-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Ontario vs marbles machete...
- Thread starter kraash
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 25,891
Marbles. It's made by Imacasa/Condor. The Ontarios need as much work as...actually they need significantly more work to get them tuned up for use, and the overall design of them isn't as dialed in as the traditional-patterned Marbles models are. Just ignore their weird self-designed models and stick with the rebranded Imacasa standard models.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2007
- Messages
- 2,519
FortyTwoBlades knows his stuff.
I have an Ontario 22" machete cut down to 19" and heavily modified that I use alot for thicker woody brush and limbing but it is heavy and even with huge forearms (construction) it wears me out in a couple hours. I would suggest the marbles 18" wood handled machete. I easily reshaped the handle to fit me better and it is lightweight and cheap( mine was $16 shipped with the sheath).
I have an Ontario 22" machete cut down to 19" and heavily modified that I use alot for thicker woody brush and limbing but it is heavy and even with huge forearms (construction) it wears me out in a couple hours. I would suggest the marbles 18" wood handled machete. I easily reshaped the handle to fit me better and it is lightweight and cheap( mine was $16 shipped with the sheath).
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 25,891
Ones like the Swamp Master (not to be confused with the Condor model), bolo, and straight-spined ones specifically.
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2013
- Messages
- 5,648
+1 for Marbles
I own many machetes, and take the Marbles first for long working sessions, over my Cold Steels, KaBar, Ontario and the others.
They don't tire me as much, take a very fine edge very quickly and are incredible value items. The Parang in the pic cost me $8, and I also have the Fireman's axe, their Shovel and Bowie Knife, the Bolo and the smaller Bolo (the wide, ugly thing)
I love their sheaths, whic can be purchased independently, and hold a sharpening stone in the pocket.
They're ugly as hell, but as Spydercos, they are "made for the hand, not for the eye"
I own many machetes, and take the Marbles first for long working sessions, over my Cold Steels, KaBar, Ontario and the others.
They don't tire me as much, take a very fine edge very quickly and are incredible value items. The Parang in the pic cost me $8, and I also have the Fireman's axe, their Shovel and Bowie Knife, the Bolo and the smaller Bolo (the wide, ugly thing)
I love their sheaths, whic can be purchased independently, and hold a sharpening stone in the pocket.
They're ugly as hell, but as Spydercos, they are "made for the hand, not for the eye"
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 25,891
Not sure about if there's a change in grip material at all (I think it's just paint?) but other than the cord wrap there's no difference between those two models besides the finish.
Thanks again for the help, I went with the Orange because the only had the larger 18" blade in the Orange and I figured go big or go home
The orange one has partial wooden grips, the black has glued on polymer grips with the cord wrap. The glue does not hold very well.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 25,891
Ew.....yeah skip that then. When you go with polymer, injection mold that puppy or don't even bother.
I can't speak to the Ontario, but I have the black Marbles pictured above and highly recommend it. It is marketed as the 14" Scout Machete.
The advantage of buying the Marbles over an Imacasa or Tramontina is that the Marbles arrives ready to work; mine came with a seriously sharp, nicely ground convex edge, which you won't find on most other Salvadoran machetes, or even many Cold steels.
It also has a proper distal taper (as a machete should), whereas the Ontarios are, I believe, flat stock. 42, can you confirm?
If you look more closely at the ricasso area, you will see that the handles are shaped differently and the blade of the orange model is wider at the base, presumably shifting the balance toward the hand. I chose the black one because of this difference, and I'm pleased with my choice, but I could do with out the black blade and handle coating. I believe it is also offered in tiger stripe camo if you want to make it even harder to find.
The handle of the black one is wood (just checked), covered with a crinkly rubbery paint which I find offensive to my hand and eye.
The cord wrap is more of a shoelace macrame and does no favors. Mine now wears a simple, flat cord wrap. I presume both handles are riveted and glued.
A good machete will "ring" at the sweet spot; this one is tuned to G#4.
All in all, an excellent tool, which I never find tiring in extended use. I might get the 18" as well.
The advantage of buying the Marbles over an Imacasa or Tramontina is that the Marbles arrives ready to work; mine came with a seriously sharp, nicely ground convex edge, which you won't find on most other Salvadoran machetes, or even many Cold steels.
It also has a proper distal taper (as a machete should), whereas the Ontarios are, I believe, flat stock. 42, can you confirm?
If you look more closely at the ricasso area, you will see that the handles are shaped differently and the blade of the orange model is wider at the base, presumably shifting the balance toward the hand. I chose the black one because of this difference, and I'm pleased with my choice, but I could do with out the black blade and handle coating. I believe it is also offered in tiger stripe camo if you want to make it even harder to find.
The handle of the black one is wood (just checked), covered with a crinkly rubbery paint which I find offensive to my hand and eye.
The cord wrap is more of a shoelace macrame and does no favors. Mine now wears a simple, flat cord wrap. I presume both handles are riveted and glued.
A good machete will "ring" at the sweet spot; this one is tuned to G#4.
All in all, an excellent tool, which I never find tiring in extended use. I might get the 18" as well.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 25,891
Correct, the Ontarios have a (super shallow to the point of almost being non-existent) full flat grind, but no distal taper and combined with their bull-nosed shape, it makes for a very heavy and dead-feeling machete.
Ah--yep. The taper at the base of the blade is because they changed handle shapes. That's the same handle they use on their No.20 panga model, while the handle on the orange one is the same one used on their bolo, daga, and rozador models, among others.
Ew. Yeah--first thing I'd be doing is scraping that nasty-sounding rubber crap off it.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
- Messages
- 19,385
The cord wrap may look good, but it will not make using that one comfortable. You chose well. Stick with the Condor/Imacasa stuff. I personally generally buy the Condor branded stuff because I have been generally completely satisfied with their products. The leather sheaths add quite a lot of value. I bought a poly handled 18" El Salvador at Blade for $20 which is quite a bargain considering the sheath is easily worth that. I was told that model was being discontinued. 42 would know precisely which model I refer to.
Added: I will not purchase a Ontario machete at any price. Wasted too much money on their uncomfortable machetes already.
Added: I will not purchase a Ontario machete at any price. Wasted too much money on their uncomfortable machetes already.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
- Messages
- 19,385
I would just sand it down flush with the top and bottom of the tang as long as the handles are tight. But you certainly don't want something catching in there and pinching. I did that with one of my Condors (Puerto Rican) and it worked out very well. Use it quite a lot and keep it in my work vehicle.