You are the nicest guy on TH-cam Dave! There’s no negativity and you are always chipper and it’s pleasant to watch because we all need a break from the harsh world we are in.
Thanks Brother! I hear ya man. The world is so full of arguing and politics that I believe that sometimes we just need to kick back and chill for awhile. I do that here!
I only chopped one little branch with my SP53. When I drive our Class C RV, the SP53, in sheath but unclipped, is beside me on the floor in easy reach. I don't carry a firearm, and I do all the driving. What's the point? I'm now 79; husband is now 93. Someone breaking my window and reaching in is going to lose a hand. Or merely waving it around should be a deterent. We're not ready to quit traveling. He gave the SP53 several years ago as a Christmas present: it's the only gift I asked for. We ladies enjoy your channel -- we take your advice and always learn something, just as the men do. I've been a fan for many years. Thanks for all the enjoyment you bring to every video!
Now thats a good use for the SP-53! Youre right, if someone reaches in they are gonna lose a hand for sure. I'm glad you like the videos and what all I do! Take care, keep traveling and Thanks for watching
Ontario SP53, I took your enthusiasm to heart and bought this machete. Using your words “I love it, I love it, I love it” . It feels really balanced and so far is holding its edge real good. Real live and truthful testimony convinced me that I needed to own this blade!
That's fantastic to hear! Often times I am asked why I don't design my own machete. You know, the perfect machete. I've always thought why even bother. I could never do one better than the SP-53!
Dave I"ve been a Shoemaker / Cobbler Leather worker for the past 28+yrs, the best economical way to stop pressure retention between leather and steel is to use mineral car oil 15/30 open the sheath and rub the oil in by hand to the leather the heat of your hand works the oil in much better than a rag or soaking, or failing your hand use rounded light colour wooden implements and lots of repetative movements. As a + the mineral oil will keep your knife/machete rust free. Love all your vids m8 your laugh is infectious :):)
I just love the way you explain, in plain English, what you are doing, show how to do it, and why. You are probably going to save a lot of lives over time, so please keep them coming... And you make me smile!
@@Reallybigmonkey1 I ALWAYS watch you, I am 72 so have plenty of time to do what I want. And as soon as they replace my knee, I will be out camping again, only doing it better, and safer because of you. Thank you!.
I like the way you weigh the pros and cons of pretty much everything you touch, you have a way of conveying your experience and opinions that rival a consumer reporter. On one video, you stated that since you bought your own stuff, the review would be honest, no matter the outcome, GREAT GUNS,that is the best , most honest, call it -like you see it-review, can't complain about anything you say, it is true, you are here because you enjoy the woods, no swaying to one prooduct or the other, ......but your opinion works for you, and since I have tried them, they work for me too, I also like your frugality, get it cheap if you can , or make it yourself, being a welder and fabricator from knee high on, I appreciate your ingenuity, saving money, and the satisfaction of doing it yourself,.... the videos.....keep 'em coming, you're doing great, thank you so much for your insight and knowledge.
You hit it right on the head brother! Im on here for fun, sharing experience and I can not be bought. Too many other on TH-cam for money only. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching brother
Dave, I bought the condor village parang because it was your favorite #2 and you said you could use it with.an injured hand. You are right. I have CRPS in my right hand which prevents my middle to little finger from closing all the way and lessens my grip. With the lanyard it will cut/chop! I had trouble removing it from the sheaf pulling it out both up and to the front. I forgot an once opened just the top snap and pulled it straight up. It came out as slick as any. It goes back in as esaily. I love your personality, sense of humor and your programs. I am not a camper. I am 81 years old and have a class C Four Winds.
After 5 years of watching your vids I know why I love ya man, you are able to talk to the camera as though you are talking to an individual. I honestly believe that you could have your own TV show on the Discovery channel 😁 Thanks for all your personal time you've taken to share this stuff with us brother its some of the best info on outdoor living you can find.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and how I do things! I doubt Discovery would ever touch me. Im not full of drama. Lol. A show would be cool tho. Thanks for watching
Another fun and educational video! I have the RTAK II, also and I run the lanyard through the flap of the pouch and then fasten the handle retaining straps over the lanyard as well. Very secure! Not going anywhere! Anyway, Dave, thanks for sharing! Always a pleasure!
As always, great video Dave. Went back and watched it a second time so I could take notes on which blades I should add to my own machete collection. Liked the tips on how to better use a lanyard at the end too! Thanks you for the time you put into your videos.
