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.