H1Spyderco Machete?

[PM2Josh]

I was wondering theoretically about a Spyderco Machete and if it would be good in H2 steel format. Sixteen to 18 inch blade.
H2 I chose for toughness, ease of sharpening, and rust proof.
It would be cool to see Spyderco release a machete.
Any thoughts, counterpoints, or different blade stesl options feom other members?

[vivi]

sign me up.

[James Y]

It would be interesting to see how H1 (now H2) edges would hold up to chopping branches and the like.

Would they be better in PE or SE? I've never owned or seen a machete in SE, other than having seen a few with sawbacks.

If it could be made to stand up to such work, I would love an H2 machete.

Jim

[Evil D]

If you search there was an incident involving a Rock Salt and a coconut that did not end well. Maybe chopping a coconut is asking too much?

[Naperville]

I own a 1V Bark River Knives machete. How does 1V stack up against H1 or H2?

There are videos of the 1V machete that I own on YouTube.

[sal]

Cutting coconuts is fairly simple when you know how to do it. Doesn't require a lot of force. I don't remember the technique, but I've seen it done.

sal

[James Y]

I'd love to see a Spyderco kukri machete in H2.

Jim

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Cutting coconuts is fairly simple when you know how to do it. Doesn't require a lot of force. I don't remember the technique, but I've seen it done.

sal

Very cool, sal.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I'd love to see a Spyderco kukri machete in H2.

Jim

Yes, this!
Sal, I hope this is okay to ask here, regarding this?
Do you and others remember the Black Jack Knives Mamba Series with those convex ground recurve blades designed by Michael Stewart who went on to establish Bark River Blades?

What if you and Michael could discuss a collaboration that takes his Kukri like Mamba design, uses H2 steel, and a FRN handle, with full tang blade? A Spyderco, BlackJack Mamba Kukri.
What a blade that would be!
Jim look up pics of that BJ model if you want.

It would be an almost indestructible super survival knife.

[VashHash]

If you search there was an incident involving a Rock Salt and a coconut that did not end well. Maybe chopping a coconut is asking too much?

I had no issue cutting coconuts with mine. I did have issue when batoning and twisting the blade out.

[Fireman]

I own a 1V Bark River Knives machete. How does 1V stack up against H1 or H2?

There are videos of the 1V machete that I own on YouTube.

If you get tired of that machete, let me know

[Fireman]

H-1/2 would be the toughest but I would still prefer LC200N. I would pay up to $400 for it and hopefully around 14” length blade. I had a gorgeous custom machete/Scimitar made but it’s not stainless. It could be made to do double duty as a kitchen/Butcher/BBQ knife like mine.

[Jeb]

I just ordered me a new kukri machete, I beat the heck out of these cheap sorry ones I have and get so tired having to hammer the sorry metal back flat lol.

I had asked about this very possibility a few months back and was basically told no possibility because of the size these are.

But to be able to buy a good spyderco kukri machete at least a 16" cutting length blade and a Sheath to go with it, heck I down for two of them and I would pay 500 buck each if they are DLC and a good G10 with the more textured peel ply scales and at least 3 of the through bolts like we get on the Mules.

I just bought a BK 21 that Kabar made from 1095, it's another cheap kukri machete, but hopefully better than either of the two I have now. They did sell an option on some Micarta scales which I got also for another 50 bucks. With shipping extra scales up grade it's 200 bucks.

I'm pretty sure it was right after I bought my Spyderco Tomahawk made from D2 that I brought this topic up. I use the hound out of my Tomahawk and love it. The grip on it is to die for too.

Most guys would need gloves to use it much if not at all, but my paws just work with this grip. There is just so much you can do with the kukri machete, that you can't do with the Tomahawk lol.

Specially when in vines and brush lol, you can wear yourself out with a Hatchett or Tomahawk swinging at vines and not get very far.

Sal, sir you make these happen we will come! Dang sure put me down for two...

[JoviAl]

It would be interesting to see how H1 (now H2) edges would hold up to chopping branches and the like.

Would they be better in PE or SE? I've never owned or seen a machete in SE, other than having seen a few with sawbacks.

If it could be made to stand up to such work, I would love an H2 machete.

