Rate Machete Brands

[Lone Star]

If you have recent experience of machetes in the following brands, please tell us how you like them, the good and the bad.

Tramontina, Imacasa, Condor, Corneta, Ontario.

Have you ordered from Baryonyx (sp?) or other dealers? Were you pleased with the service? How soon did your order arrive?

Which length was your machete(s)?

Mention anything else that you feel would apply to a purchase.

 

[mole]

I haven't tried any Corneta, but of the others listed I perfer Tramontina by far. Let's say that you got a 18 inch latin pattern. The Imacasa would be too light (unless you are getting a long machete), the Ontario would be too heavy, but the Tramontina would be just right. The Condors just didn't work for me.

The Ontario plastic handle definitely needs to be filed down to be comfortable. The plastic is hollow and rather thin, so you could file through. The Tramontina would also appear to need fitting because the wood handle scales are larger than the tang, but I have never needed to change it from how it came---I also have rather callused hands so that probably makes a big difference. The black plastic (pvc?) handles on the Imacasa are great. They have a small seam where the two halves go together, but it literally takes only a few seconds to sand it off. The Ontario will have better steel.

Smokey Mountain Knife works used to have Imacasa for cheap, but looks like they don't have them anymore.

My local hardware store stocks 18" latin Tramontina which I think is the best compromise. Everyone that has borrowed my machetes will usually prefer it as well.

Stay away from Cold Steel and anything made in China.

 

[bannockburn]

Lone Star

I have an Ontario and a Corneta. The Ontario is really too long and unwieldy for most brush cutting chores. Also the plastic handle can be uncomfortable to use after awhile due to it's shape and composition. The Corneta is quite a bit lighter and shorter and has a much more user friendly plastic handle. It's shorter length and lighter weight make it much easier to cut tall grass and weeds with.

 

[Kendal Black]

I use Ontarios in 12" and 18" lengths. They are sturdy and sharpen well, but they are heavier than they need to be.

 

[bubba in ca]

Only have experience with Imacasas. They are a cheap durable work tool with good steel and comfortable plastic handle. They come duller than a butter knife, so initial sharpening should be done with a belt sander. I put my 3 x 18 makita belly up in a vise and it works great, I start with 40 grit, then move to 120 and if I'm in a good mood move to 220. Field sharpening is done with a file, but I don't field sharpen in the garden. If I went on a trip or something I would take a lansky puck or lawn mower blade sharpener. Imacasa makes a coarser version of the lawn mover one that might be good for rough sharpening in the field.

They come in different sizes for different uses. I like 14 inch for yard work and potential self defense. If I were still a backpacker I might take anything in the 12 to 16 inch length. They are so light you don't know they are there.

I have a humongous panga version I occasionally use for weed whacking for the reach. I keep cumas (brush hook machete) around for when I hire work done it the yard as this is the standard for farm work. I keep cumas away from foreigners and city slickers so they don't chop their foot off. I don't use them myself because I have not mastered their balance and it is easier to just buy a panga.

I made a couple corn knives by chopping down larger machetes, but unless they are used for chopping veggies, I just as soon have the fat belly rounded ones.

People who use machetes for a living don't carry them on their belt (if they have a belt), they cradle them in their hands. Sheaths are unheard of, not just for cost but because they would encourage rust. I put an orange paracord lanyard on mine and hang them on a wall when not in use. My truck tool box one is a 14 incher with the sides painted with spray paint and grease smeared on the edge.

Great knives, once you get past the original sharpening.

 

[hso]

Look at Sam Cade's threads on machetes.

 

[JShirley]

All of those names are known to me as quality producers (though not necessarily with high F&F), except Corneta. Haven't heard of them.

 

[bannockburn]

JShirley

This is a Corneta my brother got me a number of years ago. Very handy for some yard work applications where tall grass and weeds are involved.

 

[C.R.]

I have a Tramontina made in Brasil it works well for me.

 

[Piraticalbob]

Arturo Longoria, who writes the Woods Roamer blog, lives on the Texas/Mexico border and has a lot to say about various machete brands, and he alters them to his own requirements:

http://woodsroamer.blogspot.com/search?q=machete

Great blog for learning about survival in that desert border area, by the way.

