Toughest, Best made Machete on the market?

BePrepared

BePrepared

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Aug 26, 2010
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What machete that you know of, is built as touch as the condor boomslang? I already have several of the thin latin style machetes, but i'm looking for something that will be thicker, with better steel and better overall fit and finish.

It will have to be able to baton and chop better than a standard machete

I am willing to consider any price range IF it is worth the cost

I'm mostly looking for production blades, but if you know an awesome custom, let me know

also, this is a Picture based thread, so find a pic of whatever you recommend :)
 
Bark River did a modified Ontario machete that looks pretty cool...

you could also go the custom route and get a big ass machete made from 3V or S7 or some other impact resistant steel. As a connoisseur of quality, this is the route I would take.

There are lots of options out there.... And the shopping around is half the fun :)
 
Baton with a machete?

Y'know, I've seen lots of postings where the guys say "money is no object" yet I've never seen one ever spend money outside of $100 or so.

Regarding your comment "...better than a standard machete" -I've seen barefoot & illiterate peasants build homes, bring in the harvest and then skin a water buffalo with just their $3 machete... It's all about the skillset, not the knife.
 
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CWL said:
Baton with a machete?

Y'know, I've seen lots of postings where the guys say "money is no object" yet I've never seen one ever spend money outside of $100 or so.

Regarding your comment "...better than a standard machete" -I've seen barefoot & illiterate peasants build homes, bring in the harvest and then skin a water buffalo with just their $3 machete... It's all about the skillset, not the knife.
Click to expand...

great comment... not really helpful, but i'm glad you've met barefoot illiterate peasants... maybe buy them some shoes? Probably would be more useful than explaining to me how i don't need what i'm asking for advise finding.

Now, back to my OP... and thanks to those of you who offer helpful advice. S7 is a helluva steel... thinking of picking up something in it eventually.
 
CWL said:
Baton with a machete?

Y'know, I've seen lots of postings where the guys say "money is no object" yet I've never seen one ever spend money outside of $100 or so.

Regarding your comment "...better than a standard machete" -I've seen barefoot & illiterate peasants build homes, bring in the harvest and then skin a water buffalo with just their $3 machete... It's all about the skillset, not the knife.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with this.
I've seen fellas in Malaysia build almost EVERYTHING with a parang fashioned from an old leafspring.

Honestly, OP. I'd say get a Parang of some kind. Hard to find, but worth it.
If you're looking for a good thick machete-like tool, I'd tell you to look at the Junglas, or Martindale Golok. The latter may need a little edgework.
 
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never heard of the Martindale. I'll look into it

already have a knife that's longer, heavier and wider than the Junglas (Condor Boomslang)

looking for something of similar quality but bigger... already HAVE several hardware store machetes of various sizes... i'm looking for something a bit more overbuilt

it's not about filling a need, it's about the fact that i REALLY like sharp things, and want more, and better, sharp things.
 
I personally like the Condor Parang.
Same 1/4" thick 1075 steel, but with a 17.5" blade that has an awesome sweep, and sharp as a razor.
If you like a big heavy chopper, try the Condor Parang.
Makes the Boomslang seem like a pocket knife in comparison.
 
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do they come out of the box with the same barely usable edge of the boomslang? first thing i did with that knife was do a full edge reprofile... it was literally butter knife sharp
 
The one that I bought came absolutely razor sharp out of the box.
Dangerously scary-sharp with a high-polished convex edge on it.
They might not all be that sharp out of the box, and maybe I got lucky. But I was bleeding before I got that Parang out of the box.

I could shave my face with any part of that 17.5" blade, and that's not an exaggeration.
 
hmm... for 32 bucks shipped from amazon..... i think i will have to pick one of those up on your recommendation

that thing looks like a hell of a bargain
 
To me, it's more important that I have the right shape, weight, and handle, for the tasks and AO. I want a keen edge, that holds up fairly well, and if I can sharpen it, then it's good enough. As far as batoning with a machete, just start closer to the edge of your log, don't try to bisect it, you're trying to make smaller pieces, so just take smaller pieces from the start. Any "real" machete is already tough, I've never broke one.

