Legitimus & Collins Machete

B

Buffer

Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Messages
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My dad had a bit of a flood and had to replace the drywall in his basement. When he removed a panel there it was, a US made 1940 Legitimus and Collins machete. It is a 1250 model and since he lives in a pretty dry area and it was sealed up in a wall it was in great shape. I was planning on buying a ESEE Junglas but now I'm thinking do I even bother? How good are these blades?
 
I have a Collins made in Columbia .They always have been considered one of the best machetes. Use it and enjoy !
 
I met a guy who led a surveying team for decades, they beat machetes into the ground, he said the old L&Cs were the best and longest-performing machetes bar none.
 
As far as capability, it will be a winner. I have two that my dad bought back in the 60's and you couldn't ask for a better tool. I use them all the time. I have never bothered to track down the vintage but since they were purchased in an Army surplus store in the mid-60's, they could easily be WWII vintage I suppose...I mean we're talking 20 years after the end of the war and pretty early in the Viet Nam war. Mine were made in Guatemala.

Regardless, Collins Legitimus were and are fantastic machetes and unless you have one that is some sort of gold mine as a collectable, I'd make it your go-to machete as it will be hard to find a better one really...maybe as good, but not better.
 
fishface5 said:
I met a guy who led a surveying team for decades, they beat machetes into the ground, he said the old L&Cs were the best and longest-performing machetes bar none.
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He told you the truth. I have been a surveyor for 40+ years. My father was a surveyor. While I have been out of the field for some time now, I can assure you that in their era, they were the best. I haven't used some of the newer ones out there now, but I have tried a few. All of our field crews, including myself, liked the 24" Collins (Latin style) the best. My crews now use Martindale 24" Latin style. Some like the wood handles, some the plastic. In our work here in Florida, anything less than the 24" just doesn't do as well. YMMV

Doc_Savage
 
Hombre Secreto said:
Collins from that era usually have some collector interest. You may want to research it before using it.
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You've got that right! :thumbup:

Buffer: Mind posting up some photos? It would be good to make an assessment of the piece before concluding whether to press it into service or not. :)
 
Buffer said:
My dad had a bit of a flood and had to replace the drywall in his basement. When he removed a panel there it was, a US made 1940 Legitimus and Collins machete. It is a 1250 model and since he lives in a pretty dry area and it was sealed up in a wall it was in great shape. I was planning on buying a ESEE Junglas but now I'm thinking do I even bother? How good are these blades?
Click to expand...

Be sure and wipe all the blood and DNA evidence off it since it was probably used in a murder and hidden there so it would never be found again. Also, don't tell any more folks the details of how you found it. :)

Actually, that is a great machete and if it was me I would just clean it up, sharpen it and use and enjoy it. They are not exactly worth a fortune so you will get a lot more pleasure out of using a great tool.
 
You do wonder what it's doing in the wall. I have found all kinds of things in walls over the years, usually empty glass beverage ;) containers; never a machete or axe... :eek:
 
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