 

[EmGeeGeorge]

Tramotina from Baryonyx is good to go

Baryonyx offers the "special grade" machetes from Tramotina; he puts an excellent edge, cleans up the handles, etc, for a few more dollars. I have several of them, and I've bought a few to just put away for future use...

I literally cleared every branch from a 50' pine that fell thru a fence in my yard with an 18" model. I was surprised how thick of a branch I could get thru with one good slash.

 

[bubba in ca]

Corneta is a Brazilian outfit but apparently they now have a factory in el Salvador. I saw some recently in a local hardware store and may try one out if I can find anything other than 18".

Most of the major countries of Latin America , including tiny El Salvador, have long had basic metal working factories catering to their construction and agriculture industries. Truper in Mexico is another. Our supermarket has A Truper sawback machete for sale. I don't like this design, as the saw is a hazard in normal use, but I might grudgingly buy one for the truck tool box.

 

[cdk8]

I like the bigger knives I have from both Condor and Ontario (no experience with the others).


I only got it a little while ago and I've not used my Kukri nearly as hard as it is designed to be used (YET...), but videos & first hand accounts led me to buy it, as most owners seem to like Condor's 1075 blades because they are very tough, super easy to sharpen, and generally reasonably priced relative to what you get. I like the quality, especially for the price. The handle was much more comfortable than I expected, and I think 1075 steel is a good choice for a larger knife, providing very good big-knife performance but also allowing the maker to produce a quality blade with a reasonable price.

 

[bubba in ca]

Keep in mind these are expendable working tools ( like your circular saw blade or razor knife). they are produced by the zillions with good carbon steel for chopping and the appropriate heat treatment. Fit and finish is adequate but not like a coffee table conversation piece.
As they wear down, which is accelerated by use in rocky volcanic soils, you end up with a short knife with a still-good handle and it gets relegated to kitchen duty, sort of like a poor man's nakiri knife!

 

[Lone Star]

EmGeeGeorge-

I'm indeed leaning toward the added services from Baryonyx. They also sell sheaths.

The comment from one poster about sheaths not being used are in error. I've seen pics of really ornate machete sheaths made in Central America. Hand tooling, colored fringe trim, etc. Steven Dick who edited, "Tactical Knives", brought back some from a trip down there.

My only machete now is a 12" one from Corneta in El Salvador. I hand picked it out of a display at an Army surplus store maybe 20 years ago. It's a Modelo 127, like the one in the photo in this topic, but that one is probably a 14" one. I think the Modelo 127 was copied from one in the old American Collins line. I really like mine, although the blade finish could be better. As mentioned here, these are sold as tools and smooth, bright finishes are usually lacking. But some are more equal than others.

I think I'll get an 18" one like the one that supermodel Ana Beatriz Barros has in her bikini bottom in one Online pic and one where she's clowning with a Sports Ill. photographer. Terry Richardson? The pics can be found by Searching for her name, but can't be posted on most gun boards, as they are not family friendly. BTW, Ana Beatriz is, like Tramontina, Brazilian.

I notice that in photos and on YouTube, some Tramontina blades are marked Brasil (Portuguese) or Brazil (English.) Both seem to be exported here.

Her handle is black and may be plastic. I don't think it's imported here, but the same one with a blond wood handle is. It has a rounded butt. A variant has a more square butt. The blade on hers is quite rusty or has plant residue on it. I'm sure it was borrowed from the support crew.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I have a Tramontina made in Brasil it works well for me.

Same here I had mine since the 1980's. I also have Cold Steel and a another S.A. brand one who's name I can't recall.

 

[bubba in ca]

Machetes

Left to right:
Long thin machete, most likely used to cut tall grass to feed to livestock
cuma, the standard for everything from yard work to felling large trees.
cane knife I made from cuma
po' boy nakiri knife
machete file.

