I carry a 12" Ontario CT-1 and sheath on my rucksack for chopping, splitting wood, digging and whatever when I am in the back woods. Last week, I used it to dig a 3' trench that was 1' deep, prying out rocks, and chopping roots all the way. A quick session with a file and a little WD-40 when I got back was all the care it needed. I have four or five other longer ones that I use for BOB and for clearing campsites.

Machetes come in a great variety of shapes and styles. Some have significantly thicker blades. For those who dont have the money or inclination to buy and abuse one of those big knives in the $200-$300 range, a good quality machete and sheath can be an economical option.

Here is a website that has the largest selection of machetes and sheaths I have ever seen in one place. They also seem to have pretty good prices, at least for the knives I am familiar with.


http://www.machetespecialists.com/machete-brands.html

I'm a fan of machetes. Some time ago, and still in very isolated areas, many people use it as an all-purpose tool. Butchering wild game, clearing trees, weeding the garden, slicing vegetables and carving delicate items out of wood all gets done with the same machete. Very poor families may have only one metal tool, the family machete.

Machetes with a flipped up sharp point on the end can be gripped near the tip and used for fine work as the handle lay across the lap. Machetes work well for even inexperienced users cutting softwoods and tropical vegetation. If you know what you are doing a machete will work on very hard woods. Some of the hardest wood known to man comes from tropical jungles and if you control the swing and angle, and take your time, a good machete will cut even very dense and tough wood.

With some practice a lot of people can get along quite well with the combination of a machete for large stuff and a smallish folder for fine work. A file and a small sharpening stone can keep both sharp indefinitely.

The good news is that good quality machetes are not expensive.

Hi.

Personally, I don't use machete. My Mora Clipper and the my SAK's saw are all that I need, at last in the europeans woods

I can't speak for Art, but I've had a machete going back to my Scout days...one of the very first purchases with my "own" money was a 1944 Collins machete...much more practical than an official Scout hatchet for Florida's climate... I couldn't afford real Boy Scout equipment so made do with GI canteen/cup/stand, pistol belt/suspenders and 2 first aid pouches (black tape, tincture of iodine, 4x4s, film can with matches,Scout knife,whistle,candle,compass,Cutter snake bite kit, halizone tabs)

my current is a 12inch cut down Collins SA from Guatemala

my personal experience is to not go cheap on a machete, meaning stay away from flimsy plastic handles. A quality handle saves a lot of pain in the chopping hand.

I really like my Ontario 12" Camp Machete (w/handle guard) but its hard on the wrist so I recently switched to a Fiskars Brush Axe to see if that works better. I've heard good things about it so we'll see.

I only looked at the kabar offerings on the suggested site. They are MUCH more expensive than buying through amazon.

it is pretty hard to beat the current Ontario GI isssue for most use... with or without saw teeth ...Dave Canterbury has a good video on Scandinadian blade style modifications to a section of the blade for more utility

Check oot a Woodsman's Pal and you will hooked. If you can't do it with this tool, you don't need to do it.

A Scoutmaster had a WWII issue one. 25 years later I got one, carried it the weeds in many places, found a myriad of uses. Easy to sharpen, doesn't rust easily if you keep it oiled, holds an edge well.

This is a little off topic, but I have serious reservations about the referenced incident that CK relates. Please note the lack of specifics. For starters, which of the Channel Islands are we discussing and when did the incident occur?