This might be just the deal for Jack. He wants a single cutting/digging tool. Cold Steel 97THM Can ya dig it? :wink:
Mike
Mike
new machete
- Thread starter jdupre'
- Start date
Yeah, the one I ordered has a saw back because that seems useful. I'll figure it out, or get rid of it. I don't see a square ended tool digging better than a pointy ended one. Unless it's sand or loose soil, where you don't need a tool anyway.
I've been considering purchasing a new machete for some time , I already have three but they don't suit what I need to do , one is a 12" chinese copy of the Martindale Golok , another is a copy of martindale bolo machete, and another 20" machete , all except the golok style are very thin and the golok style far too thick , I generally have one in the box in the back of the ute with my recovery gear but none of them do the job I need them to do , I realised long ago that machetes don't work real well with the hardwood we have here but they are good for clearing brush around a campsite and cutting a few saplings for packing under a wheel when bogged but one of the main uses I have for them is when butchering game , being able to chop down through the spine or rib cage is very handy some times ,
I figure for clearing brush as much reach as possible is handy so I've been considering the coldsteel 24" Latin Machete , any one used one ? are they any good ?
David
I figure for clearing brush as much reach as possible is handy so I've been considering the coldsteel 24" Latin Machete , any one used one ? are they any good ?
David
Finally got around to making a sheath for the machete. I had a bit of nice oiled leather on hand.
dawallace45 said:
I have had a machete that looks like ( same design and shape ) as the coldsteel 24" Latin Machete but is way older then I care to admit ( from the 50's ) and is from a different manufacture. It is one good machete and with the 24 inch blade it's nice when getting into thick underbrush.
Did not know much about Cold Steel so I ordered one of the Kurki Machete's ( 13 inch blade , 2.8 mm thick ) from them. It has a 1055 medium carbon steel blade with a baked on finish. The baked on finish also covered the cutting edge which I filed off and then put a better edge on it. It sharpen up really nice.
The handle is a rubber one made from a durable PVC compound.
I plan on including it with my camping gear to trim branches and scrub bushes with so I can hang the hammock unobstructed. You might call it a camp machete for light chopping around the camp site.
Chuck
Got to admit that I've always waned one of the Kukri machete's since I saw that resident evil movie , just some thing about them and it would fit in my day pack better , I generally carry a folding pruning saw and a pair of secateurs for clearing branches away from my hammock
Blade thickness is good on the Kukri , probably better for our harder timbers than the lighter thinner blades
Have to have a serious look at them , and also think about the 13" or 17" model
Got to admit that I'd also like one of those TRAMONTINA machetes for my tool box , been reading reviews on them and hearing nothing but good
David
Got to admit that I've always waned one of the Kukri machete's since I saw that resident evil movie , just some thing about them and it would fit in my day pack better , I generally carry a folding pruning saw and a pair of secateurs for clearing branches away from my hammock
Blade thickness is good on the Kukri , probably better for our harder timbers than the lighter thinner blades
Have to have a serious look at them , and also think about the 13" or 17" model
Got to admit that I'd also like one of those TRAMONTINA machetes for my tool box , been reading reviews on them and hearing nothing but good
David
Joey is telling it just like it is. In the swamp after Christmas he brought this machete and we chopped some things around camp including some dry hardwood fire wood. For the weight and usefulness and versatility i'll get one like this and never own a camp axe.
piper
piper
Can't say how the Cold Steel's Kurki Machete's ( 13 inch blade , 2.8 mm thick ) works as of yet........ Will be able to in a week or so , more like two weeks when everything is over with. Yep...Have a trip coming up. :roll:
Was looking at the 17 inch blade they have but wanted a smaller blade for nothing more the camp chores and something to make a comfortable camp. The 13 inch blade I figured would be easier to pack or just to carry on the side of me, either on the belt or a strap on the pack or packed in the pack.
My old 24 inch blade machete is just way to big for a paddling trip , well any way for me to take. Besides it has been a good friend and needs some retirement like I enjoy.
I hate it when I hang the hammock and some brush is scraping the sides or under the bottom of it , figured this one was the right size to shave the ground with ( Don't want any sharp stobs pointing up under the hammock from the stuff you cut ) and remove them along with the annoying branches that hit the sides. Plus I figure it would be great for making kindling ( Splitting wood ) for starting a fire or even doing some digging with it , as in a small fire trench to cook over.
As I mentioned in my above post , it sharpen up really nice , has a good edge on it after I got rid of that coating on the cutting edge , left the rest coated since I figure it will protect the blade from the salt water or anything else that might want to make it rust.
