Off Topic Where do machetes belong ?

maximus83 said:
You need to get a professionally done convex grind on that blade. The convex, plus experience wielding it, this blade has completely replaced (for me) the need to use or even own small hatchets and axes. I still have a full-sized axes, but around home for light limb and tree chopping duties, and definitely when car camping or backpacking when a full-sized axe would be a non-option, I can always do great with either my Golok, or when possible, I go even a bit smaller to a "large knife" such as my ESEE Junglas I, the one with the 10" blade. Everybody has their prefs on this stuff, but I find that the Golok properly sharpened and used, or the ESEE for lighter tasks, just replaces a whole bevy of heavier and specialized tools that I find I no longer need. Now for large heavy-duty chopping chores around home, I still go to my full-size axe. And for significant weed whacking work, I still go to a traditional lighter thinner-bladed machete (my Tramontina), because it doesn't tired you out as fast and is more optimized to that kind of work if you're doing a lot of it. But if I'm just doing general all-purpose weed whacking, limbing, brush-clearing, and light to medium wood chopping (we get a lot of that here in the Pacific NW :), your property turns into a jungle darn quick on the west side of the Cascades), nothing is a better do-it-all tool than the Golok. In my humble opinion.
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I can't say I disagree with you. For me, unless I'm at home, I will have ONE machete with me in my truck. It will get used for both chopping and wacking flimsy stuff. I really like the 18" El Salvador model, but if I am going to carry it walking, I will usually go with the shorter 14" Puerto Rican (same as 16" Swamp Master, just 14" vs 16"). It is rigid enough for chopping small trees and light enough for flimsy stuff for modest wacking efforts.

I want to get the Swamp Master, but the price made me shy away from it the other day as I certainly don't need it.
 
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maximus83 said:
You need to get a professionally done convex grind on that blade. The convex, plus experience wielding it, this blade has completely replaced (for me) the need to use or even own small hatchets and axes. I still have a full-sized axes, but around home for light limb and tree chopping duties, and definitely when car camping or backpacking when a full-sized axe would be a non-option, I can always do great with either my Golok, or when possible, I go even a bit smaller to a "large knife" such as my ESEE Junglas I, the one with the 10" blade. Everybody has their prefs on this stuff, but I find that the Golok properly sharpened and used, or the ESEE for lighter tasks, just replaces a whole bevy of heavier and specialized tools that I find I no longer need. Now for large heavy-duty chopping chores around home, I still go to my full-size axe. And for significant weed whacking work, I still go to a traditional lighter thinner-bladed machete (my Tramontina), because it doesn't tired you out as fast and is more optimized to that kind of work if you're doing a lot of it. But if I'm just doing general all-purpose weed whacking, limbing, brush-clearing, and light to medium wood chopping (we get a lot of that here in the Pacific NW :), your property turns into a jungle darn quick on the west side of the Cascades), nothing is a better do-it-all tool than the Golok. In my humble opinion.
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Having something machete-like around, you start to find more and more uses for it. I think they're the ultimate edged tool, especially if you get something like a standard machete that has more of a spine.
 
I may dig out the Condor Golok and use my Ken Onion Work Sharp on it. That will convex the edge.
 
I would love to get a machete but I don't know enough about them to make an informed decision when buying. Anyone care to write up a small, quick set of notes for those of us that don't know jack about machetes? A Machete 101 crash course, so to speak.
 
Most machetes are made with 1075ish high carbon steel, a few 1095, or 420HC stainless. Tamontina and Imascasa are probably the two big machete manufacturers. Most of the US companies that sell their own line of machetes start with a Imascasa blank as I understand it. Ontario makes their own machetes.

For chopping bigger stuff, you generally want a stiffer machete. For the light stuff, a thinner wispy machete.

The come in lengths generally between 12" and 24" (blade). I think the short ones make a good survival type knife.

I think you want a machete that is relatively soft steel wise to allow you to both quickly sharpen it and to file or hone out chips or rolls from chopping into something like a rock. They are generally work tools.

