Tramontina Machete, Carbon Steel, Polypropylene Handle

This company started making machetes in a small blacksmith shop in Brazil in 1911. That provenance is shown in the simple and practical functionality of this machete. I have an 18 inch Tramontina machete with a wooden handle that works well in tight areas. This 24" machete is front weighted and can reach out and touch some gnarly brush and saplings. It is a working machete. The very tip and first 4" of the blade are unsharpened in a traditional fashion to limit injury. I suggest leaving it that way. The handle is molded plastic with a bit of texturing on it. It functions well for all but the largest hands. One gripe is the flat cut off at the end of the handle. It's a bit uncomfortable but can be rounded off with a flat file. The blade is maybe 3-5mm and flexes some but is controllable. It sharpens up nicely and a few drops of oil will keep it rust free for years. A classic working machete at a bargain price. Highly recommended. (note- no sheath is included with this machete.)

Workhorse. Clears thorny berries like a hot knife through butter when swung proper. slammed into a few small stumps and even got it good and stuck and slowly pulled it out and no warping. used it like a hoe to chop short weeds blade in the dirt a lot. I like that the blade handles abuse very well. I hit a cinder block hiding in the brush and damage was minimal. Even after hitting rocks and stumps this blade is worked but still not ready for me to sharpen up. basically functions almost like a weedwacker except for tight edging but hoping the 18in one i got on order will do fence work.... this bigger one couldnt get enough room to chop against overgrowth on a fence. taped the handle and added a short lanyard also as suggested for safety. muuuch better than the coghlans piece of crap I used to have

Previously, I have only tried out the wooden-handles Tramontina machetes. They are made with exceptionally good steel. They take a better edge than I've been able to get on other machetes, and they hold it better. The Tramontina steel is markedly better than that used in the Cold Steel machetes, or even US-made Ontario machetes. The biggest problem with the wood-handled machetes is the handle. The plastic-handled one I tried is much the same. The handles is slippery, and yet also abrades the hand when in use. I don't know hoe they managed that. With the wooden-handled model, a little sanding makes the handle much more comfortable to use. I would think that a little hockey tape or something similar would really help the plastic-handled machete. The handle shape is a little uncomfortable in use. It digs into my hand when I am chopping vines and such. It needs a little padding. The plastic handle does at least have a lanyard hole, which is a useful feature, and is not found on the wooden-handled version. If I needed a lanyard hole, I'd consider this machete, but otherwise I'd go with the wooden handle. It is more comfortable to use and easier to hold onto. The blade appears to be slightly superior on this model than on the wooden-handled model. It has a real ricasso, rather than just a section at the bottom that looks like somebody forgot to sharpen it. That is more attractive, and also lets you see, at a glance, where the cutting edge starts. You'll use that part of the edge down near the handle for more delicate cutting tasks, like maybe peeling fruit. The machete is a camping and survival tool, and it must be useful for many different kinds of jobs. As on the wooden-handled machete, this one arrived without a good edge on it. It could have been used to clear brush, but it cuts much better with a sharper edge. A few minutes with a file put a good working edge on it. As with other Tramontinas, the construction is a little sloppy and the edge was uneven. After filing, I found that there was a short section in the middle of the blade that was just as dull as before. It took several more minutes to even out the edge and get it sharp all the way down. The machete cut well and held its edge. No surprise there, as Tramontina makes about the best machete blades you'll find, without spending hundreds on a custom machete. For temperate zones, I have found the Cold Steel Magnum Kukri machete will outperform any other I've tried, including the Tramontinas. The Tramontina steel is superior, but the blade shape of the magnum Kukri performs beautifully. If you are sold on a latin-style machete, then Tramontina is the best, but for cutting the denser plants we have in the US, the latin-style blade shape is inefficient. If Tramontina would start offering a kukri-style blade in the US, it would probably be the best factory-produced machete available in the history of the world.

