Machete appreciation thread

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Walky Talky

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Jul 15, 2019
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I've been lurking around and it seems some folks are a bit dismissive of the usefulness and versatility of machetes both at home and in the bush. I bought a cheap Gavilan cane machete last year and it's quickly become my favorite. The extra wide blade really helps with chopping. The flat tip doesn't catch on the ground or rocks the same as a pointed or Latin style machete. Best and last is the hook on the back. It is so useful for pulling thorny vegetation and moving around whatever you're working on. I would wager it's faster and better than a hatchet or boys axe for most tasks religated to the two with the exceptions of falling trees, limbing large branches, and carpentry. Though I still use the machete for all three (I'm talking about 20 ft tall young trees, no widowmakers). Anyone else prefer machetes as your go to? Any creative uses you've found for it would be cool too.
 
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I myself can appreciate a machete from time to time. I like the kukri design myself and have a kukri from Fox and Kabar. I just like the forward heavy chopping power a kukri provides. Both are good for their intended uses of chopping down tree limbs and clearing brush. Other then that I don't do much else with them, but I will say I do prefer them over an axe.
 
I'm a big fan of golok and parangs, which are a type of machete I suppose. I do all the things you mentioned with mine. I have 3 decent machetes, and I can say that the standard latin machete is not great for wood materials beyond maybe a 1/4" thick, especially of it's dead and dry. To be fair, it's more for thinner vegetation and really shines for that type of stuff.

One that is quickly becoming a fave if size isn't a concern is the baryonyx machete. It's just very versatile and really packs a wollup. It's not light so the latin machete is still preferred for the light duty stuff, but if I'm unsure of what I'll be cleaning up, it's a top pick.
 
Walky Talky said:
I've been lurking around and it seems some folks are a bit dismissive of the usefulness and versatility of machetes both at home and in the bush. I bought a cheap Galivan cane machete last year and it's quickly become my favorite. The extra wide blade really helps with chopping. The flat tip doesn't catch on the ground or rocks the same as a pointed or Latin style machete. Best and last is the hook on the back. It is so useful for pulling thorny vegetation and moving around whatever you're working on. I would wager it's faster and better than a hatchet or boys axe for most tasks religated to the two with the exceptions of falling trees, limbing large branches, and carpentry. Though I still use the machete for all three (I'm talking about 20 ft tall young trees, no widowmakers). Anyone else prefer machetes as your go to? Any creative uses you've found for it would be cool too.
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Agreed, machetes are more versatile, useful and fun than many think.
 
I got bored of my machetes and always wanted a tomahawk because I thought it'd be better than my 18" Ontario or my CS Magnum Kukri. I finally got a tomahawk and have realized that they can't split wood very well, and they don't chop as well as a hatchet. It seems like it just didn't have enough mass in the head to really bite into the wood like it should.

I think the only thing a hawk really excels at is fighting, but I'm not so sure that the hawk would be better than the machete. There are historical sources that say a long knife is better than a hawk due to having better balance and speed. If you compare a longer Machete to the "Legendary" Katana in terms of cutting ability, the machete wins hands down. I know this because I had a quality katana at one point and checked out/cut with several of my friend's blades. The machete is more durable and has more mass behind the edge.

Needless to day, I returned to machetes. It takes less energy to cut down saplings with a machete than it does a hatchet or tomahawk, and has the added advantage of being good for brush, vines, and those persistent blackberry brambles. Machetes can split thinner wood with a swing, and are better for batoning than a smaller blade. They'll flex and even if they do break or bend, they don't cost that much to replace.

One day I didn't have a way to cut the roof cap for my chicken house and I batoned through about 6-8 feet of tin roofing with a beat up, cut down cold steel machete. Still sharp in the end and didn't hurt it a bit. One day I left it on the back bumper of the truck and it disappeared, I miss that thing, but replaced it with my Ontario.

If I get on the subject of Machetes I tend to ramble, I use machetes all the time on the farm and can attest that they are much more useful and versatile than most people think.
 
