Ontario Knife Company1-18 Military Machete

This is a great tool. I used to use a machete to cut sighting lines in my surveying days; wish we had these. I read many reviews and watched a lot of YouTube videos before buying this knife. I also researched the various machete types. Machetespcialists.com and Wikipedia.org provide a good overview and in depth write up on each blade. At any rate, I finally settled on this military issue machete sold by Ontario Knife Company. Each style of machete is going to have a particular task for which it will excel. For general brush and trail clearing the Ontario Military Jungle Machete is a great choice. Pros for this blade follow: 1) 1095 steel. Most machetes are going to be shipped with no edge. This steel will hold an edge very well. I used a belt sander to put an edge on mine and it's still razor sharp even after chopping through 1' thick logs and general brush clearing. 2) Full tang construction with lanyard hole. Very solid and the lanyard hole is a must for a machete. After a lot of work, your grip may relax a bit. The lip at the end of the handle and the lanyard help reduce the chance of the blade flying out of your hand. 3) Construction of the blade. With the taper of this blade and it's thickness (about 1/8"), it makes it ideal for chopping tasks. Some Golok Style Machetes such as the Condor Village Parang don't have any taper at all which causes an abrupt stop to your chop translating all the energy back to the hand. This translation of energy is much reduced in this blade and will give you many years of service. The overall length of the machete is 22-23" with the handle being about 4" with a true cutting edge (depending on how you grind it) to about 15". Weight is 1 lb 6 oz. 4) Zinc Phosphate coating. This isn't going to last very long but where ever it stays stuck to the blade, all the better. You will need to keep this blade oiled. Used this in the rain last weekend and it started to rust in a few hours. Cons: 1) No sheath. For $20 you're getting a great blade so I really can't complain. Retail price on the 6145 Machete is $35 so you're getting a good price off Amazon. I bought a plastic sheath for my machete (another review by me) separately. 2) This blade came shipped to me very carelessly. It's only protection within the shipping box was a thin cardboard wrap. In other words, there was no plastic packaging or anything really identifying this knife. Amazon probably purchases this blade in bulk and the blades come from Ontario Knife in a box of 20-30. Just guessing on this but there weren't any company markings on the cardboard wrap. The blade is marked 'Ontario Knife US'. Just the fact of how well this blade has held it's edge, I know I have the real deal.

I had a 4" thick tree sprout out of nowhere along my fence line. I had tried to kill it when it was just a little bush and thought I had done the job with a shovel but it turned into a 20 foot tall tree in the space of several months. I thought about saws, limb cutters, etc but then remembered the good old machete, if it can clear a path through a jungle, it should make short work of a sapling. I wasn't wrong. This thing is thick, hardened steel and over engineered for it's purpose. If you are reading this, chances are you didn't stumble blindly to this product, but instead came knowing it is the same machete the armed forces use and it was chosen for a reason. It arrived completely dull. You WILL have to put an edge on it. I purchased an inexpensive sharpener with it and about 5 minutes of stroking the blade with it and I had a reasonable edge. Not sharp enough to cut paper, but sharp enough to make short work of my tree problem. The weight definitely helped in severing 1" and smaller branches in a single stroke. I cut off the branches overhanging carefully in case it was an urushiol plant and when I had cleared my way to the trunk I started cutting a wedge into it, and the rest of the sapling fell within minutes. It actually took me longer to clean up the mess of branches than to cut it down and chop it into pieces. I've never used a machete before but I feel like it was the right tool for the job. The handle didn't want to slide out of my grip and it didn't twist much upon impact and I was thankful for that as I could imagine a cheaper blade glancing off and hitting you in the leg or foot if you weren't careful. It was more than I wanted to pay for a machete I will be barely using but on the bright side I will never have to buy another one because this one is going to last a very long time.

I really like this machete.........AFTER IT'S SHARPENED. I can really see why this machete is standard issue for out military! This machete is a beast! I own and use a lot of different machetes; everything from Tramontina, Imacasa, and Condor, to Cold Steel, Kabar, Gerber, Fiskars, and this Ontario. Needless to say, this machete is way over-engineered! It's a bit thicker than most machetes, and much heavier as well. In return you get a very solid machete that shouldn't ever snap or bend unless your doing something drastically wrong! This machete is made from 1095 high carbon steel and takes a wicked edge. The reason I'm docking a star from my rating is because Ontario does such a bad just even putting on a basic bevel that the very edge has spots that are completely flat and up to 1/16" thick! This results in taking an inordinate amount of time to grind in a proper edge once you receive this machete. It took me the better part of one day, and a few hours the second day to finally make this machete work ready. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Ontario should make sure these things are razor blades before they leave the factory, but they could sure to a better job at putting a basic grind on the machete than they are doing now! It would be nice to see this problem fixed. Once this machete is properly sharpened, this thing should give you years and years of service! This is a quality tool, just don't expect it to come work ready out of the box.

