Anyone own/use machetes? Which brands and how long are the blades?
My only one is a Corneta with a 12-inch blade. Thinking of getting one with an 18-inch blade, probably by Martindale or Tramontina. Maybe an Imacasa.
What has been your experience with yours? Did you have to reshape a wooden handle and file the blade to get a keen edge?
Can anyone post photos of colorful leather machete sheaths fom Central or South America?
Ever kill a snake with one? What sort and where was the snake?
Sir, I have two, one an '80s-era GI model (Ontario, I think) and the other a Negrito bolo I got in the Philippines during jungle training in '85.
I've never used the GI machete, but the bolo's a great tool. The blade's fairly short at 12 inches or so, heavy and curved like a Ghurka kukri, but with a blunt nose like a machete. The scales are some sort of buffalo horn and shabbily fitted. It's plumb primitive overall, and the blade still shows hammer marks. We were told they were made from truck leaf springs. The thing cuts almost effortlessly. Bamboo, pine, maple, woody weeds, whatever. Amazing chopper.
Haven't killed any snakes with either one--I prefer a little more distance than even a long machete provides.
I normally use a fine mill file to sharpen axes, tomahawks, etc., and it works fine on the machetes as well. You can go far beyond this, sharpening them like knives, but I'm not convinced this is time well-spent.
Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.
Ron H.