Fob is an English derivative of the German word for pocket. It is generally used in reference to anything attached to an object for quick and sure retrieval such as a watch or key. And now you know!
A fob was used on watches to retreive them from the watch pocket. You could retrieve a watch from a tight pocket using a fob much easier than fishing for it with your fingers. Take a look at the watch pocket on your Levis and try to imagine extracting a 2" dia 1/2" thick watch from that tight little compartment.
Hi Dave !!! I loved the Big Blade Edition !!!! I wish I had a room like your gear room. I used an 18" Ontario machete for 30 years at my parents ranch. I replaced the original sheath with one of those plastic sheaths that has a sharpener at the top and drain holes on both sides of the sheath. It's held up great on a military surplus belt. Smoky Mountain Knife Works sells the sheath for around 7 bucks. Anyway hope the Mill Closure isn't something permanent. Look forward to your next video. Loved seeing your collection and hearing your stories. Thanks :) Ellis
Hello Ellis! I'm glad you liked it. Man thats proof of how well made those Ontarios machetes are since you had yours that long. That shutdown isnt a permanent thing, it was just to repair a buncha equipment. Take care and Thanks for watching
Dude.....this is by far the most helpful, informative outdoor cutting gear video I've ever, ever watched! THANK YOU!! In case you don't already know, the good knives Schrade used to make, stopped in 2004 when Schrade Imperial closed it's doors in 2004. Several employees and President Wally Gardiner re-opened as Canal Street Cutlery in the same building a few years ago, but have followed the same demise as Schrade USA. Today, all Schrade knives are made in China under the ownership Taylor Brands LLC. (That Schrade machete is made in China)
Thanks Scott, I'm glad you liked it that much! I knew at one time Schrade was a fantastic company. Its gone down hill and keeps going. They will never get another penny or any nice words out of me. Thanks for watching Brother
Reallybigmonkey1 Shoes are her Krytonite! I have been learning the “shoe lingo” to “analogize” the machete/outdoor gear debate. “Well, you know how you need to have open toe high heels in black to match that evening dress. Well I have to have a machete with a 1/4 thick 12 in heavy blade made of 1095 steel with a leather sheath to go with my mora companion HD and Carhart pants for those thorny woods camp and hunt trips.”😉
Really enjoying your older machete videos. I've been into all things blades for a while but recently renewed my interests and using them more again. Great content !!
I am blown away by the incredible amount of gear you have, Dave. It is indeed wonderful that you can follow your passion and pursue the things that bring satisfaction in life. I paid careful attention to your Condor collection as I have decided to get one of their machetes. You have certainly influenced my final decision. After watching this video I watched another video in which you were tagged to talk about 5 essential gear. The first item you showed looked like the Condor Jungolo, a machete that I was seriously considering. It was either that or the Condor Bushcraft machete. I saw you with the Jungolo, and I said if it is good enough for you to own, it is good enough for me. I ordered it. Of course, I will be making sure that I hook up my Mora knife to the Jungolo sheath as you advised. Thank you so much for the tremendous knowledge you are passing on to us. God bless you and your family, my friend.
Ric you're gonna love that Jungelo! The blade length, shape and handle size is perfect. Now when mine came in it wasn't sharp enough for me so I thinned the grind some and stropped it. It's one incredible machete for sure
Yeh! Another video! Thanks! I can't wait to watch it. I rented "Machete" on youtube for $2.99 and I was just starting to watch a little of it. I also plan to put a short video together, about the new $15 125th anniversary black companion. It took me a little while to figure out how to get it out of the sheath. I did not realize that a firm pull is all it takes. Anyway, this is my first bushcraft knife. The back of the blade (spine ?) is nearly, but not completely straight and flat. I'm not sure what the purpose of a slight angle is, but I'm eager to research this. Anyway, thanks for informing me of that "Scandi Grind" a while back, this is a new edge type I have never had experience with. Also, I plan to include a short segment where I sing, and play guitar to "Cuts Like a Knife". And, I made a mistake in an earlier comment, which I will explain. It pertains to the "finger groove" in two different Kershaw folding knives. I had planned to try some bushcraft with them, but now I have a Moorakniv! Best Wishes, and I'm going to check out this video now. Hope all is well, and "catch ya soon'!
Dave you the only person on youtube that I'll watch for an hour. This morning was like Christmas as a kid. The wife and girls are gone so I got up to cook breakfast and eat. Been watching while preparing bacon and eggs. The SP 53 is the best I've ever used. Good for almost everything. God Bless and have a great day.