I used to have the Corona 18" saw-back machete (which I reviewed) and it was a total turd. I tossed it in the trash can and bought this one instead. This professional machete was only $2 more expensive than the Chinese-made Corona machete that I threw away. If I'd have known then... Many of the earlier reviewers complained of the machete arriving dull. Mine didn't. Mine arrived razor sharp, seriously. As in, I sliced a sheet of paper in half with a single, gentle stroke...right out of the box. The seller for the one I received was Ontario Knife Co. and it came from the Amazon Fulfillment Center. I don't know if other sellers in other parts of the country are shipping "unfinished" tools or not--but as I said, mine arrived razor sharp. There have been lots of complaints about the handle being uncomfortable or slipping--or feeling like it will slip--out of the hand during use. I think I understand the problem with the handle: It's not because the handle scales are plastic; it's because they are too small for many of us. I wear Medium surgical gloves and Size 7 military dress gloves. That basically means I have medium/average sized hands for the average American male. The handle on this machete is too small for me. Yes, it's a bit squarish and boxy as some reviewers have pointed out; however, that doesn't mean the grip is large. It just means it's not an ergonomic shape. What I found is the grip doesn't fill my hand at the heel of my palm and my hand wraps around the handle (at the hilt) to the point that my thumb is all the way over the first knuckle of my index finger. It makes sense if you think about what the military needs to consider. These machetes need to be usable for soldiers with smaller hands who won't have a means of making the handle smaller in the field. Soldiers with medium to large hands can always wrap some 550 cord (parachute cord) around the handle while in the field to make it thicker if need be. Some reviewers have also mentioned that the scale rivets come loose after awhile and the handle falls apart. At the point when that happens to mine, I will make some comfortable, ergonomic wooden scales that fit my hand well and attach them with screws. As you can see in the photo, this is a "Latin style" machete. The tip is slightly wider than the edge closer to the bolster (like a Parang style) which puts the weight of this machete near the tip. This aids in giving you more power in your strike. Yet, this machete doesn't feel heavy and I can (and you probably can too) easily use this for hours without much fatigue. Overall, this is an amazing design and this particular machete is an amazingly efficient and TOUGH workhorse! Once you figure out how to make the handle more comfortable for you, you won't be disappointed by this machete. Made in the USA from 1095 high carbon steel. If you didn't already know, 1095 is an incredibly strong blend of steel and nearly indestructible even with hard use. Don't waste your money on a more expensive machete which will likely be of lower quality than this anyway...get this one. You won't regret it. This has been issued to the US military since the 1940's and has been used on the battlefields of numerous engagements. This machete is a professional soldier's machete; the real deal. UPDATE EDIT: With all the reviews written about this tool, I know my little review won't push anyone over the edge one way or the other as far as buying this or not, but I wanted to add some additional detail about the handle on this thing in case I can help someone else. Since the handle is a bit squarish, I found that I was getting a sore spot that wanted to become a blister on my thumb. Fortunately, the last few inches at the bolster is not sharpened on this blade. I was able to choke up on the blade a little by allowing my index finger and thumb to hold the blade while the rest of my hand was on the grip. That seemed to help. I also wrapped the handle in sports tape. I rolled up 3 small lumps that I then taped to the handle. One lump was put on the back of the handle where the heel of my hand rests. The other 2 lumps were laid across the handle on the front so that one sits between my pinky and ring finger and the other sits between my index and middle finger (if I were holding the handle and not grabbing the blade as mentioned earlier. I wrapped the handle in sports tape with these 3 bumps under the tape. That seems to have helped a lot with holding the tool; however, like I said the handle is kind of square shaped under your thumb and tends to irritate it so I had to choke up on the blade. The cutting power of this machete is insane! While that "Lowes Special" (the Corona machete) was bouncing off twigs and vines, this machete was slicing right through 1" thick dense wood Azalea branches in 1 stroke (2 strokes if the branches gave way when hit). I'm so glad I bought this! Goofy handle or not, the blade on this thing is all business and no B.S.

