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Machetes

long as it rides secure, and removes the necessary obstructions, who are we to judge. if it works it works. ive got the the cold steel Kukri machete en route. couldnt bring myself to drop the coin for the Cold Steel ghurka kukri, so decided to go with this to get the feel of the kukri design. thinkin the lighter faster swing will help to keep the masses of undead flesh cravers at bay.
 
IMG_20150725_230058.jpg My Gerber Gator Jr. Yep got it at Wallyworld for under $20... Holds an edge, not hard to sharpen , took care of lots of saplings & vines when I was running fence behind the house... My gf calls it the "Gutter" ,LOL....
 
I live in the country and have a lot of timber and brush. A decent machete is a necessity. The best I've ever used is the one I have now: second from the bottom in this picture.

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Made by Tramontina in Brazil. Thick 16" square-end blade; wooden grip with full tang. Heavy enough for felling, sharp enough for close trimming and shaping.
The best machete for the money bar none. They can be had for chump change at Survival Pax website. I actually use machetes for clearing brush along the fence line during the summer when the creeper vines start encroaching on the garden. I'm partial to the 14" and 18" model, the 18+ inch models have a bit too much flex. The 12" Tramontina is the best watermelon knife out there and makes short work of brush in tight spots along the fence line. The blade holds a good edge-better than you'd expect for the price-under $10 and the 12" model is usually $5. Any nicks get the file and then the stone. Oh, yeah, the 12" Tramontina cuts a mean pizza when rocked.
 
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Added my Fasthawk and Rambo knife too, which aren't machete's at all, but still pretty cool. Here's by Gerber Gator and SOG Sogfari machetes. Not too impressed w/ the Gator. It works about as good as the rusted $6 Walmart machete I have stuck the ground in my garden. The SOGfari IS pretty bada$$ though!! If I came across a full size one, I'd totally buy that one too
 
I had never read any posts on this particular thread before this morning. Lots of nice knives and machetes and great pics.
 
My favorite chopper is my Condor 12" Village Parang which is really incredible. My favorite machete is my Ontario Knife 18" Military machete. I also have a Ditch Bank Blade on a 4-foot handle for swinging against those weeds in the ditches and under fences, but that thing wears me out pretty quickly. I keep all of them scary sharp.
 
I'm now more familiar with machetes and have a couple new-ish ones in the stable. I posted pics of the larger one elsewhere... Here's the larger one, with a smaller one I just picked up, resting happily together.
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The one on the left is along the lines of a village parang, and on the right is a full length parang.
 
For $20 at Lowe's you can buy a Tramontina 18" machete which is just outstanding as a latin-style machete. Flexible blade, very good at cutting thru vines and light undergrowth.

I have one and sorta like it. I really like my Ontario Knife U.S. 18" 1075 carbon steel better.

Want to see some amazing brush clearing technique using a machete and a reaping hook cut from a tree branch???????

 
You boys must live in the dang kudzu country or something with all these machetes. :p

I cleaned up this piece of property when we moved here 15 years ago, and I haven't touched anything like that since.
 

Similar to a reaping hook.

The Gancho Hook.

I've made several of these over the past few years after watching this video.
 
Informative for sure.... I see I'm going to have to make one of those hook thingees .....
 
Informative for sure.... I see I'm going to have to make one of those hook thingees .....

I have FIVE reaping/Gancho hooks, which makes me kinda pathetic in a nerd sort of way. I'm a loser.

They are quite handy though. I made one up to keep in the garage, and one for the master bedroom, and one in the dining room. When our Labrador dog's play toy (which is a small soccer ball) gets wedged under a bed or car or table I just "hook" it right out without getting on my hands and knees. And I have a couple for brush clearing with a machete too. They are freakin' FREE so why not?

