Tramontina Machete Wood

These are great machetes, I have a shop that I can easily make these, but this maker is known as the gold standard of machetes. It's high carbon steel, and it's very easy to sharpen. They do ALWAYS come dull, but that's par the course with this maker.Luckily I have a 2" belt grinder to whip an edge on it. But even if you only have a hand file, carbon steel is easy to sharpen with a file, now if you're Fred Flintstone, and only had a rock, that might take half a day ;)What I do is remove the factory handle, and replace it with a micarta handle, then it takes about a minute to sharpen depending on what kind of grind I want on it, depending in its use.If I don't make it from scratch, I only buy this brand of machete, then customize it.

The Tramontina machete are made from high carbon steel which I believe is 1070 or 1075 steel.The manufacture sends them out sharp but states machetes will need a final sharpening for max performance. This 18" blade machete feels excellent and well balances for high velocity maneuvers. The 4.5" wooden handle does fit my large hands good and feels solid. The wooden handle offers more of a sure grip for me The wooden handle seems to be much more comfortable than other machetes made from synthetic compositions. It's my opinion Tramontina make quality Machetes at a affordable price point.Unfortunately the pair order from Amazon website arrived without packaging protection for shipping. Consequentially, they arrived in unsatisfactory condition. I sent that pair back to the retailer and requested Amazon refund my purchase.I then purchased another pair from Home Depot and got three day free ship. That pair arrived well packaged and zip tied in original sheath from manufacture in perfect condition. I'm extremely pleased with them and Home Depot's quality service. I will keep them close at hand forever. I have to say, "Thank you Amazon" for the refund. Additionally, the retailer's poor standers should not reflect on Amazon's services or Tramontina manufacture company. Thank you Amazon for your support in this transaction.Thank you Tramontina for the quality Machete priced within my budget.Sincerely, Machete guy.

Wow, this thing is a steal at the $18 I paid for it. The quality of the steel is excellent. The feel is comparable to Victorinox when sharpening it and judging by the edge it keeps. It comes dull so get a large fine file, work bench, and clamp and carve out an hour of your afternoon to put an edge on it. Hand file it first then get out a good sharpening stone to put the final razor edge on it. Don't use an electric grinding wheel or you could ruin the hardened edge it if gets too hot. I used a Dremel power tool to shape the handle to fit my palm perfectly. They leave the handle roughly shaped so you can customize the fit exactly to your hand. I followed up with hand sanding, putting a dark walnut stain on it then clear coated it with outdoor poly urethane to make it water proof. This machete should last a lifetime. It is high quality through and through. The full tang handle fits tight, no slop in the rivets. I used this for off trail hiking and was cutting through 3" limbs with one swing like it was nothing. This is the perfect size in my opinion for very thick bush. I've tried a 10" machete but it is too short to get enough whipping action to cut through smaller lighter stuff. The 18" machete is perfect for close quarter chopping through dense brush. Anything longer and you can't get enough space to swing. I was thinking about drilling a hole to put a lanyard through it but don't think it is necessary. It feels secure in my hand even with a hard swing. Don't be fooled by its plain looks. That was the only thing causing me hesitation at first. My camp 10 machete by Kershaw has it beat in the coolness category in looks but in usefulness and quality this easily holds it own niche. If I"m staying on the trails or car camping I prefer the 10" Kershaw camp ten since it is an all around perfect camp tool but for cutting through thick bush it does not stand a chance against the 18" Tramotina.