secretagentmann007]

I've always gone with Ontario machetes. Black coated 1095 steel. I like to re grind the tips like a clip point and customize the handle with the dremel. Gtg. Lasts forever.

 

[Hickory n steel]

No, they're made by Imacasa(who also makes Condor products) in El Salvador, which means you'll be getting a good machete at a low price. Marbles machetes usually come fairly sharp too, and Imacasa uses 1075 steel, so good stuff. I personally prefer Condor, but Marbles is certainly a good cheaper options.

That's good to know, now I'm definitely gonna decide which one I want and go for it.
a bonus about getting one from this particular place is the fact that they come with a sheath and stone ( stone probably isn't excellent ) which you don't get from Amazon unless you buy it separately.

 

[hauntedchild]

Marbles makes great machetes and they do actually come sharp I have a couple . And the orange is nice in the brush , get a latin 18" or a 14 inch bolo . Both good choices from my personal experiences . And now for the But ! , I've had to sand the finish of of both of mine to remove that god forsaken lacquer and the wood is always proud of the tang . But with that said its a whole lot faster to sand wood than put a edge on my Tramontinas . And you get a distal taper that makes it lively in the hand .

 

[Goosey]

I have the 14" bolo. It came with a nice shiny bevels and an okay edge right from the factory. Neat. The wood handles were much too large and had to be sanded, no big deal.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Marbles makes great machetes and they do actually come sharp I have a couple . And the orange is nice in the brush , get a latin 18" or a 14 inch bolo . Both good choices from my personal experiences . And now for the But ! , I've had to sand the finish of of both of mine to remove that god forsaken lacquer and the wood is always proud of the tang . But with that said its a whole lot faster to sand wood than put a edge on my Tramontinas . And you get a distal taper that makes it lively in the hand .

I figured they had varnish on them as the handle ends are painted, but I don't mind as I've got a scraper.
I think I'll be going with the scout machete , as I don't need anything super long.

 

[ThePeacent]

I have the Bowie, Parang, Shovel and Firemen's axe. All bargains, a real value for the $.
Some of the grips need improvement, nothing 5 mins and some elbow grease won't fix.

I can only recommend them, they are springy and flexible, tough as nails, and a breeze o sharpen/touch up if you ding the edge

 

[ohen cepel]

Check out Baryonyx Knife company, he's on the forum here and has one he designed as well as most from the South which he touches up before he sells them if you like.

Nice to have someone check them out before you buy and possible get a lemon at that price point.

 

[Pepi]

I've always gone with Ontario machetes. Black coated 1095 steel. I like to re grind the tips like a clip point and customize the handle with the dremel. Gtg. Lasts forever.

I have no complaint with Ontario steel but how in the heck do you keep the handle from falling apart? I've had three now and all of them the rivets come loose on the handle?

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I've always gone with Ontario machetes. Black coated 1095 steel. I like to re grind the tips like a clip point and customize the handle with the dremel. Gtg. Lasts forever.

I've honestly found Ontarios to be run a bit harder than I want in a machete. If you catch a hidden rock or nasty root when doing yardwork you can end up with chips rather than rolls.

 

[22-rimfire]

My favorite general purpose machete is the wood handled 18" Condor El Salvador. The handles are very comfie. I highly recommend it and you get a great leather sheath. Very pleased with the Condor 1075 steel. With machetes, it is all about the handle as far as I'm concerned. But a really hard steel would probably not work and potentially break.

 

[Faiaoga]

The Marbles machete made in El Salvador is quite good and comes with a nice nylon sheath for only about $15 total. Sheath has pockets for sharpening stone, fire lighters and other gear.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Thanks for the info everyone 👍 I'm definitely going with the marbles scouting machete. Even if they didn't come with the sheath and stone, I think the deal would still be good.
I really only need a simple low cost tool with some degree of quality, and from what I'm hearing about these marbles machetes they seem to fit the bill perfectly.
Heck if the 5$ machetes had useable Steel I'd buy one of them as all I need it for is clearing weeds around the yard, but I'm sure I'll end up using my machete for various other things.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I've honestly found Ontarios to be run a bit harder than I want in a machete. If you catch a hidden rock or nasty root when doing yardwork you can end up with chips rather than rolls.

Yup. If they weren't so thick they'd be prone to snapping. I've done modifications on them before and the usual way I do custom cuts is by cutting 90% of the way through with a small cutoff wheel then locking the waste piece in a vise and snapping it off. Ontarios will snap below the score line! I only carry them in my shop because they're the only real name in the game for an economical USA-made machete, but the second someone else steps into the game I'm snapping them up. I personally find Ontarios to be too heavy, too hard, awkwardly shaped, and with bad ergonomics.

RE the Marbles models, they're sort of a halfway between Imacasa's base models and Condor in that they have the same economical rough-fit wood handles that seem to be some kind of denser coniferous wood (I once had a bolo that literally had fatwood scales on it!) but with the factory-sharpened edges of Condors.

 

[22-rimfire]

.... I personally find Ontarios to be too heavy, too hard, awkwardly shaped, and with bad ergonomics.

RE the Marbles models, they're sort of a halfway between Imacasa's base models and Condor in that they have the same economical rough-fit wood handles that seem to be some kind of denser coniferous wood (I once had a bolo that literally had fatwood scales on it!) but with the factory-sharpened edges of Condors.

Me too on the Ontarios.

You would certainly know as you see a broad range of products. If you except the rough handle and plan to re-shape it, that works. If not, I go with the more expensive Condor lines. I have a discontinued Condor Puerto Rican (14" 420HC) that I use a fair amount too in addition to the El Salvador model (my favorite). I did some major re-shaping of the handle after owning it for about a year, having tossed it into the never to be used pile of blades. Turned out great and I keep this one in my work vehicle and it sees a lot of use because of that. I often work around houses that the side walks and shrubs are all over grown. Sometimes vines growing all the way across the driveway. So I clear enough to make things safe for me/us working. I don't want limbs and so forth grabbing me every time I walk out of a house or stuff tripping me if I am not paying attention. They get a bit of a hair cut.

I have a second El Salvador that I picked up at Blade this year that was $20 and being discontinued. It has the molded poly handle and a pretty nice machete also for using. I am not sure what the model was called, 42 would know. Anyway, the sheath was easily worth $20 and I snapped up the last one they had at the Condor booth.

 

[hauntedchild]

If at all possible hold the bolo , its a great tool . i use the top edge on mine any time im cutting near something that could damage the main blade then hit it with a file and keep moving . I've heard it referred to as grub work ? That little bit of added weight really does come in handy in the tip .