I bought this so I could cut back brush and clear some small limbs while on my lawnmower. I have a Condor machete I love but it wasn't really long enough and they are pretty expensive now. I've heard of Tramontina but I wasn't expecting much for the price but it turned out to be exactly what I needed and it was money well spent. I'll list a couple of points that might be helpful to you if you are considering getting one. 1) The first 4 inches of the blade at the handle are totally unsharpened and I mean flat. I was annoyed at first and thought it sloppy manufacture but it turned out that I really like it that way. It makes it a little safer if you need to choke up on it or if your hand slips or something. I purchased a Marbles sheath and the first few inches of the blade are exposed but because that part isn't sharp it works out perfectly. 3) The blade is a little springy but I like that too. It's just the right amount of springy, anymore it would be too floppy but as it it's just right. A lot machete I've seen are rigid like a big crow bar which makes it really heavy and if you hit something at a funky angle it's very unforgiving but the Tramontina blade is light and flexible like a machete should be but not floppy. 3( The handle is serviceable but nothing special. It's got a little texture to it and doesn't scream high quality but it also doesn't feel super cheap like some low end machete. The handle is just a bit narrow for me so if I hit that funky angle the handle shifts or turns in my hand a bit, that happened a few times this am. I am going to put some talon tape on it and that ought to make it perfect. 4) It comes reasonably sharp and cuts decent but I took one of those yellow sharpeners with the handle (Smith's maybe?) And that turned it into almost a razor. My Condor is lightsaber sharp and passes the arm hair shave test. The Tramontina so far is just a tad less sharp, it does pop some arm hair but I don't have it insanely sharp yet but by normal standards it is really sharp. I'm extremely satisfied with it, if you want a solid working tool that cuts like a beast this is for you. If you want a mall ninja, zombie slaying sword it probably won't be the style you want. Not fancy show off my high dollars state of the art g10 handle with saw back and bottle opener but more that guy who lives in the village and uses his machete every day.

I worked for my dad’s land surveying business from the time I was 5-6yo until I left for law school at 25yo. By the time I was 16, I could knock a 2” oak, hickory, cherry tree/branch off with one swing! It’s all about the blade thickness, sharpness, and user’s level of experience. I suspect that an inexperienced person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between machetes. I most definitely can. I recall my late father ordering his from a South American company and he always wanted a relatively thin blade that was “front heavy”, so we could cut line as quickly as possible. I’m now 50yo, just retired, and moved back to the country part of Florida. I spent a day deciding which brand and length to buy. I finally decided on this one at 24”, ordered it, got it, sharpened it to shave hair, and went about testing it. To my surprise, my first choice was the right choice! This machete, in capable hands, will take out a 2.5” hardwood, or a 4” pine with a single swipe! I couldn’t be happier; plus it brought back some of my very fondest memories of time spent with my daddy! “Remember, son, angle is everything when you’re swinging a machete.” Michael L. Pardue, PLS. Circa 1977. Update 2-26-2022: Thanks for all the love; glad I could be of assistance.

I just got this today and don't like to write hasty reviews, but since there weren't any for this machete, I will. This is certainly worth the money I paid for it. This comes without a sheath. I didn't plan on wearing this long thing like a pirate anyway, but it would be nice to store it in. You would end up paying twice as much if it did come with one, but it still would be worth it. The factory edge was not razor sharp and I really didn't expect it to be. The edge that was there was perfectly useable. I took it down the hill to try out with my other new yard toys (Condor Parang, Condor El Salvador Machete, and Condor Kukri Machete). Being a 24" blade, this has more heft to it than the 18" El Salvador by Condor. I wouldn't call it heavy by any means. It is mostly out toward the tip and will help it maintain momentum. The plastic handle is obviously cheap, but was solid and felt right in my gloved hand. This tool worked beautifully on my mix of kudzu/bramble. For more woody material like brush and ivy vines I used the Parang. You could use this on small diameter woody material, but I would suggest getting something with more weight behind it. Using the Tramontina on the kudzu/bramble and the Parang on the woody brush I really made some progress. Despite being only factory sharp, it sliced right through with a satisfying "ting, ting, ting." I had been using the Long Reach Woodsman's Pal tool on the same area of the yard and was getting caught with the bramble thorns because of the limited reach of the Woodsman's Pal. Plus, the cutting edge on the Woodsman is pretty short making it more work to cover the same amount of ground. This machete provided the stand off distance that I needed to keep from getting grabbed by the thorny bramble. I worked with this tool for probably twenty minutes and did not want to stop, but had to get ready for work. I really can't wait to put a nice sharp edge on this tool and see how it works. I use a Smith's double sided hand held diamond sharpener for my machetes and it seems to do pretty good, but am open to suggestions if anyone knows of a better way.