Another thing about toughness.. It's not just the steel, or the HT, or the style of machete, it's also the geometry of the edge. My Bark River custom machete has a much thinner edge than my 12" or 18" machetes. Same steel, same company, yet I would not expect that edge to deal with the hard use my 18" has endured. I've convexed my 18", but it's still much thicker than the Barkie...The Barktario is expensive, yet they have take a pretty good design and found a much better shape within. It's more balanced, the handle is amazing, and now that it's thinner, it's just feels alive in hand.

necklaceanddog039.jpg


The 1/8" thick heavy duty Ontario's are the toughest I've owned, they are called heavy duty for a reason. Yet, a thinner machete cuts vegetation with less effort. For lighter vegetaion I'll grab my thinner machetes. My ESEE Lite machete bites deeper into hard woods than my 18" Ontario, and with less effort. Ontario does make a thinner version, I just have not held one.

More of my Machetes...they are all tough enough for my use.

necklaceanddog037.jpg
 
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It looks even better in person when you get it.
It's freakin' awesome, and beautiful.
The momentum that you get behind that blade when you swing it is incredible. You just KNOW that it's going to go thru anything it hits.
A lot of power behind that blade when it gets going.

I hope you get a sharp one!
I was so thrilled when I saw how sharp mine was. And I got a Condor Kukri in the same shipment, and that was just as sharp too! Incredibly sharp. I was amazed at how sharp they were. You have to be very careful when handling these things. I have never gotten any other knife, ever, that was a sharp as these out of the box.
 
did you get one with a sheath? it's much cheaper without, but i'd have to find something to put it in
 
If you order from 42blades, he inspects them before they come. If you get them from him, you can bet they will be sharp. :thumbup:

In regards to the Condors... or anything else for that matter.
 
BePrepared said:
did you get one with a sheath? it's much cheaper without, but i'd have to find something to put it in
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If you think you might want to carry it somewhere, I'd definitely get the sheath.
I didn't get the sheath, and I regretted that decision, and now I have to order the sheath separately and pay shipping again.
And you can't carry it unsheathed. It's so freakin' sharp that if you accidentally bumped against the exposed edge, you'd need stitches.

I think it's worth getting the sheath.
 
If you are looking for Asian style bush knives-- which it sounds like you are-- I would look at either Condor (give them another try), or Valiant. Do a search for Valiant Goloks and Parangs and look at what they have to offer. These Southeastern Asian 'machetes' are 100% traditional and built extremely well. They are also quite a bit more money than the Condors but you may very well decide they are worth it, especially since you are willing to spend more.
 
Bought the condor... what else ya got?

:)

Komodor, i looked at the Valiant ones, and i don't think i'm crazy about the traditional design... the handles don't look comfortable
 
Tops knives even makes one now. Some have said that it is a pimped out Ontario with a Tops price. IDK for sure. Looks nice though. I LOVE my 2 OKC machetes. 12" & 18".
 
Whitlashflash said:
I completely agree with this.
I've seen fellas in Malaysia build almost EVERYTHING with a parang fashioned from an old leafspring.
Click to expand...

With the punishing jungle condition here (rains and shines all year long), the rainforest provides a good test for your blades and parang are often seen with the tribes here; 15" or less for mobility and i'm convinced after many trips into the jungle.
If you can find those really old American Jeep spring steel from pre-war (i'm talking about air dropped model) and get a smith to do it,you have got yourself a blade for life.

I like this one a lot:
Parang_01.jpg

My cleaver made from American jeep spring by local knifemaker, O'Katz
IMG_1906.jpg
 
The Martindale Bolo machete is a great machete and is a bit thicker at the spine than most with a nice distal taper. The 18" Ontario GI military machete is also a great heavy duty machete that has served me well. It's a little thinner at the spine than my Martidale Bolo but is still a tad thicker than the usual machete. You may also want to consider looking at the Condor Golok. I don't own one or have ever even held one myself, but I've heard nothing but good things about it and it looks to be a tad thicker than your average machete and seems to fit your needs.
 
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