Where can I get a good machete?

[pennwalk]

There is an old machete laying around in the barn. The only time I gave it a try to do battle with the brush I quickly got the idea it would be better for chopping off my knee than clearing brush. Now I prefer my bush hog. The Stihl works pretty good to although it will preform knee surgery too if you aren't careful.

Chris

 

[rcaretti]

I keep seeing the Woodman's Pal machete advertised in the Fur-Fish-Game magazine. I don't have one and don't know what they cost, but they look pretty well made. It looks like they are made in PA as well.

Here's the site - The Original WOODMAN'S PAL Machete

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

It's not a machete but it looks like it would be a mean brush knife...maybe a bit heavy for continued use. It's on my *wanna have* list

Woodsman Pal- premium

Zeuspaul

I have one of these and it works great!

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

I like my woodsman's pal - but they're pricey, like $60-100 depending on where you order it from.
Ontario makes good machetes.
so does Cold Steel -- their 18" kukri is a good pattern, and pretty forgiving.
18" is the shortest you should look at -- 24" the longest.
both of these can be found in the $20 range.

tramontina (brazilian) found at ampride, TSC, and orscheln's is pretty decent, too, but you'll want to wrap the handle in grip tape to cover the rough edges.

good luck.

 

[firefighter9208]

I have a Gerber Brush Thinner that my wife bought me at Academy Outdoors. Here's a link to their website: GerberGear > Product Details > Brush Thinner . It works great and holds an edge well. I have used it for everything from chopping cornstalks to feed the goats to chopping through fallen trees (4"-5" diameter) that have fallen across the fence.

Cabela's has it for $39.95. Cabela's -- Gerber Brush Thinner Machete

Chris

 

[Charlesaf3]

Used properly a machete can really do a lot, no doubt. Chief method of ground clearing in a lot of the third world.

 

[ore540]

Used properly a machete can really do a lot, no doubt. Chief method of ground clearing in a lot of the third world.

Don't know how properly I use it but it's the best thing I've found for clearing the blackberry vines back to the fence. Growing over from the neighbor's side so really can't spray them - wouldn't want to anyway, taste great! Weed eater won't work - string tangles in field fence & a blade cuts it. Good stress reliever a couple of times a year.

 

[Bird]

When I had a big garden, I had tomato cages make from concrete wire, and of course the tomato plants grew out through the cages in every direction. At the end of the first year, I spent a lot of time trying to pull all the plant material out and salvage my cages for the next year. But by the second year, it had dawned on me that using a machete to chop the plants off all the way around close to the outside of the cage made it easy to pull up the cages with no plant material attached. It literally changed an hour job to a 10 minute job.

 

[BruceR]

I have stood behind a machete for literaly thousands of miles in the past 25 years as a Land Surveyor here in East Texas. The Ontario Knife mentioned earlier is an excellent choice. Barteaux is also a great choice. Barteaux Machetes Product 1 I always liked Blackie Collins, as the seemed to have the best balance, but can't find them anymore.

I would recommend the 22" with knuckle guard. The 24" models seem to bend a little too often for my taste. The guard takes a little getting used to ( not for the limp wristed among us ), but keeps it from flying out of your hand when you get sweaty.

When you factor in the free shipping, this is about the best price I have found, in fact, I just ordered 4 of them.
Ontarioï½® 22" Improved Machete - Heavy Duty

We use them for every thing from briars and honeysuckle to 12" oaks. The larger trees we cut by using two men taking alternating whacks. Cutting involves a little physics, but it aint rocket science.

The method that works best for me : Being careful, put some tension on what you are cutting. Using your free hand ( I use a 1" square lath as an extension of my hand ) bend what you want to cut to the left. Take a solid downward stroke at about a 45° angle toward the left at the base on the right side. 2"-3" trees should come down in one whack. For cutting limbs out away from the trunk of the tree, stand fairly parallel to the limb, cut either back toward the tree or away from the tree, so that the limb can't swing away, but has to absorb all the force. Whenever possible, cut limbs up close to the trunk for best results. For briars and honeysuckle, I take that 1"x48" square lath that I carry and wind it up in the vines so that I can put some tension on them while I cut. Takes a little practice, but works well.

Bruce
RPLS 5781

 

[SimS]

Here's my favorite brush knife. Nice and heavy blade and stacked leather handle. I generally grab it before my Cold Steel stuff. I still lust for the Woodsmans Pal but this is a cheaper alternative.

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