IMACASA 12" Machete, Black Poly Handle, Canvas Sheath Included, Full Tang - Optimal Balance and Force, 1075 High Carbon Steel Blade, Ergonomic Handle

This 18" Imacasa is awesome! It comes with an edge, but not really very sharp, as the best of these are left for the end user to sharpen to taste, or for application. I wanted it shaving sharp, and had a hand finished razor's edge on it in an hour or so. I use sharpening stones with 240, 600, and then 1000, followed by a little stropping. This blade sings when pinged, and makes a beautiful sound. For general brush clearing and light duty shrubs and bushes there is no finer tool. Whether it is tall grass, thicker weeds, stringy lilac branches, or 3" thick maple pruning, the machete does it all. The power and efficiency of the machete is amazing. It is easy to swing, but bites hard on impact without feedback to your whole arm or body. Just to get my head on straight I watched some videos of machete use to avoid accidents - this is no joke, people get massively injured with machete user errors ,and it happens in a hurry and it is devastating. Be very careful, and be sure to take the strokes outside of the radius of the body, and expect the machete to go through things and have ample room with no other person in the vicinity. I have several large knives, hatchets, and assorted power tools, and this Imacasa machete is rapidly becoming one of the most versatile and useful of the bunch. The handle is great, with a little hook at the pommel end which helps anchor the hand. The sheath is not very good, but it does have rivets along the blade edge, which will help durability, but this is really just a matter of time before it fails. For the money, this package is well worth it.

So for the price and the quality, this is one of the best machete/bush knives that one can purchase. The machete has been used on virtually every continent and its utilitarian uses are too many to mention. So, down to the review: handle feels good, a bit smooth for my taste since it doesn’t have a textured grip. Balance is excellent. Point of balance on the blade I purchased (16 inch blade) was about 2.75 inches in front of the hilt (which isn’t bad at all). Semi-flexible blade to handle the constant chopping and slashing movement, and the easy of sharpening was great. A ‘Caution’ sticker was placed on the side of the blade stating that it should be sharpened using a whetstone (or a moistened stone with water or perhaps oil). Not sure if that makes a difference but I followed the advice and moistened by stone with water before sharpening it.

This machete is very well made and very stiff to handle the job. Works great. Only wish that the scabbard had a strap in it to keep the machete in it. Slides out very easily. The only negative comment.

IN NM WE HAVE CHOLLA CACTUS 10' TALL 8' WIDE W/ WOODY BRANCHES COVERED W/ 3'' SPIKES HARD TO GET CLOSE TO CUT THIS GIVES YOU THE EXTRA REACH YOU NMEED.

Great machete that works well on small diameter tree limbs to heavy vines. This machete will need sharpening when you get it but the blade sweep provides a nice sweet spot for one swing vine cuts.

Great to use and for ease of cutting brush. The handle us terrible, but most are bad. I would recommend using gloves otherwise you will have blisters in 5 minutes.

Does the job

Probably the best machete for the price. Great quality steel and a good grip. Ordered the 22 in. which is a little longer than necessary, but will keep it and buy another 16 to 18 in. which would be perfect for all purpose use and a better length on the hip. Took a long time to research this purchase as I wanted it to be a lasting tool and feel the time invested was well spent.