Machete showdown

[Arklatex]

I've been using a cheap ass China made Machete for years. I ordered a usa made Ontario Knife Company military model and it showed up today. I'm touching up the edges on both for some trials tomorrow. The quality of the US made Machete is far superior on first impression.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160903/18f08e5c795656c40837cb917a32972d.jpg

[BucketBack]

I thought Ontario was Canada:wall:

[Arklatex]

I thought Ontario was Canada:wall:
Ontario County NY.

[RubberDuck]

I have 2 Gerber machetes the short ans the long.
I have abused the short one making blinds and trails an it has held up well.
Now the longer one I had high hopes for but very disappointed as they mus have used a different metal or went thinner.
I will post pics of the blades tomorrow in daylight.

[Arklatex]

I have 2 Gerber machetes the short ans the long.
I have abused the short one making blinds and trails an it has held up well.
Now the longer one I had high hopes for but very disappointed as they mus have used a different metal or went thinner.
I will post pics of the blades tomorrow in daylight.
Excellent. A 3rd brand would really round out this experiment. Thanks Duck!

[RubberDuck]

here are the 2 Gerber machetes.
the smaller one was about $18
have used an abused it for 3 years an held up very well.
the longer one only had a year was about $25 but I am disappointed with how it held up after 3 times using it .
it's thinner an maybe even cheaper metal.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160904/d88d85a48c2317d165f7869f1c4ed7f3.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160904/5a25086c3ede671e1e29792137c07d2f.jpg

[Arklatex]

What were you chopping to bend it like that?

[shootbrownelk]

What were you chopping to bend it like that?

I have the longer of the two Gerbers like yours ARK, mine works well for clearing brush around camps. Mine isn't bent like that, maybe they skipped the heat treating on yours. I also have an Estwing camp axe for heavier saplings and small trees. My Gerber has held an edge well, and cost me the princely sum of $7.00 on Clearance at Menards.

[RubberDuck]

What were you chopping to bend it like that?
small branchs and saplings nithing much bigger then my thumb any thing bigger I use the saw blade.

[darsk20]

I have the longer of the two Gerbers like yours ARK, mine works well for clearing brush around camps. Mine isn't bent like that, maybe they skipped the heat treating on yours. I also have an Estwing camp axe for heavier saplings and small trees. My Gerber has held an edge well, and cost me the princely sum of $7.00 on Clearance at Menards.
I would have to agree, looks like a heat treat problem. A bladed metal shouldn't bend that way.

[RubberDuck]

I am exchanging it for another if I have same issues I'll stick to the small one.

[Arklatex]

The new Machete is great. I chopped on a fallen pecan limb for the hell of it. No problem, no complaints. Maybe I'll bump this thread after a few months with an update.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160904/17a3d75539fe331e7685ec2062626442.jpg

[Kfilly]

I skip the machete in my pack, but I live in Wisconsin. I do not anticipate having to cut through lots of brush like some of my southern counterparts. I carry a Becker BK9 as my bushcraft knife. I have a Mora Companion for smaller/finer work. I can use my BK9 as a machete if needed and for clearing out campsites. I also have a small Fiskars X7 camp hatchet for larger work.

I did also test a few machetes. I had a cheap Bear Gryls Parang and a KaBar Kukri (spelling). Both of those blades held up well to heavy chopping. I actually used both blades to chop some small diameter trees and branches. Stuff I would not want to use a machete on in real life events as an axe would have been better suited. Neither blade suffered any damage and both were still sharp after hours of abuse.

[Arklatex]

I keep a Machete, an ax and a saw in my truck tool box at all times. Those tools and some chain and I can clear a fallen tree from the road or bushwhack a new fishing spot.

[Coastie dad]

I've got a cold steel smachete that is on the four wheeler. We use it for limb trimming and I put it on the tractor when brushhogging to deal with trimming low limbs. It had held up well.
But I'm finding I can do quite a bit with that Becker I've got.

[Sasquatch]

My current is a SOG Kukri I bought at Wally-world for $20. So far so good! It came sharper than hell and the scar on my knuckle will attest to that.