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.

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.

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.

Not the best for impenetrable forest! It's good for peeling branches though it's not for cutting down big pieces! Quality is perfetc and usually machettes are not very sharp but this is THE SHARPEST! Amazing!

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.

This machete works very well for normal use. I have used it to clear paths through a forest and it has held up with a constant beating for several months. The blade is still very sharp and it cuts very well. I would highly recommend this machete. I did my research through reviews and other machetes, and this one looked the best for the money, and it turned out to be a very good tool in the woods.

This machete is made for cutting down vines and underbrush. Due to its curved edge it makes it ergonomically easier to cut down small branches and vines. If your a land surveyor, its a good mid sized machete to have in your arsenal. One fallback is that it sheaths from the side since the tip of the machete is a larger width (so if you were expecting to unsheath it like a sword that won't work). It is a great, sharp machete!

This factory edge is poorly honed. Several reviews touted the factory edge and this is going to need quite a bit of tlc before it is acceptable. Otherwise a nice blade and case. The more I inspect the edge the less impressed I am. I must have got one that the new guy sharpened. Yeah this is going to need my angle grinder, the edge is complete crap.