Machetes

[alfsauve]

What amazes me is how cheap machetes are. 

Went to smallish gun show Saturday (Eastman).   Couldn't find what I was looking for, but bought a box of pistol primers to keep my stock up. 

Stopped to talk to a knife maker who makes Damscus.   Ouhhhhhhhhh.     But wait, there was a Damscus machette.   Soooooo pretty.   Price.   As the guy said,  don't ask.   They hadn't set a price, but would entertain serious offers.   Four digits at least.

   

[ellis4538]

Ain't no good without pictures!  I know, I know it's hard to do Damascus justice in a picture.

Richard

[Grizzle_Bear]

Words like "quality" and "high-priced" should not be used in conjunction with "machete."

It's just a piece of spring steel with a handle.  You sharpen it with a file.

I am not disparaging them, I have several, and they are great.  Even have a fancy Mexican "dress"
machete a friend gave me.

But it's a tool, just like a shovel.  Plenty damned handy, like when you need to cut down a small
tree to get your vehicle unstuck from a creek bed.  (Remember to pack gloves!)

GB

[alfsauve]

Ain't no good without pictures!  I know, I know it's hard to do Damascus justice in a picture.

Sorry, richard.   No picture taking was allowed. 

Grizzle, you're right.   The knife maker and I talked about that it was more of a presentation and a collectible piece, not a practical one.  Also the need for them to be somewhat flexible.   

As been said, machetes pretty much run around the $20 range, more if they add "tactical" to the name.  It's just a bit in interesting history that back in the '50s and 60's, the name Collins was considered "high quality" when talking about machetes.  Plantation workers in the Americas insisted on having them.  I guess that brief fling with celebrity status came to an abrupt end as people realized, as you said, it's just a piece of spring steel with a handle.