When does a fixed blade become a machete....

I think we're really looking for personal definitions. Some of us may not own a machete or they bought one 20 years ago at the hardware store and it's all rusted up in the garage. There are certainly quality differences and there are certainly blades designed for certain kinds of wacking/machete use.... just like knives. But as we all know, you can get by with a lot of things. I recall my uncle didn't even own a hammer when we were visiting and my Dad was helping with some basic maintenance around the house. This kind of surprised me. So, not owning a knife other than kitchen knives is no surprise at all.
 
to me, a machete can have a blade anywhere bigger than 9", but it needs to be thin and flexible, less than 1/8" thick. Thicker "machetes", or big knives labeled like that, make for a quickly tiring bushwhacking session. My first blades were machetes and when you are swinging in a yard filled with grasses taller than you, a light tool is your friend. Somewhere between 14"-18" blade, maybe 1/16-3/32" thick stock.
 
I'm going to stick my oar in here, just for the hell of it.

A big knife can be used for the same jobs as a machete.

There are specialized types of machete for certain jobs, and although they are all recognizeable as machetes of some kind, they look and perform a little different from each other.

My idea of a machete is defined by blade length, blade shape, and blade thickness. What I think of as a machete is a long, thin blade for chopping stuff with stalks that are less than 1/4" in diameter. It should have a wide chord, say 1.5" or more.

There is plenty of crossover with other categories, though. There are knives with machete-shaped blades, and machetes with knife-shaped blades. Marbles makes a bowie-shaped machete, just to confuse the issue.

So, for me, a machete is defined by a set of features, and it's intended use. Using it for something different does not change it's name, but altering any one of it's characteristics too much makes it something different. A thicker blade makes a Grosse Messer, Falchion, or Bolo Knife, depending on the blade shape. Making it shorter makes it a butcher's knife, or a bushcraft knife.

I could go on, but I'm starting to confuse myself, too. The best thing I could say is that you know a machete when you see it. If you're not sure, then it's probably something else. But what else exactly, is up to the individual to decide.
 
I think it also depends on the makers intent. Gerber makes a machete that is small. They call it a machete not a knife and i guess that's what it is.
 
Machetes IMO are 12-24in long, very thin, and primarily made for thin vegetation. They are also cheap, and soft.

Big knives are usually 7-11in, thicker, run harder, and seem to be primarily used on more woody (or fleshy) targets. They also seem to cost more.

Then we get into confusing things like goloks, parangs (both seem to have thicker blades, and attack thicker woods/vegetation, yet are longer than a big knife), etc.
 
Machetes generally are of long length and thin blade stock, designed for clearing brush densely forested areas. The thin stock allows for prolonged swinging while reducing fatigue. Sure you could use a bk9 as a machete but you will quickly tire yourself out.
 
I agree, each name has their own meaning and dimensions that make it what is. Don't think anyone can disagree with that.

Obviously anything short of grinding away and making a knife or tool from the steel of a machete for example can a knife, machete , sword, whatever actually become something else.

That said, my original reply to the question when does a fixed blade become a machete... when you use it like one.. isn't a serious scientific answer it more along the lines snarky/humor. Apparently that wasn't what you took it as, sometimes the way a post is meant to be taken gets lost in the letters.

My emoticons skills suck.

marcinek said:
Not as definitions. Unless you choose to ignore the meanings of words. And if you do, why have different words for machete, kukri, katana, beef splitter, gladius etc etc etc at all?
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
shinyedges said:
That said, my original reply to the question when does a fixed blade become a machete... when you use it like one.. isn't a serious scientific answer it more along the lines snarky/humor. Apparently that wasn't what you took it as, sometimes the way a post is meant to be taken gets lost in the letters.

My emoticons skills suck.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm nothing if not pedantic! :D
 
I can be sometimes, other times I make veiled attempts at humor that leave only me laughing at my poor attempts, sigh ,if only I had Jeff Dunhams skill:(
marcinek said:
Well, I'm nothing if not pedantic! :D
Click to expand...
 
My first thought: When the blade is sufficiently long, and the blade stock is thin enough that it flexes and bends.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top