Machetes & Bush Knives

[Horn Dog]

We Americans like our big bowies. Frontiersmen used them. In modern times, knife makers have made ever heavier, thicker blades for survival knives. Knives that can chop concrete blocks. I have a few of those myself. But in the bush, the machete is king. The further these "bowies" get away from the machete, the less useful they become. One of the most famous Bowies in modern times is not really a Bowie at all. It's a machete. The so-called V-44 Bowie made famous by Carlson's Marine Raiders in WW II was actually an Army Air Corps knife made for survival of downed pilots in the jungle. It is the Collins #18 machete.

Looks familiar, doesn't it? Like a Case Bowie or Western Bowie. Those knives were made on the same basic pattern. They are not all that thick.

Other short machetes were made during WWII by various manufactures. The quillion was dropped. All it did was get in the way anyway.

Look how thin they are compared to some modern "Jungle Knives".

The Collins #18 short machete was much smaller than the RTAK II.

Condor makes the Inca Knife in 10" an 12" blades. They are tough 420HC and work well. They are closer to the older short machetes because folks in El Salvador know what works.

Here is my old favorite, a well used Tramontina 18" machete. You will see what it can do beyond just slashing brush, in my next post.

 

[SDS]

Although I agree with you that the machete is an immensely useful bush tool the heavier blades have some things going for them too. The thinner machete blades were designed more for the tropics and the heavier bowie knives were, sort of, designed with the self defense role in mind. They were a do it all knife for the deciduous forests of North America.

I'm more likely to use a short machete around camp just because they are lighter and handier than a heavy bowie knife but I still like my big bowie blades.

SDS

 

[WILLIAM.M]

I think the problem most of us have is---WE like them ALL...

and Horndog---you always have great posts..

Love reading them...

 

[Horn Dog]

So what does all this have to do with RAT Cutlery? Well, RAT is coming out with both the RC-10 and a machete. I'm sure the RC-10 will be a good useful knife, in the tradition of the Collins #18, even if it looks more modern. It likely won't be a big heavy 5/16" thick chopping monster, but a knife that can also be used to clear, like a machete. Probably like Jeff's RTAK designs.
But you might be surprised what a machete can do. Even a thin Tramontina can easily chop through some hard wood, with a little technique.

It can be used to make fuzz sticks for fire starting, too (don't laugh).

Some will tell you that a thin machete just can't be used to baton logs like a heavy blade will. Those people are wrong.

Yeah, the blade is bent like a pretzel, following the twisted grain of the wood. But it springs right back once the job is done.

And there you have it. No damage at all. It would have been so tragic for me to break my $6.00 wonder knife.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

So what does all this have to do with RAT Cutlery? Well, RAT is coming out with both the RC-10 and a machete. I'm sure the RC-10 will be a good useful knife, in the tradition of the Collins #18, even if it looks more modern. It likely won't be a big heavy 5/16" thick chopping monster, but a knife that can also be used to clear, like a machete. Probably like Jeff's RTAK designs.
But you might be surprised what a machete can do. Even a thin Tramontina can easily chop through some hard wood, with a little technique.

It can be used to make fuzz sticks for fire starting, too (don't laugh).

Some will tell you that a thin machete just can't be used to baton logs like a heavy blade will. Those people are wrong.

Yeah, the blade is bent like a pretzel, following the twisted grain of the wood. But it springs right back once the job is done.

And there you have it. No damage at all. It would have been so tragic for me to break my $6.00 wonder knife.

Quoted for TRUTH! I've been trying to convince folks of this for god knows how long but haven't had the time to go out in the woods with a camera and photograph it. A lot of folks think that machetes will fold on the hard stuff, but I've never seen it with mine. Maybe it's a matter of technique--I don't know--but you can tackle some pretty tough stuff even in cold weather with a well-built machete. :thumbup:

 

[richstag]

Love my machete

The only time my machete had trouble was here:

It really could have kept going with technique like you said but...it was much easier to get through the hard center with this:

GREAT THREAD!

 

[MrCoffee]

Ok, I agree that a machete has it's place in the survival steel gallery, but I am going to again say it isn't for a cold environment. JoeZilla just pointed out to me over in WS&S that a frozen knot can take a chunk out of a snow&neally axe. I, myself have snapped a D2 TAK batonning when it was -10 or so out. No doubt you can clear bush well with a machete, but digging, prying and in general using it to do a lot of survival chores aint gonna happen.

But for the sake of actions speak louder then words, after I get back from heading down to hang out with Dylside and the guys, I will head out for a couple of days in the negetive digit weather and put it to the test.