Jim

It holds up extremely well, especially in SE. I use my JM2 almost exclusively at work doing forestry management and syntropic regenerative agriculture. Anywhere between 1000 to 5000 hacking cuts per day in green materials with touch ups on my CBN double stuff when it needs it, 184 days a year for the last ~2 years.

As for coconuts (or any other part of the palm for that matter), I’ve not had any issues processing them at all. I’ve actually been pruning coconuts this week and processing it into green mulch and they’re a bit of a non-event. I’ve been banging the drum for a H1 SE chopper for ages and have enquired with a number of custom makers to try and get one made (H1/2 SE Kukri specifically) but nobody besides Spyderco seems to have access to it.

[zhyla]

I’m going to say the same stuff I always say in machete threads: machetes are cheap, light, thin blades intended for constant abuse.

Worried about corrosion? That’s what painted machetes are for. The edge is getting damaged and sharpened constantly so corrosion isn’t really a problem.

Often people say “machete” when they really mean “North American chopper”. I can’t imagine what a large chopper in H1/2 from Spyderco would cost.

As for the SE vs PE question… what exactly would you do with a serrated chopper? That’s confusing.

[JoviAl]

I’m going to say the same stuff I always say in machete threads: machetes are cheap, light, thin blades intended for constant abuse.

Worried about corrosion? That’s what painted machetes are for. The edge is getting damaged and sharpened constantly so corrosion isn’t really a problem.

Often people say “machete” when they really mean “North American chopper”. I can’t imagine what a large chopper in H1/2 from Spyderco would cost.

As for the SE vs PE question… what exactly would you do with a serrated chopper? That’s confusing.

Cut stuff with it Joking aside doing hacking cuts with SE has been a bit of an unexpected revelation for me. It could very well be my specific use case of hacking solely in woody/fibrous materials, but I find when I hack at something the SE points dig in viciously and the blade’s impact force seems to be directed straight into the cut, whereas with my PE machetes they tend to slide and deflect in the cut a lot more. Heavier ones like my Silky Nata are better at resisting deflection, but they still don’t bite as hard as my SE JM2 which takes much less effort to use (being several times lighter than the Nata). I’m not saying PE machetes are bad, they just don’t perform as well for my use case.

[Naperville]

I own a 1V Bark River Knives machete. How does 1V stack up against H1 or H2?

There are videos of the 1V machete that I own on YouTube.

If you get tired of that machete, let me know

Thank you for the reply! I'll add a note that you are interested.

As it stands right now I'm keeping the Bark River Knives 1V Machete, Cold Steel 3V Kukri, two RMJ Trench Knives in 3V and my Spyderco knives.

[vivi]

I’m going to say the same stuff I always say in machete threads: machetes are cheap, light, thin blades intended for constant abuse.

Worried about corrosion? That’s what painted machetes are for. The edge is getting damaged and sharpened constantly so corrosion isn’t really a problem.

Often people say “machete” when they really mean “North American chopper”. I can’t imagine what a large chopper in H1/2 from Spyderco would cost.

As for the SE vs PE question… what exactly would you do with a serrated chopper? That’s confusing.

most machetes have such poor corrosion resistance, they dull from that as much as anything else. my trunk machete needs sharpened often simply due to rust forming on the bevel so easily.

An H1 machete would certainly be expensive, but my experiences with the steel lead me to believe it'd be worth trying. I'd buy one.

H1 is incredibly tough,not just rust proof. I've been batoning and prying an aqua salt since the 2000's with no damage at all. Stuff that would easily roll or chip 1095, cruwear, etc. in my experience.

I've even lashed it to long branches with paracord and used it as a chopper. No issues besides lack of heft / blade length.

I'm with you on serrated machetes though. Maybe others are running too polished and / or too thick of an edge. My machetes bite through foliage incredibly well right off the belt sander, or refined to 200-300 grit with diamond stones. I rarely take them past that.

They also chop wood pretty well given a 15dps bevel. My 16-18" machetes are close to the chopping efficiency of a hatchet on most woods with how I sharpen them. I wouldn't trust a chisel ground SE machete to stand up to full power swings into hard woods without taking damage. If a PE machete does take damage, a couple licks on the belt sander gets it back to fighting shape in no time at all.