Always great to hear that! Man so far, any of my friends that have given the SP-53 a try has loved it! Thanks for watching and may God bless you too Lance.
I've got a plan formulating for the Maasai Seme sheath. I'll have to look at the Seme arrives to get the appropriate dimensions then go from there. I saw a video where a Maasai called the Seme a machete. It's often referred to as a short sword so I guess it's left up to interpretation. It needs some rust removed. Carbon steel so it should go well by just soaking it in white vinegar and a little elbow grease. The other project is a go as well. It's an old Hansa 20" Peinilla (Spanish for Comb) machete...what we'd call a spear point machete. Rusted carbon steel that needs a good vinegar bath as well. Neither are rusted over completely but definitely need attention before it gets too bad. The Peinilla comes with another restoration project, a deerskin sheath with some sort of metal rivets that spell out Ecuador down the length of the sheath. I'm not sure if they're like those Bedazzler things that used to be sold on TV or what they are yet. But I'll more than likely have to take the sheath apart at the seams to get the rust from the back of them taken care of. They actually left ghost-rust on the machete itself...can faintly make out the word Ecuador going down the blade from the machete rusting in the sheath. Cleaning both the Seme and machete will be simple. The real projects will be the sheaths for them. Took the Mini Duku out for a test chopping session today. Does the job nicely. Very pleased with the parang. Stephen
Hi Dave---you provide a great deal of pleasure to an old dude that has used up his time for fun in the woods. Enjoy you and those of your family that have been on your site. You are an enjoyable personality....Truth and Honor you display is great-- keep it up. Live Long and Prosper..
My night was made when the alert went off for a new video from Really Big Monkey One! Always find your videos informative and entertaining Dave. I just picked up the Cold Steel Kukuri machete and pair it with a Boy Scout fixed blade made by the Western Knife Co back in the 60's. I used the kukuri to clear my shooting lanes before this deer archery season and it's been a good tool for light to medium chopping jobs. Anyway loved the tour of your big blade collection. Can't wait for the next video. Thumbs up from a fellow West Georgian.
I followed your suggestions on a few of these. The Ontario Knife Spec Plus Gen II SP-53 is my second go to chopper blade, the Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri with that 5/16 thick spine is my first!!! My first chop was a Mountain Maple sapling of 1.5" diameter that I sawed off & laid across a dead stump to cut to length for a walking stick. That CS Kukri glided right through that 1.5" cross grain in one chop & buried itself in the stump by another 1.5". I felt like Superman!!!
Dave, I was excited to see a new video posted today! I enjoyed this one as much as your others. I have the sp 53 gen 2 and love, love, love it! LOL. I made it in a kit like the ones you’ve shared except I put the Mora down lower so I could get the Pocket Boy in the pouch. I also set up a way to store my ferro rod on the back with a tool steel striker. It’s a heavy kit but it rides real nice. Thanks again and good luck with the shut down.
I'm glad you liked it Dan. Man thats cool you have the SP-53 and love it! I do need to relocate my Mora. Ive lost use of my pouch in the position my knife is in. Thanks for watching
Great vid Dave. Man you have a cool selection of blades (all of your gear for that matter). I love how you are always thinking and inventing good usable gear. Please keep them coming! Take care. Peace Brother.
I've been interested in Condor but the wodden handles on most of the large blades scare me as there is no guard at all, and I can see myself sliding down onto the blade. However that Condor Bushcraft Parang with the green handle solves that problem without any doubt..Thanks for this video...........lots of great info. All my best from Arizona!!
As long as you have a lanyard in place properly, you will never slide a hand down a blade. Just remember that. I will agree with you tho, its dang near impossible to slip down the handle of the Bushcraft Parang. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching and greetings from Georgia Charles!
Today I saw an ad from a guy selling a large knife. I've been looking for a decent large blade for quite some time, but didn't see anything on the market that I liked. I remembered this crazy youtuber named David Pearson making a couple videos where he swears by his Ontario SP53. So my eyes almost popped out of my head when I realized that this guy was selling an Ontario SP53! Needless to say I drove out right away and bought it. The damned thing is in mint condition! The sheath doesn't have an extra pouch on it, but I'm sure that this crazy David Pearson guy has a video on how to make one. I'm very happy that I finally found a decent large knife/machete to simplify my camping. To quote this crazy David guy, " I love it, I love it, I love it!" ;) Awesome videos Dave. Keep 'em coming.
