Zip brand machete: Ever heard of it??

RokJok

RokJok

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The flurry of machete threads we've seen here recently motivated me to dig out this old war-horse I got at a gun show a few months back and take some pictures of it. I had never heard of the Zip brand of machetes (knives?) and wonder if anyone else has either heard of them or has any experience with them. Given the wear 'n tear on this one and the fact that I have zero information on its usage/storage history, it could have originated any time from WW II up to present. Just one beat up ol' trooper, but still sharp and ready for duty.

OAL: 22-5/8"
Blade Length: 17-5/8" tip to scales
Blade Finish: 2-tone -- thin coating of black paint ~80% intact and rust red ;) :D
Balance Point: 4" ahead of scales
Thickness: 0.097" at ricasso (thickest steel)

Distal: taper starts with rather distinct thinning taper 8-3/4" back from the tip
Edge: starts 5"+ ahead of scales, first 3" ahead of scales is flat (no grind at all). Edge has been filed to a decently fine edge.

Rivet heads: 3/8" diameter, somewhat rusted
Rivet peins: 1/4" diameter
Handle: unidentified wood, solid (no looseness), very small gap (less than 0.020") between tang & scale on both sides of handle, scales are WELL patina'ed with use and bear markings of much use. These signs of wear make me wish that this machete could talk -- I bet it would have some great stories to tell.

View of the whole machete:
Zip_machete_full.jpg


Close-up of the name stamping. In spite of the way it may appear, the text is rather crisply stamped into the blade (under the thin coating of paint) about 4.5" ahead of the scales.
Zip_machete_name_stamp.jpg
 
Never heard of Zip Brand but they went to the trouble to stamp their name and the steel into it, that's a good sign. Clearly it's held up well. I say clean that bugger up and use it!
 
Looks like possible British Military.. Sheffield is famous for it's military blades..

I agree though, clean it up and use it!!
 
Zip Brand.

Didn't they make the Zip-poon?
A machete/harpoon combo blade?

No wonder they are not around anymore.
 
Liam, Thank you for that link to the Zip machetes from WWII with their sheaths, which mine lacks. Anywhere near $150 would be a pretty decent return, considering I got mine for $20 +/- IIRC. I picked it up due to its quickness in hand and the solidness of the handle, which is often an issue with older machetes I've looked at in the past. This one is scheduled to help with some apple branch trimmings that are slotted for chopping up & tossing on the burn pile sometime next week.

I think we need to pass the hat and take up a collection to buy Brother Skunk his own harpoon. ;)
 
SkunkWerX said:
Zip Brand.

Didn't they make the Zip-poon?
A machete/harpoon combo blade?

No wonder they are not around anymore.
Click to expand...

Skunk!! That's great!

Nice find on that website! Wow, that could be worth $150?? That's fantastic!


CONGRATS!
 
SkunkWerx, Thank you for cross-posting my request for info over to Bernard Levine's forum. I should have thought of that myself. :rolleyes:

I almost don't want to get *too* involved in researching this old warrior, since I suspect machetes could easily become one more slippery slope to descend at high speed. ;) :D
 
What's a machete worth ? I have a Columbian made Collins machete in excellent shape with nice decorated leather sheath. I have no use for it and would like some idea of it's value to sell.
 
Ok, remember that machetes have always been made of fairly low carbon steel. They never really hold a great edge but they never crack. The edges just dent in easily on hard objects. If you pay a lot for a machete you just got ripped off. I have seen collins machetes at gunshows sell for 10 to 20 bucks with canvas sheath. Unless your machete is made from L6 or S7 it aint worth much at all. Don't waste your money. I think that Tramontinas are a great deal on a great machete. Ontarios seem pretty good as do the Cold Steel machetes. Any other machetes should be about the same.
 
Cobalt said:
If you pay a lot for a machete you just got ripped off.
Click to expand...

I agree. However, collector value often has very little to do with actual worth, so you never know. I've seen really abused and almost worthless guitars sell for 3X what they sold for new, just because they were from x-year or were played by so-and-so. Or some doofus just thought they were, lol.

I still say clean it up and use it.
 
Cobalt said:
If you pay a lot for a machete you just got ripped off.
Click to expand...
Ummmmm.....



....... in the case of this forged, differentially-hardened W2 steel Nick Wheeler chopper, perhaps not. ;) :D :D

INFIcoot-Wheeler.jpg


Cobalt, I concur with your assessment as true of the vast majority of commercially produced machetes made in the world today. Exactly as you say, cheap materials & production methods creating an item that will function well without being babied and that is cheap enough it can be readily replaced.

Where machete prices escalate, as noted by GibsonFan, is on the collector market where war provenance from WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Panama, etc can render (in the collector's eyes anyway) an item with an aura of venerability from its participation in a given war or battle. The fact that I got this machete for $20 while the website Liam linked is asking $150 for its equivalent shows us that the site is addressing a different market segment from that addressed by the gentleman I got mine from.

And yes, this one is for using.... Ya-shooor U-Betcha!! :thumbup:
 
mete said:
What's a machete worth ? I have a Columbian made Collins machete in excellent shape with nice decorated leather sheath. I have no use for it and would like some idea of it's value to sell.
Click to expand...


About $15-30, The real money in machetes is in the pre-WWII and military models. The workmanship of a pre-WWII Collins or similar machete is really quite excellent. atleast 10x better than a similar machete made now.
 
Ontario's are, and have been made of 1095. That's not Low Carbon.

But, then, heat treat and temper is important.
A machete needs to flex.

In terms of value, there is the intrinsic value, is it a modern beater, or may it have been used in Burma during WW2? Those are nice things to know.
 
Chopped up the apple branch trimmings today with the old Zip machete. Lots of fun. Its length and edge allowed it decent penetration on the green wood. The handle shape seems to not fatigue my hand much. :thumbup:

Fun side note: When it hit the wood and then bounced into open air (i.e. not in contact with the wood after impact) it sang with this fairly clear ringing tone. Like a "Ping-g-g-g-g" tone.

I see this as an indicator of good things, since it's a characteristic I also noted on some of my wife's Japanese vegetable knives (aka usuba or nakiri) when I get to slinging them along a ceramic stick while sharpening them. And those kitchen knives will take an an absolutely evil edge due to their rather thin stock (~1/16" thick), low angle of bevel, and what seems to be decent hi-carbon steel.

So listen to your blades and see what song they are singing to you. :D
 
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