Machete - knife for harvesting cane

Interest in cold arms will survive now a real boom. There are several reasons for this, one of which is the growing popularity of "green tourism", and the other is the aggressive marketing policy of producers. So, the machete began to be in demand - a knife to collect sugar cane and felling lianas in the jungle. And it is served as an indispensable tool in "wild" places, which has no rivals in terms of convenience and efficiency. Let's try to figure out whether this is so.

A bit of history

The Machete is a knife about 50 centimeters long and the thickness of the butt is rarely larger than three millimeters. The most widespread was in Latin America, where it was used and is now used for harvesting sugar cane. In fact, this is an analogue of a sickle. Like any agricultural implements, the machete was made of low-quality steel on local smithies, so it was impossible to cut them harder than reeds or lianas. Repeating the path of spit in Europe or sai in Japan, the machete against the background of incessant uprisings and wars in South America turned into a weapon. As for weapons, other demands were made against him, which affected the quality. Over time, the machete became so popular that it was adopted by the armies of some countries of the world. He even appears on the flag of Angola. However, on the flag it shows the variation of our sickle and symbolizes the working peasantry.

Machete in Russia

Widespread fame in our machete (knife) was relatively recently. If it were not for the flow of advertising and the desire of collectors to decorate their collections with something new, it is unlikely that he would get such popularity. By and large, as a tool, the machete is a completely useless thing in our latitudes. However, there are many opponents of such a statement. Still, someone bought for several hundred dollars "piece of iron, and he says:" Nonsense. "

In favor of using machetes in the forest, the following reasons are put forward: ease (in comparison with the ax), universality and relatively small dimensions (again, if compared with an ax). Let's analyze each of the statements. So, lightness. Of course, if you compare with the cleaver, the machete is much easier, but with the cleavers they do not go to the forest. The weight of a traveling ax rarely exceeds one kilogram, and if desired, you can take an ax and a smaller one. For example, Fiskars x5 weighs only 480 grams. Machete has a weight of about 600 grams and more.

In other words, the machete has no noticeable advantages in weight before the ax. Is the machete universal? With a knife such, probably, it is possible to peel potatoes or cut a piece of bread, but if to adapt, it can be made and an ax with the same success (under cheerful laughter of observers). And finally, small size. There's nothing to say: the machete is longer, the ax is shorter - everyone chooses what he wants. As for the main purpose, the machete does not go, alas, in any comparison with the ax. Maybe, of course, lapnik to cut them and easier, but it can be broken, and cut logs with a machete if it works, then when the felling is over, the fire will probably not be needed.

Machete Options

There are machetes that combine the qualities of a long knife and an ax. A vivid example of this are the knives: the machete "kukri", the middle American machete and others. Due to the bending of the blade and the greater mass of the top, it is much better to cut them. In addition, engineering options are widely used, combining a large set of functions. It's not just a knife. The machete "taiga", for example, allows you to cut, cut, dig and saw. Such knives are used in sets for the survival of special forces and crews of combat vehicles.