@@Reallybigmonkey1 Hey again Dave. I modified my SP-53. I used a die-grinder/pencil grinder with a de-burring bit and enlarged the choil to fit my finger. So with my index finger in the choil and the finger guard between my index and middle finger with my thumb high up on the spine, I have amazing control. Now iIt's very easy to use it one handed and is very easy for push cuts and for feather sticking. Then I used a belt sander to grind off some of the coating on the spine near the tip. Now I can scrape a ferro rod with it. I think that it's now a near-perfect 1 tool option/survival knife.
This is a helpful video David. I always get great ideas and recommends from you on gear, without you being biased from Corporate America or other monetary influences. I have never regretted purchasing a gear item you have discussed merits on. Not only is David a trusted source, he is a big innovator too. If you haven't yet, check out his other videos where he innovates a new solution, and then shows you how it was designed and/or crafted and the usage.
Dave, Only discovered your videos a few days ago and I'm LOVING them! Keep up the great work. You are providing a truly impressive service to the community! I can't remember if you've said this in another video or if I've read it somewhere, but I've heard that conditioning a sheath is very important to keeping rust spots off of a carbon steel blade. In this video you've mentioned wax and oil on (in?) a sheath or on the blade and I'd like to know more. I'd like to get the Condor Village Parang (leather sheath) and I want to do right by the sheath. I know your time is limited but a few sentences about sheath "initial treatment" and maintenance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! (And I've watched the entire "ultimate man-cave" video and I'm in awe of all the equipment you've collected over the years. Green with envy!!) I look forward to watching ALL of the rest of your videos!
Hello Douglas! I'm happy you found my channel and like the videos! Wax or oil inside a sheath serves three purposes. One is to protect and preserve the sheath from cracks. Two it softens and lubes the sheath allowing for the blade to be easily inserted and withdrawn. Third, it also preserves the blade if you never oil it.
some people are just negative, period. You do you. Everyone has a point of view, you are just sharing what works for you and what works in your area. I believe that your experiences and equipment evaluations based on actual use have value. Your inventions are amazing. I learn a lot from watching and listening to your videos.
Very well said Robin! Some folks aren't happy no matter what. And all experiences vary so we can learn from everyone. Take care and thanks for watching Robin
That Dave Young machete sawback: Good Lord!; It was well worth the close-up...: I've never seen anything like it, and I irrationally crave sawbacks... If all sawbacks were like that, NOBODY would make fun of them. The glass breaker did look funny in a (bad) tacticool way though... The serrations and rope cutter really looked awesome (as if the saw wasn't enough!). Fantastic video, as always.
You're so right about the bad looking tacticool look! Lol. Looks so odd but man has it got some useful features. The sawback on that beast is without a doubt the best saw on a machete I've ever used. I'm happy you liked the video. Thanks for watching brother
.............Dave , it just brightens my day reading all the positive and cheerful comments you get.........and rightfully so because you are a positive and uplifting presenter......always cheerful and always uplifting ....Thank you for being a breath of fresh air in such stale times as we live in................Peace to you and yours always..........
Your Look'n Great Dave! Excellent content here, such a great opportunity for folks to benefit from your experiences and collection. This will prove helpful to many in making a selection and/or save them money or not regretting a purchase Later Big D. ...Mike.
Yet ANOTHER great video that I thoroughly enjoyed! I'd REALLY enjoy a similar video comparison of your favorite bushcraft knives. I currently have a Sharade that I'm particularly pleased with, but wonder about other knives that might be lighter yet as strong, but lighter and as durable... I'm sure you've found the 'idea' knife and one that I might like also... :>) May the good Lord continue to bless you and yours forever!
Thanks Kenn, I'm glad you liked it. Well the knife video would be a little boring because it would pretty much be a Mora video. LOL. Yes Moras are my all around favorite. You mentioned having a Schrade? Well from the comments on this video Im hearing from a lot of people saying Schrades knives are good but Schrades machetes are lousy. I suppose their steel excels at cutting, slicing and carving but is lousy for chopping? Thanks for watching and may God bless you too!
