Using a chopper as a machete
- Thread starter RiccardoC
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fishface5
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4.4 cm thick = sledgehammer not machete!!4.4mm thick is around 1/8" which should do pretty well. Wait no it's around 3/16" so this would be very similar to my re-handled scrap yard 1311, which is a decent machete for small branches but not optimal for grasses.
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Ignoring the thickness which we all concur it must be a typo, the goal of a machete is to make fast cuts with long swings on (usually) soft material (think jungle situation). They are usually thin long blades.
I personally think that your chopper is way too thick for regular machete use. For hardwood it will probably do great, but for trail clearing is going to be tiring to swing for a long time.
Mikel
I personally think that your chopper is way too thick for regular machete use. For hardwood it will probably do great, but for trail clearing is going to be tiring to swing for a long time.
Mikel
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4mm is pretty thick for clearing trails.
Please be careful when fatigue rapidly sets in swinging it as that is the point when people hack there own lower limbs.
Please be careful when fatigue rapidly sets in swinging it as that is the point when people hack there own lower limbs.
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that is certainly one major tradition but you also have the bolo which is a short blade...both are in wide use.
bikerector
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You basically have a golok/parang type of machete, depending on the blade shape. They're good on woody or stiff vegetation if the edge is adequately sharp. It will be rough for grassy vegetation because it will be heavy for long days of work and it lacks length.
Depending on what type of trail you're trying to clear, it should work quite well. I have used a condor golok for such purposes when in woody environments and it worked really well. That ended up getting stolen so I picked up a SYKCO 1311 which is even better. We also have a surprising amount of vines in SE Michigan so the thicker blade works nice.
That is a 7.5" blade, one of the thickest tangles of oriental bittersweet I've come across on the mountain bike trails.
Normal trail clearing terrain for me.
So it all depends on what you're clearing from the trails. It's not uncommon for me to have a latin machete and the golok and a folding saw, sometimes I'll go with an axe if there's bigger stuff I need to clear that's hung up in trees that tend to pinch saw blades. The latin machete is just a lot better at taking care of soft vegetation because it's lighter weight and longer. One of the better compromises I've come across is the baryonyx machete, but it can still be tiring if you're mowing with it but for routine cleanup, as the green stuff encroaches onto trails, it's a good compromise of being able to get some bigger stuff taken care of and getting the vine sprouts cut down with the hookbill on the back. The handle is much more comfortable than the condor viking machete, which was also stolen when I lost the previously mentioned condor golok.
Depending on what type of trail you're trying to clear, it should work quite well. I have used a condor golok for such purposes when in woody environments and it worked really well. That ended up getting stolen so I picked up a SYKCO 1311 which is even better. We also have a surprising amount of vines in SE Michigan so the thicker blade works nice.
That is a 7.5" blade, one of the thickest tangles of oriental bittersweet I've come across on the mountain bike trails.
Normal trail clearing terrain for me.
So it all depends on what you're clearing from the trails. It's not uncommon for me to have a latin machete and the golok and a folding saw, sometimes I'll go with an axe if there's bigger stuff I need to clear that's hung up in trees that tend to pinch saw blades. The latin machete is just a lot better at taking care of soft vegetation because it's lighter weight and longer. One of the better compromises I've come across is the baryonyx machete, but it can still be tiring if you're mowing with it but for routine cleanup, as the green stuff encroaches onto trails, it's a good compromise of being able to get some bigger stuff taken care of and getting the vine sprouts cut down with the hookbill on the back. The handle is much more comfortable than the condor viking machete, which was also stolen when I lost the previously mentioned condor golok.
Kailash Blades
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Re: Blade thickness, you never know! Might have commisioned one of these badboys
