What would you call a good machete?

For woody brush work the heavy duty models from Barteaux. They have a strong and durable blade that can withstand chopping on hardwoods and a decently secure and ergonomic handle with a D-guard that both increases retention and provides some extra insurance against abrasion.

For lighter work (weeds and leafy vegetation) I would go with a much thinner blade (1/16") unless we are talking about very thick material (none of that around here) and you wanted the extra weight of a 1/8"-3/16" stock. Jeff Randall has spoke highly of one of the Martindale blades so I would probably opt for something from them in production.

Upper class would be something ground from a good cutom maker. Get a stretched, thinned out Battle Mistress from Busse, or something similar in design from Ed Schott or R. J. Martin in 3V etc. .

-Cliff
 
For lighter work, say on berry vines, bushes and such, the Barteaux economy models work well. I find the handles to be more comfortable than on their heavy duty models, and the blades being thinner perform nicely on the lighter work. The grind from the factory is rough, and the long length of L6 (?) steel can be a bear to initially sharpen. The 12 inch economy models are light, affordable, durable for a lighter model, and make sense for backpacking in places where one may need to hack thru vegetation for whatever reason, to carry in the car trunk, and to play Gonad the Barbarian when doing yard work instead of using pruning shears :^) A nice set of machetes might be an 18in heavy duty model and a 12in economy model.
 
Yup, Barteaux. I've always loved mine. I've wacked the heck out of some volunteer trees in pine plantations with mine, clearing out opportunistic rabble that shouldn't be there. Mine's an old style with an aluminum handle (I do have several of their newer ones too). After a hard day of chopping, my arm HURTS. The newers ones are more comfy and will absorb a little more shock than the old style but my old Barteaux is a BEAST. It's been a hunting buddy of mine for 25 years. Cleared a lot of shooting lanes with it and I'm sure it will go for another 25. And I bought it used at a flea market. Hard telling how old it is.

If you don't want to chop down trees, Tramotina's are a great bargain. I bought some from the Martial Way. He gives great deals on these. Super cheap. Great for softer vegetation and small finger sized woody branches.

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
I've always been fond of Doreen if it's a girl, Larry if it's a Boy.
 
ats-34- .187" thick...flat ground....or 3V! Properly heat treated by Paul Bos! Isnt Larry the tomato in vegie tales?

[This message has been edited by tom mayo (edited 10-03-2000).]
 
An RTAK or RCM from www.newt.livesay.com http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002088.html

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"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
George Orwell
"Those who hold the thin blue line keep order, and insure that anarchy and chaos will not prevail." Chad (1992)
"He who lives by the sword dies by the sword. He who dies by the sword did not train hard enough" -Chad (1999)
chad234@email.com
 


..............Mike

 
Sir
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The beast we are, lest the beast we become.
 
Anything with a BIG blade that has any of the following letters stamped in the blade:
  • Livesay
  • Greco
  • BK&T

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EXCUSE ME WHILE I WHIP THIS OUT.
**Blazing Saddles**

kansasC.gif
 
I think that machete are the only knife that you can be cheap with. They are truly the workhorse of knives. I good cheap one is made by Cold Steel. It is called the Bushman. It sells for around $20.00 They also came out with a smaller model. For If you want to spend a good dime on a machete. Greco knives came out with a nice one. There is a picture in the new Blade of it. I think it is really nice.

THANKS!!!

-NAFO-

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-War alone keys up all human energies to their maximum tension and sets the seal of nobility on those people who have the courage to face it -Benito Mussolini-
 
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