Best Survival Machetes of 2020 Available at KnifeCenter KarambitKnives,com
qcreek11
Oct 30
A 12-inch machete may be the greatest single survival tool ever conceived, long enough to do some bushwacking but short enough to easily control and carry easily. Check out our favorites here:
Perfect as a “one tool option” when the going gets tough, you will also appreciate having one on hand at camp and even at home for yardwork. These are some of the best survival machetes you’ll ever find.
Featured Knives
Ontario Traditional Cutlass Camp and Trail:
TOPS Machete .170:
Condor Crocodilian:
ESEE Darien Machete:
Cold Steel Kukri Machete:
Fox Knives Jungle Parang:
Condor Golok:
Condor Primitive Bush Mondo:
Gerber Versafix:
L.T. Wright Overland:
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I love machetes! I caved and treated myself to the bigger version of the Tops .170 (think it’s the .270?)….almost immediately afterwards, my reconstructed wrist completely failed. They had to remove two bones from my hand and totally fuse my wrist with a 7” rod, plates. It no longer bends as a joint. Ive built it back up with repeated use, but it never will bend or have full power again and I wish i would have gotten the smaller Tops .170. The .270 is just a bit too much mass for me to use comfortably.
I like the curves of the Condors but blade retention would be my final decision.
Fox ftw
These aren't real machetes. One of them looks like a decent parang though. From a place called KnifeCenter the lineup seems fitting at least.
Hey its mr. Badass kickass again.
I gotta cold steel jungle machete and i think it is a good combination of a few from this list
Makes since Cheddar Bob would switch to blades
That socket handled Joe Flowers machete (crocodilian) resembles the Ifugao traditional blade called pehlet.
Joe X is the ultimate prophet of steel
Just made switch to using a 12 inch machete as my default large blade for camping. Liking it a lot so far. Small knife and small machete are a dream team. Tramontina 12 inch and esee izula.
Almost all of these knives are not machetes.
knifes ,
What makes a "good" MACHETE …. ?
I'm going to say … costing about $20
chopping brush and dirt on low swings ……
Rust .. WHO CARES ……..
"Want to talk "SURVIVAL" …..
We talking ZOMBIES or end of world virus ????
Either way , I think nobody working at the thousands of nuclear plants / military defense bases would be a week or so before the planet is unlivable ! ! ! ! ! !
I've carried a machete since I was about 10 years old. As a kid, I would disappear into the woods with a WW2 machete I had a blacksmith reshape to a spear point blade, a pocket knife, and my trusty .22LR Remington single shot bolt action rifle. If I planned to be out overnight I'd add a blanket roll with a stainless steel pot and canteen+cup.
That was about 60 years ago. Since then I got heavily into primitive survival in my early 20s, sold knives off and on since the early 1980s. I have even given survival seminars and lectured on pros and cons of rifles for survival. The main points I have made over that entire time were:
1. Everyone needs to learn primitive survival.
— If the electricity that is the basis of our modern technological civilization went off tomorrow, how would you live? If you are out camping or boating and you get lost or a disaster makes returning home for a while or longer impossible, how would you live? Both of these are very real possibilities.
— Personally I believe primitive survival (meaning at a minimum "hiking and camping without the use of modern equipment") should be offered as an option in grade school through college in place of PE (physical education). It not only teaches self reliance, as well as working with others, but it teaches how to live through disasters.
2. No single knife will do everything you need in the backcountry.
— A small knife, fixed or folding blade, will do about 75 to 80% of your in-camp tasks. But it is a small knife, and there are larger tasks it simply cannot and never was intended to handle.
— You need at least two (2) bladed tools, and my suggestion is a pocket knife and a 12" to 18" machete. I typically carry a 14" spear point or Latin style machete. My favorite "field knife", meaning large general purpose edged tool, in addition to a machete, is an older Cold Steel spear point machete with a 12" blade and rubberized handle that fits my hand better than any other knife I've ever owned. Sadly it is long out of production. Actually, i do not consider anything less than 14" a machete; it is just a belt knife.
— I have at least a dozen belt knives I tended to rotate through when I was still camping a bit, that included Nepalese khukuris, custom and production military blades, survival and primitive blades (some used for Historical Reenactment and Living History of the Fur Trade period), and fighting blades that also work well for survival and trekking. As I said, no single knife will do everything that you need a knife for when far from civilization, where it becomes your primary tool.