If a person is not familiar with using a machete, I suggest something in the 14-18" length and something sort of in-between in the rigidity department. The wispy flexible ones are more for grass or thin woody vegetation.

The HANDLE is most important to me. You want something comfortable to use. Do you want something that you have to work with (sand or re-shape) or do you want something ready to rock and roll? Depends a lot of hand size and personal preferences.
 
22-rimfire said:
Most machetes are made with 1075ish high carbon steel, a few 1095, or 420HC stainless. Tamontina and Imascasa are probably the two big machete manufacturers. Most of the US companies that sell their own line of machetes start with a Imascasa blank as I understand it. Ontario makes their own machetes.

For chopping bigger stuff, you generally want a stiffer machete. For the light stuff, a thinner wispy machete.

The come in lengths generally between 12" and 24" (blade). I think the short ones make a good survival type knife.

I think you want a machete that is relatively soft steel wise to allow you to both quickly sharpen it and to file or hone out chips or rolls from chopping into something like a rock. They are generally work tools.

If a person is not familiar with using a machete, I suggest something in the 14-18" length and something sort of in-between in the rigidity department. The wispy flexible ones are more for grass or thin woody vegetation.

The HANDLE is most important to me. You want something comfortable to use. Do you want something that you have to work with (sand or re-shape) or do you want something ready to rock and roll? Depends a lot of hand size and personal preferences.
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Excellent brief "crash course" on machetes, 22. :thumbsup:

I might also add a brief line about styles and shapes. Generally chopping machetes are thicker and have a weighted tip (kukri, bolo, parang, golok, cane), brush clearing ones usually are thinner, longer and have a more slender, regular blade (latin, panga, bush machetes).

Also there are some weird looking specialty machetes (woodsman's pal, cold steel "ethnic" models, billhooks) axe-machetes (like that from Marbles or the Ontario SPAX) and E-tools or shovels that double as chopping tools (like the Marbles shovel, Cold Steel Russian Forces Shovel)

Some machetes have some "weaponized" aspects and have been commonly used and perfectioned as weapons (Barong, Tagalok, Bowie)
 

This is the tall weeds and grass...ect I gave to deal with because the neighbors flood their backyard.
I just finished making a decent dent in the stuff, but still have a ways to go.

You can't tell in the picture but it's about 4ft tall right now
 
In the last 10 years or so, I decided I wanted a machete. I read about them. I found Ontario machetes for sale at Blade. I bought several 12" ones. Thought they were the berries at the time.... until I actually used them. The poly handles SUCK and I can't understand why Ontario makes product like that. They hurt even after just a little use.

The search was on.... along came the new company called Condor and the regular Golok. Bought one and loved it for a while. I mostly chopped limbs and limited use for briars and similar vegetation. The handle is quite good! Then I started to branch out and try other designs. Really like the parang and latin shapes. That is pretty much where I am now.

Hickory... yes scythe. But the folks in South America would make short work with their latin machetes. I would be inclined to try a weed eater myself. ;) I have seen them essentially "mowing their lawn" with a machete. Amazing tool.
 
22-rimfire said:
In the last 10 years or so, I decided I wanted a machete. I read about them. I found Ontario machetes for sale at Blade. I bought several 12" ones. Thought they were the berries at the time.... until I actually used them. The poly handles SUCK and I can't understand why Ontario makes product like that. They hurt even after just a little use.

The search was on.... along came the new company called Condor and the regular Golok. Bought one and loved it for a while. I mostly chopped limbs and limited use for briars and similar vegetation. The handle is quite good! Then I started to branch out and try other designs. Really like the parang and latin shapes. That is pretty much where I am now.

Hickory... yes scythe. But the folks in South America would make short work with their latin machetes. I would be inclined to try a weed eater myself. ;) I have seen them essentially "mowing their lawn" with a machete. Amazing tool.
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Was going to borrow my brothers echo ( mine is a 20v cordless used for detail work in the front yard around the fence ) but it's too long and doesn't come apart. Maybe next time I should strap it to the top of the sport Trac.
 
