What are some of the best machetes on the market?

T

Tamer

Joined
Feb 27, 2010
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Fiddlebacks look great but for the price not coming with a sheath and making the buyer go through the trouble of getting a trouble of getting an aftermarket one. Why on earth does fiddleback offer a sheath for their machetes??? seems like common sense to me. Its like buying a mercedes that doesnt come with wheels. IMO top dollar warrants a finished product out of the box.

Tops seem like the best grab n go out the box machete its expensive; the handle doesnt look as comfortable as Fiddleback though.

Condor look like great bang for the buck. (which style is ideal though? No idea which Condor is best)

Any other brands I should consider?

thanks
 
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Cold Steel has -supposedly- gotten their QC issues under control with their machete line. They might be worth giving a look at.
 
Like everything else there is Good Better and Best as well as Cheap Affordable and Expensive. Most of us want the best quality for the least amount of $. IMHO that would be Condor. Condor is affordable because its made in El Salvador S America. Its an excellent company using tool grade steel in its products.
I uave carrried a Golok for many years now. Condor sells sheaths to fit their line but the sheaths are not included. I carry it in a VooDoo tactical back sheath. Spec Ops can fit it as well.
I dress elk out with it, gather my wood fuel with it, seperate bales with it, you name it. It rides under the seat of my truck or on my shoulder. If your a bush monkey this is a good choice. Condor makes a good line of bush knives as well. And for the money if it falls out of your canoe you haven't lost so much you cant replace it.
For the money and the quality consider Condor.
 
tomahawk68 said:
Last year down in Fort Smith Arkansas some goth guy killed 2 family guys setting on their front porch with a machete. The goth guy was walking down the street at about 10 at night in his black goth clothing and one of the family guys setting on the porch said something to the goth guy and the goth guy went over and chopped them up.

The goth guy said the devil made him do it. I would find out what he used as I am sure the devil uses hi-quality tools to do his evil deeds.
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Hilarious. :mad:
 
Do NOT buy a cold steel... broke it clean after 2 days of bending it back to straight...

Do NOT buy an Ontartio unless you intend to make using the machete a "workout" for you arm...

spikebot587 has a great point with the Tramontinas, they are a good machete.

But I have to agree with marcinek.

I surveyed for a decade in north Florida and have cut thousands, I mean miles upon miles of "lines" through the woods. I have used machetes ranging from 16" to 28" and from $7 to $35.

For general work I would recommend a 24" martindale "alligator brand" machete with a wooden handle. They are made in England. You WILL have to reshape the handle or you will get blisters. You WILL have to put a new handle on it after the original one wears out and cracks. You WILL be surprised by how thin and flexible the blade is. This is a TOOL. It is not pretty, but if you carry a small file in your back pocket, you can cut ALL day with this machete. I have many times.

You remember your grandmothers old paring knife that was only half there after 29 years of use and sharpening and use and sharpening???
I had my first alligator for 5 years and it went from 24" long and about 2.5" thick (at the thickest point) to 19" long and about 1.5" thick before I gave it up for a new one. I regretted that for an entire month as I broke in the new one.

I can get them locally in FL for around $20. I'm sure they can be found on the WWW for cheap.

Buy whatever "cool" looking machete that pleases your eye... then drop $25 on a martindale and compare the two... let me know what the results are...

In the end I hope you find exactly what you are looking for.

And safety first.
- ALWAYS clear your back swing area before working forward.
- ALWAYS cut elbow to thigh/knee area.
- If the elbow of the cutting arm gets to your thigh/knee area before the cut is completed, you can (almost) NEVER cut your self. The machete will hit the ground before it hits you.

This advice is the result of 20 something stitches over the course of 3 different "incidents", so take it. Oh... and keep that SOB sharp, always.
 
A Collins & Company Legitiumus would be a good selection if you can find one. There have been a couple threads on it here lately.

Main thing is to find a machete with good handles. Lot of bad handles out there on some brands.

I hear a lot of word-of-mouth on the Gerber Gator being a good one.

The Fiddleback machetes are very nice--a step way up from the cheap, mainstream stuff. Comfortable handles (although only 3 small pins attach it to the tang, which makes me question longevity) and good blade. Not sure if they come with a sheath.
 
hogworthy said:
Do NOT buy a cold steel... broke it clean after 2 days of bending it back to straight...

Do NOT buy an Ontartio unless you intend to make using the machete a "workout" for you arm...

spikebot587 has a great point with the Tramontinas, they are a good machete.

But I have to agree with marcinek.

I surveyed for a decade in north Florida and have cut thousands, I mean miles upon miles of "lines" through the woods. I have used machetes ranging from 16" to 28" and from $7 to $35.

For general work I would recommend a 24" martindale "alligator brand" machete with a wooden handle. They are made in England. You WILL have to reshape the handle or you will get blisters. You WILL have to put a new handle on it after the original one wears out and cracks. You WILL be surprised by how thin and flexible the blade is. This is a TOOL. It is not pretty, but if you carry a small file in your back pocket, you can cut ALL day with this machete. I have many times.

You remember your grandmothers old paring knife that was only half there after 29 years of use and sharpening and use and sharpening???
I had my first alligator for 5 years and it went from 24" long and about 2.5" thick (at the thickest point) to 19" long and about 1.5" thick before I gave it up for a new one. I regretted that for an entire month as I broke in the new one.

I can get them locally in FL for around $20. I'm sure they can be found on the WWW for cheap.

Buy whatever "cool" looking machete that pleases your eye... then drop $25 on a martindale and compare the two... let me know what the results are...

In the end I hope you find exactly what you are looking for.

And safety first.
- ALWAYS clear your back swing area before working forward.
- ALWAYS cut elbow to thigh/knee area.
- If the elbow of the cutting arm gets to your thigh/knee area before the cut is completed, you can (almost) NEVER cut your self. The machete will hit the ground before it hits you.

This advice is the result of 20 something stitches over the course of 3 different "incidents", so take it. Oh... and keep that SOB sharp, always.
Click to expand...

Finally...someone who seems to know their way around a machete !

I've always heard about Martindales but never owned one.

They don't last long when you use em and keep em sharp, do they...? I never named a machete for that reason.
 
I can only speak from my experience, but with what I would consider moderate use (3 days a week for 6-8 hours) a martindale could last you a decade.

I have felled soft pine and serious oak up to 8"-12" in diameter with this blade. It will stand. Martindale will stand behind it as well.

I wish I could reach their temper zone. It is basically spring that holds an edge.
 
Greykilt said:
Condor sells sheaths to fit their line but the sheaths are not included
Click to expand...

Most of their line DOES include sheathes. A few are available without, but many vendors don't even sell the blades alone without the sheath.

And yes, Condor makes a great product.
 
Tamer said:
Condor look like great bang for the buck. (which style is ideal though? No idea which Condor is best)
Click to expand...

That depends on what you're doing with them, more than anything. A style that's ideal for the Amazon rainforest may not be ideal for the Rocky Mountains, for example.
 
The Fiddleback machetes are excellent and the sheaths are easy to acquire unlike the machetes. I like Condor machetes and have had only 1 out of 4 Cold Steel machetes that I cared for. Check out BF member FortyTwoBlades Baryonyx online shop as he knows a lot about machetes and will hand select you a good one that is suited to your region and needs.
 
Brisket has a great point.

What works for chopping through pine and palmetto stands in Florida may not be the best choice for your region. It's nice to know there are still people out there that do their research before they spend their hard earned money.
 
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