I bought this after having a Gerber machete fail miserably after just a few minutes of use. I own several other American made Ontario products and should have gone with the Ontario machete from the start. The difference between the Ontario and the Gerber is night and day. The Ontario machete is considerably heavier and is much more robust. Don’t waste your money like I did on lesser quality products. This machete may cost a slight bit more but is worth every penny.

There aren't a lot of tools that give you as much bang for the buck as a machete and the price of under twenty bucks is pretty crazy for what you get. Hell, even if you don't need a bad-ass machete, buy this one anyway.. just "because" :) There are a lot of machetes to choose from, many are thin 1/16" "mystery metal", wobbly, made in China junk, while others are WAY overpriced ALSO made in China, (oh the audacity!) like fancy Gerber's or whatever. Seriously, screw that nonsense, because THIS is the I-18 Ontario "meat & potatoes" boss of the brush. Put another way, what would Jason from Friday the 13th reach for? THIS ONE, provided of course, he remains a bad-ass and doesn't suddenly follow the current PC trends to adopt a more reflective "humanist" approach, with soft fragile feelings he desperately needs to share... and "discuss" lol. I won't say just because it's US military issue, it's the best (even though it is, to me) True, there are specialized high quality "Woodsman's Pals" with a unique shape and a polished fit and finish that the US forestry service uses, but you wanna drop like, a hundred plus $ on a machete? Personally, I don't need it that bad when I can get this for the price of two lunches at McDonalds. It has the time tested, capably well balanced, no-frills Cutlass shape that will step up to do all "machete tasks", and then some. And unlike much of the anemic, wobbly, worthless and weak competition, it's 0.125" (1/8th inch) thickness will deliver heft and power to obliterate heavier brush and even send chunks of wood flying. This is a relative heavy-weight, for machetes. For me, I think that's a good thing because it will clear everything from the very green soft "juicy" foliage, to the hard core woody thickets with a lot of branches. What type of environment are you clearing? If it's a mix of both, go with this. If it's just tons of soft juicy green stuff, get a thin fast and light "wobbly" one, because this will tire you out unnecessarily because of its heft. I sing this thing praises, but it's because of the bargain price in mind. This is not perfect, nor is it refined. The handle is kind of crude and can get uncomfortable with some "hot spots. Also, it comes with a rather crude edge. I think Ontario must have different classes of sharpeners at their US factory in up-state New York.. and I imagine the "lawnmower blade sharpener level" people are tasked with putting an edge on these. So, you won't be slipping this out of its cardboard sleeve upon arrival to watch it "float" through a sheet of paper. However, it's also not a butter knife and will easily slice you open badly right out of the box if you're not careful. Perhaps that is why they ship them like this, son that they don't hazardously cut their way out if the box, and can take the stresses of being tossed carelessly in military warehouses without a fragile razor edge being subject to damage.. well, just a thought, because the edge stinks. Again, I forgive these things as it's a US made big hunk of tough steel for under twenty bucks and you'll have to put a little work into promoting this soldier to "be all he can be". Most importantly, the edge angle is established so you just need to hone it some, however you can just take it out of the box and start clearing brush, but I'd strongly recommend taking a few minutes to make the job five times easier with a diamond or ceramic rod, or even a cheap 8" x 2" rectangular sharpening stone you can find in the hardware sections of "dollar stores". It has a powdery, black, matte, non-reflective zinc-oxide coating (I believe it's zinc oxide) to protect the steel as it is NOT stainless. However, it is 1095 carbon, which takes a wicked edge easily, holds it for a pretty long time and is really robust for this application since it's not prone to chipping. It is hardened to the mid to lower fifties on the Rockwell scale, so it's forgiving under shock, as machetes ought to be since they boss their way through hazards unknown, sometimes encountering a concealed cable, rock or a really hard hunk of wood. Although this particular I-18 is the US military issued model, you'd be hard pressed to find any current members since 2001 mentioning how dependable it was in the "sand box" but some Vietnam guys sure will, and it's the same one they were issued. Ontario knows "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", so this is the same one those guys swung through the dense brush of southeast Asia over forty years ago. 👍 IN USE: I already have a 12" Ontario model with the saw-back spine, and except for the saw teeth and the blade blank being cut 6" shorter, it's the same. With that one, I've beaten the snot out of it and it's still 100%. You know how they say, "this is a certain tool, so don't use it as a screwdriver, axe, prybar, etc, etc, etc.. Pfft! lol. Just to see what it could take, I batoned this through super hard wood that was ridiculous, like it was a stone, and it didn't snap the blade on it. No, I wouldn't try to hang off it, use it as a step-up or pry a door off the hinges (it's tough, but it's not supernaturally tough) My point being, this is the machete you will buy ONCE, use it for extreme brush clearing and even survival duties, chop down a tree, clear logs blocking a path, etc. and you'll never need to buy another one. So, to sum up. It can rust, so take some sensible care of it, the exposed edge in particular, especially if you're in a corrosive environment near the salt water, for example. You'll have to roll up your sleeves and refine the edge to reveal its ability to slice time-space as the factory edge is crude. The handle will antagonize the paws of girly-men, so use gloves if pushing pencils and paper cuts is your most hazardous routine (just kidding, I have some callouses and it can still get irritating when swinging it a lot) But most of all, it's awesome for under twenty bucks. Just make sure you get at least a cheap sheath for it, but even the whole combo won't set you back thirty bucks. Now, if the caveats sound reasonable to you, buy it with confidence. It get's a 5/5* from me👍