And they don't always need a traditional machete look to cut well and be a lot of fun to use.
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It is easy to draw me into a conversation about machetes just about any time. At this time of year, though, I can’t get too exercised about them, on account of a shortage of green vegetation to victimize. Here in Minnesota, the fun starts around the end of April, continues through the summer, peaking in June and July, and tapers off through September and October, lasting a bit longer than the lawn-mowing season.

There is no reason in the world for me to own nearly twenty machetes, except for fun. On my third of an acre, there is enough brush to justify maybe two or three blades. But if I had to name my top machetes to keep, I would have a hard time paring the list down past five. I would absolutely want to keep the Condor Golok and Mini Duku Parang, the Baryonyx machete, the 18” Tramontina and the 16” Imacasa bolo.

That doesn’t count the 14” Tramontina bolo I keep in my car, because that is an emergency tool, the 14” Old Hickory, which passes easily as a butcher knife, or the Skrama, whose 9” blade disqualifies it from consideration as a machete.
 
MarkN86 said:
I got bored of my machetes and always wanted a tomahawk because I thought it'd be better than my 18" Ontario or my CS Magnum Kukri. I finally got a tomahawk and have realized that they can't split wood very well, and they don't chop as well as a hatchet. It seems like it just didn't have enough mass in the head to really bite into the wood like it should.

I think the only thing a hawk really excels at is fighting, but I'm not so sure that the hawk would be better than the machete. There are historical sources that say a long knife is better than a hawk due to having better balance and speed. If you compare a longer Machete to the "Legendary" Katana in terms of cutting ability, the machete wins hands down. I know this because I had a quality katana at one point and checked out/cut with several of my friend's blades. The machete is more durable and has more mass behind the edge.

Needless to day, I returned to machetes. It takes less energy to cut down saplings with a machete than it does a hatchet or tomahawk, and has the added advantage of being good for brush, vines, and those persistent blackberry brambles. Machetes can split thinner wood with a swing, and are better for batoning than a smaller blade. They'll flex and even if they do break or bend, they don't cost that much to replace.

One day I didn't have a way to cut the roof cap for my chicken house and I batoned through about 6-8 feet of tin roofing with a beat up, cut down cold steel machete. Still sharp in the end and didn't hurt it a bit. One day I left it on the back bumper of the truck and it disappeared, I miss that thing, but replaced it with my Ontario.

If I get on the subject of Machetes I tend to ramble, I use machetes all the time on the farm and can attest that they are much more useful and versatile than most people think.
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Tomahawks are really portable, and in olden days they required less steel and were easier to make I think. Carrying the head off the poll makes them pretty compact, but overall I'm with you on the machete's usefulness outside of that fact about tomahawks. I still have a few tomahawks that are too cheap to sell (cold steel) and I like them but you can't fool physics.
 
bikerector said:
Tomahawks are really portable, and in olden days they required less steel and were easier to make I think. Carrying the head off the poll makes them pretty compact, but overall I'm with you on the machete's usefulness outside of that fact about tomahawks. I still have a few tomahawks that are too cheap to sell (cold steel) and I like them but you can't fool physics.
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I agree with you on the packing of a tomahawk. Slide the head off and pack her light and tight.
I also have a few CS's. I love them for what they are.
I also have about 4 machetes. I like to go thru the woods and bushwackin'
 
Machetes are pretty much the best brush and weed clearing tool there is.
Axes are for wood processing and machetes are for clearing.
I really like the marbles / imicasa machetes.

The 18" blade is my most used of the two.

Now this little guy I made from an old broken handsaw is one of my most used at all, I call it a garden machete.
 
I like machetes.
I've acquired a handful (and a half) over the years. My favorite for general duty is my 20" Tramontina. For thicker stuff, it's my Ontario HD machete. (I'd probably like my Marbles better if I hadn't gotten the wire wrapped handle)
 
I'm loving the great responses. Perhaps the reasons we dont hear more people raving about their machete experiences is due to improper form (I've found the most efficient way to cut thicker wood or material is with diagonal cuts. Perpendicular cuts are almost worthless) or the work that need to be done to shape/sharpen the blade new and after use.

I'll take a machete over a tomahawk for work any day, but for backpacking or solo trekking I prefer a hawk. It's easier to deploy, good for splitting small logs, and is less frightening/ sketchy when people come across you.

