All things machete

Hello from a well desrved coffee break,
Hope we are all thriving.
Thank you for all comments.

Like one contributor, I use a selection of cutting tools which makes my life less tiring.
I decide what is good for what.
Most of my tools are ancient with well worn wooden handles, no brand names and serious blades, cutting edges, be it sickle, saw, machete,knife etc. Big effort to maintain them in good condition.

Organised a sharpening or is it whetting workshop with a forger/cutlery buddy who showed us the way to work with different types of steel for best results. It was time well spent, shared lots of tips, with a grand shared lunch, of course.

To avoid tendon strain, moderation, not sure that word is in my vocabulary, I find magnesium “oil” is really helpful in reducing, even preventing pain. You can make a diy version using mg chloride or buy it ready made. It’s applied externally directly to the affected area.

Happy lopping and chopping
M-H

Better late than never. Found this picture hiding on my hard drive today & realized I never replied to this thread as intended when the picture was taken.

There are various sizes & styles of machetes available. They range from very expensive custom pieces to affordably priced. The important thing is that they fit your hand, have a good grip, & have a sturdy lanyard.

The larger one shown here I got for $15 on sale about 10 years ago. It has a basic blade shape & is made of good but not especially great steel. It has seen a lot of heavy duty cutting action. Everything from huge cactii being cleared when I built trails for the greenbelt alliance to removing large trees that fell across roads during hurricanes. No special sharpening techniques are needed. I use a file or a grinding wheel. It lives in my trunk because you never know when a road will be blocked.

The smaller one was more expensive & uses a much higher quality steel. They don't make this particular model any more but I think they do have some similar ones. It has a multifunction blade. The serrated edge can do some serious damage fast. The handle is more aggressive & includes a glass breaker. The tip is pointy & the cutting edge is extremely sharp. This one doesn't get used much & is much harder to sharpen. I use a whetstone for that. This is my zombie & backwoods hiking machete & lives in my backpack.

The "trick" to efficient machete use is not to swing it but to flick it. It's all in the wrist. It's all about precise control. Start swinging one of these bad boys around & someone is likely to be hurt. Bad. It will probably be the person swinging it. Always use the lanyard.

Mike,

I am going to second your comments on the larger machete.

I think you hit the nail on the head.  It is a cheap (affordable) machete made from good but not great steel, but just how good does the steel need to be?  I have one and like you, I have done a lot of work with it.  It was invaluable when I was cleaning up my woods after a derecho passed through.  The serrated back might look like a gimmick, but it cut surprisingly well.  And like you said, it is plenty easy to sharpen—I got a little hand sharpener to do the trick.

Another aspect that should not be overlooked is the scabbard for the blade.  The scabbard is a nice, solid but lightweight container with a good Velcro and snap closure to keep things tidy.  

Overall,  this is a handy, efficient and affordable tool to have for clearing all sorts of woody twigs and will even cut some surprisingly thick, oak branches when you need.  Definitely a good buy.

Eric

Yes, the scabbard is important.

Once I was on a long hike along the Cumberland Gap trail with the smaller machete & the scabbard broke so it fell off my belt. Didn't realize it until I needed it later. Backtracked several miles until I found it laying on the trail. Leave no trace, leave no machete:)

As noted earlier in the thread, I have what is presumably the updated version of your SOG machete - the 18" SOGFari I have has a rounded tip rather than the squared off and the blade is blackened...I don't recall what treatment that may be.  So far, I've been happy enough with it for the price and what I've actually asked of it - relatively light, vegetative work more so than woody cuts.