I love the big blades too! You have a great collection, but I know how it is to have favorites, there’s always a couple that I end up reaching for, those are my go-tos as well. Thanks David🏜️
Hi David!! I'm sure you're busy with work! I hope you get some rest my friend!! Always great to see your videos, absolutely some of the most thought out and comprehensive stuff on here .. and 'fun' 😉 I remember the last machete video, this was interesting comparison!! .. so okay!! I'm TOTALLY looking forward to a tree platform!! I just got a few new books on building in the woods actually, because I'm trying to decide where to put my camp on the land I've been allowed to play on 😬😬 the problem is that it's got some serious elevation changes in most places and some others are 'wet' or will be some of the year.. so I was considering an elevated 'bog/swamp" shelter or one up a tree to account for the crazy hillside (and coyotes) 😉.. thanks for taking the time and sharing everything with us Hon!! Really appreciate the effort and the knowledge!! Talk to you soon! 😊😊
Hello Ruth! Well shutdown is over and Im finally getting things back to normal round here. Great to hear you have land to play one. Look to the uneven land as a challenge. Some of the most fun and creative shelters are started on a slope or hillside. Take car and Thanks for watching
great video dave . alot of cool blades brother . i was glad you showed kong . that is my favorite machete of yours its a beast . and i see you have the same mora companion hd i do lol . man i have to say when i first saw mora i thought they were cheap looking and dint even want to give them a chance . but i won one in a give away and man i love it . changed my mind on mora forever . well any way brother as always it was great to hang out with ya . cant wait for the next one . god bless you .
Thanks Brother, I'm glad you liked it. LOL, Kong had to make an appearance. I thought the same thing about Moras until I first used one. And man Ive been hooked on them ever since. Take care ,Thanks for watching and may God bless you too brother
I have to quote you because it put a smile on my face. "People that don't film videos they don't understand how hard it's to record this videos, pay attention to the camera, pay attention to watch you doing,and thinking a step ahead and knowing what to say, it gets pretty hectic really quick" end quote.you head it in the nail I takes me months to upload a video for the same reason.
David, I love your knife videos so much. You could make a daylong documentation about them and I would watch it. Haha. Thumbs up, my friend. Ok, now to the content: You said, you would not pay more than 100 Dollars for a Machete, but the ESEE Junglas is much more expensive. Or was it a birthday present? And I have never seen such a stupid sheath as the one on the Timberline Tactical Machete. Thats more like a snowboard to me ;) And last but not least, the selfmade Machete is the real eye catcher. I love it, I love it, I love it. If I had the machines to make one on my own, I would do it exactly like you did. All the best my friend. Christian
Thanks Brother, I'm glad you liked it! Yep, that Junglas was a present. LOL, I hear ya on the snowboard thought. That machete is a chopping beast but the sheath really stinks! Thanks for watching Christian
I always learn something, and I always have fun watching your videos. I've said it before, I'll say it again, a thousand thanks for your efforts. The world is a better place because of you, bro.
Hey Brother Dave !! Thanks for another exciting video...Even though I'm a hatchet/saw guy..it was cool seeing you showcase your collection of machetes,... ooops *cough*, I mean ''big blades''...Yes, it's my understanding that ''rescue machetes'' having no point at the end to harm anyone are called ''coping'' machetes...The term ''fob'' comes from history....in the past a small piece of chain was attached to our pocket-watch to help pulling it from our pocket...same idea as using that leather ''fob'' to pull the knife from the sheath...I've got a lot more to add, but I won't take any more of your time...we tend to ramble at my age...Another good one Mr.P....Be well, and Blessings to you and yours Brother...CHEERS !! ⚔️✌️
I love the collection Dave and I wanted to thank you for mentioning safety glasses in your first aid kit video about a month ago. I had my eye removed when I was 14 and always wear safety glasses all the time now. Unfortunately people take things for granite and I see people carry everything under the sun but no safety glasses. Take care and thanks for your great video's. P.S. do you have a favorite axe?
Ah man, I hate to hear you had to go through that! Yes, safety glasses are a must have in outdoor situations. Right now my favorite axe is the Council Tool 1.75 lb. Hudson Bay. I'm glad you like the videos, Thanks for watching Fred
You are a breath of fresh air, David. Honest and mainly soft spoken. Full of practical knowledge. By the way, back in my culinary days, I acquired some stuff that looks like some of your machetes: 2 antique butchers cleavers. I just reground the latest with a file. What I wanted to point out was, in the kitchen, we never used whet stones. We used honing steels. The idea behind steels was to kind of iron the edge back into a good cutting edge. Do you ever use honing steels?
