Kukri

Decades ago, while on military jungle survival training in the Philippines, I bought a homemade machete made by the aboriginal instructors employed by the school. It has a full tang blade hand forged from a truck leaf spring with a hardwood handle and a hand carved softwood sheath. I paid $5 back then and still use the old beat up, blade dinged machete today, more than 30 years later. It is like a family heirloom though and I've been instructed by my wife that it needs to be preserved. Thus I went looking for a replacement.I started my replacement search with a 6" longer, straight blade machete I picked up on sale at a local merchant. Didn't like it at all! It felt unwieldy when used. I set it aside as a backup for when the zombies attack.I went searching again and found the Gerber Gator. The blade of the Gerber Gator is shaped exactly like my old survival blade. Similar length too. The weight and balance of both the old machete and the Gerber make them perfect for chopping and clearing small branches and limbs up to 2-3 inches, giving more control and accuracy than a hatchet or a longer straight blade machete. The Gerber blade is only about half as thick as the old blade though, so it could use a little more mass to give it a more effective bite on each swing. It works fine, much better than the longer straight blade machete. The Gerber takes just a few more swings than a heavier blade on a tree limb.The edge on the Gerber was well honed, definitely sharp enough for a machete. It was comfortable to hold and use. The sheath is well built too. Overall, a nice purchase and heirloom replacement.

We bought it for camping purposes but it was put to good use to cut down limbs on an over-grown tree. This thing worked like magic. We now have a lot of firewood for the chimenea in the backyard and no more limbs wrecking the fence.Pros:Very sharp.Sturdy.Nice design.Good Handle.No Cons.Highly recommended if in the market for a good machete.

After buying, it comes out of the box pretty sharp, but not razor sharp. Its a machete, so it doesn't need to be very sharp. Used it to chop a 5 inch thick tree with some effort. The edge does ding very easily.The handle is very grippy, and the lanyard keeps it close by. Sheath doesnt come with a carrying strap, so i had to find an unused one around my home. But the rings allow you to strap it to a pack with a carabiner clip if you have to clear out bushes in a farm or wooded area.Overall: I like it. Looks cool, and if well oiled and with proper care, it'll last.

Lightweight, comfortable to handle. Got this for part of my hiking/camping tools and it's easy to carry and can't even tell it's added to the bag! Pretty sharp right out the box but a little extra sharpening never hurts. Great machete, sturdy definitely recommend.

If there's one thing that irritates me the most, it's late delivery. the product is fine. good tool for any landscaper or camper. i'd give it a higher rating 'cept i seriously hate late deliveries. mine was an entire day late and the place i wanted to get it sharpened happened to be closed the day i got it.

I purchased this machete after viewing several videos about how best to open Coconuts. This, like all all Gerber blades I've used is a quality Piece of cutlery. It is rugged, extremely sharp and well balanced. my only complaint about the nice, would have to be the sheet that it is delivered with. I found the sheet to be slightly counterintuitive and difficult to Angie's quickly, however since I'm not planning on using the machete as a quick draw weapon, it is just fine.

It came out of the box with a rough edge but it did not take very long to get it razor sharp!!! Its sturdy and durable and fits well in my hand. I don't intend to cut things that will bend or damage the edge of the blade and I would feel confident in any jungle environment for clearing any type of vegetation. Its a great addition to my collection and it has the most bang for the buck!!!

I got that for a colleague, and he was impressed with the high quality. The machete looks nice and strong, maybe a little bit smaller than we thought before, but that is not an issue. The sheath is well made and have kooks to hang the machete to a backpack or such. Is factory sharp (reasonably, not as much as it can be). The bad thing is that the blade came covered with oil, pretty nasty, but that is something easy to solve.