is a machete a machete?
 

My wife and I are looking at getting some machete's to add to our bug out supplies as a tool for the wilderness...making shelter, gathering food, etc...

So is any machete just as good as any other for the most part? Or is there someplace that makes higher quality ones that I should look at?

I was looking at the ones at cold steel
http://www.coldsteel.com/machetes.html

Probably the bolo or a kukri or one of each. My wife and I would like to each carry one so we can work together to build the shelter, etc...

I don't mind paying a little more if I know I'm getting high quality right now, though the price at cold steel is hard to argue with and part of the reason I asked because I was expecting them to be more costly.

pertaining particularly to the kukri, which length would be more useful?

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Hmmm don't know... maybe ask this guy

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

IMO, it is a good item to add to your bug out supplies, my only advice would be to be very careful. A machete can be ideal in many survival situations where a knife would not do the job precisely because it makes big cuts very quickly, and delivers a punch. You don't want to start swinging one around if you haven't handled big knives before.

JMHO

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

??

What are you thinking? A machete is for chopping through jungles. It doesn't have to be high quality for that job. It's too big and balanced wrong for any other job. Every knife is a special purpose instrument. Here is an introduction to the subject.

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

I've used cheap machetes. They suck.

Get a medium quality production one from like "cold steel" or something.

The Wal Mart junk is useless. You definately don't have to blow a bunch of money on some Rambo survival knife or custome machete though. Just has to be able to hold something resembling an edge: aka: not chinese "pot steel."

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

I figured the cold steel ones would be better quality then the ones at walmart or whatever, but I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something I was overlooking.

So any suggestions on the style?

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

I am ordering this Kukri today:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tnumber=113362

It is a bit more expensive than the Cold Steel but I have always been satisfied with the Ka-Bar products I've purchased over the years.

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

The Cold Steel ones aren't real overpriced, if you like them. The generics cost maybe $7, and the Cold Steel ones are around twice that, but the difference still isn't much.

A machete is only for chopping through soft plants, it doesn't need to be made of any expensive materials. And it will go dull quickly if you use it for chopping wood at all--even pencil-sized twigs.

The only one I would advise is the 18" Latin one, because it has a hook-butt handle. When you try to use one of these things much, your hand will get sweaty and tired and it will tend to slip out of your hand as you swing unless the handle has a hook on the butt end.

None of the others has the same type of handle. They have the handles correct for that knife style, but all the handles are made of hard plastic. If you wrapped them with leather or 550 cord maybe they wouldn't get slippery when sweaty, but why bother worrying about that, when the Latin one has the ideal handle shape already?

-end-

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Big Country -

You might look at getting a couple of these.......

http://www.woodmanspal.com/testimonials.html

They've been around damn near forever and, to me

Are the best thing since tear-off toilet paper for clearing brush

And other machete type tasks.

By the way, most machete styles are woefully out of balance;

Hard on the wrist and elbow, and worse yet, hard to check your

Swing if the blade is headed toward your shin.

scyth

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

YEP get one or two of these, they make a heavy one with a hand guard, and a lighter one that is a bit longer, I bought both of these and am pleased as hell.
keep one in the truck just in case I need to clear some brush

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Just to make everyone weep, here.

I bought my "Pal" in 1973

From a secondhand store in Medford, Oregon

For $1.25 cash money.

Haven't managed to wear it out, despite

Much hard use.


scyth

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

if you do you can send it back to the company and they will re-:23_30_104:man it like new.
I bet your leather handle is just about broke in by now???

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Knife is made in Taiwan.:thumb.aspx:
Woodsmans Pal is made in Boyertown PA, USA:23_30_104:

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Right. Just in case. I was thinking along the lines of keeping a handy hatchet in my truck for those just in case surprise jobs.

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

yea..like if this old lady stopped me and said "sonny...if you clear this brush from my back yard I will pay you with this roll of silver dollars"
I could do her a good job.
or if I had one of these handy dandy hatchets...look out brush

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

That's one hell of a just in case hatchet! You mind giving the name so I can google it?

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

google your self silly my friend it is a GG&G BATTLE HAWK Tactical Tomahawk...or just follow the link provided, but be fore warned they are SPENDY...but they do have some nifty other implements too
http://www.gggaz.com/index.php?id=141&parents=113

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

$260? Where are the laser beams? seriously?!?