:lol: Did give it a try on some small branches on some trees out back that bother me when mowing the back yard last summer , cut them off like a kid going threw a hot dog and bun ...... Wham Bam ...They were gone. It takes less force to make the cut due to the curvature of the blade. It makes more of a slice then a downward cut or chop.
Was looking at the 17 inch blade they have but wanted a smaller blade for nothing more the camp chores and something to make a comfortable camp. The 13 inch blade I figured would be easier to pack or just to carry on the side of me, either on the belt or a strap on the pack or packed in the pack.
My old 24 inch blade machete is just way to big for a paddling trip , well any way for me to take. Besides it has been a good friend and needs some retirement like I enjoy.
I hate it when I hang the hammock and some brush is scraping the sides or under the bottom of it , figured this one was the right size to shave the ground with ( Don't want any sharp stobs pointing up under the hammock from the stuff you cut ) and remove them along with the annoying branches that hit the sides. Plus I figure it would be great for making kindling ( Splitting wood ) for starting a fire or even doing some digging with it , as in a small fire trench to cook over.
As I mentioned in my above post , it sharpen up really nice , has a good edge on it after I got rid of that coating on the cutting edge , left the rest coated since I figure it will protect the blade from the salt water or anything else that might want to make it rust.
:lol: Did give it a try on some small branches on some trees out back that bother me when mowing the back yard last summer , cut them off like a kid going threw a hot dog and bun ...... Wham Bam ...They were gone. It takes less force to make the cut due to the curvature of the blade. It makes more of a slice then a downward cut or chop.
Here's a tip:
When cutting old, dry, limbs and sticks, use the back side if the machete instead of the cutting edge. The wood will break with one blow and you'll save the sharpness of the cutting edge. Give it a try, you'll figure out what will break with the backside in no time.
Mike
When cutting old, dry, limbs and sticks, use the back side if the machete instead of the cutting edge. The wood will break with one blow and you'll save the sharpness of the cutting edge. Give it a try, you'll figure out what will break with the backside in no time.
Mike
OH y'all,
Time is running out. Need your input.
What do y'all think of this one. Is SS a good blade material ?
http://www.locodeal.com/
Time is running out. Need your input.
What do y'all think of this one. Is SS a good blade material ?
http://www.locodeal.com/
It's probably an ok deal, but it wouldn't work for me. I use the backside of the blade as well as the cutting side. All those teeth on the backside would kill that. Plus, it's too short for me. I use a 24" blade and would like a couple more inches. (no comments on the inches, Jack!)
Mike
Mike
Baldy
normally ss isnt a good choice for a blade ,unless it has a lot of carbon added.
Hard to sharpen and soft ,will not hold an edge
Ron
normally ss isnt a good choice for a blade ,unless it has a lot of carbon added.
Hard to sharpen and soft ,will not hold an edge
Ron
I agree with Mike, too short. Also with Ron, stainless steel is OK for "special purpose" uses (corrosive environment), but otherwise not the best for blades.
http://www.knifeinformation.com/steelin ... formation/
there's as many stainless steel alloys as there are mosquitoes in south LA, probably the seller doesn't even know what he's selling, but it's not likely a high quality steel
OTOH what's $10? Get it and if you don't like it, give to one of the kids in your family - i guarantee he'll like it
there's as many stainless steel alloys as there are mosquitoes in south LA, probably the seller doesn't even know what he's selling, but it's not likely a high quality steel
OTOH what's $10? Get it and if you don't like it, give to one of the kids in your family - i guarantee he'll like it
I had a good friend that is deceased now but was a great knife maker, his favorite saying about alloys for knives was if you can throw it outside for a while and it doesn't rust it want be a good knife. I think that is pretty close.
Ron
Ron
Like Mike I prefer a machete with a solid back on the blade and nothing more , it is ideal for whacking off dead branches in place of using the cutting edge of the implement. If you want to saw something then get a saw and especially one where the other edge of it is not sharp and can cut you. They are called Machetes , not saws.
seedtick said:
That's what I was thinking when I said it was probably an ok deal. The seller is claiming 440 stainless. What kind of 440 we don't know. But, it comes cheap. Really cheap. That would concern me. But then again, the price is cheap enough to try it and toss it if it doesn't work out. The length and back side are both deal killers for me, though.
Mike
Baldy, the stainless is probably the same type of stuff they use in cheap ss butter knives, which is to say, not so hot. A piece of quality ss bar that size would probably be over $20.00 for just the steel. I'm with Ron on this one. I did a little work in a machine shop and you can look high and low and you'll never see a stainless steel cutting tool of any kind there. That tells me a lot.
Joey
Joey