Thanks, I'm glad you like the way I do things. Nope, no honing steels for me. I own one but havent used it. I guess I need to try it. Thanks for watching
The rain finally stopped today and it warmed up enough to do a little chopping. I'm the (un) fortunate owner of a branch of what I call Stinkwood (Bradford Pear). It smells to high heaven but it's hardwood and good for fires (burns really well). A neighbor had it tossed to the side of the road near the Bradford Pear tree so I grabbed it up. Free wood is always a good thing. I tried out the Nata and compared it to the Esee Libertariat. They both chop pretty well and are light enough not to wear you out. The Nata performed a little better but has a thicker blade. If I had a lighter wood I'm sure they both would perform well but overall, in hardwood, not bad. The Village Parang wins out over all my machetes. I took a couple light swings and it cut in. Then I did a nice flick wrist swing and it cut through sending one piece of the wood sailing. Very impressed. It truly is a chopping beast! For fun I took out a few other machetes to see how they'd perform in the Stinkwood. The Latin machetes (Colima spear point and Hansa Latin) did cut into the wood and would work in a pinch but performed best on the smaller limbs of the branch. I wasn't surprised. The surprise was the Hansa Yegua machete. For as goofy Rambo it looks, it sank in halfway into the branch with one swing! I was chopping with one end of the branch leaned against the house. Branch roughly 2" thick. So the Yegua sank in a good inch or more. The Okapi machete is a good chopper as well. I took one of the two out and it cut really well too. I also tried the Japanese pruning saw and Laplander. The Japanese saw has a more aggressive blade than the Laplander and cut through faster, but that's not knocking the Laplander. It cut through easily, just not as fast and the blades are replaceable. The Japanese saw will be worthless if the blade ever broke. I sawed a little on one side before sawing through on the other side to keep the blades from binding. I just figured while I was chopping a little, I might as well saw a little too. Haha. The Nata has a couple more advantages than just chopping. It easily works as a froe with little effort. Can be used as a drawknife and feathersticks like a dream for such a thick blade. I have another Nata on order that should perform just as well. They're hard to locate locally but I found one and went ahead and bought it. They will chop hardwood but will perform better on a lighter wood due to their short length. Since they perform as a wood splitter, draw knife and featherstick so well...on hardwood nonetheless, they're not something I am opposed to using. The winner for chopping however is the Condor Village Parang. It cut through that Stinkwood like it was butter. (I always laugh when people say that something cut through like butter...I've only seen butter melt. I've never seen it cut through anything. Haha. Back to the grind tomorrow. Glad I got some chopping in before then. I wanted to see how the VP performed. Color me Impressed! Stephen
Say Heah Dave, Oh, you did great as usual. As far as the shape of our SP-53, I always called it a Bolo Shape. Every Bolo shape Knife Video, that shape Knife always chopped great, Dilly, Dilly, (I stole the Dilly, Dilly from a Budweiser commercial) heh heh heh.,,.p
A nice knife video. Always happy to see one of those + your cheerful smile and laugh. Looking forward to the tree platform vid. I've built a few of those, too. ReallyBigMonkey1 fan and fellow knife addict in the Czech Republic.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly! Great to see your big blade collection. Nice steel. I'd like to see you showcase some of your other gear, like tarps or packs or cookware in a similar video.
Lol, Thats a good description Jim. Funny you mentioned that. I am planning on a video showing ALL my homemade cooking gear! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
Dave thanks for the grip reminder at the end. I'm out in the woods right now choking my lanyard up. It was to long and floppy. Now I have a real firm grip.🤓
Hope shut-down isn't a nightmare, but I'm guessing it ain't much fun... Good video brother... We'll get into all the mistakes and wrongful things in the video when you have more time... ahahahaha Just kidding... Enjoyed ! Hope all is well with you and yours... See ya in the next one... Peace....
Great video. You might look into a Terävä Skrama bush knife from www.varusteleka.com/en/group/terava-skrama-bush-knife/1566. It is a real beast of a knife, modest price and very machete like. It is from Finland. Keep up the videos!
I would also be very interested to see what your thoughts are on the Kershaw Camp 10. I bought it for under 40 dollars and it has been outstanding. I did wrap some tennis tape around the handle and put an earplug in the sheath to stop the rattling, but other than that, I cannot find any flaws with it. Keep up the good work, your videos are awesome!
From the looks of it, I do like the shape. Cant say much for performance but since you have one and say it aint chipped yet its probably a good one. Kershaw seems to be an ok company.
I asked for your reccommendation about a year ago. The price of the OKC SP 53 caught me unprepared. I have waited and been rewarded as current price from Midway is down to about $65 w/ free shipping. Thanks for your experience and advice. IT EXCEEDS MY EXPECTATIONS!
