What makes a machete a machete

silverbullets

silverbullets

Joined
Jul 10, 2007
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I know stupid question but what is the difference between a machete and just a large knife. Is it the thickness? Or blade length, take the Busse MOAB, it is a 14.5 inch long blade, certainly long enough to constitute being a machete but it is .40 thick. I have taken out my Battle Mistress before and had people comment on it being a machete....
 
Blade shape, construction method and materials all come into play, but i think the most important consideration is the intended use of the blade. A machete is primarily for chopping smaller brush with a loose grip in a flaccid arm. The power and efficiency comes from the design of the blade and the speed with which it moves through the air (force=mass x acceleration).

When using a knife as a chopper, the energy comes primarily from the user's muscles, especially the core muscles. Even the best heavy chopping blade is not designed to reduce its caloric impact on the user (since they are heavy in the hand without the added benefit of length).

Also, the definition may be more ethnographic than technical. We as outsiders put values on items and create categories that the native user may not. For example, in the mountains of southern mexico and northern Guatemala (where I have spent time) the Coffee farmers use the term "cuchillo largo" or large/slow knife depending on your translation to describe what most of us would consider a full blown machete. These users are placing their tool within the framework of knives, rather than differentiating them based on their intended method of utilization.
 
so in theory then the new RC10 (for no other reason than this is a RAT forum) could be considered a machete depending on who is swinging it? right? yet I can't think of too many people who are going to buy one and call it that because they don't want to think they are spending 200.00 on a machete?
 
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically 50 to 60 centimetres (20 to 24 in) long and usually under 3 millimetres (0.12 in) thick.
wikipedia answer !
I would not think the RC10 would be a machete, what folks use it for is another thing,I have a Livesay RTAK I would not call that a machete either but it was .
Livesay RTAK specs
10" Blade
17 1/8" Overall
Blade-.1875" Thick
 
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I agree with you Tony, I would not call the RC10 a machete either, I guess my point is that is there a thickness of steel that one would say meant that the blade is a machete or a large knife? There are sites that sell machetes that are 18 inches long, Vic just got one that is 14 inches long? I don't know if they have any thicker than 1/8 inch or not.
 
I traded a few that were 12-14" blades ,I guess it must be consider the thickness and Rock hardness to be called a machete, I am guessing or anything over 10" could be a machete no matter how thick it was but a machete must be able to flex as well IMO
need Jeff or Joe to weigh in on this
 
yeah I am hoping they do, I picture a machete as something that has a bit of flex behind it but the dictionary doesn't say that, it says a large knife used to cut brush away or could be used as a weapon.
 
byrd687 said:
If you buy three of them because they are so cheap it doesn't make sense to pay to ship just one, its a machete.

If you have to save money to purchase, or think twice about what you are willing to whack with it, it's a knife.
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By golly, I think that's it! If it's cheap, it's a machete. If it costs a lot, it's a bowie or golok or mistress or rtak.

Brilliant!:D:thumbup:
 
I would say that the major factors that would define a machete are as varied as the things that can define a saber! With sabers it's sometimes because the blade is curved...with others the blade is strait, but the hilt style makes is a saber. :confused: But all the same, either one is still a saber.

Ultimately I think that we shouldn't be wondering what a machete IS but rather what a machete CAN BE. Is it thin bladed, without a primary grind and a slab construction handle...but it's short (i.e. <18")? A machete. Is it thick-spined with a full flat grind, distal taper with a hidden tang with a flared blade? A machete. Is it straight-backed, pointless, with a saw on the spine and an injection-molded handle? Still a machete.

A machete is the sum of its parts, but does not have to follow all of the rules to still be in the club. That's the great thing about machetes--they're flexible! :D

Though my fiancee insists that a machete is just a "big swingy knife thing." :p
 
No, its a cheap "big swingy knife thing". :D I called the new Busse Bushwaker Battle Mistress a machete on another forum. Thought those folks would have a cow. Now I see it all more clearly. Cheapness is the key!
 
Horn Dog said:
No, its a cheap "big swingy knife thing". :D I called the new Busse Bushwaker Battle Mistress a machete on another forum. Thought those folks would have a cow. Now I see it all more clearly. Cheapness is the key!
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I like to call it "financial efficiency" thank you very much! :D
 
Even better--I just ordered a couple of 22" Collins machetes for the same price as those Trams! :D
 
The "machetes" I knew from the old country typically have blades (at least) the length of one's forearm - and are (dirt) cheap field tools that are replaced as necessary.

No fancy steels, no hardness ratings or production quality control whatsoever. We bought them in the market, and have no idea who made them or where they came from.

The idea of a machete actually having a brand name attached to it is something I have difficulty relating with.
 
This is an interesting question. In my mind, it is combo of length (12"+), hardness (softer than a knife), and price (should be cheapish). Some larger knives really blur the line and some machetes (like the thicker Ontarios) blur the line as well.
 
Horn Dog said:
No, its a cheap "big swingy knife thing". :D I called the new Busse Bushwaker Battle Mistress a machete on another forum. Thought those folks would have a cow. Now I see it all more clearly. Cheapness is the key!
Click to expand...

The Busse Bushwhacker Mistress IS a machete. Jerry describes it as such on the Busse site. It is ALSO a Battle Mistress, which is another thing altogether. Which is like saying a Ferrari is a car (as opposed to a truck, or a van) but it's also a FERRARI.

To me, a machete is a long, relatively thin knife. Generally speaking, the longer the blade, the thinner it gets. 10" would be the minimum length, and .25" would be the maximum thickness for a proper "machete". Machetes are intended for light chopping and brush clearing for extended periods, using the mass of the blade to provide the cutting energy. Your muscles are used to accelerate the blade to cutting speed, and for control. You don't "power through" your cuts with a machete. I use my Battle Mistresses as machetes all the time, they're great at it. A Battle Mistress can slash with the same amount of power as a 23" machete, but it's much shorter, so it's easier to carry around on a motorcycle (for example).

One thing about machetes that might set them apart from other knives though- (I don't know if anyone else besides me does this- I don't watch other guys using machetes much). A long, thin machete can be rotated at the end of your stroke, and you can use air resistance to decelerate the blade, instead of having to tense up your tricep slow the blade down. With a heavy chopping knife, you can't do that.
 
Viva Machete!
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from my understanding,

A machete is a long tear-drop shaped blade with a long thin flexible blade.
A good edge is important just under a good grip.
You can get away with having a somewhat dull machete for food prep, clearing land, and defense which is what makes the weapon so appealing in my defense.

A wide edge blade towards the end of the blade adds to the sweep when you take a swing.
Most items will be pushed forward. The balance is as such.

Anything outside of that falls into a wide area of interpretation.

It can be thrown like any long heavy pointy thing.

A machete is only a machete in latin america , in japanese the blade takes a different meaning much like a bowie knife means something different in the america.

I really don't think the machete is really anything more than a local tool that has worked.
 
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