Help me choose a bushcraft machete

E

EdgyEddy

Joined
Mar 26, 2019
Messages
13
Hey all,

I am looking for a high quality machete that will last me a lifetime. Price is no issue, but I do have a few requirements:

- It has to have a (decent) saw on the backside
- I want to be able to attach to the sheath (or put in a pouch) a silky pocket saw and a multitool
- I want to be able to attach a sling so that I can carry it over my shoulder with my carving knife in the front
- Not too big as I also want to be able to carry it comfortably on my belt
- I prefer a sort of semi-kukri style shape, with a thicker part at the front (excuse my vocabulary, I am Dutch), but a straight backside. Not an absolute requirement

Does anyone know of a good machete or big blade that covers these criteria?

This is going to be an entirely new setup, meaning I will buy a new knife, saw and multitool as well. That means that in terms of attaching those to the sheath, I am able to take into account for example shopping for these items with sheaths/pouches that have molle attachments or something similar. For now all I have is the absolute worst machete you can buy (was given to me by someone who didn't want it anymore, couldn't have cost more than 20 euros), a decent knife and a tiny multitool. My cutting tools definately need an upgrade.
 
One thing I forgot to mention, weight is not a consideration as I am really looking for something sturdy that I can hopefully pass down to my kids.

Edit: another little thing that I forgot, I know nothing about different types of steel. I don't even know whether to get stainless or carbon steel. I have always just made due with crappy and dull tools and I am pretty tired of that.
 
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EdgyEddy said:
- It has to have a (decent) saw on the backside
- I want to be able to attach to the sheath (or put in a pouch) a silky pocket saw and a multitool
- I want to be able to attach a sling so that I can carry it over my shoulder with my carving knife in the front
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Welcome.

Why would you want a saw back on a machete? Machetes cut wood. Especially when you are going to attach a saw to its carrying rig?
 
marcinek said:
Welcome.

Why would you want a saw back on a machete? Machetes cut wood. Especially when you are going to attach a saw to its carrying rig?
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My cousin has one with a saw on the back and it works quite well, not as well as the clunky saw that I have been bringing, but it is a nice in-between for my tiny multitool saw and my big bow saw (not sure if that's what it is called). It has small teeth. Also good for scraping material. My thinking is it is always good for a tool to have several uses, sometimes things break. If a great machete with a saw on the back isn't made, I would be ok with dropping this requirement.
 
marcinek said:
Welcome.

Why would you want a saw back on a machete? Machetes cut wood. Especially when you are going to attach a saw to its carrying rig?
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To me, having a folding saw, multitool, and "carving knife" (4-6 inch fixed blade), is all one really needs to carry at one time.

I might swap out the folding saw with a machete, or 6-8 inch chopper/camp knife, or small ax, depending on what kind of wood I was looking at cutting.

Still 3 tools would be sufficient at any one time. At least it was for Nessmuk.
 
marcinek said:
To me, having a folding saw, multitool, and "carving knife" (4-6 inch fixed blade), is all one really needs to carry at one time.

I might swap out the folding saw with a machete, or 6-8 inch chopper/camp knife, or small ax, depending on what kind of wood I was looking at cutting.

Still 3 tools would be sufficient at any one time. At least it was for Nessmuk.
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I find folding saws to often be quite fragile. They are however very useful. If you have any suggestions that don't have a saw on the back, I would still appreciate them.
 
By the way, as for attaching the sling/pouches, it would be nice if it had places to attach these, but I am willing to do a little work on it myself. It's mostly just that the material and shape of the sheath have to be suitable to work with for this purpose.
 
marcinek said:
Tramontina 14 inch camp/bush machete. Its all you need to spend on a machete...you cant get a better one at any price.
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What do you like about them? Do they have good steel that retains an edge well? I have seen machetes out there for 400 dollars, which seems insane to me but if somehow that price does accurately reflect the quality (which I suppose as you say, it doesn't), I would even be willing to spend that. I want a great machete that will basically last forever with proper maintenance.
 