A machete can be such a versatile tool, if you can find one that is good quality. Stay away from the $5 blades they sell at walmart. I've never owned an Ontario but I've always heard such great things about their Military issue 18" Machete. So I figured I'd give it a try. In the area I live in, I'm better off with an Ax, but I think having a good machete is a must, simply because there's so much you can do with it. This Ontario performs and does it well. I'm so glad I bought it, and Smoky Mountain Knife Works was a dream to do business with. Fast shipping and the Machete looked great. No rust or anything. The blade wasn't very sharp when I got it, but I took care of that. I chopped through some pretty thick wood testing the edge I put on it, and it worked great. The edge didn't roll at all, or dent or chip. This blade is stout and can take a beating. It made easy work of a tree in my yard that needed to be trimmed. I assume it will handle just about anything. As long as you don't abuse it, I imagine it will last a long long time. Money very well spent. I highly recommend this product, and SMKW.

This machete is the best constructed machete in this style that is that I have ever come across. It is very thick and extremely sturdy. 1095 High carbon steel. This thing feels like it well never break. I have used it extensively since i purchased it and it has held up great. The only cons to it, and depending what you are looking for can be big cons are: it arrives to you with sharpness less than that of a butter knife. I mean this thing had no edge at all. It took me a good hour to put a solid edge on this blade, and I have own a ton of knives, machetes, hatchets etc... basically I'm an active outdoors man. I know how to sharpen a blade and it took a while. The other con is the handle. It is uncomfortable. Very squared off and slippery. Overall though, you won't find a stronger and well built machete, after a sharpening and wrapping of the handle (I used hockey tape) this thing is unbeatable.

Eine super Machete und ein netter Anbieter.

A beast of a machete, as other have noted it’s much thicker than your standard machete. Comes with an OK edge, 30 minutes with a file put a good enough edge on it for me. (Steel is real tough, requires a lot of consistency compared to sharpening my 1065 axe head). The handle is hot garbage. But I knew that when I bought it. I plan to sand it and round it out a bit (it’s a little too square for my preference). I love it because it’s obvious the blade is made to be tough and durable, it will take a beating. Although I expect the handle to loosen up sooner or later, so thinking of how I’m gonna deal with that when the time comes.

This is a pretty sturdy machete it feels very well built. The handle feels a bit weird but you can fix it with hockey tape. My only complaint about it is that it scratches very easily. (Also if your wondering the machete doesn't come with a sheath. You have to purchase it separately )

When it arrived I put it through some hard testing in the woods. The steel is obviously very high quality and the edge held up even after a week of hard use. If I have one issue it is simply the handle scales. The fitting is pretty good but not completely flush with the tang and because of that, it is not really usable without gloves, since it will tear up the skin on the hand.

This turned out to be quite good. I was initially concerned after reading some of the negative reviews. It is sharp enough, durable and sturdy. Should last a long time. One minor comment, the handle could be made a bit thicker/wider for a firmer grip. The handle is very thin and compromises your grip.