Condor Tool & Knife El Salvador Machete Wood Handle W/Leather Sheath - Heavy Duty Machete - 1075 High Carbon Steel - Walnut Handle - Hand Crafted Leather Sheath - 3mm Full Tang - 18in Blade - 32.5oz

Super sharp, nice scabbard, too.

Go to order a simple brush cutting machete these days and you will be faced with hundreds of options....from old school basics like this machete to futuristic, fancy blades of all designs, , materials, handles, etc..... Prices range from dirt cheap to what a good, custom made knife would cost you from a knife smith.I was raised, many years ago, in the Panama Canal Zone, when it still belonged to the US. I learned at an early age to use the old style, wooden handle, heavy steel Central and South American Machetes used by the natives. I retired to an island off the SW Coast of Florida and, since we seem to be hurricane magnets and the island is frequently cut off from the mainland, it is wise to do some basic "Prepping" before hurricane season.When I wanted a good machete for my Prepper room, I looked hard at all the dazzling array of machetes out there. I settled on this one and could not be happier. It is "old school", simple and heavy duty. With a tempered steel blade it takes and holds an a razor edge easily. It is well balanced and will not wear you out. A light weight machete works you to death....a heavier one lets the weight of the knife to the work for you. The hardwood handle is comfortable and large enough to fill my hands without sliding around and raising blisters. The sheath is leather....nothing fancy and not a work of leather art....but adequate if occasionally given a treatment with Saddle Soap and some Neat's Foot Oil to preserve it and keep it from cracking and splitting.The blade will need to be put away clean, dry and lightly oiled as it is NOT stainless steel....but a good quality carbon steel and will rust while you are looking at it if not oiled.This is every bit as good and solid as the machetes I owned when I lived in Panama and bought locally made knives. A good buy.

I just received my El Salvador machete (Salvador) and tried it out today. My overall favorite machete for the past 15 years has been the Ontario Knife model with an 18” blade (Ontario). Comparatively, the Salvador weighs appox. 3 ounces more than the Ontario, and both machetes are almost identical in length and balance. They both have the unsharpened length of blade just in front of the handle, which I like for safer weak hand carry in the field. The Salvador has 2.0” of unsharpened blade and the Ontario has 2.5”. I prefer the 2-1/2” of the Ontario, but I always wear gloves when using a machete, so it’s not big deal.I’m 65 years old and have used machetes since I was 8. Always have one with me for light brush, limbs, etc. Some reviewers have noted the tip heaviness of the Salvador. It does feel a tiny bit more so than the Ontario, but I think that’s because it is slightly heavier, overall, and its blade width appears to increase slightly more toward the tip than does that of the Ontario. In my opinion, it’s barely noticeable. My fingers are not long and my hands aren’t big, so the Salvador’s slightly thinner grip feels good in my hand. I would recommend adding a lanyard and wearing gloves, as that nice wood handle is smooth and will surely get slick in sweaty hands.The workmanship of the Salvador is beautiful. I hated to scratch it up with use, but that’s what it’s for. It will surprise me greatly if it is not extremely durable. It worked very well on the limbs I had to cut up, today.While I can’t say that the Salvador blows the much more affordable Ontario away, I plan to give it a lot of time on the proving ground. If it performs like I anticipate, it will become my go to machete.

great machete very happy with purchase

Solid and heavy. Good factory edge. 1 gripe is handle had a chip of wood fall off

This isn't a cheap, flimsy machete. This thing is solid. It has a thick spine and the blade doesn't wobble when it cuts. The edge was decent out of the box. 5 minutes with a whetstone and it slices cleanly through paper with no tearing and shaves the top of my thumbnail with no problem. The handle is pretty comfortable and fills my hand. The sheath is excellent as per usual with Condor. Worth the money.

This is a REAL machete not the ones you buy at Wally world,Cabela’s,Harbor Freight or any Big Box Store. Thick blade FULL tang 90degree spine(for striking Ferro rod) so you don’t have to strike using the blade which probably wouldn’t matter on this one anyway. Super sharp out of the box,cuts through paper easily (for sharpness test) harder to sharpen but stays sharp way longer than others. I really recommend. Only downside is I wouldn’t mind a beefier handle ,but I can grip fine.

I had a 30 year old machete that I couldn't get ride of over emotional reasons. This...its perfect. 5 star! Hope to use it for the next 30 years!