— When asked what would my "single tool option" be if I could choose only one, I usually say "a machete but no single tool will do everything you need, so I prefer two knives at a minimum". It is said all in one breath, because it is a single thought they need to learn. Could I live in the wilderness with only a machete? Yes. Could I live in the wilderness with only a pocket knife? Probably, but it would be harder. I'd rather not try. One of my first tasks would be to make a larger knife from a flit-like rock and probably an rock headed axe. Cutting, chopping, and digging toola are high on my to do list in such a scenario. They make shelter building and wood processing much more efficient.
3. NEVER walk away from your vehicle in the woods, mountains, or desert without a minimal pocket survival kit. The more you know of primitive survival, the less you need in that kit. For many years my pocket survival kit consisted of a Doan Fire Starter (the original military issue magnesium block with a ferrocerium rod set into one long edge – sadly Doan is no more) and a Swiss Army Knife lashed together by a short length of leather bootlace. Of course I carried more depending on the circumstance, but those two items were always in my left side pocket when I was at work as an elecrtonics tech to senior electrical engineer over the course of my career, on duty station or deployed when I was in the reserves, and of course in the course of traveling or camping. They were ALWAYS on me, until stupid air travel rules made me put them in my check-in baggage during the flight.
Macete bong handle How long is the blade, how many inches is the blade wide?
Great videos, many thanks.
Would you mind doing a short one to cover the different terminology used that sounds so alien to novices like me?
… that'd truly be appreciated, thank you.
David, knowing the thickness of the blade I would think would be critical, I am looking for a thicker(stiffer) blade
Great information and thanks for the video. For what it's worth I purchased a Condor Machete several years ago (don't know the model) and have used it extensively for cleaning up my property. The thing is a true soldier.
What a stupid argument to justify a machet or knife etc for its good look if rusty.
I've got the 18" Ontario Military issue from the sixties…really like it but I thought about getting a pro to shorten it a bit and install a new handle that fits my hand a little better.
Hard to beat a Woodsman Pal. especially the older models. Haven't seen anything in video that the WPal couldn't do just as efficiently. Have enjoyed mine since 1986. Although they are very proud of it as new ones cost +$150.00 and don't have the hand guard. I also have a Condor Commando machete (which doesn't get very high marks from a lot of people) however it's my go to machete when cutting anyting of thickness over 4"-6" in diameter. Rock solid blade.stays super sharp so doesn't vibrate when cutting.
Being one that spends a lot of time in the jungle, two things matter most to me. (1.) how quickly I can get my blade ready. Like I said, with spending much time in the jungle you run into a whole mess of situations. Two being eople and predatory animals, if I’m in a rough spot I want to be able to quip myself as quick as possible. Having to unbuckle kinda puts a downer on the situation. (2.) durability, when it comes to cutting bone and wood I want something that can hold up. The question is what exactly does that job and more?
I totally agree about rusty machetes. It’s a tool, FFS. Shovels get rusty too.
i like a bk9 for hiking , its a little big but reassuring in its utility
I want something in the same shape as the gerber versafix but nicer
Timestamps:
– Start: 0:00
– Ontario Traditional Cutlass Camp and Trail: 01:24
– TOPS Machete .170: 03:42
– Condor Crocodilian: 05:28
– ESEE Expat Darien: 07:00
– Cold Steel Kukri: 08:24
– Fox Jungle Parang: 10:19
– Condor Golok: 11:43
– Condor Primitive Bush Mondo: 13:03
– Gerber Versafix: 15:28
– L. T. Wright Overland: 17:15
– Conclusion: 19:35
Love all these machetes..
I have the original ltc kukri by cold steel from the 90's i think. It has kraton handle and I think a carbon V steel blade at 1/8" thickness. It has been used and abused and I still love it. It chops better than a much bigger blade. Also I own 6 of the new Cold Steel machetes and would absolutely recommend them. Your description is spot on as far as I little rough around the edges but a great value plus they're not made in china but rather south africa. The 2 handed Thai machete is perhaps my favorite.
Pah Rung. Thats how to pronounce Parang.
Beside parang & golok, indonesia has other machetes variation. Bendo, mandau, kujang, etc.