Ontario Knife Co 1-18" Military Machete

This is awesome. It can take a heck of a beating. For those of you who don't know this I will tell you now. Machetes are meant to slash through brush and small branches, so don't sharpen it so you can shave with it. The blade should be a little dull. Otherwise the edge will snap,off or bend.The pros.It is strong and cuts through bushes, shrubs and small branches like a champ. I even cut a small tree down with this.It is suprisenly durable and holds up to harsh environments and treatment. So as long as you maintain it, it will last for years. That's probably because Ontario makes this machete for the military.ConsThe handle can be somewhat slippery, so I would advise covering it with a sports grip tape or cord. Or you can where gloves while using it. Also the black finish to the blade does take to scratches easily, but that doesn't make the performance go down. It doesn't come with a sheath but you can order one or make one. I made one.

I've owned only 2 of the 18 inch OKC machetes in 40 years and I've still got one that was used to begin with. I've got the 12 and 22 inch machetes made by OKC and I know without a doubt that they will last the rest of my life. I've put mine through hell and the only thing I've got to say is the handles could be more rounded. No other machete has been able to take what I've put these through. I live off the land part time of the year and I've always got my machete on hand for all my heavy cutting needs. I thank OKC for the best blade money can buy, for myself and our troops.

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.

This is a nice piece of steel. I agree with most of the other reviewers that the blade on the 6145 is of high quality. For around 20$ though, you have to fully understand that this is not a high end machete otherwise. The handle is cheap as expected, but Ontario should really provide rounded corners on the 'finger' side of the handle. It is very uncomfortable in my opinion. I immediately took out my dremel tool and ground down that side of the handle to provide a radius similar to the one on the back of the handle. Handle is of a durable, but 'soft' plastic. Like HDPE - milk jug material, or similar. It was easy to form into the shape I desired. The handle also did not match up with the full tang blade very well, but I think that is to be expected, to some degree. I then took tennis racket tape and wrapped the handle. At that point, I thought the modified handle was nearly perfect for my use. It's no joke that this will work your forearms, shoulders, etc swinging this thing around.Another thing I noticed about the blade is that it is not quite perfect in it's shape or weight distribution. It is so much mass, I felt like the blade needed to be about 3-4" shorter. Also, since the blade is has so much depth (think airplane wing) that if you don't swing straight, it wants to drift off-course. All that said, for a 20$ machete, I think it is a great value for the price and I can overlook some of these short-comings, hence my 4 star rating.

(Review for Ontario Knife Company 6145 Military Machete)This is my first machete, got it for some casual bushcrafting and garden work. For the price, I don't think you can go wrong with getting one of these. The machete came pre-sharpened out of the box, though . There a baked-on anti-rust coating on the blade, but since the blade is still carbon steel, so I recommend you dry and oil it after every use.It cuts very well. Used it to prune and hack off branches from a hard, old cherry in my front yard - edge remained sharp and intact through it all.Only complaint is the plastic grip handle, not very ergonomic and is a little thick for my hands and doesn't grip as much as I like. Though I read elsewhere people usually reshape the handle with a dremel anyways, and that's why it's so thick.PS: Definitely recommend getting a scabbard for this if you're thinking of taking it out to the woods.

"How could a handle be that bad?" you may ask. The issue here is that the handle is two pieces of molded plastic sandwiching the base of the blade. The moldings are very rough and don't fit flush to the blade - this means that if you use this machete with your bare hand, you will find that the palm of your hand becomes irritated and blisters will quickly form.I had to shave the plastic down such that it was flush with the blade, but even then the problem wasn't fully solved. Next I had to wrap the handle in fabric hockey tape, and only then did I find this usable. My recommendation is to plan for this if you do buy this machete, or perhaps buy a pair of leather gloves to wear while using it.

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.

After a lot of research I bought this Machete and am glad I did. I cleared a path in the bush about two miles long at times even using this tool to dig the ground where dead trees lay etc.. Tough!!! a slight sharpen required after. Avoid hitting rocks and oil and take care of the blade and this is a life timer.

Awesome machete!! Not super sharp out of the box, but within minutes of using my axe file she was razor sharp! Needed a bit of hockey tape on the handle for some extra grip but that’s typical with a lot of machetes/swords/axes these days. While I was at it I also ordered the sheath that goes with this machete. Both the machete and sheath and very good quality and I would definitely recommend to my friends and family.

This Machete is really well made, came with a perfect edge from the factory and the balance is fantastic. There is a reason the military has continued to use these machetes for such a long time. Just keep the blade properly oiled and this will last a lifetime. I did with it came with a sheath, but for the low price that may be asking too much.

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 )

I like this product for the price,used it hard for 3 months and sharpened it about a dozen times so far, so it has already paid for itself.

Tough, military grade, no frills piece of kit. I expect to have this for years to come.

The weight balance isnt great. I use this for cutting weeds and small trees in my garden. After 30 minutes of small chopping my weak wrists can take any more. Will need to do some protein shakes and man up for the next go at the weeds.

Couper des petites branchesBon produitJe le recommandeMais la marque ontario ça reste une valeur sûre

Just the perfect size for a Canadian forest, good steel and nice handle. It takes a good edge and keeps it.

Excellent quality with a very solid handle. Not very sharp but still cuts like hell.

Pretty decent machete. Just remember you have to charpen it the first time with a good Electric Grinder. After you give the edge a good angle is good to go and it stays charped for a good time.

The metal is heavy and solid, but the handle is not comfortable at all.