The Beginner's Guide to the Machete

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I haven't read the entire topic. Has the Corneta brand been mentioned? Mine has a 12" blade.

Any opinions regarding that brand? I think it's from El Salvador. I've forgotten where I bought the machete.

Are the 18" Ontarios any good?

Did the old Collins brand offer 12-14 inch blades? Is an 18" one a good general machete choice? I'm 5'10" and about 165 pounds, if that's a clue. I read somewhere to select a machete length based on your size.
 
Lone Star said:
I haven't read the entire topic. Has the Corneta brand been mentioned? Mine has a 12" blade.
Any opinions regarding that brand? I think it's from El Salvador.
Click to expand...
Corneta is part of the IMACASA conglomerate, EDIT: or was rather. It looks like some EDIT: brazilians own the trademark now but INCOLMA (in columbia) also makes tools under the brand.

http://www.corneta.com.br/en/empresa.php

Lone Star said:
Are the 18" Ontarios any good?
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Excellent quality. The 1/8" thick, 18" length Model 1-18 is the standard US military machete. Out of the box the scales are a bit....ergonomically challenged but otherwise they are very good heavy machetes.

Lone Star said:
Did the old Collins brand offer 12-14 inch blades?
Click to expand...
The Collins catalog was VAST and offered every conceivable configuration.

Lone Star said:
Is an 18" one a good general machete choice? I'm 5'10" and about 165 pounds, if that's a clue. I read somewhere to select a machete length based on your size.
Click to expand...

18" is a a good handy length for most tasks that a machete can be asked to do.

For clearing grass, thin vines or other soft vegetation near the ground or above your head it is sometimes advantageous to have a machete that has more reach.

I'm a little guy, 5'7" and slightly over-square, a 24" blade will just clear the ground for me if I let it hang down.

More skill is required to work effectively and safely with a longer machete, we are going to talk about this a bit when the next article drops*, so I'd recommend that most folks stick to an 18" for their first couple users.

*A bit delayed due to afternoon thunderstorms. :banghead:
 
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Lone Star, if you read the article (linked in the first post), that will answer some of your questions. You can then ask any questions you still have.

John
 
An angle grinder with a coarse sanding disk seems to work well enough for my uses. Got to be better than a brick from a colonial era church :)
 
I used to clamp Mom's in the vice in the garage and, holding a metal file at an angle to the edge, draw the file down the length while pulling the file across the edge.

Put an edge on the machete in no time.
 
maybe I should have said faster? :) There is a laziness principal.
Heat is a concern though, a couple quick swipes then flip and another pass. If that doesn't do it, well, I should go get the hose but probably will give it another buzz.
 
I think it's been mentioned before, but the steel on a machete is NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, a hard steel. It only takes a few swipes of nearly anything hard enough to wear the metal to put an edge back on it. No need to take it into a shop to sharpen it or carry anything particularly specialized for the job.

This could be done easily enough in the field with rocks, which makes it pretty convenient. One less item to carry with you in the field.
 
I'd just like to take a minute to blame Sam for me ordering 5 Imacasa machetes yesterday. A couple are for coworkers but figured I'd get a spare for myself too. Then I started looking at them and, well, got to try them all, right? Couldn't pass up the ridiculous 28" "Terminietor" machete -- I guess I'll find out what a LOT of reach on a machete does for it.
 
zhyla said:
Couldn't pass up the ridiculous 28" "Terminietor" machete -- I guess I'll find out what a LOT of reach on a machete does for it.
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Clever branding ain't it?
Wait till you see the faux- T-800 arm on the sticker. :cool:


The uber-long blades are a bit more unforgiving in terms of durability so you have to be more selective and keep any cuts on hardwood to 1.5" diameter or less and only use the last foot or so of blade of you can.

They can be hell on grass and other greenery though. One of the more satisfying things you can do with a looooong machete is to wade into a patch of head-high milkweed after you have mastered your "windmill" swing.

Swish-ting,swish-ting,swish-ting,swish-ting,swish-ting,swish-ting,swish-ting.
:cool:

zhyla said:
I'd just like to take a minute to blame Sam for me ordering 5 Imacasa machetes yesterday.
Click to expand...

My plan is coming to fruition. :D
 
Great installment - thanks very much.


I figured I was doing something wrong; I was almost surely making myself much more tired and sore than I needed to be with my faulty grip.
 
Lone Star said:
...is the red paint on some machete blades just a protective coating, and is it intended to remain there after sale, or cleaned off before use?
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Painted blades are very common on working machetes,as a rust preventative measure on carbon steel (though all but the toughest coatings will soon wear off), to help make the tool visible and as aid to safety.

Often times blades are simply dipped in clearcoat so while they might not look painted at a glance, they are.
 
Spray painting e-tools was SOP in the infantry. I've frequently suggested folks clean and de-grease their large outdoors blades, and paint them.

John
 
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