Machete

[Laurentius]

I think the Condor Lochnessmuk is not bad to start with, that is to say not the one you buy initially but what it ends up like with a bit of attention to the blade with a file or belt sander or whatever. I bought one of these as a bare blade, and I thought it was cheap and nasty to begin with, but I have managed to fashion it into something that actually works, and feels better balanced and comfortable than a traditional bill hook, examples of which I have. I actually have a range of Bill hooks, slashers, machetes and what have you, but my modified Lochnessmuk is the one that serves as an all round camp knife rather than a specialised woodcraft tool. I suspect a decent Kukri would be rather similar.

 

[TeeDee]

On sale..

The Tactical Gardener

The Tactical Gardener is for all intents and purposes a matt black manchette but normal names for chumps!This is a monster 23 inch manchette with a 440 steel blade, poly grip and sheath with grip loop, perfect for showing that garden who's boss! Edge: Sharp Length: 58cm Blade width: 6cm Blade...

ravenforge.com

I should say , I picked up one of these because... well. You know. I had a space somewhere in my soul I thought this may help fill it.


Anyhooo.

Well built Machete -THICK blade.. Comfy handle. Blade isn't that sharp out of the box but I can fix that.

Anyway. If one was considering one.

 

[hanzo]

Been looking to buy a machete for battoning logs & making kindling,
It’ll also be used for debarking, removal of twigs/small branches & shaving/removal of wood for tools..Kind of a one tool fits most jobs affair.
Prefer if its straight spined/edged so it can fit neatly into my bow saw pouch, so I can slip it down the inside of my bag as it’s for uk use only, so no Rambo/ he-man looking over the top stuff.
Has a smooth finished handle & maybe a thicker width blade.
Nothing extravagant or pricey, just a good robust tool that’s fit for purpose & will last.
I know there’s axes, Sickles scythes & draw blades,I’ve used them all for the correct job at hand.
I just fancy having a change to try out something new & different to experiment with.

A 12" Tramontina might fit the bill for you. Cheap, easy to maintain, and rugged. It fits in a pack pretty easily and works even for trail clearing (not heavy duty trail clearing since it is small). I pair it with a hooked stick that I cut. Take a file with you and you are good to go for maintenance and sharpening.

My wife carries a 12" Tramontina, a serrated Japanese sickle, a folding saw and a Mora combo on the trail. Gets most things done. We often will clear overgrown trails that we like to go one. And sometimes do a little bushwhacking where we haven't been.

 

[hanzo]

When I first saw the Skrama, I was attracted to it because of the long handle. I think the proportions make it versatile. So I bought both the carbon and the stainless steel. Took the stainless one camping and destroyed it on hard wood on its first usage. The edge chipped and rolled. Think it was bad heat treat. The carbon is more rugged.

Varusteleka, to their credit, sent me a replacement when I sent them pictures of what happened to their blade.

They are big and heavy. Not something I would carry on my person, only in my pack. And I find myself not wanting to take that weight. A machete and Silky saw is a more versatile combo along with my knife. And at about a similar bulk and weight.

 

[henchy3rd]

Update on the 1st outing with the Skrama over the weekend..yes it’s big & has some weight to it, but not as heavy as my axe.
Half way between an axe & a very large knife( which is exactly what I was searching for).
It was surprisingly comfy & well balanced to wield around( gloved & ungloved). I was more than happy for producing fine feather sticks with the finer part of the blade & the main part eating through dead branches the size of my wrist with ease, there’s definitely a sweet spot/ technique to stop it jamming in the wood though.
The double grip handle sat nicely in my hand with a good grip & light grip with no fatigue whatsoever.
Used for batoning bigger than the usual sized wood with my regular knife, it’s went through with ease & was a joy to use.

I then prepared half a leg of lamb for tea in the billy can & for slicing the veg.. wow it’s great for chopping up meat, not so good for the veg( I had to try).

However, the only qualm’s I could anticipate is the leather handle fastener, there’s a potential the cutting edge could slice it as it can get in the road..I’ll just have to be mindful of it happening, it is however a nice tight fit in the inner plastic case so shouldn’t fall out.
The other is the leather belt dangler, personally I’d prefer it to be a bit thicker quality as it seems a bit thin.
As an observation, the sheath could do with a thigh strap as it acts like a pendulum when walking & has a tendency to get in the road when sitting, that’s more of a personal thing though.

I haven’t tried to make sparks with the ferro rod as I always use a dedicated striker, so I can’t comment on that.

Decided to do some messing around trying different techniques for planning/drawing/shaping/ notching/debarking..it’s going to be a mixed use of my old faithful knife & the Skarma for the task at hand.. that blade is big & very sharp & the light was fading, so it’ll await another day.

It also fits nicely with the collapsible bowsaw together in the slip.
All in all I haven’t wasted my money & it says what it will do on the box( as though to speak).

 

[IainB]

I've used an old MOD survival Knife to do the work you describe in the past.. pretty much indestructible and has the weight to help..

Sounds like you are sorted though

 

[santaman2000]

LainB beat me to it. I have several machetes and love them but they just aren't the right tool for the job you describe. I immediately thought of the MOD knife instead.

 

[spader]

I like the Marbles machetes. They were good price a few year ago, and work great. I have a small bolo, jungle machete, camp knife and also a parang from the Marbles company. I believe they are still in production and for sale with great price.