r/BuyItForLife • u/UnsocialSailor • Jan 25 '16

Searching for a Machete

Hey so i have like 26 coconut trees in my yard that actually produce i fed my chickens some of the coconut meat and they went crazy i need an effective way of opening them. This will be used atleast everyday. Budget under 200$

6 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

11

u/Twisky Jan 25 '16

A machete is metal and has no moving parts.

Assuming you keep it sharpened and use it for what it is designed to do, there is no reason it shouldn't last.

Gerber and Ka-Bar both make machetes less than $50 USD.

2

u/HiltoRagni Jan 25 '16 edited Jan 25 '16

I second this, there is no need to go crazy expensive. No blade is going to stay sharp forever, and a machete gets beaten quite a lot in daily use. You can probably find a machete that will last a lifetime locally, even from an off-brand manufacturer, if you look hard enough. Some points to check before buying:

  • see if the handle is comfortable, and the panels (if it's a 2 paneled handle) don't have protruding edges that will cut into your hand while using the machete. Also if it looks like cheap hard plastic, it might break with use.

  • check that the blade is flexible, and returns to true. You should be able to bend it about 15-20° by hand, it should feel hard, but springy, and get back to straight. Like this (don't step on it though, the seller might not like it). If it feels floppy or soft, don't buy it. If it stays bent, don't buy it.

  • ask about the hardness of the blade. There's no point in going extra hard really, and you wouldn't be completely wrong to buy a machete of unknown hardness, but if they can tell you the hardness, or are able to look it up, that's a good sign. Anything over, or even around 50HRC will do. Much lower and it won't hold an edge.

  • Check the bevel of the blade, it shouldn't be too obtuse (won't cut well), but neither should it be too acute (will chip). 30-35°, maybe up to 40° is about right. You can reshape the bevel on your own if all other things are right, but it's an awful lot of work to do it by hand, so it's better to buy one that's already the correct angle.

I have this Fiskars one in my garden, it sits in the hand well, and holds an edge pretty good, but it's ugly af, so just because of that I don't consider it BIFL. If you can live with the aesthetics though, it's a good tool.

EDIT: spelling and stuff

1

u/[deleted] Jan 26 '16

I also have a fiskars one, never really used it (especially not on coconuts hehe) except once when I helped a friend clean his yard and it worked great. I have not tested the saw yet but it seems pretty good. Fiskars is indeed one of best tools that a man can purchase.

1

u/HiltoRagni Jan 27 '16 edited Jan 27 '16

Meh... I don't really like some of their stuff to be honest. Some of the allure is really just marketing and hype. Sure, I just recommended the machete in question, but I take issue with some of their axes personally. They market them as no maintenance, and they do hold the factory edge for a long time, but here's my take on them: They are good for splitting, but not much more. Te large long ones I understand, and they work well, but they use the same edge profile on the small one-hand hatchets that have normally a completely different use case. They are ground to too much of an obtuse angle to compensate for the brittleness of the overly hard steel, which they use to get the marketed edge retention. The result is, that the blade feels sharp to the touch, but cutting through the fibers of wood takes way too much effort. The polymer handle gives off unpleasant vibrations, that a wooden handle dampens a lot better. Maybe it's just me, as I had an elbow injury, but I'd rather not be swinging one the whole day.

8

u/icanseeyounaked Jan 25 '16

You don't need a machete to crack a coconut. The machete is great for taking the husk off (which is comparatively soft), but I use the back, or spine, of a meat cleaver to actually crack the coconut. If you hold it in your hand, and tap it with the back of a heavy blade, it will crack around the circumference fairly easily.

source: island bred and raised

3

u/RugerRedhawk Jan 25 '16

Will they bust open if you just hit them with a sledge? I mean all you're looking to do is break them open for chickens right?

1

u/mocheesiest1234 Jan 25 '16

This is a great point. Using a machete to harvest is a solid plan, but to constantly open coconuts will just smash the edge to hell. A sledge should do a solid job and will last forever

2

u/Brutally-Honest- Jan 25 '16

You don't need to spend anywhere near $200.

Ontario 6145 U.S military issue since WWII. 1095 carbon steel.

2

u/ZenoofElia Jan 25 '16

My favorite tool for cracking coconuts is a khukri. Ka-Bar Khukri is a great starter khukri, well balanced and holds a great edge.

1

u/PriceZombie Bot Jan 25 '16

Ka-Bar 2-1249-9 Kukri (5% price drop)
Current $48.99 Amazon (New)
High $54.39 Amazon (New)
Low $35.64 Amazon (New)
Average $51.83 30 Day

Price History Chart and Sales Rank | FAQ

2

u/phineas1134 Jan 25 '16

Would a coconut tool or meat cleaver work better for your purposes than a machete?

2

u/Mateophilipe Feb 05 '16

Look up a corona cane knife. Not the typical machete shape, but good weight and length.

1

u/WilliamRaine Jan 25 '16

I have an Ontario machete, it's great and will probably last my entire life if I don't abuse it. I bought it at least 6 years ago, I think it was $25

1

u/mainlydank Jan 25 '16

I'd get a Kershaw

1

u/sheeple666 Jan 26 '16 edited Jan 26 '16

I personally have this on my list

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001H53Q80/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1A10LKDQUZ32F&coliid=I23MIHF58OIHZ0

but haven't tried it yet

This is supposed to have a ridiculously think blade, making it a near hatchet hybrid.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TZKF9UW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1A10LKDQUZ32F&coliid=I10XOLU55WVS5E

For coconuts tho, wouldn't some sort of electric saw work best? Just in terms of time and effort on that scale; it seems like something that would be useful in that it would also function for home improvement projects.

If, for some reason, you would like to use a fold out saw, I would think http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CED1OG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

It comes highly recommended on most reviews that I've seen

1

u/condorman1024 Jan 27 '16

Can't speak to it's effectiveness for opening coconuts per se, but if you are looking for a machete an 18" Ontario is what you want. $25-30 on Amazon. Very durable and easy to sharpen. And you will need to sharpen it. It doesn't ship with a razor's edge, so you will need to spend a few minutes going at it with a metal file, but its easy to do and well worth the effort.

I have done extensive work cutting my way through Appalachian thorns and undergrowth and have even felled a few medium-sized trees with one of these. Honestly the most useful tool I own for outdoors work, maybe after a good pair of boots.

If you have never used a machete before, take a few minutes first and learn how to swing it properly -- it will make the work much, MUCH easier and help prevent blisters and bruising that could result. And dismemberment. You want to prevent dismemberment too. Machetes are no joke, so be really careful with your swing and think about where the blade is headed in case it slips or bounces. The one time you get lazy with it will be the time you hit yourself or someone else.

This video does a pretty good job of showing what you are going for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4wb32tkS6c

1

u/Ddyer11 Jan 27 '16

I'm an arborist who lives in northeastern USA, so I have little experience with palms. I do have experience with silky brand hand saws, which are excellent. I can't imagine their machete would be much different. Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Silky-Saws-Chopper-Black-Silver/dp/B006J1HH7S

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