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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Anyone carry a machete?
- Thread starter jeff_c
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Welcome... I use one all the time... one of my primary woods blades.. although for woods use I prefer a 12 inch model...A machete and a sak or multi-tool and you are good to go. IMO
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They are cheap enough... you can get a 12 inch tramontina at smoky mountain knife works for 6 bucks... just if your sharpening skills aren't up to par you might want to send it to someone for an edge job
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What brand/model did you get? Pict and Joezilla are two of our resident machete experts, and I'm sure they'll be along soon enough to add their expertise. I use a small Tramontina occasionally when clearing off the ditchbank in the back yard, and also in the woods sometimes, if I'm going to an area with lots of thick undergrowth. Very handy tool to have around.
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- Mar 10, 2008
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before i got into axes i always carried a machete they are awsome woods tools
i prefer the Tramontina machetes they are cheap and the give you the best bang for you buck
i prefer the Tramontina machetes they are cheap and the give you the best bang for you buck
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- Feb 18, 2009
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I have an old bolo machete with a 1/8 inch thick 14 inch blade that I got for $6 years ago. The handle sucks, but the steel is surprisingly good. I convexed the edge, and it's a really good chopper; good for batoning, too. For what I usually run into around here (Southern California) it works very well in conjunction with a folding saw.
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- Jan 21, 2008
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I use machetes pretty frequently, mostly for yardwork. For cutting green wood, they are tough to beat.
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- Jul 17, 2007
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I agree. I bought a cheap one from Harbor Freight a couple of years ago. I convexed it and I and it really is amazing how useful a tool it is around the yard, even though the handle is uncomfortable. I've become a big fan and plan on getting another or two.
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- Mar 8, 2008
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I think that more important than length is blade style, and what sort of materials you intend to be cutting. Blade length obviously does still play a role (with 14"-18" generally being the sweet-spot) but you'll find that as soon as you start exploring patterns other than the classical Latin machete that things begin getting a lot more interesting.
For harder woods where you need axe-like properties but still want to be able to take out light brush, go with a broad-bladed model with the mass concentrated towards the far end of the blade to generate a more powerful stroke. Bolos and kukris are two examples of this, though there are others out there that are even better at the task--mostly ones patterned after cane knives like the CS Heavy Machete, Condor Beaver Tail, or Tramontina Cane Machete. A piece for this type of work can be made of thicker stock and shorter if that is your preference (though definitely not mine) and retain a fair amount of chopping power without taking up too much space.
For lighter brush-like materials go for a longer blade, or one that hooks forward (if you can find one). The most important thing here being that it be thin. A thick blade will most commonly cause more flexible and lightweight targets to move out of the way rather than be cut. For this I rather enjoy my Condor Viking or Bush Knife, using the forward hooked blade. Other examples would be the CS Kopis or Magnum Kukri machetes, the longer Latin pieces from Tramontina, or the Brush Thinner from Gerber/Fiskars.
For general work a medium sized classic Latin pattern tends to do a good job, and hence is on of the several reasons for being the most commonly produced of all machete patterns (among others but we won't get into that here). Goloks, barongs, and parangs all make good general-use pieces which can vary from medium-hard to medium-light depending on the exact pattern.
With all of the non-brand/model specific pieces mentioned there is a lot of variance, and so my generalizations will, of course, not stand up under scrutiny on a piece-by-piece basis. Just because a particular machete has a particular footprint does not mean that it is necessarily suited for one kind of work rather than another. The blade thickness, exact blade shape, edge angle, etc. etc. all play a very important role in deciding the appropriate use for a machete. I personally prefer thin blades on all of my machetes as it allows for deeper penetration with less effort during the cut. If additional mass is required I prefer it to be directly behind the cutting edge, rather than to the sides. It's not like you're going to pry with the thing!
Not to run on too long, but another key factor lies in proper technique with the machete in order to fully maximize its cutting potential. In general I find it to work best if I begin with the hand at about shoulder height, the machete gripped with the index and middle fingers--the ring and pinkie fingers relaxed. Proceed to rapidly extend the arm forward while "squeezing" the hand (utilizing pressure from the ring and pinkie) to "throw" the point forward in a controlled and directed snap. This will generate a ton of force with minimal overall effort and will send the blade deep into even very hard wood. It's much more difficult to describe than to demonstrate in person, but I hope that made sense!
Have fun with your new Ontario! I know a lot of folks here like to customize them to their hearts content. Welcome to the wonderful world of machetes.
For harder woods where you need axe-like properties but still want to be able to take out light brush, go with a broad-bladed model with the mass concentrated towards the far end of the blade to generate a more powerful stroke. Bolos and kukris are two examples of this, though there are others out there that are even better at the task--mostly ones patterned after cane knives like the CS Heavy Machete, Condor Beaver Tail, or Tramontina Cane Machete. A piece for this type of work can be made of thicker stock and shorter if that is your preference (though definitely not mine) and retain a fair amount of chopping power without taking up too much space.