I'd be interested in a true machete. 2mm stock, maybe 3mm if H2 isn't available in 2mm.

Choppers aren't nearly as efficient IMO. They tend to be shorter but heavier, ground too thick to chop wood well, too short to machete well, and very expensive.

I'd rather have a $10 18" tramontina and a $35 fiskars hatchet than your typical chopper. And if I was only going to carry one large wilderness tool, I'd still rather go with a hefty 3mm thick machete like the condor terrachete.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I’m going to say the same stuff I always say in machete threads: machetes are cheap, light, thin blades intended for constant abuse.

Worried about corrosion? That’s what painted machetes are for. The edge is getting damaged and sharpened constantly so corrosion isn’t really a problem.

Often people say “machete” when they really mean “North American chopper”. I can’t imagine what a large chopper in H1/2 from Spyderco would cost.

As for the SE vs PE question… what exactly would you do with a serrated chopper? That’s confusing.

1 Issue it to members of the US Space Force.
2 Use it as an ultimate survival chopper knife and build shelters. Drive off hangry polar bears and porcupines.
3 Hang it on a wall and be very happy.

[JoviAl]

I’m going to say the same stuff I always say in machete threads: machetes are cheap, light, thin blades intended for constant abuse.

Worried about corrosion? That’s what painted machetes are for. The edge is getting damaged and sharpened constantly so corrosion isn’t really a problem.

Often people say “machete” when they really mean “North American chopper”. I can’t imagine what a large chopper in H1/2 from Spyderco would cost.

As for the SE vs PE question… what exactly would you do with a serrated chopper? That’s confusing.

most machetes have such poor corrosion resistance, they dull from that as much as anything else. my trunk machete needs sharpened often simply due to rust forming on the bevel so easily.

An H1 machete would certainly be expensive, but my experiences with the steel lead me to believe it'd be worth trying. I'd buy one.

H1 is incredibly tough,not just rust proof. I've been batoning and prying an aqua salt since the 2000's with no damage at all. Stuff that would easily roll or chip 1095, cruwear, etc. in my experience.

I've even lashed it to long branches with paracord and used it as a chopper. No issues besides lack of heft / blade length.

I'm with you on serrated machetes though. Maybe others are running too polished and / or too thick of an edge. My machetes bite through foliage incredibly well right off the belt sander, or refined to 200-300 grit with diamond stones. I rarely take them past that.

They also chop wood pretty well given a 15dps bevel. My 16-18" machetes are close to the chopping efficiency of a hatchet on most woods with how I sharpen them. I wouldn't trust a chisel ground SE machete to stand up to full power swings into hard woods without taking damage. If a PE machete does take damage, a couple licks on the belt sander gets it back to fighting shape in no time at all.

I'd be interested in a true machete. 2mm stock, maybe 3mm if H2 isn't available in 2mm.

Choppers aren't nearly as efficient IMO. They tend to be shorter but heavier, ground too thick to chop wood well, too short to machete well, and very expensive.

I'd rather have a $10 18" tramontina and a $35 fiskars hatchet than your typical chopper. And if I was only going to carry one large wilderness tool, I'd still rather go with a hefty 3mm thick machete like the condor terrachete.

I’m with you on corrosion occurring so quickly on the edge bevel as to be an issue.

I store my machetes in a secure shed on my work site and even with regular applications of Marine Tuf Glide they still rust like crazy, literally over the course of a day. The Jake Hoback one is ~2mm blade stock and 14c28n which is holding up pretty well, but the tropical humidity just ruins the edge of the others unless you really baby them. The Hoback is a laser in softer stuff like foliage or banana stems, but it doesn’t hit hard enough to really carve deep into the thicker part of coconut fronds, whereas the JM2 does an ok job in the soft stuff and is brilliant in the harder stringy stuff.

I’m not such a big fan of H1 in PE, but I have had much better results following your suggestions on a properly coarse edge on my Aqua Salt. I’d certainly be in for any sort of large H1/2 knife, although I’d likely get some serrations cut into it just for personal preference if it only came in PE.