This may have been covered before I discovered this site, but can anyone point me in the direction of a cheap (or at least value for money) good machete/golok?
Many thanks in advance.
Many thanks in advance.
Machete
- Thread starter Andrew Middleton
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The valiant survival golok has had a lot of good reviews and is reasonably cheap (about £35).
http://www.valiantco.com/indexA.html
Reviews:
http://outdoors-magazine.com/s_article.php?id_article=2
http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/knives/valiant_golok.html
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/valiant1.html
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=985
http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000998.html
http://www.valiantco.com/indexA.html
Reviews:
http://outdoors-magazine.com/s_article.php?id_article=2
http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/knives/valiant_golok.html
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/valiant1.html
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=985
http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000998.html
I use a Tramontina brand, made in Brazil. Bought new for £5.99. Not a bad bit of kit with the exception of the sheath, which is a flimsly vynil affair I'm planning to replace with a DIY plywwod one in due course.
The blade takes a good edge that lasts fairly well. Its a good cutter.
Be aware that you can pay as much as £18.00 for the same thing.
http://www.baconsdozen.co.uk/knives.htm sells them mail order.
Dave
The blade takes a good edge that lasts fairly well. Its a good cutter.
Be aware that you can pay as much as £18.00 for the same thing.
http://www.baconsdozen.co.uk/knives.htm sells them mail order.
Dave
B
Bex
Guest
I've ordered a couple of these:
http://www.gerberblades.com/products/view.php?model=2773
From Joe at:
http://outdoorsuppliesuk.com/content.html
Cost at under 30 quid each including postage. Made by Fiskars and now sold in the US under the Gerber name. Limited lifetime warranty as well.
Its been tested in rainforest in South America and been very highly rated. I havent seen anything else rated so highly at such a good price.
Some more info which is where I found out about it can be found here:
http://www.knifeforums.com//ubbthre...=327418&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1
http://www.gerberblades.com/products/view.php?model=2773
From Joe at:
http://outdoorsuppliesuk.com/content.html
Cost at under 30 quid each including postage. Made by Fiskars and now sold in the US under the Gerber name. Limited lifetime warranty as well.
Its been tested in rainforest in South America and been very highly rated. I havent seen anything else rated so highly at such a good price.
Some more info which is where I found out about it can be found here:
http://www.knifeforums.com//ubbthre...=327418&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1
B
Bex
Guest
Hello Sargey,
Not too bad thank you for asking. How's it going with you?
I see a lot of the people who used to post on the Knifeforums OSF are over here. Nice to see.
How are you finding your Bark River knives? I havent had a chance to use my Highland Special yet, aside from shredding some junk mail.
Not too bad thank you for asking. How's it going with you?
I see a lot of the people who used to post on the Knifeforums OSF are over here. Nice to see.
How are you finding your Bark River knives? I havent had a chance to use my Highland Special yet, aside from shredding some junk mail.
outrageously sharp!!! i had to forsake the leather sheath after a mishap, and convert a spare kydex job. :shock:
but back to the machete question:
andrew, do you have a specific application for your machete?
cheers, and.
B
Bex
Guest
Sharp is good. As long as you still have all your fingers and toes, thats the main thing 
Re: Machete's, the Ontario ones tend to be heavier than other models, so bear that in mind. I had an 18 inch bladed version that I did not like at all. Unless you are 6 foot four and used to manual labour I would not recommend this one, (I say this having had experience with martial arts sword work as well).
The handles are rivetted on and not very comfortable. The molded handguard versions-a great improvement I read-I dont think you can get in the UK due to the 1988 weapons act.
The Ontario will more than likely chop through branches and similar better than most other machete because it is thicker. Other machetes are not so suited to such work, because they have thin blades, so bear that in mind. You run a higher risk of the blade fracturing.
I've decided to go with the Gerber because I think that it is a design that will work in the UK. Good for clearing brambles, nettles and such like, but also capable of removing branches and similar where needed. Yes, it looks like a billhook, but then the billhook is a time proven design for these parts. Most machete are suited to different vegitation in different climates.
Re: Machete's, the Ontario ones tend to be heavier than other models, so bear that in mind. I had an 18 inch bladed version that I did not like at all. Unless you are 6 foot four and used to manual labour I would not recommend this one, (I say this having had experience with martial arts sword work as well).
The handles are rivetted on and not very comfortable. The molded handguard versions-a great improvement I read-I dont think you can get in the UK due to the 1988 weapons act.
