I voted other. I have used machetes and cane knives for well over 20 yrs. Which probably isn't much compared to some here. I've bought 2 condors that were what I would consider "premium" machetes. They can also act as a Chopper /axe. But for the most part I use cheap South American made machetes. Something I can beat on without worrying.
I picked up all of these for $45. I don't think I'll be needing any machetes for the rest of my life.
However if spyderco were to offer something interesting I'd might be inclined to pick it up. I agree with Mike that it's a hard market to break into. Especially considering most people who actually use machetes for machete task aren't willing to spend upwards of $20. I say that because of the abuse machetes usually take. Clearing ditches, cutting around cement or rocks, things of that nature where damage is likely. I'm not looking for the hardest steel because I want to be able to fix the machete quickly. Around here in the south /swamp/marsh area I'd prefer a machete and a decent knife instead of an axe. I keep 2 machetes in my car for clearing stuff if I have to. A lot of times I'll use a hand grinder to sharpen my machetes. I don't really baby them because I want to work them hard.
Bought my first machete this fall, Esee Darien. I needed something along those lines this summer when trying to navigate some old overgrown footpaths. The brush was light, but incredibly annoying. And tiring over a longer time.
Machetes aren’t in abundance here, and the use case is very narrow, so it took me some time to find one that seemed suitable in both design, quality and price. I have no previous experience so it will be interesting to try it out come summertime again, and see how far off my assessment was. I wouldn’t spend much more on such a tool unless I expected to get more use out of it.
In the price range of $ 20 to $ 25 you can find 3 dozen machetes that do the job more than enough. For that price the only Spyderco you can buy is the Bug Micro-Size. The Schempp Rock (which measures half the length of a standard machete) costs 10 times that amount. And the fixed blade Spyderco with a more approximate length (the Bob Lum Darn Dao Fixed 10.63") costs 30 times the price of a standard machete (about $ 650). So I see little chance that Spyderco will decide to enter that niche ... And I would not miss it because I think that's not a niche for Spyderco (cheap products made to be abused and easily replaced). Same as the utility knives niche.
This is my main concern too.
My favorite machete cost me $10 with sheath. Cold Steel Kopis machete. Full hand guard so I can chop and slash all day without worrying about my grip. Tough steel that sharpens easy and takes a nice edge. Functional sheath.
I've looked at higher end machetes and for 15x the price I couldget one of these. Same steel, shorter less efficient blade, more premium handle but it would also require much more grip adjustment compared to the Kopis.
I’m not saying that Spyderco shouldn’t make one, if there is enough demand for it. But the machete I use is a simple $20 Tramontina, which serves all of my machete needs.
The cheap machetes have a certain charm to them because of the price but also for the time you put into getting them ready for use. It's what I call making it your own since everybody is different. I want to make some cheaper machetes from 1075 but even then I wouldn't be able to sell them as cheap as say Imacasa because they produce machetes in massive amounts. I still want to make machetes with higher end materials but I am real about it because I know for what they will cost a lot of people will not buy them. That is fine with me because I am basically making them because I want to and I am making them how I want them. If a small amount of people want them then that is fine by me. If not I am still fine with it because I will have the machete I have always wanted. I will still try to turn out the best machete I can at the lowest cost in 1075 or in another good but cheap steel. I am very excited to see what I can make happen and see how other react to it.
I just thought about something. Two things I generally carry with my machete at all times is a quality double sided file. One side is double cut and the other is single cut. The other thing is what is called a canoe file/stone. It is one of the handiest set ups for keeping your machete sharp. Mostly all you will need is the canoe file/stone but for me I generally like to keep a finer edge on my machetes. Canoe files/stones a generally very course and I always thought it would be cool if Spyderco would make a Canoe stone but in the same material used in their brown stones. I would even buy a set of them in medium, fine and ultra fine depending on what I was doing with my machete.
While I find the idea of a Spyderco ethnic big blade intriguing, from an economics standpoint, I don't think it's practical. Conceptually, it's easy to theorize about high-performance steels and Micarta scales on a state-of-the-art machete, but the resulting cost of the finished product would probably not justify the effort.