Note: Centralamericans have elaborate horse shows called "hipicos", with everyone in their finest cowboy duds and everything decorated with silver buttons. The sheath described in post above would fit in there or for sale to tourists. Regular folks don't put a $30 sheath on a $5 knife. I have lived in ca for 10 years and have seen 3 machete sheaths-- one crude leather one in a feed store, one nylon one on a 12 inch knife in a hardware store, and one nylon one I brought down from the states but never used because it is an 18 incher. Farmers who get around by horse back might have a need for a machete sheath, but the ones in my area get around by flip flops or jogging shoes and travel very light.

Some day, I'm going to make a holder (a sheath without belt loop) out of kydex with 2 grommets at the top for string for shoulder carry or to strap to daypack. It could also be used for the one in my truck tool box to protect the edge.

 

[Lone Star]

For what it's worth, I've seen a photo of Eva Longoria walking around somewhere in Mexico (?) with a sheathed machete at her side. Not in a movie or TV role; she was visiting someone down there, maybe on her own land.

The machete seemed to have about an 18- inch blade.

 

[bubba in ca]

18 inch machetes are the "compromise" length. It's short enough to be half handy and long enough to do many things awkwardly. The army issue is 18 inch, but soldiers don't get to pick their equipment or pick what they carry around on their belt. In my year in Vietnam I saw one machete. It was in our apc and was never used because we had the advantage of using 23 ton armored vehicles for brush clearing! Locals had locally made small to medium hooked knives for cutting brush, most of which was used for firewood.

The Longoria website referred to above comes to the same conclusion that I have come to. Garden, camping, survival machetes have blades that are on the small size, 14 inches or less. In fact, with time I am more and more using one of the stub knives made from an old damaged machete. You just don't need much blade to harvest a squash or a pitaya or trim some vine that is hanging down over the walkway. Make a lanyard with paracord and hang it on the shed wall and you are set for most all things you need. Keep a Lansky lawn mower blade sharpener handy to touch it up between sharpenings.

People who do hard work want the reach and the weight, so they carry 22-24 inch blades.

People who cut cane or corn pick the the short wide heavy cane knife for the right tool.

Wood handles would be great in the desert or brush country after you sand and oil them. In the rainy tropics plastic is the only way to go. It doesn't rot or sprout mold in the rainy season and they are usually one-piece and as close to unbreakable as you can get.

Sheaths are good on horseback or in a vehicle or where there are careless people or children. In the tropics they just rot and encourage rust.

 

[JohnKSa]

People who do hard work want the reach and the weight, so they carry 22-24 inch blades.

When I was in South America, on the llanos and in the jungle this was the length of machete I saw most often.

 

[Smith357]

I have examples of of those brands and others, but no two in the exact same pattern except for a a couple of WWII machetes in a 21" Latin pattern. If you keep it narrowed down to just a Latin Pattern Machete I like the Imacasa or Corneta brand for light to medium green growth and light dead wood and the Ontario for heavier brown stuff, for use that includes a good deal of chopping of wood pick a different pattern. Imacasa and Corneta are inexpensive, the steels are pretty good, they have good blade shape with a distal taper, they are a bit heavier than the Trams. Trams are nice and light but not well suited for much more than fresh green growth but much lighter and less fatiguing than Ontario. If you plan of doing any chopping the extra weight of the Ontario is handy. Condor's only rub is it's expensive, and there are many other fine choices in a Latin pattern for much less money.

For hardwood forests in my area I find my old Cold Steel Kukri Machete to be a good all around tool. For just clearing stuff in the garden I use a 12" Imacasa or an 18" Corneta.

People who do hard work want the reach and the weight, so they carry 22-24 inch blades.

I do no envy those who swing a machete all day, I found this little 28" Colima pattern in Mexico, sharp on both sides and heavy, it rings like a bell when it chops dry woody stuff.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I like Tramontina well and have experience with their stuff. I usually buy their shorter Cane Knife for brush clearing and general use.

Can't speak to Imacasa, Corneta, nor Ontario with the exception of old Ontario ones.

I think it's best to buy ones made in South/Central America since they use them a LOT and really get how to make a good one.

I think Condor is nice but the $$ was not worth the upgrades to me.