Honestly I completely forget abot kukris when thinking abot machetes. I have no experience with them. Just when I thought O could come on here without coveting new steel....
 
I'll take a machete over most large knives for using just about anytime. I have an assortment of Condor machetes that I use from time to time. I keep a Swamp Master (16") in my truck all the time and it gets used. If I only could have one, it would be the 18" wood handled Condor El Salvador machete. But I certainly have more than one..... and all the ones I like to use were made by Condor.

Tomahawks... I tried to like them, but using one for anything other than a weapon is better handled with hatchets, axes, and machetes.

I believe my longest is the Condor Viking.... pretty much never use it. But it is well made.
 
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bikerector said:
Tomahawks are really portable, and in olden days they required less steel and were easier to make I think. Carrying the head off the poll makes them pretty compact, but overall I'm with you on the machete's usefulness outside of that fact about tomahawks. I still have a few tomahawks that are too cheap to sell (cold steel) and I like them but you can't fool physics.
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I can see the merit in less weight and bulk, especially when you have to hike the whole way or be on a horse with limited carrying space. I'm sure tomahawks were a lot cheaper than a longer knife.
 
22-rimfire said:
I'll take a machete over most large knives for using just about anytime. I have an assortment of Condor machetes that I use from time to time. I keep a Swamp Master (16") in my truck all the time and it gets used. If I only could have one, it would be the 18" wood handled Condor El Salvador machete. But I certainly have more than one..... and all the ones I like to use were made by Condor.

Tomahawks... I tried to like them, but using one for anything other than a weapon is better handled with hatchets, axes, and machetes.

I believe my longest is the Condor Viking.... pretty much never use it. But it is well made.
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I hadn’t really thought too much about the Swamp Master or panga patterns in general until you posted about them a couple of times raving about them, which prompted me to take a closer look.
Like a bolo, a panga is weighted, so it should chop better than a Latin style, all other things being equal. The thing that caught my eye about the Condor Swamp Master was the sharpened back edge, so that it also functions as a brush hook.

The brush hook on the back side is one of the features I really like about the Baryonyx machete. I wasn’t ready to spend the money on a Condor, so I settled for the much thinner and lighter Marbles version, which I am putting a back edge on. I don’t expect it to chop as well as the heavier Condor, but I think I will like it on the junk weeds that crop up around my place. At least I will get to see how it functions as a brush hook.
 
I would call the Condor Swamp Master a medium weight machete. It is probably a little thick for a lot of weed wacking but okay for small doses. Most of my machete cutting is woody vegetation and thicker than a pencil. I don't do a significant amount of cutting with the Swamp Master at one time and quite comfortable using it as a general use machete. I do like the sharpened back edge and the hooked design.

Added: If I am taking a modest hike on a trail and open to the idea of a bit of wacking, I take along the Condor Kumunga knife/machete. It's built like a knife but the handle is machete-like. For short intervals of chopping much like you might do camping, it works pretty well overall and is easier to carry than a longer machete.

When I first started looking at short machetes, I picked up a couple 12" Ontario's. I thought they would work well for my kind of casual use, but I absolutely hated using one and much prefer the Kumunga to one of these. One of the Ontario's first got pickup duty and then moved to more or less permanent garage "storage". Couldn't even tell you where one of those are now.
 
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It's great to see a machete thread pop up here. I share that love for the condor machetes as well, they're great and it seems underrated. I like to chop up branches and firewood around my yard with them, and wether it's 9 inches or 18 they're all effective. At this moment if I'm forcedto rank them I might say: Condor bushcraft machete, OKC SP-53, Esse Junglas, Condor Warlock, Becker BK-9, Terava Skrama, Condor kukri machete, & Condor discord machete. I wouldn't part with any of them except maybe the discord - that thing's rediculous. If i ever get around to it I might want to take the bevel on that way back and grind off the wierd point on the back of the tip. I just hope I don't ruin the thing. Chop Chop!
 
Suppose I should share some pics as this thread could use more color.

The big'uns
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Example of some of the stuff I clear
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And just a nice pic of the 1311 after cutting my way through some brush for an hour.
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Finally, after some work with the tram and ratweiler. The color is a bit interesting from playing with imgur's features.
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Before
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