Why a machete for my collection...

PocketKnifeJimmy

PocketKnifeJimmy

Joined
Aug 4, 2013
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I recently acquired a Condor Swampmaster machete for my eclectic accumulation of do-dads, (which I affectionately call my "Man Gadget Collection"). You may be wondering "Why a machete?"... Well, I actually got a chance to spend some time using machetes for different tasks while shortly living in Puerto Rico, so nostalgia is one of the reasons. The other, well, is because of a story my mom had told me many a times about her grandfather, (my great grandfather). He was returning home from working the fields one day, (a common means of livelihood back then in PR), when he was approached by a neighbor that had previously bullied him. The man was determined to bully him again, but it was the last time he would attempt to do so. You see, my great grandfather was carrying one of the tools of his trade, (a large machete). That day must have been a bad day for him, because instead of accepting the bullying, my great grandfather gave the man a swipe with his machete, which nearly decapitated him. My mom told me that he did have to spend some time incarcerated for killing the man, although she believed that he received some consideration for the prior bullying he had been subjected to. He died of tuberculosis a short time after being released. My mother was very fond of her grandfather, since he always treated her so well. So, you see, the machete has a bit of history in my family. I find it an appropriate addition to my personal collection.

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Nobody needs to prove why a part of their collection is needed, blades are blades and the reasons to own them are often more varied than the blades themselves. Interesting story, though.
 
KingMC said:
Nobody needs to prove why a part of their collection is needed, blades are blades and the reasons to own them are often more varied than the blades themselves. Interesting story, though.
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Definitely.
Now for me there was no special or interesting reason , though I wish I could say there was.
I simply needed one for yard use.
I went with 2 imicasa / condor made Marbles latin machetes because the price was right and they came nice and sharp.

 
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I use a Kershaw Camp 18” blade machete a lot. Mostly for clearing weeds and small trees, but a ma here is a great thing to have.

I have a few others, but strictly for tools, not to collect. Don’t think I have paid more than $40 for a machete.
 
The Condor Swampmaster is a great machete to have in your vehicle (and to use) for those unforeseen things that pop up. Been tempted to buy it many times. I have the 14" Puerto Rican which proceeded it in the Condor line. Between it and the 18" El Salvador model, it is all I need. I keep the Puerto Rican machete in my work vehicle all the time and it gets used.
 
22-rimfire said:
The Condor Swampmaster is a great machete to have in your vehicle (and to use) for those unforeseen things that pop up. Been tempted to buy it many times. I have the 14" Puerto Rican which proceeded it in the Condor line. Between it and the 18" El Salvador model, it is all I need. I keep the Puerto Rican machete in my work vehicle all the time and it gets used.
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I was actually aiming for the Condor "Puerto Rican" model machete, but when I found one online, the order I placed for it was cancelled (due to it having been out of stock and discontinued). I settled for the Swampmaster, even though it too has been discontinued in the blackened 420hc steel version (I was lucky to have found one in this form). I believe the only difference between my Swampmaster and the Puerto Rican, is that the Swampmaster is 2" longer in blade. Still, the Puerto Rican would have been the grand poo-ba find for me, since it's model designation would have better fit my family's heritage thing. Oh well, this one will do for my purposes. I do have another machete made by Condor's parent company, an Imacasa in Marbles form, along with a Tramontina, a Gavilan, and an Ontario. So, Brazil, El Salvador, USA, and Columbia are represented in my machete mix. The Condor brand was purchased to represent a higher overall quality level of these workman's tools within my collection. I also keep a second Columbian Galivan for actual tool purposes :)
 
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To some of us, a machete, is a machete, is a machete. In other words, we don't know one type from another.
Any suggestions to educate a Gringo about such things? Machetes 101, so to speak.
 
I know in different parts of the world, the machete had evolved into whatever form the locals felt best for their own situations. The Panga style, (which the Swampmaster model is), is a form that came out of Africa. When Puerto Rico was taken under control by the Europeans (Spaniards), the island was eventually much used for agricultural purposes, and with slavery being legal, Africans were brought into the mix. Them being from Africa, it makea sense that their homeland machete would become the style norm in Puerto Rican agriculture (the Panga). That said, most people there simply use whatever machete is at hand, making due with what you have. The blade style I most found in use in PR, were basically 18 to 22 inch Latin style machetes that were common for use as landscape control on peoples property. A basic homemade branch tool (somewhat L shaped) would be used to pull at the base of the offending weeds, exposing their lower areas, and then carefully slicing away at the them (low towards the ground, while tryng to avoid contact with the ground itself). The stick was/is called a "garabato". Again, many styles, but usually the longer 18 to 22 inch machete in almost a modified Latin style (but usually having a little less girth and belly) would be the norm for multi duty purposes. I don't feel that the Panga is as common in PR as it once was.
The average person won't have a bunch of different machetes for different purposes, just one that was "good enough" for many purposes.
 
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I don't know that I consider Condor to be of higher quality than Tramontina or Marbles; but if you think it's a step up, that's all that matters. (Isn't Condor made by Imacasa, as well?)
 
This is a true story. Many years ago my grandfather went to Puerto Rico on a building trip. As far as I know, he did not kill anyone, but I now have two nice Martindales he brought back. I'll never use them, or the Warlock I have in the box; but I say get what you want.
 
While I don't think of them as part of my collection, I do own 4 and they make excellent tools that I use more often then the rest of my knives combined. I would be hard pressed to get by without my Machetes.
 
hhmoore said:
I don't know that I consider Condor to be of higher quality than Tramontina or Marbles; but if you think it's a step up, that's all that matters. (Isn't Condor made by Imacasa, as well?)
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Many say this. I looked at the Marbles line of machetes just the other day in a store. The orange paint is eye catching actually to me and they are made by Imascasa. For the most part, the models are similar to the Condor line. For me, paying more to have the leather sheath that Condor supplies is worth the added cost. But when I buy a second of the same machete, I try to just buy the machete without the sheath as I have a sheath already that fits that blade. I am a single user and not supplying machetes to other people to use like in a work situation.

The only problem I had with my 14" Puerto Rican model (and it is 420HC) is the wood handle needed a lot of sanding for me to use it. I got it, and pretty much dumped it in a closet for about a year. Then I figured, why not try? I sanded a lot with an electric sander and got the handle just where I like it. Actually like it a lot. I'm not much for wraps on handles. Been there and done that.

We have had machete discussions off and on here on BF. I am pretty well fixed in my choice of Condor stuff for the most part. Others feel differently. By the same token, I won't step up to something made by Bark River for example. I have limits.
 
For me they are mostly a representation of history. My own personal history in using machetes, and yes, of it being a tool used in my family's past. That family past includes the good, the bad, and the ugly... it simply represents all of that. It even represemts those long conversations with my mother about her life in Puerto Rico while she was growing up. Anyhow... it is what it is.
 
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hhmoore said:
I don't know that I consider Condor to be of higher quality than Tramontina or Marbles; but if you think it's a step up, that's all that matters. (Isn't Condor made by Imacasa, as well?)
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Yes, Imacasa is the maker of Condor... The Condor line being their top tier brand. When having wood handle scales, they usually being walnut. They have a decent convex edge/better detail in final sharpening. Their spines are ground down and smoothed to take away the stamped out markings that the average machete has. And, when coming with a sheath, they are a thick and very decent leather. I would say a higher tier, but more in aesthetics, than anything else.
 
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My statement was based on my own experience with the brand. But, again, if you think it's a step up, that's all that matters - I'm not trying to change any minds.
 
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