machete

E

edc flipper

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Jan 11, 2013
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anyone have any good suggestions for good machete with a nice sheath. i need one for general use(camping, yardwork, etc.) i prefer having nice things that wont break and i can trust to complete any task. my price limit is $80. thanks yall
 
I'm sure you'll get a lot of good feed. back, but depending on the intended use, I'd go with the condor eco-light 18". It's basically the same machete pattern as the ESEE light machete or the condor el-salvador, but in a thinner stock so it's fast in the hand and less work to swing for extended periods, which I prefer. It comes with an inexpensive canvas sheath for about $30-$35. For another $20 you can buy the nice leather sheath separately (leather sheath for el-salvador machete).

You might also want to hold out for the 16" condor speed machete which looks pretty sweet and is new for this year.
 
Ontario knives make very good machetes for < $30. Sheaths are separate. Not sure about the sheaths, don't have any yet.
 
edc flipper said:
anyone have any good suggestions for good machete with a nice sheath. i need one for general use(camping, yardwork, etc.) i prefer having nice things that wont break and i can trust to complete any task. my price limit is $80. thanks yall
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Camp and yard work you might want to consider a Woodman's Pal for versatility. If you want something more traditionally machete-like, most of the machete guys on the board here view Condor's lineup very favorably and could offer more targeted advice based on what sort of material you plan to cut and what climate you are in.

Don't be fooled into thinking that a good machete means getting something overbuilt in a modern supersteel. Some jobs demand thinner blades and for most jobs the toughness of the blade will matter more than the hardness.
 
Really depends on what you want to do with it. I don't have much experience with the more traditional thinner machetes. About all I can tell you is that I personally love a nice distal taper and high rc on thinner machetes. I believe Tramontina makes one of their Bolo Machetes this way.
But I do know for a fact that its hard to beat the Cold steel Kukri Machete If you want something cheap and indestructible. It is 1055 steel, but the black coating is actually incredibly durable. It is 55rc, so its easy to sharpen any where, and The Machete itself is as tough as they come. Its 16oz, so not too bad, but still a little on the heavy side compared to some of the traditional styled machetes out there. Only downside is the grip. While I doubt it would ever fail in any way, it does get a bit slippery when wet and is prone to causing hot-spots on your hand. I wrapped mine in gutted 550 cord. Problem solved. The newer Machetes have pretty nice sheaths too. Its plastic lined Cordura all riveted together. The older models used to not have the plastic and were complete garbage (although I doubt you can even find them for sale anymore).
 
Condor Condor Condor!

By the way, elchris123-- Tramontina's machetes don't employ distal taper. Neither do any of Cold Steel's. To fix the aggressive texturing I suggest just buffing it with some 600 grit sandpaper. :)
 
I use a machete often for clearing land, even prefer it for small tree removal over a chainsaw etc. I have fond the Corona with the red and rubber handle to be the best performer out there.......however only the slightly older ones made in Columbia the Chinese ones look identical but are sh!t....you can still find the Columbian ones...they are cheap buy 3 and get a sheath made..btw they are thin and tough but if you are actually going to use it you will find the thinner lighter is the way to go IMO
 
I've been using a Marble's bolo machete. It works great and was only $15 + shipping. I had to reshape the handle a little to make it more comfortable to use, it is over sized when it is new.

marbles-machete-1.jpg
 
kabar grass machete is around that price.

Handle is a bit slippy (resolve with bike tube) but a great chopper and cutter in 1. I can't recall if you'll get it for $80 but I am sure its close..

Sheath comes with it but is very basic..
 
:cool: What is a "sheath"? The machete experts I have worked with (Samoan villagers) never use a sheath. Of course, you are wise to purchase or to make one but as a Peace Corps volunteer in Samoa I never saw one.

The Samoan word for sheath is "suluga" and a knife with a sheath is a "naifi suluga" The same construction makes a folding knife a "naifi fa'amoe" because you fold it over to put it to sleep ("moe" is sleep in Samoan).

I hope I am not being rude by bringing up my Samoan experience every time I s machete mentioned. :rolleyes: Many other people know a lot about machetes and can give good advice. For what you have stated, any number of good brands and patterns will serve until a person has experience and knows what works best in a particular situation. For $80 or so, a person can purchase the Cadillac or Lexus of machetes. Plenty of decent ones with sheaths can be purchased for much less money. ;)

Faiaoga
 
If you're not averse to the idea of simply making a cardboard (or, as I affectionately call it, "hobo leather") sheath for it then I'd go with an Imacasa (Condor's parent company) at the low end of the price spectrum, as they're some of the very best "working man" machetes around. For a premium machete around the upper quartile of your price range I'd go Condor.
 
You can buy the 18" Ontario machete with this military sheath for around $30 + shipping. Condor makes an EXCELLENT product as well. If i was buying a machete, it would be from those 2 names.



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