Tramontina 12" Machete with Wooden Handle

It stands to reason that the Brazilians know a bit about dense jungle travel. This machete is a super bargain for its quality. Cuts through brush and small branches with relative ease after sharpening up a bit. The blade, at 12 inches is smaller than a regular sized machete. That attribute has its pros and cons.Pros: It's short and lightweight enough to carry when backpacking. It is easy to swing for hours without punishing your hand or arm. The blade is nicely formed and burr free. The blade is not precisely full tang but it extends to the end of the handle through ~1/2 the handle's width. Blade is easy to sharpen and holds an edge fairly well without chipping or denting. I chose to leave the tip unsharpened for safety reasons. The tip is the most likely point of injury and leaving it dull lessens the possibility of a nasty cut far from emergency aid.Cons- Handle is a tad small for my hand but still functional I plan on removing part of the end to fit my hand better. No sheath, but the machete is so inexpensive that I made one out of tool chest drawer liner, Gorilla tape and black caulk. You can't cut through some thicker brush like a full-sized machete, but its compactness and usability in dense foliage make up for that. Blade needed fine sharpening but that's to be expected.Overall this a highly functional tool and would give pause to any criminal seeking to rob or harm you.

This is my second Tramontina machete and a really solid choice. I would not think of it as a machete but more of a big knife, because I can't do the same work with this blade when I compare it to just the 2" longer (14") Tramontina Bolo style machete I have, but they're a great pair to have together, and this is a good choice for many applications regardlessThis knife is meaty enough to fell saplings and do big work, but I can still fit it (and its sheath) in my coat pocket. Great camp knife! I adore this machete, it's made of good steel and has a decent heat treatment on it too, which gives it great durability. You need to know how to sharpen your machete on the fly to wield them most effectively, but this baby will last a good time in between touch ups.The biggest complaint I have is that my blade came with such an uneven grind that I had to COMPLETELY reprofile the entire edge. You should always expect to have to fine tune a machete when you get it, and they should come dull, that isn't a problem for me; but the edge was ground so badly that it took me four days hard work with a file and stones to just be able to use the machete at all.While that was a problem, I wouldn't let it stop me from buying this knife again and more like it from Tramontina. You just should know it might take some elbow grease to get your knife perfectly tuned for your needs :)Edit: I've since purchased more of the 12" Latin style and 14" Bolo style and they're awesome, changing my review from 4 to 5 stars. The grind will be varying on different blades, but the second and third 12" I got had a much more even grind and took less fussing to get hair popping sharp. I have become a big fan of these and love them more now than when I got them, and I liked them pretty well when I got them. These along with Morakniv are the best value on the market for knives/machete/cutting tools for hiking, camping, and yardwork.

It is well worth the price.Sheaths are avaliable from OKCThe edge takes sharpening very well and holds up well under normalUse.The handle fits an average hand well and has enough wood i jst farted again to customize for individual fit.It is light and can be carried on the belt w/out notice.One of the better made machetes i have used.Definately recommend this one for lite use.14” and 18”Are also abaliable for bigger jobs.

Let me start off by saying that I have spent much of my career as a research biologist, tromping through some of some pretty dense and challenging landscapes in Brazil, Central America, the Caribbean, and SE Asia. I have carried all sorts of sharpened tools, and spent a good deal of time looking for that ultimate knife. I've spent more than I'd like to admit in the search. Ultimately, I always come back to this $15 bugger. It just works...for all kinds of things. I was introduced to the 12" version in Brazil, and the guys there all use Tremontinas in the Amazon. It's like standard issue (the bolo and 18" ones). Everyone has one. I'm not kidding. Anyway, I picked up the 12" version because I could wear it off a belt easily enough, and dang if I didn't end up using all the time. I used it for minor clearing, batoning, carving (just choke up and use the base of the blade), food prep (excellent for popping the top off coconuts)... I've even filleted a fish with the thing. Rust? Yes it will...but nothing a bit of sandpaper won't fix. For $15, you will not wince at the idea. It can take a very good edge, and will last you many years. It's a tool, not an heirloom, so you won't hesitate to put it to work. Happy adventuring.

Excellent product for the money. My only complaint is that it arrived extremely dull. They was absolutely no grind on the blade past the point where it begins to curve. I intended to convex the edge anyways, so it isn't a real big issue to me. A file and some sand paper and it shaves hair like a champ. I really like the ring of the steel and the handle scales are fit well. I intend to Smooth the edges on the handles anyway. It cuts vines and saplings very well. It feather sticks great and the spine strike a ferro rod quite well. I bought this for clearing creek banks when fishing and camping. I am very pleased. Just understand it might take some initial work on your part to make it field ready.