Reguardless of opinions, your knife should be based around the knowledge of what works in the environment you are likely to be in, and what you are the most skilled at using.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Reguardless of opinions, your knife should be based around the knowledge of what works in the environment you are likely to be in, and what you are the most skilled at using.

Agreed. It's funny how many times this topic has come up recently. We've been on opposite sides of the fence each time, and each time it's been due to personal experience. Do what works! :thumbup:

 

[Horn Dog]

There is no doubt that the thicker blade knives work better for splitting hardwood. But they are heavy and sometimes too slow for clearing light vegetation. And they will wear you out if you try to use them for a machete clearing through dense vegetation for a long time. I like my big bowies as much as anyone. But I have been culling out those that are just too heavy to use. My bias toward machetes probably has a lot to do with the terrain where I live.

 

[R.A.T.]

I've cut a LOT of big stuff with a machete. The largest I can remember is about a 18" diameter tree blocking our boat's path on an Amazon tributary. And it wasn't soft wood. It was extremely hard and took a long time but we got through it. It all has to do with technique, but of course I have never gone balls-to-the-wall on a frozen chunk of wood. I think 42 Blades made the best post yet: "Do what works", so if larger knives and axes work for some, I'm 100 percent behind that method.

 

[texastonydobbs]

Great post again HD ..... I have a funky lil machete with a swept upward belly ,like a recurve and on the back side it has a sharpend hook for vines... I love it....I had it since I was 10 and works like a Champ.

 

[richstag]

There is no doubt that the thicker blade knives work better for splitting hardwood. But they are heavy and sometimes too slow for clearing light vegetation. And they will wear you out if you try to use them for a machete clearing through dense vegetation for a long time. I like my big bowies as much as anyone. But I have been culling out those that are just too heavy to use. My bias toward machetes probably has a lot to do with the terrain where I live.

There is no doubt that a machete will outperform a thick short knife for clearing brush and vegetation...atleast not in my mind I have found that it will also get through softer wood (any thickness) much faster:thumbup:

My machete is effortless to use

 

[Big K]

I just ordered a El Salvador machete, I'm going to see what all the fuss is about with these machetes lately.

 

[MrCoffee]

Well 42, we agree to disagree And I am with ya 100% as well, do what works.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I just ordered a El Salvador machete, I'm going to see what all the fuss is about with these machetes lately.

Enjoy it! Ought to do great for you! As a note, depending on who was at the grinder you may get a piece that's screaming hair-popping sharp right out of the box or you may get one that's 5 minutes of work AWAY from being screaming hair-popping sharp. My Rodan was in the latter category, but after a few strokes from a DMT diafold and some finishing strokes with a ceramic stone I could cut free-hanging toilet paper with it.

Well 42, we agree to disagree And I am with ya 100% as well, do what works.

Amen, brother. :thumbup:

 

[matthewdanger]

So are the Condor offerings the way to go these days (at least until the RAT machete hits)? It has always been hard to get a decent sheath with any machete and it looks as though all th Condors ship with a leather sheath that is at least functional. They also have a decent convex edge. It seems like they may cost a bit more up front but are worth it for the footwork you save tracking down a decent sheath and convexing. Any other brands I should be taking a look at?

I have been downright thrilled with my Condor 12 inch Inca knife. It is everything a 12 inch machete ought to be.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

As far as I've seen they're the best bang-for-your-buck high-end machete on the market so far. The RAT machete will be a Condor/RAT collaboration, so that ought to tell ya' something.

 

[matthewdanger]

As far as I\\\'ve seen they\\\'re the best bang-for-your-buck high-end machete on the market so far. The RAT machete will be a Condor/RAT collaboration, so that ought to tell ya\\\' something.

Sounds good. Thanks for the input. Maybe I should just continue to beat the snot out of my Inca Knife and wait to see what the RAT/Condor mutant hybrid super machetes look like.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

It's a fair estimate that it'll be a souped-up version of the El Salvador model, given it's Jeff's favorite model and all.

 

[Horn Dog]

The Condors, Cold Steels, Galivans, Collins and Tramontinas are all good. The Ontarios are ok in the short camp machetes, but I have seen the longer ones snap in two. Just stay away from those ones Walmart carries. They are crap. As for the big knife vs machete thing, they both have their strengths. I just find the cheap machetes great for all-around use. You can't beat the bang for the buck. Heck, I just got a new Swamp Rat M9 yesterday. It's a nice knife, not too heavy to swing all day and plenty tough. I'm looking forward to seeing what RAT comes out with. But then, I'm a knife nut (sounds better than gear queer).