Sorry if I missed it but I didn't see a machete specific category. Also, am I missing something about the sharpness of a machete blade ? I say, the sharper the better.
Anyways, something that has always puzzled me is when I hear people say that machete's are not supposed to be hair popping sharp. I have used machetes all my life, almost 60 now. I can't say that I have ever had any situation where I thought a less sharp edge would be the way to go. Yet I have probably heard that phrase at least a dozen or 2 times from people.
I started telling people that they just say that cause they have a machete made from crap steel or a crap heat treat or no heat treat at all. I tell them that yes, my machetes are hair popping sharp. Not all are Ontario's.
But I gotta say that the ones I am always reaching for are either my 18" un modified sawback Ontario or my highly modified 12" Ontario. I turned it into a Bushcraft machete. Made a Bowie tip - inline with the center of the handle. Made about 3-4" of jimping for thumb on spine. Squared off a short spot for fire steel use. And I made a 2 finger choil. I love it.
I think that a high quality machete is a super useful tool that is highly under rated by many. I have used the 18" to chop through a tree of about 12" diameter that was blocking a trail. It worked & was none the worse for wear. Handle was & is still tight. I also out chopped someone with my 12" highly modified, $21 Ontario machete who had a $600 custom made knife. He was not a happy camper.
Ontario has a great thing going with their 1095 heat treated machete's. Hope they don't change them.
Anyways, the only time I've ever heard that a dull knife is what you want is a bayonet. I didn't know that & had 4 different bayonets taken from me in the Army. Nobody said why. Then, towards the end of my enlistment I got to be friends with a Vietnam combat Spec 5. He told me he was just like me and sharpened his bayonet & that it almost cost him his life. When he used it for real, it got stuck between the rib bones and didn't want to come out. That makes perfect sense but nobody ever told us in training. That's a pretty important piece of information they left out !!!
It made me re evaluate our Army bayonets. Maybe a round blade, like the civil war, are the way to go, to avoid the stickage in the bone issues ?
What say you about machete blade sharpness ?
Anyways, something that has always puzzled me is when I hear people say that machete's are not supposed to be hair popping sharp. I have used machetes all my life, almost 60 now. I can't say that I have ever had any situation where I thought a less sharp edge would be the way to go. Yet I have probably heard that phrase at least a dozen or 2 times from people.
I started telling people that they just say that cause they have a machete made from crap steel or a crap heat treat or no heat treat at all. I tell them that yes, my machetes are hair popping sharp. Not all are Ontario's.
But I gotta say that the ones I am always reaching for are either my 18" un modified sawback Ontario or my highly modified 12" Ontario. I turned it into a Bushcraft machete. Made a Bowie tip - inline with the center of the handle. Made about 3-4" of jimping for thumb on spine. Squared off a short spot for fire steel use. And I made a 2 finger choil. I love it.
I think that a high quality machete is a super useful tool that is highly under rated by many. I have used the 18" to chop through a tree of about 12" diameter that was blocking a trail. It worked & was none the worse for wear. Handle was & is still tight. I also out chopped someone with my 12" highly modified, $21 Ontario machete who had a $600 custom made knife. He was not a happy camper.
Ontario has a great thing going with their 1095 heat treated machete's. Hope they don't change them.
Anyways, the only time I've ever heard that a dull knife is what you want is a bayonet. I didn't know that & had 4 different bayonets taken from me in the Army. Nobody said why. Then, towards the end of my enlistment I got to be friends with a Vietnam combat Spec 5. He told me he was just like me and sharpened his bayonet & that it almost cost him his life. When he used it for real, it got stuck between the rib bones and didn't want to come out. That makes perfect sense but nobody ever told us in training. That's a pretty important piece of information they left out !!!
It made me re evaluate our Army bayonets. Maybe a round blade, like the civil war, are the way to go, to avoid the stickage in the bone issues ?
What say you about machete blade sharpness ?
