Machete

E

Endyahr

Joined
Aug 31, 2018
Messages
10
I want a machete for copping through small trees. By small trees I mean three to five inch thick trees.
 
22-rimfire said:
I wouldn't want to chop down a 5" diameter tree unless I "had to". 5" is saw and axe size.
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This. Lots of this.

That said, what you’re likely looking for is more of a large chopping knife, not a machete. For something that size if I had to use a knife, I’d go with a good heavy Kukri or similar.
 
The average machete won't help with much above 1-2" diameter trees, and you're gonna have to work at it to get through those.

If you want a knife for that, look at something heavier. You've got to have a little meat on the blade to get through stuff that thick.
 
Husqvarna or Stihl . Unless you love suffering ? :confused:

I have actually cut down a few hardwoods ~5" with my Cold Steel Trail Master and Gurkha Kukri Plus , just to prove I could . It was no fun at all . Didn't harm the steel , just me . :p
 
Thank you all for the replies. I was definitely considering a kukri style blade, such as the Condor Amalgam. As far as I was aware, the kukri was a machete, a Nepali style one. Anyway, most of what I'll be doing with it is lighter brush work and path clearing, but I will do heavier stuff with it as well, as mentioned in my original statement, so I'd rather a heavier blade. It may be too late however. I had contacted my Uncle, who is a knife dealer, about it and I may have bought the Amalgam, I still don't know yet, and won't know until this weekend. That being said, what about "budget machetes", a machete under $40. If I were to purchase one of these it would be for general purpose uses, outdoors that is. Any suggestions?
 
I have had good luck with the Ontario SP53 Bolo in 5160 for hacking away at trees. It’s 10 inches long but 1/4 inch thick and very robust. It’s not that expensive either.

For a dedicated brush clearing machete I use a Tramontina. Great value and a great tool!

Good luck in your search!
 
I have a heavily modified Ontario heavy duty 22" machete that I love. I removed the plastic "D" handle and reshaped the tang and added wood scales. I also shortened the blade by 4". I absolutely love using this machete and after hours of use it stays decently sharp.
 
How about a nice little hatchet? That would be useful around the yard and campsite, and is more suited to small trees and limbs than a machete.

I just picked up a nice little Fiskars 14" hatchet at Home Depot today for $27. Can't wait to put it to use in the back yard this weekend:

fiskars-hatchets-378501-1004-64_1000.jpg


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fiskars-14-in-X7-Hatchet-378501-1004/202681690

If you insist, they also have machetes.

There's also this interesting hybrid, which I almost went for:
fiskars-hatchets-385081-1004-64_1000.jpg


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fiskars...ed-Handle-18-in-Hatchet-385081-1004/302967834
 
Endyahr said:
As far as I was aware, the kukri was a machete, a Nepali style one. Anyway, most of what I'll be doing with it is lighter brush work and path clearing, but I will do heavier stuff with it as well, as mentioned in my original statement, so I'd rather a heavier blade.
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A kukuri is not a machete, they're more of an all around big heavy camp knife and tend to fall somewhere between 'sort of' heavy and 'really' heavy.

Machetes are not merely big knives, they're more of a thin slashing blade made to get through springy material, with a few exceptions.

My Filipino stepdad thinks Latin American style machetes are cute whippy little things, and generally reserves the term machete for something much more stout, though still relatively thin (more like a bolo).

The Fiskars machetes are on the heavy/thick/stiff side for machetes (with a latin style blade) and fair a bit better in wood than a 'real' machete. Things like goloks and parangs tend to be stiffer as well.

Machetes that are good for brush work (Latin American machetes IMO) are not all that great for woody vegetation. And things that work well in woody vegetation tend to not do well in thin and springy vegetation.
 
Super Assassin or bigass titanium sword.

Actually FortyTwoBlades FortyTwoBlades knows a bunch about machetes.

If it was me I'd look for a nice dha of some sort. With a nice blade, it only takes a few skillful cuts to get through a 4-5" small tree. It's also very fun and good for you.
 
AntDog said:
The average machete won't help with much above 1-2" diameter trees, and you're gonna have to work at it to get through those.

If you want a knife for that, look at something heavier. You've got to have a little meat on the blade to get through stuff that thick.
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The Baryonyx Machete will got through a 3.5" diameter birch in 42 seconds. :D

You can definitely use machetes for chopping work, though definitely 5" starts getting into the realm where if you aren't also intending on using that same tool for clearing brush that's too light for an axe you'd be better off using a thin-bitted light axe.
 
On the budget side, many folks recommend Tramontina. I would stick to something about 18" for general lighter cutting. My favorite is the wood handled Condor El Salvador but it is certainly a lot more expensive. It is a good all around machete and can certainly handle larger stuff if you need to, but I would shy away from 5-6" trees, especially hardwoods.

The Baryonyx is a beast. It would certainly handle the larger stuff within reason. I use the Condor Swamp Master (16") a good bit for general wacking mostly because I keep it in my truck all the time and I know precisely where it is.

A few years ago I was searching for a usable machete. It had to be one that was fairly comfortable to use bare handed for occasional cutting and with gloves for for bigger efforts (like a 4" limb or tree). After some false starts (mostly Ontario stuff), I settled on Condor stuff with the very first being the regular Golok. Decided I wanted something a bit more robust and seldom use the Golok any more (have two). I choose a different machete if I am trail wandering versus really working. But generally speaking, I won't be carrying a machete on the casual hike unless I know I'll need it.

Handles are the key when choosing a machete and whether or not you can modify the handle fairly easily to make it more comfortable to use. That's why I generally choose wood handles.
 
inkynate said:
I've been wanting to buy an Enep, but their storfront has been down for a long time.
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Didn't know about that.

Now that I think about it...from what I recall, by the end of the year - every year - Miles closes shop and opens it up again in spring.
 
22-rimfire said:
Handles are the key when choosing a machete and whether or not you can modify the handle fairly easily to make it more comfortable to use. That's why I generally choose wood handles.
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As long as the handle/scales is/are solid plastic then it's very easily shaped like wood is. A glossy finish can be restored by lightly fanning a torch over it when you're done.
 
Baryonyx Machete could be another good choice indeed. Or maybe that sword-like machete 42blades had, I don't recall its name (same website)?

Did you look at the traditional parangs (search on Youtube for "myparang")?

All in all, it depends how much grass vs how much stuff that's somewhat denser you'll cut IMO. I wouldn't want to swing something overly heavy when unnecessary.
 
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