I have the Schrade Kukri, also bought it because I liked the design as soon as I saw it. I have been using it to clear shrubs and vines from my jungle of a yard for about the last year. I really like it but I did have an issue with the edge too, first it kept getting dull pretty quickly and then I had a rolling issue on mine as well. I can't say it was Schrades fault though, as it didn't have any problems with rolling until I got too close to the ground with a wild swing and it hit a rock (we have a LOT of rocks here in Kentucky, they grow up out of the ground so often I call my yard a rock farm). The divot that put in the blade took me about twenty minutes to smooth out with a file and puck, since I was that far into it I went ahead and re-profiled the entire edge since it was already past time to sharpen it anyway. Since then the edge hasn't given me any trouble at all, it doesn't get dull fast and I've not another roll. A friend of mine was helping me in my yard, he liked the machete so much he bought one for himself. He had the same problem with it going dull right out of the box, so I re-profiled the edge on his and since then no more problems. It just seems to take a good sharpening/re-profiling to dial the edge in on one. At least in my experience with two of them, anyway. For the money and to use as a yard tool I don't see any problems with the Schrade Kukri. Would I take it as my SHTF "one tool option"? Not unless it was the only tool left standing when that time comes, as there's better options obviously. But as a tool it's been quite serviceable for me. Now, the mini kukri that they sell, it's the same design but smaller, is a SUPERLATIVE throwing knife. Bryan from Survival On Purpose showed that in his review of it and I showed to another friend who likes to throw knives. He bought three and has been throwing them ever since, he simply loves them. Don't ask me why, I have no idea, but they throw extremely accurately. Thanks Dave! Another great video.
The edge sucked but like I said in the video, I really liked the shape of that Kukri so I may just spend some time on it and see how it lasts. Maybe Schrade put too thin an edge on it? I'm glad you liked the video Bob. Thanks for watching
That's the best line you've ever uttered! (Other than "Heyyyy, Everybody!) When you cuddled up with the shovaxe and said "Don't tell the machete" I laughed so hard my sides hurt. I live vicariously through your videos so keep up the good work.
Dave, how can you bad mouth something like that?? Lol. Seriously man, follow your govt's emergency advice and "FEMA"... Fk 'EM All !! ;) Its your life matey. Live it to make yourself and those around you happy. Not a bunch of people on the other side of a screen who are just bitching for something to complain about. So long as you're not crapping on others as you go through life then tough luck to those who don't like what you have to say about something(s)
I am moving toward this same type of setup. A big chopper / machete and a bushcraft knife. I back pack so what would be your recommendation of the lightest and smallest large blade that could be carried distances but perform a variety tasks well. Great video . Thanks
Sounds great! As fa as a smaller lightweight chopper, what come to mind is either the Kabar Cutlass, Condor Mini Duku or the Tops 170. All weight very little but are great choppers. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
Great vid Dave....Fantastic breakdown of (your) misc machetes... Their styles, sizes, designs etc... Like you I'm a big fan of Condor. I have a few knives.. Bushlore and Nessmuk... Which are very nice but no machete...but I will get one now after your reviews so to speak... Keep em coming brother... See ya on the next one
Dave, I respect your opinion because you have actually used all the machetes and knives. I purchased the Tops machete after watching one of your videos-excellent machete. I know you said you wouldn't spend more than a hundred on one, but have you ever looked at the Tops bushcraft kukuri? Its a Nicholas Fury design and it's my go to knife/machete. Very versatile. Thanks for all the hard work in making your videos. Really appreciate it.
Thanks, I'm glad you respect my opinion. So, I'll be respectful of your Kukri. If you like it thats awesome but for me? Theres no way I would want a Kukri with a 7.75 long blade. Man thats just too short to be an effective chopper in my book. 10 inches is the bare minimum and I prefer 12 inches for a chopper. Thats just me tho man. Take care and Thanks for watching
Thanks for a very informative video on machetes and 'machete style' products. What I have always wondered is: can the parangs be used effectively on grasses so they are more multi-purpose or can a slicing machete be effectively used as a chopper on anything other than green wood? By the way, 'fobs' are small pockets such as the coin pocket in men's slacks or in vests. The meaning transferred to apply to a ribbon or cord for pulling a pocket watch out of a vest pocket or a pouch out of a small pocket.
Thanks James, I'm glad you liked it. I would say no. Ya just can't do it both with one machete. A grass machete is light weight so it can swing with lightning speed and requires a thin razor edge. That edge never lasts on wood chopping. Parangs are just too heavy for swinging to cut grass
You are the nicest guy on TH-cam Dave! There’s no negativity and you are always chipper and it’s pleasant to watch because we all need a break from the harsh world we are in.