The Ontario will more than likely chop through branches and similar better than most other machete because it is thicker. Other machetes are not so suited to such work, because they have thin blades, so bear that in mind. You run a higher risk of the blade fracturing.
I've decided to go with the Gerber because I think that it is a design that will work in the UK. Good for clearing brambles, nettles and such like, but also capable of removing branches and similar where needed. Yes, it looks like a billhook, but then the billhook is a time proven design for these parts. Most machete are suited to different vegitation in different climates.
My main application would be clearing an area of overgrown vegetation including bracken and an enormous plant that looks like giant water lillies, but not in water. I don't know the name.
I guess you're going to suggest a scythe (?spelling) may be better, but I fancied learning a new technique with a blade I've never had need to work with before.
I guess you're going to suggest a scythe (?spelling) may be better, but I fancied learning a new technique with a blade I've never had need to work with before.
a specific application and a just 'coz! sounds like an industrial strimmer would be the best bet
cheers, and.
B
Bex
Guest
sargey said:a specific application and a just 'coz! sounds like an industrial strimmer would be the best bet
cheers, and.
Yup. Dont forget the goggles.
EdS
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sythes are hard work but very relaxing to use. Keep it sharp and it make a lovely noise.
I got one to use around the hives as the petrol strimmer made them a bit tetchy. Since to strimmer gave up I've not bothered replacing it.
I got one to use around the hives as the petrol strimmer made them a bit tetchy. Since to strimmer gave up I've not bothered replacing it.
At long last (thanks to larry the spark) I have managed to get some pics on this forum :-D
The machete is a MOD Golock that you can get from USMC for £14.99 inc sheath and the saw is the ever famous Laplander from local DIY store for £17.99.
I slight alteration on the sheath, saves on pocket space.
The machete is a MOD Golock that you can get from USMC for £14.99 inc sheath and the saw is the ever famous Laplander from local DIY store for £17.99.
I slight alteration on the sheath, saves on pocket space.
These have appeared in the U.S.
I bought one for $20 at an "Outdoor Show." Blade marked "17-9944 1993." OD sheath marked "SL32A/4728 FROG BAYONET." Blade seems very hard. Convex grind.
Does anyone out there know what sort of steel they used?
I covered the beastly rivets with athletic "grip" tape and insterted several strips of plastic in the sehath fro a tighter fit and greater stiffness.
I bought one for $20 at an "Outdoor Show." Blade marked "17-9944 1993." OD sheath marked "SL32A/4728 FROG BAYONET." Blade seems very hard. Convex grind.
Does anyone out there know what sort of steel they used?
I covered the beastly rivets with athletic "grip" tape and insterted several strips of plastic in the sehath fro a tighter fit and greater stiffness.
Sorry guys, I'm going to disagree on this one. I used one of these for quite a while, in fact I've still got it in the shed. But I never found it satisfactory at all. It took an awful lot of work to get a decent bevel on it and out in the forest it would chip and ding worse than anything else I used. As soon as I could I retired it. It would do ok for soft green stuff like liana and rotan but the minute you tried to get through anything hard it would just bounce off! IMHO it's too light, steel is too brittle, quality (certainly of the one I have) is poor, and the balance for any heavy chopping was just wrong - it was a very tiring thing to use.
It was cheap though!
I replaced it with various local versions which tended to be a lot heavier and with more comfortable handles until I eventually bought myself a Reinhardt combat kukri from Blackjack - what a revelation! A proper convex bevel that cut like nothing I'd ever used before, weight distribution that meant I could cut for a long time before I got too tired, and great quality steel that held an edge for a long time.
I'm a kukri convert and you'd never get me back to a martindale "tree beater" if you paid me! :-D
George
It was cheap though!
I replaced it with various local versions which tended to be a lot heavier and with more comfortable handles until I eventually bought myself a Reinhardt combat kukri from Blackjack - what a revelation! A proper convex bevel that cut like nothing I'd ever used before, weight distribution that meant I could cut for a long time before I got too tired, and great quality steel that held an edge for a long time.
I'm a kukri convert and you'd never get me back to a martindale "tree beater" if you paid me! :-D
George
I've just spent a lunch break putting a razor sharp edge on mine - using a Hoodoo hone. I'll try it out over the coming weekend. If its no good I'll go back to my old Tramontina and consign the golok to the toolbox under the landy seat, just in case.
Dave
Dave
