Comparison of Machetes?

Absolutely. 3CR13 is not a very good steel for that application, and is equivalent to 420J2. While 1050 isn't ideal either (1060-1080 is best, with most major makers settling on 1075 as a sweet spot) it's overall a much closer match for the application.
 
Would depend on the price point I was trying to hit. But anything from 1050-1080 for a low alloy carbon steel, 5160, S7, or L6 for an alloy carbon steel, or something like AEB-L if stainless.
 
if you have a choice 80crv2 is excellent - check out the skrama made in it - excellent hybrid machete / camp knife
for overall all purpose use it seems ideal, just a bit under 17" total length around 9.5" blade but extremely useful
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Yessir. The characteristics that make AEB-L so good for razors are the same that make it suitable for machetes. It is very fine grained, which allows it to take a fine edge, and to be ground thin while retaining toughness and edge stability. And it can also be hardened more than might be expected so it can have good edge retention and still be quite tough. I have already made a kukri with AEB-L, and a couple of chopper/machetes. They passed their tests with flying colors.

Take a look at its toughness as compared even with some of the tougher carbon and tool steels:

AEB-L-vs-non-stainless-toughness.jpg


Chart borrowed from Larrin at https://knifesteelnerds.com/2019/03/04/all-about-aeb-l/

I have my AEB-L for hard use blades hardened to RC 61. Kitchen and EDC blades, to RC 63, which is still tougher than Cruwear or M4 of a lower hardness!
 
If you just want something fun to swing and easy to put an edge on, with a great handle and a blade that will hold up to most machete-use tasks, it's hard to beat the Kershaw camp 18.

It's one of the most fun knives to swing and chop with in my experience - and a big part of that is the excellent handle ergonomics.

It does not hurt that it is very inexpensive either.

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best

mqqn
 
Don’t overthink the machete. It is a simple tool designed for abuse. The modern examples made by companies like Imacasa (which makes Marbles and Condor, along with its own brands), Hansa and Tramontina are very good. You will need to sharpen them to your satisfaction, you may want to tweak the handle and you will have to buy a sheath separately. But, the blades are light and efficient, and suited for the task. Machetes are usually used to harvest crops or clear brush, and in either role your blade will come into occasional contact with harder objects like rocks, walls or metal. Those are the risks when you are cutting into vegetation that can obscure ground features or debris. The blade steel is designed to survive such damage and to be relatively easy to repair. Going with harder steels might increase the likely damage, make it more difficult to repair; and, will increase the cost of your tool.

These are inexpensive tools for a good reason. Buy a few that interest you and discover which works best for you.

n2s
 
The Cold Steel machetes are good for the price once you spend a bit of time putting a proper edge on them.

My favorite machete of all time was the Cold Steel Double edge model from around 15 years ago. I have no idea why they don't make it anymore.

I've literally cut a ton of wood with it.
 
The issue with machetes is the end user and uses are so wide ranging. The availabile patterns are so numerous and there is no readily available guides to the best pattern for what uses. A regular Ontario GI machete is very useful and will hold a great edge considering the expected abuse. Thin south american made jungle type machetes are not really my thing probably because I live in Michigan. I say pick a pattern that you like the looks of and buy one made by a known maker and see what you think. Stay away from the Condor models until you decide you want a better model of that style because of cost. I have quite a few machetes and I buy them for as little as I can until I know I like that style.
 
The tools we use are a result of what we know and what is readily available. We often take what we get because what we want isn't available or sometimes not even made. If you have witnessed people using a common pattern of machete for every task it may have been all that was available to them and perhaps not even close to their first choice. I know that the many patterns were developed from use and preference and didn't just happen by chance or because a company thought it would be fun. A perfect example is axes , look at the old catalogs from axe companies hundreds of patterns for people's preference in certain areas and uses. Trust that no company finds it cheaper to give the consumer options.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Again, I'll have to strongly disagree with your assertion. Would you, for instance, use a lampón pattern for the same tasks as a sable pattern? A tapanga for the same tasks as a guarizama? A rozador for the same tasks as a cuma? The styles exist for function, not for collection.
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the styles exist because that is what developed in a region for a variety of reasons. If it can be called a machete it is similar enough to other styles to do machete stuff. If you were to hand an Amazonian villager the “wrong” machete he would still use it for 20 years, happily.
 
Mitchell Knives said:
The Cold Steel machetes are good for the price once you spend a bit of time putting a proper edge on them.

My favorite machete of all time was the Cold Steel Double edge model from around 15 years ago. I have no idea why they don't make it anymore.

I've literally cut a ton of wood with it.
Click to expand...

I have a question on the Cold Steel Kukri.

Cold Steel Kukri

It does NOT state that it is heat treated. It has 1055 steel. Is this a big deal?
 
DMG said:
the styles exist because that is what developed in a region for a variety of reasons. If it can be called a machete it is similar enough to other styles to do machete stuff. If you were to hand an Amazonian villager the “wrong” machete he would still use it for 20 years, happily.
Click to expand...
They'll use what's available to them that's most suitable to the task. Regional styles developed because they are optimized for that regions prioritized context of use. They ARE functionally different, and just because you can use a different model in the same situation successfully does not mean that it's the most efficient pattern to be using. If you really have no clue what you'll be up against, an 18" medium-weight plain old Latin pattern will be the most generalist application pattern out there, which is why that configuration is so widespread and popular, but if you want to do a job the most effectively you can, you'll select an appropriate pattern for that context. I would choose a sable or colima if dealing mostly with grasses and lush vegetation but a rozador or tapanga if mostly dealing with more woody growth. The latter would be tiring to use for the setting in which the former would be selected, and the former would bounce off the targets for which the latter were selected. There's lots of functional overlap between patterns, yes, but there are some patterns that are especially unsuitable for some uses.
 
NewKnifeObsession said:
I have a question on the Cold Steel Kukri.

Cold Steel Kukri

It does NOT state that it is heat treated. It has 1055 steel. Is this a big deal?
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It's heat treated. 1055 isn't the BEST steel for machetes (sort of lower range) but still acceptable for the task. It performs fine, though they run it a little softer than I prefer.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
It's heat treated. 1055 isn't the BEST steel for machetes (sort of lower range) but still acceptable for the task. It performs fine, though they run it a little softer than I prefer.
Click to expand...

I had called Cold Steel yesterday. The lady said it was NOT heat treated and she recommended not to do so lol

She had to ask first. So..who knows.
 
Nah they're DEFINITELY heat treated. She didn't know what she was talking about. They even specifically mention them as being spring-tempered in some of the item descriptions. If they weren't heat treated you could easily fold the blades under your foot given how thin some of them are. :p
 
Condor, if you want to drop the coin.

I have a made in El Salvador machete by Marbles. It takes a hair shaving edge easily. Great tool. It was inexpensive when I bought it, years ago. Not sure their price now.
 
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