Stay safe,
Mike
I agree. I think Spyderco needs to keep doing what they do best and not get off into an area where there are good, and cheaper, alternatives.
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Spyderco did a line of Hossom fixed blades of various sizes more than a decade ago... the largest was the Forrester with over a 9 inch blade. Not quite machete length, but still intended to be a chopper. My understanding is they didn't sell well and the series was discontinued.
I love this thing! Only downfall is the guard on the top, making it hard to get your thumb over it and onto the spine for more precise cuts. I'm sure I could easily grind it off, but I really don't use it all that much these days since we don't go camping anymore. Pretty nice sheath as well, like I said earlier I believe it was around $40??
15 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut
Spyderco did a line of Hossom fixed blades of various sizes more than a decade ago... the largest was the Forrester with over a 9 inch blade. Not quite machete length, but still intended to be a chopper. My understanding is they didn't sell well and the series was discontinued.
The edges were too thick on those. Vey nice otherwise. Compared a Forester to my Dogfather and chose to kept the Scrapyard.
Best machete I got was in Siguatepeque, Honduras. I chopped a lot of things with it. I have no idea what the steel was and paid less than $20 (with the gringo tax). It is just not profitable for Spyderco to offer a machete unless they open a new factory in Nicaragua ala Condor. I would not pay over $50 for a decent machete.
People will pay a premium for high quality survival/bush craft and kitchen knives so that lends well to the 14” butcher that can also dual duty for survival/bush craft. The market is saturated with inexpensive and low quality machetes.
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MNOSD 008 Stable Mules; Z-Max, Z-Wear, Magna Cut, SRS13, Rex 76, Rex T15.
People will pay a premium for high quality survival/bush craft and kitchen knives so that lends well to the 14” butcher that can also dual duty for survival/bush craft. The market is saturated with inexpensive and low quality machetes.
I think I recognize this “kitchen machete” concept lol :p
At first I was averse to the idea, but now seeing it from a different perspective, a large slicer or butcher style knife in BD1N and a handle like the Z-cuts (or simple g10) would be very interesting.
I would buy more than one for the kitchen and outdoors if it had a nice balance of those qualities!
I truly think that Spyderco could excel in any market they choose to enter because the designs, and often materials, are consistently that much better than the competition for my preferences.
Last edited by Cl1ff on Sat Jan 02, 2021 8:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
rex121 is the king of steel, but nature’s teeth have been cutting for hundreds of millions of years and counting :cool:
Most "premium" choppers and machetes are too heavy and obtuse to actually perform well as anything but substandard hatchets IME.
If you want an actual machete, then cheap, spring steel blades and riveted wood handles from the likes of Tramontina in Brazil will be much more useful. Sure they rust, need to have the handles re-shaped or tape wrapped and come with terrible, or no sheath, but then again they usually cost under $20, re-sharpen easily and can be used for hours on end without wrecking your arm.
If OTOH you want a pretty collectible, or a man-hancement device that *looks* like a machete, then stuff like the Darn Dao, or the higher end CS choppers (and rafts of "semi-custom" blades) are great... assuming you have a spare $200-$500 burning a hole in your pocket and don't actually have much brush to clear.
I'll take the ugly, but effective tool that I don't have to feel bad about when I bash chunks out of the edge hitting rocks.
Thanks for doing folders so well Spyderco, no machete required! (at least for me)
Spyderco Darn Dao with a 10.63” blade of CPM-154 (0.236” thick blade) may fit the bill but it costs $454.97!
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Maybe I’m wrong, but I’d think a $50-200(?) MSRP machete/kitchen slicer would make a much less “risky” market than something like the Darn Dao (still something I intend to buy and use one day).
I’m personally always going to encourage growth here, but it’s clear Spyderco values the opinion of those who aren’t interested equally, which is good!
rex121 is the king of steel, but nature’s teeth have been cutting for hundreds of millions of years and counting :cool:
's in 10 different steels
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Stable Mules; Z-Max, Z-Wear, Magna Cut, SRS13, Rex 76, Rex T15.