:)
 
My collection all together. From top to bottom,
Ontario
Ontario "sawtooth spine" (modified after I broke it, about 20 years ago)
Cold Steel "Kukri machete"
Camillus "carnivore maxx" (also modified after it broke a couple years ago)
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20170924_201556.jpg Machetes are without a doubt my most used tool of choice. The one on left is my current favorite its a cold steeltbarong the one on right is a mystery cheapo from tractor supply. I carry the barong a whole lot. I like the deep belly and the wicked point, it has actually dispatched one small boar on a dog hunt when the "hunter" pretty much froze at the moment he needed to be stabbing(used to happen pretty regularly bad asses when they show up when the fight ensues with dogs and hogs flying around in full on rage theyre nuts get sucked up into theyre stomach and they cant move) . There is a third a SOGfari machete in box on the four wheeler it has been a beast and heavily used for good number of years.
Edit to ad i really appreciate the handle on the barong also if you done any real heavy line cutting as muscle failure and hand strength fade that handle really aids retention.
 
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I've been thinking of adding a parang to the lineup. All my previous blades have been long, but that's unconventional for the midwest. It's more stick and limb clearing, than vine and brush as in southern regions. The modified Ontario has been one of my favorites, and always a go-to. I don't remember how I broke it, but I think I was only a young teen at the time. I took it to the barn, pulled out the angle grinder, and made it into a makeshift tanto blade. It's served me well ever since for branches, limbs, saplings, and occasionally chopping spoiled fruit, or cutting cornstalks to feed the animals. I refer to it as my "field knife". Getting back around..... I would appreciate recommendations on a parang.
 
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I've been thinking of adding a parang to the lineup. All my previous blades have been long, but that's unconventional for the midwest. It's more stick and limb clearing, than vine and brush as in southern regions. The modified Ontario has been one of my favorites, and always a go-to. I don't remember how I broke it, but I think I was only a young teen at the time. I took it to the barn, pulled out the angle grinder, and made it into a makeshift tanto blade. It's served me well ever since for branches, limbs, saplings, and occasionally chopping spoiled fruit, or cutting cornstalks to feed the animals. I refer to it as my "field knife". Getting back around..... I would appreciate recommendations on a parang.
Hey diesel i actually edited my post i had parang on brain after reading thread my cold steel is actually a Barong. I fell in love because of its dual purpose potential having the nice pointy tip. As for parangs i find them incredible well proven tools also. I would venture to say a parang style would serve well inyour enviroment i was actually just looking at several online myself thinking i may add one to the mix. I am pretty stuck on my barong right now though. It handles well were i use it and i also strap it on my pack when hiking its quick to deploy if needed for any number of reasons. Thinking of your uses and ability to break things the Esee Junglass comes to mind as a great large field knife and you sure aint gonna break it(its abit spendy but if ya use alot worth it) my son in law has had one we gave him one christmas and its a top shelf piece of work.
 
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I've been thinking of adding a parang to the lineup. All my previous blades have been long, but that's unconventional for the midwest. It's more stick and limb clearing, than vine and brush as in southern regions. The modified Ontario has been one of my favorites, and always a go-to. I don't remember how I broke it, but I think I was only a young teen at the time. I took it to the barn, pulled out the angle grinder, and made it into a makeshift tanto blade. It's served me well ever since for branches, limbs, saplings, and occasionally chopping spoiled fruit, or cutting cornstalks to feed the animals. I refer to it as my "field knife". Getting back around..... I would appreciate recommendations on a parang.

REALLY nice wood handle? Great steel?

Condor.

Village Parang.

You are welcome. :)

Want a synthetic handle and a great blade?

Still Condor by a mile.

They have a lot more weight over a machete, but are not overly heavy. Sheesh, they can do practically anything. Imagine a 1.75-lb hatchet, razor sharp, and a 13" cutting edge instead of a 3" edge.

I have chopped down stuff in a few strokes that a machete would totally wear me out.
 
Thanks Nite. Did you see that I got the axe sheaths done?

I think I may try an make a pouch for my folding bucksaw next. I'll see what I have left over. If there's enough to work with I'll get your info and send you some of the firehose.
 
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