The Tramontina machete is a bit of an enigma. It has an exotic-sounding name and is from Brazil. It also has a blade shape that reminds you of classic jungle-slashing tools you see in the movies. It has a nice-looking wooden handle. It comes with a pretty decent sheath. But you can buy it at your local big-box store for $20. What?
Like most first-time Tramontina buyers, my purchase of this machete was mostly unplanned. I somehow managed to lose my faithful old Gerber machete (I know it’s hard to lose a machete, but you’ve never seen the giant mess that is my garage) and needed another one pronto to do some yard work. I went to Lowe’s planning on buying another Gerber or something and saw this beauty for about a third of the price. I figured it was worth a shot. It was definitely worth more than that.
At first, I thought that “Tramontina” was the name of the style of machete or something. It sounds exotic enough to be. Turns out it’s actually a huge company. Tramontina was founded by Italian immigrants to Brazil in 1911. It now makes just about every sort of cutlery you can imagine and has grown into one of the largest employers in the country.
You Get Way More Than You Pay For
The Tramontina is a pretty impressive package hanging on a hook in a store. The wooden handle is very well-finished, and the canvas sheath actually seems very sturdy and well made.
Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2020 de Knives Illustrated.
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Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2020 de Knives Illustrated.
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TIP TALK
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HOLDING FIRM
GETTING A GRIP ON KNIFE HANDLE BENEFITS, MATERIALS, AND FUNCTIONALITY
EDGE UP
TIPS, TRICKS, AND TECHNIQUES TO SHARP WHEN ADVENTURING FAR FROM HOME
THE COMBAT KITCHEN
SLICE, DICE, CHOP, AND CUT: FOOD PREP WITH BLADES FROM POPULAR TACTICAL KNIFE COMPANIES
MORAKNIV Classics
THESE TIMELESS BUSHCRAFT KNIVES HAVE BEEN UPDATED AND ARE BETTER THAN EVER
ONE FOR THE ROAD
CHOOSING AN “EVERYWHERE KNIFE” CAN BE DIFFICULT DUE TO COMPLICATED KNIFE LAWS
TRAVELING LIGHT
SOMETIMES, INEXPENSIVE UTILITY BLADES YOU PICK UP AT YOUR DESTINATION CAN GET THE JOB DONE
MATCHED PAIR
JB KNIFE WORKS LAYMAN KNIFE AND GAMBIT HATCHET COMBO: ONE PICKS UP WHERE THE OTHER LEAVES OFF
WHEN BIGGER IS BETTER
THE CAS IBERIA CHOP HOUSE IS A MACHETE THAT PROVIDES BIG BLADE CUTTING POWER
KITCHEN KNIVES DON'T HAVE TO BE DULL
I have a confession to make. See if this sounds familiar. I take meticulous care of the knives I use for everyday carry, hunting, and general woods wandering. I wipe them down with an oily cloth after use and I never let them get too dull. Seldom do I have to restore a damaged edge. Most of the time I simply touch up the edges of my pocketknives with a few careful strokes across the rough bottom of a ceramic coffee cup. That’s usually all that’s needed. I don’t use my knives as screwdrivers or pry bars. As a matter of fact, I still have the very first knife I ever owned, an old Boy Scout knife that was handed down from my older brother. The blades have a deep patina that comes with using carbon steel over the years, but the knife is very usable still.
