- Joined
- Feb 19, 1999
- Messages
- 2,959
Disco Stu,
<b>"Ken, what's wrong with the U.S. issue machete? I'm quite sure Ontario supplies them. I don't think Ontario would make an especially bad machete."</b>
There's nothing wrong with the quality of manufacture and please don't take my statements as a knock at Ontario. It's the DESIGN that's lacking, not the execution.
The GI machete is basically the same instrument our troops have carried for more than 50 years. Only the grip has changed. Unfortunately, the new Blackie Collins grip is even worse than the old one. (Both can chew holes in your hand in minutes.)
The machete, in it's USGI incarnation is too short, and although it widens towards the tip, it has no real belly to the blade. Because of these factors, the GI machete has a very small "sweet spot" relative to many traditional Central American designs. In addition to all this, the tip is designed so as to make effective thrusting with it impossible.
With a proper upswept tip, thrusting becomes possible (if somewhat limited) and the "sweet spot" grows significantly. The addition of four to six inches of false edge to the upswept blade makes for an incredibly powerful back cut. The design gains in effectiveness as a weapon and is a better working tool as well.
So why is the USGI machete blade so rotten?
While I have no historical data to back this up, my personal theory is as follows...
At the beginning of the Second World War, we found ourselves facing the prospect of jungle warfare on a large scale and we were woefully unprepared for this. We needed a design that could be manufactured quickly and with a minimal use of steel. If you look at the USGI machete, you can see how the blade is designed to get the most possible blades out of one sheet of steel, and how there are very few steps to the manufacturing process. There are no curves other than the tip and the hand stop at the back of the grip. These blades can be stamped out, tempered, have the scales riveted on, very quickly sharpened and be packed for shippping. The tempering process probably takes longer than all other manufacturing steps combined.
For what it is, you really have to give credit to the original designers. It works well for what it's designed for. It's not the best, but it works and it's inexpensive.
But don't waste your time trying to trade your GI machete to a Camposino, he won't have it.
Note, pay no attention to the "Bolo" machete on the left of the attached image. The machete on the right is not QUITE the blade style I'm talking about, but it's the closest image I could find.
<b>"Ken, what's wrong with the U.S. issue machete? I'm quite sure Ontario supplies them. I don't think Ontario would make an especially bad machete."</b>
There's nothing wrong with the quality of manufacture and please don't take my statements as a knock at Ontario. It's the DESIGN that's lacking, not the execution.
The GI machete is basically the same instrument our troops have carried for more than 50 years. Only the grip has changed. Unfortunately, the new Blackie Collins grip is even worse than the old one. (Both can chew holes in your hand in minutes.)
The machete, in it's USGI incarnation is too short, and although it widens towards the tip, it has no real belly to the blade. Because of these factors, the GI machete has a very small "sweet spot" relative to many traditional Central American designs. In addition to all this, the tip is designed so as to make effective thrusting with it impossible.
With a proper upswept tip, thrusting becomes possible (if somewhat limited) and the "sweet spot" grows significantly. The addition of four to six inches of false edge to the upswept blade makes for an incredibly powerful back cut. The design gains in effectiveness as a weapon and is a better working tool as well.
So why is the USGI machete blade so rotten?
While I have no historical data to back this up, my personal theory is as follows...
At the beginning of the Second World War, we found ourselves facing the prospect of jungle warfare on a large scale and we were woefully unprepared for this. We needed a design that could be manufactured quickly and with a minimal use of steel. If you look at the USGI machete, you can see how the blade is designed to get the most possible blades out of one sheet of steel, and how there are very few steps to the manufacturing process. There are no curves other than the tip and the hand stop at the back of the grip. These blades can be stamped out, tempered, have the scales riveted on, very quickly sharpened and be packed for shippping. The tempering process probably takes longer than all other manufacturing steps combined.
For what it is, you really have to give credit to the original designers. It works well for what it's designed for. It's not the best, but it works and it's inexpensive.
But don't waste your time trying to trade your GI machete to a Camposino, he won't have it.
Note, pay no attention to the "Bolo" machete on the left of the attached image. The machete on the right is not QUITE the blade style I'm talking about, but it's the closest image I could find.