For lighter brush-like materials go for a longer blade, or one that hooks forward (if you can find one). The most important thing here being that it be thin. A thick blade will most commonly cause more flexible and lightweight targets to move out of the way rather than be cut. For this I rather enjoy my Condor Viking or Bush Knife, using the forward hooked blade. Other examples would be the CS Kopis or Magnum Kukri machetes, the longer Latin pieces from Tramontina, or the Brush Thinner from Gerber/Fiskars.
For general work a medium sized classic Latin pattern tends to do a good job, and hence is on of the several reasons for being the most commonly produced of all machete patterns (among others but we won't get into that here). Goloks, barongs, and parangs all make good general-use pieces which can vary from medium-hard to medium-light depending on the exact pattern.
With all of the non-brand/model specific pieces mentioned there is a lot of variance, and so my generalizations will, of course, not stand up under scrutiny on a piece-by-piece basis. Just because a particular machete has a particular footprint does not mean that it is necessarily suited for one kind of work rather than another. The blade thickness, exact blade shape, edge angle, etc. etc. all play a very important role in deciding the appropriate use for a machete. I personally prefer thin blades on all of my machetes as it allows for deeper penetration with less effort during the cut. If additional mass is required I prefer it to be directly behind the cutting edge, rather than to the sides. It's not like you're going to pry with the thing!
Not to run on too long, but another key factor lies in proper technique with the machete in order to fully maximize its cutting potential. In general I find it to work best if I begin with the hand at about shoulder height, the machete gripped with the index and middle fingers--the ring and pinkie fingers relaxed. Proceed to rapidly extend the arm forward while "squeezing" the hand (utilizing pressure from the ring and pinkie) to "throw" the point forward in a controlled and directed snap. This will generate a ton of force with minimal overall effort and will send the blade deep into even very hard wood. It's much more difficult to describe than to demonstrate in person, but I hope that made sense!
Have fun with your new Ontario! I know a lot of folks here like to customize them to their hearts content. Welcome to the wonderful world of machetes.
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- Mar 8, 2008
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Quite possibly. The bolo design, with its spatulate tip, is basically a chopping-only design. If you want something that combines the excellent chopping ability of a bolo with the useful point of a Latin, check out the Condor Outback machete. If you plan on carrying a knife for handling tasks of that nature, then go with the bolo, which has a larger sweet-spot for chopping tasks, especially closer to the handle.
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- Jun 11, 2008
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Quite possibly. The bolo design, with its spatulate tip, is basically a chopping-only design. If you want something that combines the excellent chopping ability of a bolo with the useful point of a Latin, check out the Condor Outback machete. If you plan on carrying a knife for handling tasks of that nature, then go with the bolo, which has a larger sweet-spot for chopping tasks, especially closer to the handle.
Yeah that! I have a lot of machetes, over 30. I just got the 18in condor outback and it's now my second favorite! My favorite was given to me twenty years ago by my father who brought it back from a trip to the Philippines. It's got a bit of sentimental value so it will always be my favorite. Of all my current-production machetes, from Cold Steel, Ontario, Bark River, Condor, Becker Machax, Tramontina, Gerber, and Linder..... I did say I had a lot. The Condor outback seems to blend the very best of the attributes I want in a machete. Its well balanced and fairly thin. It comes with a great convex edge, and an awesome heat treat. You'd have a hard time finding a better general purpose machete. Oh yeah, it's also got a very nice leather sheath.
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No expert here, just a really big fan!
Believe it or not, I don't see reverse hooked blades that much anywhere else but here, being used. The viking machetes for some reason are sharpened on the back here, but you never see that anywhere else, such as where that upswept tip style is popular (Jamaica, Puerto Rico)
Most people, outside of the US, use a 20" or longer Machete for the most part. Though after talking with a few street vendor machete guys, those that are commonly in the urban/tropical setting love a 14 inch machete best. I'm really loving my 14" Imacasa.
MD V, your outback should be a 20" model. If they have an 18", thats news to me. So it has a bit more weight that an ontario, but do you like it because of that? I'm interested to know! It really is a kick butt machete though. Certainly a hefty chopper, modeled after a popular version that Imacasa has.
Favorite video:
http://uk.truveo.com/cool-jobs-forgery-part-ii-picasso-sketch-43/id/2238758389
Here is a scene from 3 sheets in peurto rico, with a 12"
http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j...ger related/?action=view¤t=P6161836.flv
http://www.hulu.com/watch/12716/three-sheets-puerto-rico
At point 3:52
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- May 17, 2006
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- 4,290
What the heck is a MACHETE?
Will this work instead?
-RB
Will this work instead?
-RB