There are various types of knives known to all, about which many articles have to write, but now we will talk about the most mysterious knife for a person – a machete. It is rarely found on the counter of stores, usually only in highly specialized ones.
And having seen it, many very vaguely guess how exactly to use it, imagining in their heads pictures where the
Mexicans cut their way through the jungle and also successfully dismember their enemies with it.
HISTORY OF MACHETES
A long thin blade, the height of which increases towards the end, creating mass during felling, bites deeply into the tree and cuts small branches at a stroke.
Machetes gained immense popularity back in the 16th century when slaves in America worked them on sugarcane plantations.
The machete was also widely used for the passage of hard-to-reach, entangled by vines, tropical forests, and various conflicts around the world as a cheap melee weapon.
The idea of a machete is simple and straightforward. Therefore it is available for understanding and manufacturing by any person – it is enough to roughly process any sheet of steel and winding for the handle than it comes to hand.
That’s it; the machete is in your hands. Classics of the genre!
DESIGN, MATERIALS, AND VARIETIES OF MACHETES
A slashing impact from the shoulder achieves a crushing blow with a machete.
Due to such a wide amplitude, the machete blade is made of metal no thicker than 4 mm and an average length of 40 to 60 cm.
Workers make machetes from flexible carbon steel with a thickness of only 2-2.5 mm.
To prevent the machete from slipping out of the hands and have an accurate blow, it has a thickening at the end. For safety reasons, it can supply with a belt loop.
Over time, the design features of the machete have changed. On some models, the guard’s likeness was added along with the sharpened ends of the blade. If you want to get one Best machete for you here you can get one.
The shape of the blade, its bends, and thickness changed. In Japan, the double-edged machete appeared.
WHY DO YOU NEED A MACHETE?
It is an entirely natural question for a middle lane resident, who was identified with a machete only in films, to well on this issue in more detail.
Machete is a very convenient and multifunctional tool that can be used both in the country and on short outings to nature and long, harsh hikes.
A machete can perform many familiar tools – an ax, a saw, and a large knife. With its help, you can cut solid foods, separate sticks from leaves and small branches (for example, for use as skewers or stakes), chop small firewood, even use it as a hammer, and in extreme cases – for self-defense, for example, from wild animals.
Of course, an ax will cope better with chopping wood than a machete, and it is more convenient to open canned food with a small knife.
Therefore, a machete is a kind of compromise that suits most functions on a hike, and if you do not want to take a lot of things with you, you can get a machete.
HOW TO CHOOSE A MACHETE?
The machete’s primary use is as an agricultural tool; therefore, when choosing it, it is important to consider for which functions (to a greater extent) it will use in the future.
For example, if you mainly do light work, a small, lightweight machete, usually made from # 420 steel, will suit you.
Such a tool can quickly become dull, but you will not have problems sharpening it – it can do quickly and easily. It is convenient to take such a machete with you on a hike.
And for heavy, bulky work, you should choose a heavier tool with a massive blade made of high-quality steel and a heavy butt – for example, this one.
The sharpening of such a machete should be about the same as that of an ax.
It can work for a very long time and not become dull, but you will have to spend some time sharpening it when this happens.
When choosing a machete, you need to take into account how much it weighs, how comfortable it is to hold it in your hand, what material is made of, and how ergonomic it is.