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

warned you they were SPENDY!
yea and a can opener too???
I think these are marketed to cops or hero wanna be's
but what do I know?

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

It is the only KABAR I've purchased that wasn't made in Olean, NY - but given our history together I figured I would give it a shot.

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

so the gist i'm getting from you guys is "just get something sharp thats made in the USA"

Ok I can handle that....

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

I read the Testimonials page.

Wow.

I am gonna get one( I mean two) of these as soon as the budget allows.

A Quality product is worth its weight in Gold (0r Silver)


T

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

If you want to learn about machetes, ask a Mexican. They love 'em.

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

I just found that cabelas is a distributor for the woodsman PAL. I'm going to head over there and have a looksee at one and see if I can hold it and play with it :-)

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

I've got a khukri that I use as an all-purpose machete and axe. I can chop though wood no problem and it holds an edge nicely. I got it at a gun show and cleaned it up. Came with a companion blade and of course the scabbard.

I like that it is many tools in one, the way it is balanced helps me swing it, and the extra metal (the bend and bulge that makes it a khukri) adds satisfying heft and turns it into a chopping axe.

I see no reason to use a Unitasker (machete) when you can have a multi-purpose tool. (Khukri or other comprable solution)

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Military surplus?

http://www.uscav.com/Productinfo.asp...D=6693&TabID=1

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

In terms of machetes, Tramontina (Brazil) makes pretty good (yet inexpensive) blades. Some of their machetes come with copper wire wrapped wood handles, for a solid grip. I've also read good things about the Ontario Knife machetes.

Kukris are good for hacking through thicker branches, but would probably get a bit tough on your wrist after using it for a while. They usually have VERY thick blades, and are point heavy.

The best blade I have for whacking through brush & trimming trees is a Golok. Do not get one of the Brit mil-surplus models - from what I've read, they dull quickly & are basically useless for cutting.

The one I like is a Medium Survival Golok from Valiant Company (Australia). They sell a bunch of south-east Asian (Java, Borneo, Celebes, Philippines,...) made knives, swords, and tools.

See:
http://www.valiantco.com/ - click on "Java 1"

My Golok has a 15" blade, and the edge is nice & thin. It zips through branches upwards of 1.5" thick, and is a pleasure to use. It is NOT the sort of blade to use if you're whacking into rocks or digging in the ground. The edge is too thin to survive much abuse like that. If you want a CUTTING tool, it would do a great job.

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Sorry, no habla the froglish. What does it say? ??"this is a machete"??

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

it's a play on a famous painting by Magritte:
The Treachery of Images

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

I don't like Kukri's as bushcraft knives. The shape just doesn't lend itself in my opinion.

Much prefer a bowie of any description (Favorite is the Ontario SP-5)

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

I think I decided that whatever we get, my wife and I need to get something different. Like her get the woodman pal and me get a kukri, or some other combination. I think that would cover more scenarios in bugging out then if we both got the same thing. Diversifying our stash so that we have the right tool if we need it, yet we both have somewhat of a multi-use tool at the same time.

I think that is the best approach. I'm leaving for cabela's here in a few hours to go check out the woodsman pal. (hopefully they'll have one in stock so I can look at it)

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

The site you posted is soooooo beautiful.........

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Thanks - that's the first time I'd ever heard of or seen Magritte's work.

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Thanks - glad you enjoyed it.

Valiant Co has been around for a while - they're definitely not an errornet fly-by-night company. In digging through Quicken, I bought my Golok on June of 2004, so that's 5 years ago. It is still nice & sharp.

They seem to offer a wide variety of neat looking edged weapons, and their prices aren't hateful for hand made blades.

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

So cabelas was a no go for the woodsman pal. I asked the salesman and he knew right away what I was talking about (this surprised me). He said he knew they used to carry them, but hadn't seen them "in a while". He checked the computer to verify and said that he didn't think they carried them anymore.

So I didn't get a chance to look at the woodsman pal in person, but I think I'm going to get one when the budget allows...

Re: is a machete a machete?
 

Big Country -

Damn. Too bad.

However, when you get round to it,

You won't regret it.


scyth