Baroynx (spelling) is a very knowledgeable guy who I think makes great stuff (the Fat Wood soap his lady friend makes is also great!). I have been watching his line closely but haven't had a need to replace the inexpensive Cane Knives I have yet. If he has it and you want it I would pay the few extra $$ for him to have gone over it, especially if one lacks the knowledge and tools to touch them up since a lot of the southern made tools need a little finishing.

One a totally different note I really like the Cold Steel line of "sword" machetes The new Katana is fun to get your bad days worked out on some vines. One must be careful though since it is much longer than what most may be used to and it's easy to whack your leg with it! The Thai machete they make is also neat but is a bad chopper since the blade is too narrow, not enough weight to drive through things so it twists in you hands all the time.

 

[Lone Star]

I don't expect to chop wood with a light machete. I see that as a job for an axe or saw.

What about snakes? Anyone killed any with a machete?

 

[bubba in ca]

My wife informedme that the last time I sharpened machetes I took her kitchen machete to the family's country house by mistake. Best solution? Buy a coroneta and check it out!

At $4.10 out the door it seemed about a buck cheaper than a Imacasa of similar lenght. The one I chose was a 24 inch "cutacha", long and thin and this one with a spear point. I have little personal use for this, but I have always have one around for when I hire work done. This is the type you would use for cutting soft weeds or vines on a trail. Yes, if you ran into a poisonous snake the reach would be a safety factor for you. The locals kill all snakes out of fear.

The machete had a poly handle, great for the tropics. The lanyard hole was too far forward, just like an Imacasa. I use paracord for my lanyards and it has never presented a problem, but might with a rougher rope or leather. I should mention I have never seen a lanyard here except my own. The knife had good balance and feel for something so long. It was marked in Spanish with the name of a German company, and no source of origin, but I don't doubt it came from El Salvador. I believe they don't have to mark things that are not leaving the Salvador/Guate/Honduras/Nicaragua free trade zone.

Imacasas come with no edge but a well defined bevel. This came with a rather crude small bevel and a jagged un-sharpened edge, if you can imagine such a thing. The first sharpening on either is long and should be done on a power tool. After this sharpening, touch up sharpening is a breeze.

Incidentally, Imacasa was a German company that was later bought out by local capital.

Took it home and put it on the belt sander with 50 grit paper. After 2 minutes I had accomplished just about nothing. The steel seemed much harder than what I was used to, so i broke out a new 22 inch Latin pattern Imacasa and tried it with the usual success. So then I broke out the angle grinder and spent a fair amount of time roughing out the coroneta before going back to the sander with 50 then 120 grit. Both ended up what I call "presharpened", but the coroneta took much more time.

I am not particularly skilled with an angle grinder, but they really cut metal. The key, just like with the belt sander, is to keep moving and press lightly to not overheat the edge. When in doubt, dunk the knife in a bucket of water.

I think I'll make a point to use this coroneta for something or other to check it out. The harder steel could mean longer edge retention or it could mean it will chip or break sooner.

Photo is Latin model on top, cutacha on bottom.

 

[Lone Star]

Thanks! Your description perfectly fit the lower machete. I've seen pics of those.

I'm wondering if Imacasa and Corneta are the same company. The labels suggest not. My 12" Corneta has a handle like your Imacasa. The Corneta seen here has a slant at the front of the handle, so I guess they changed it.

I can't get one for $4.10 US. I think I'd pay about $11.00 for the machete, $6.50 for the sharpening, and about $6-8 for a nylon or Cordura sheath. The better ones by Condor have leather sheaths. I don't live in rain forest or cloud forest, so a leather sheath is okay.

I want Baryonyx to carry the grind line back to within an inch or so of the handle and give the edge a good honing.

The better Condors have Micarta handles, ideal for a machete, I think. But they aren't cheap. The edges are ground back to where I prefer, but may need sharpening. I hope the blades have a better polish than on cheaper brands. The machete is a tool, but I see it as a big knife and I take pride in and care for all of my knives.

Bubba, thanks for the photo and the excellent commentary. I appreciate that.