For the money this is an excellent blade. The handle leaves nothing to the immagination, is rather cheap and not very comfortable but thats where the bad news ends. The blade came sharper than i expect a machete blade to come, it was usable as it arrived, and took very little time to hone. Edge holding is surprisingly good. It had no trouble cutting through 1.25 inch chutes and has a satisfying ring while doing so. While the long blade is flexible it is strong. Edge-on strikes and good alignment are important due to the flexibility but a mis-strike only make the blade bounce and not stay bent. The heat treat is the heart and soul of any blade, without which a blade can only be a dead thing. This blade seems to have a soul however and for those who are able to fut a worthy handle this blade will make an excellent tool. Not for beginners due to flexibility but with proper edge alignment a solid hitter

I bought this to replace a cheap18" machete that I bought recently, not knowing better. While that one fit inside my backpack, I found at the campsite that it was a bit light, and its balance was too high on the blade to effectively cut wood without either seriously jarring the handle or losing swing leverage. Also, its hard plastic handle, open in the middle to reveal the tang steel, had a smooth and adherent enough surface but also sharp enough edges to prove immediately painful and blistering to my hand. That's a good reason to try things out well before you go on the trail! This Tramontina 24" machete is much, much better. Having received it only today, I sharpened it and gave a few whacks to some scrap fir 2x4s. It easily went around an inch deep, cutting at a corner. It seems comfortably useful as both a brush whacker and a branch and small tree cutter. While it is not a thick blade (about .08" near the handle, narrowing to about .06" near the tip), it has a good amount of weight. I very much like its solid feeling, effectively cutting, and non-jarring impact point that sits about 5" behind the tip of the blade. I hear that the steel is 1070, which is moderately high in carbon. My own cursory observations are that the steel has a nice ring to it, much like a wood cutting hand saw (as compared to the leaden tone of my other machete); it is quite springy and does not seem prone to bend easily; it does not sharpen very easily with an old, dull file (while my other machete yields rather well to that); I cannot shave off steel using a cheap but sharp 440 stainless pocket knife; and while sharpening it with a coarse common whetstone raises a noticeable burr, following that with the "fine" side greatly reduces the burr, and then a touch with a moderate ceramic stone seems to remove the burr. So, I would think it is about 1070, harder than 1050 but not as hard as 1090. I had planned to wrap the handle with leather if it turned out to be anything like the handle of my other machete, but this does not seem necessary so far. The blade is 1.6" wide at the handle, and then the tang narrows to fit inside the handle. I can't tell how wide the tang is, but flexing the blade does not indicate any particular weakness at the base of the blade -- the curvature is smooth through that point. The handle itself, meanwhile, is not entirely hard. It is a satin texture, very slightly soft, similar in hardness perhaps to oak. Also, the halves of the handle meet quite well, and there is little roughness to it. If desired, whatever roughness might be noticed is easily smoothed with fine sandpaper. Concerning the sharpness of this machete, mine came with a quickly applied factory edge. The grind began about 4" away from the handle, the sides of the edge fully met about 2" after that, and the remaining straight of the blade was moderately sharp, although having a noticeable burr. The sharp continued around the curve, but then the grind completely ended about 1" short of the tip. These are quickly made, the factory edge is rough, and some real sharpening is needed, as with about any knife, but maybe a little more than that.