If you look at the people in South America who use a machete on a daily basis, most of them pay more for the sheath than the machete. Tramontina is very popular in S. A.--KV
 
EdgyEddy said:
What do you like about them? Do they have good steel that retains an edge well? I have seen machetes out there for 400 dollars, which seems insane to me but if somehow that price does accurately reflect the quality (which I suppose as you say, it doesn't), I would even be willing to spend that. I want a great machete that will basically last forever with proper maintenance.
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As mentioned above, they are machetes used by people who use machetes.

Now I have never seen a $400 dollar machete.

I have seen $400 large "heavier duty" fixed blades...is that what you are thinking about?

Something like a Fallkniven NL1 Thor?

Can you show us an example? Maybe we can help more that way.
 
kvaughn said:
If you look at the people in South America who use a machete on a daily basis, most of them pay more for the sheath than the machete. Tramontina is very popular in S. A.--KV
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How would I go about finding a good sheath for a specific machete?

marcinek said:
As mentioned above, they are machetes used by people who use machetes.

Now I have never seen a $400 dollar machete.

I have seen $400 large "heavier duty" fixed blades...is that what you are thinking about?

Something like a Fallkniven NL1 Thor?

Can you show us an example? Maybe we can help more that way.
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I guess maybe that would be a better description, yes.
I am looking for something along the lines of this:
https://www.amazon.com/Ontario-Knife-Company-8689-Survival/dp/B076F19WCB

Would that one be any good?

As for the expensive (higher end?) ones, here is one example:
https://www.knivesandtools.com/en/pt/-extrema-ratio-kreios.htm

The last one has molle attachments all over the front of the sheath, which is appealing to me.
 
Well, if someone said I could have that Ontario or the Extrema Ratio...I'd take the Ontario.

There are a ton of options in that "chopper" style. Kabar Becker BK7 and 9, Kabar Kukri, Kabar Large Heavy Bowie, Ontario Ranger RD 7 and 9, ESEE, etc etc. Just about anything from Kabar, Ontario, ESEE is going to be good and tough, and wont cost $400.
 
marcinek said:
Well, if someone said I could have that Ontario or the Extrema Ratio...I'd take the Ontario.

There are a ton of options in that "chopper" style. Kabar Becker BK7 and 9, Kabar Kukri, Kabar Large Heavy Bowie, Ontario Ranger RD 7 and 9, ESEE, etc etc. Just about anything from Kabar, Ontario, ESEE is going to be good and tough, and wont cost $400.
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Do you think it is the sheath that makes the Extrema Ratio so expensive?

I also found this:
https://www.knivesandtools.com/en/pt/-sog-kukri-machete-sogfari-mc11-n-machete.htm
Looks pretty close to what I am looking for but then again I know nothing about different types of steel or this brand. I looked up your suggestions and the ESEE ones look nice.
 
EdgyEddy said:
Do you think it is the sheath that makes the Extrema Ratio so expensive?
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No. Extrema Ratios are that expensive because people will pay that money for Extrema Ratio's "look".

Their cutting geometry and ergonomics, which is all that really matters, isn't great. But the look cool, apparently. :)

SOG makes a good knife...maybe a SOG fan will turn up.
 
I found a few more. Can you tell me anything about what I should look for in terms of steel, if I want something that will last a lifetime?

I found a few more, would be great to see what you guys think.
 
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marcinek said:
Another option would be a real kukri from Himalayan Imports...

https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/himalayan-imports.739/
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marcinek said:
Another option would be a real kukri from Himalayan Imports...

https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/himalayan-imports.739/
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I agree with this. It sounds like a khukri would meet your needs and you can't beat H.I. for service or quality. A VUK --Village Utility Knife in particular. I've had and used one for years.--KV
 
kvaughn said:
I agree with this. It sounds like a khukri would meet your needs and you can't beat H.I. for service or quality. A VUK --Village Utility Knife in particular. I've had and used one for years.--KV
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I read this on the website:
"They are made by village kamis who recycle leaf springs, pieces of railroad rail, and other steel that will forge into an incredibly strong blade."

To be completely honest that doesn't sound too reliable to me. Are they known for being very durable?
 
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