I have a 40 Volt that I bought this year and it works pretty well for general weed eating around the yard. (A 18volt B&D preceeded that one and it was not great but good enough until the batteries were gone.) The 40V two string has a lot of cutting power. I dumped the gasoline type years ago as I just got tired of fiddling with it. But, honestly I don't know if it would be up to your task. That seems more like a sickle/scythe job until you get it down where you can mow it with the lawn mower (assuming the area isn't all rocks and stumps). I saw 60V models now.

I seem to recall 42Blades had a video taking down a field similar to your task.
 
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Definitely a job for a scythe or grass hook.

As far as the original question, most machete talk ends up in the axe subsection since it's a chopping tool with a construction distinct from that of a conventional knife and is mostly agricultural in nature, like the other non-axe tools that get discussed there.

As far as Condor goes, I still consider them an excellent value, they're just not the same budget offering they used to be. However, they also used to be much, much rougher and sloppier in construction. In addition to making huge improvements in their quality control over the years, and investments in new equipment to expand their manufacturing capabilities to make designs with fancier builds, the prices you pay are still fair to excellent for what you receive. El Salvador recently had a minimum wage increase that also impacts things. Base line Imacasa machetes aren't $10 models, either. They're more like $15-22 on average, and they need a lot of sweat equity put into them to get them up to Condor level, and that's without taking the sheaths into account, which cost about as much as the machetes themselves do. So all told, $60 or so is really pretty darn good for the package deal. It's just a premium offering compared to a standard Imacasa or even a Marbles. It's nice to have choices. :)
 
22-rimfire said:
I have a 40 Volt that I bought this year and it works pretty well for general weed eating around the yard. (A 18volt B&D preceeded that one and it was not great but good enough until the batteries were gone.) The 40V two string has a lot of cutting power. I dumped the gasoline type years ago as I just got tired of fiddling with it. But, honestly I don't know if it would be up to your task. That seems more like a sickle/scythe job until you get it down where you can mow it with the lawn mower (assuming the area isn't all rocks and stumps). I saw 60V models now.

I seem to recall 42Blades had a video taking down a field similar to your task.
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A lot of the stuff is pencil thickness at the base and it grows in large bunches.
My way of chopping through it is pinning it down with a steel rake then hacking it, then I rake it away then go again a bit in front to get the rest. I repeat this process until I've got a section down enough to get the mower in there which I tilt upwards and gradually lower down onto it, I then have to go carefully back and forth so I don't stop the mower up.
It's a lot of work, but it eventually gets the job done.I'm half tempted to borrow a rota-tiller and see if that'll just get it all up.

Until then I'm having fun getting some use out of my machetes.
 
Thanks 42 for the comments on Condor. I knew there had to be a reason why their stuff was getting a lot more expensive beyond they just wanted to price them that way. They certainly aren't budget offerings any more. The fit and finish has improved also.

The 18" Poly (soft) El Salvador machete with leather sheath I got at Blade a couple years ago for $20 was quite the bargain.
 
Machete’s you say? I can talk all day about them, but I’d rather use one all day! They get more use than my edc folders!

For a good priced blade, I'd go for Ontario or Condor, both are great!
These are the ones I could find, I have a condor or two somewhere. And one more slimline machete coming in sometime soon, fingers crossed.

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FortyTwoBlades said:
:)

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Well that makes all this work seem very ridiculous, but unless I can find one at a yardsale ( not likely ) a scytg is out of my budget.
Now that I think about it, I've already got a good sprayer so weed killer may be the cheapest easiest solution.
I can spray it to kill it all then just keep it mowed.
 
My Dad had a scythe like 42 used. Wish I would have kept it when he died. I just don't have much use for stuff like that. There used to be scythes that had a long handle and were quite potable.... basically a stick with a blade on it (L shaped). They would work and are were certainly inexpensive.

Here's a link at the big river site. Can't insert it. Just search and you'll see it for about $25 or so.

Hickory, you can kill it with weed killer, but that doesn't remove it. I would just keep chipping away at it.
 
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