Toughest, Best made Machete on the market?

the cold steel Kukri machete is awesome, knife test did a video on one and it was amazing at how hard a beating it took
 
I'm not amazed. It's 1055 with an injection molded handle. Remember that toughness is only one part of the equation that determines an awesome too or not. I love 'em, too (I carry the things after all) but I still wish it had a harder heat treatment and less agressive texturing to the handle. You find yourself burr-chasing a bit more with 1055 at that hardness, and the handle is a blister machine as it comes stock. A quick buff with 600 grit sandpaper cleans that issue up, though. :)
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I'm not amazed. It's 1055 with an injection molded handle. Remember that toughness is only one part of the equation that determines an awesome too or not. I love 'em, too (I carry the things after all) but I still wish it had a harder heat treatment and less agressive texturing to the handle. You find yourself burr-chasing a bit more with 1055 at that hardness, and the handle is a blister machine as it comes stock. A quick buff with 600 grit sandpaper cleans that issue up, though. :)
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I have 2 mostly because they are so cheap and partial becuase they are actually pretty decent although i agree the blades could be harder.

Also i find that they are awesome throwing knives.
 
I finally got what i was looking for

The Tops .230 is the perfect machete IMHO.

Posted a review in the review forum for those who haven't seen it
 
theAntihero said:
I have 2 mostly because they are so cheap and partial becuase they are actually pretty decent although i agree the blades could be harder.

Also i find that they are awesome throwing knives.
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Yeah they're very solid performers! Like I said, I love 'em and am proud to carry them as one of my items. But I'm not amazed by they're toughness because they are specifically built in such a manner and out of such materials that they should be EXPECTED to handle abuse as well as they do. Spring tempered 1055=tough to break. Molded polypropylene handle= tough to break. So I'm not amazed that it's tough to break! :D
 
Jet B said:
I'm not really a machete aficionado, I just bought this because I needed something for chopping small pine trees clearing heli-pads etc when I was working up north in the past. It's small enough to store in a tight area but chops well above it's size class. I have beat the hell out of this thing and back. Small 1-2 inch pine trees in one chop, larger trees when necessary, clearing brush, batoning wood, etc etc.

One on top: Kabar Kukri machete (big chopping knife, however you want to label it.)

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Wow, this thread is filled with custom beauties. What is the second blade from the top?
 
foxx said:
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.

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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.

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What machete is that at the bottom? Looks sweet!
 
check out the tops machete 230. its alot of machete for the money. its a ontario 18 with ash gray coating, micarta scales, red liners and a tops heat treat. its the best and most expensive lookin machete youl find. and its american made
 
Goosey said:
Looks like an Old Hickory 14 inch butcher's knife (before they changed them)
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You can still get that style. Not sure for how long, though. Gotta' be aware that there are the cheaper ones without the roll marking and thinner stock, though. I keep on ordering the "classic" version from my distributor and keep on getting 'em, but I suspect that they'll run out of stock one of these days and won't ever get more. I hope hope HOPE that won't be the case though.

broadstreetbully said:
check out the tops machete 230. its alot of machete for the money. its a ontario 18 with ash gray coating, micarta scales, red liners and a tops heat treat. its the best and most expensive lookin machete youl find. and its american made
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Have you confirmed that it's a TOPS heat treatment? Just curious, as the TOPS literature doesn't even mention the fact that it's a reworked Ontario so even though that part was easy to figure out by comparing them, the heat treatment is invisible. Ontario does a good job heat treating their machetes for the most part, and there are a few ways TOPS could have done their reworking without affecting a heat treatment that was already in place.
 
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