Thanks Brother! I hear ya man. The world is so full of arguing and politics that I believe that sometimes we just need to kick back and chill for awhile. I do that here!
I agree. Can't add much to that brother.
Ditto!...
That is so true ! He is so laid back. I have been watching alot of his videos. I havent turned on my TV since I started watching .
@traderjoes your comment means more now this year than when you typed it. Genuine guy.
I only chopped one little branch with my SP53. When I drive our Class C RV, the SP53, in sheath but unclipped, is beside me on the floor in easy reach. I don't carry a firearm, and I do all the driving. What's the point? I'm now 79; husband is now 93. Someone breaking my window and reaching in is going to lose a hand. Or merely waving it around should be a deterent. We're not ready to quit traveling. He gave the SP53 several years ago as a Christmas present: it's the only gift I asked for. We ladies enjoy your channel -- we take your advice and always learn something, just as the men do. I've been a fan for many years. Thanks for all the enjoyment you bring to every video!
Now thats a good use for the SP-53! Youre right, if someone reaches in they are gonna lose a hand for sure. I'm glad you like the videos and what all I do! Take care, keep traveling and Thanks for watching
Ontario SP53, I took your enthusiasm to heart and bought this machete. Using your words “I love it, I love it, I love it” . It feels really balanced and so far is holding its edge real good. Real live and truthful testimony convinced me that I needed to own this blade!
That's fantastic to hear! Often times I am asked why I don't design my own machete. You know, the perfect machete. I've always thought why even bother. I could never do one better than the SP-53!
Dave I"ve been a Shoemaker / Cobbler Leather worker for the past 28+yrs, the best economical way to stop pressure retention between leather and steel is to use mineral car oil 15/30 open the sheath and rub the oil in by hand to the leather the heat of your hand works the oil in much better than a rag or soaking, or failing your hand use rounded light colour wooden implements and lots of repetative movements. As a + the mineral oil will keep your knife/machete rust free. Love all your vids m8 your laugh is infectious :):)
Great advice! With your years of experience thats great to know. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching David
I just love the way you explain, in plain English, what you are doing, show how to do it, and why. You are probably going to save a lot of lives over time, so please keep them coming... And you make me smile!
I'm glad you like the way I do things! I try to cover it all no matter how long it takes. Thanks for watching Bonnie
@@Reallybigmonkey1 I ALWAYS watch you, I am 72 so have plenty of time to do what I want. And as soon as they replace my knee, I will be out camping again, only doing it better, and safer because of you. Thank you!.
I like the way you weigh the pros and cons of pretty much everything you touch, you have a way of conveying your experience and opinions that rival a consumer reporter. On one video, you stated that since you bought your own stuff, the review would be honest, no matter the outcome, GREAT GUNS,that is the best , most honest, call it -like you see it-review, can't complain about anything you say, it is true, you are here because you enjoy the woods, no swaying to one prooduct or the other, ......but your opinion works for you, and since I have tried them, they work for me too, I also like your frugality, get it cheap if you can , or make it yourself, being a welder and fabricator from knee high on, I appreciate your ingenuity, saving money, and the satisfaction of doing it yourself,.... the videos.....keep 'em coming, you're doing great, thank you so much for your insight and knowledge.
Amen to everything you said, I love his videos and opinions for the same reasons.
You hit it right on the head brother! Im on here for fun, sharing experience and I can not be bought. Too many other on TH-cam for money only. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching brother
Dave, I bought the condor village parang because it was your favorite #2 and you said you could use it with.an injured hand. You are right. I have CRPS in my right hand which prevents my middle to little finger from closing all the way and lessens my grip. With the lanyard it will cut/chop! I had trouble removing it from the sheaf pulling it out both up and to the front. I forgot an once opened just the top snap and pulled it straight up. It came out as slick as any. It goes back in as esaily. I love your personality, sense of humor and your programs. I am not a camper. I am 81 years old and have a class C Four Winds.
That's great to hear you like it Leon! Put some neatsfoot oil inside that sheath and it'll really go in and out easily
After 5 years of watching your vids I know why I love ya man, you are able to talk to the camera as though you are talking to an individual.
I honestly believe that you could have your own TV show on the Discovery channel 😁
Thanks for all your personal time you've taken to share this stuff with us brother its some of the best info on outdoor living you can find.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and how I do things! I doubt Discovery would ever touch me. Im not full of drama. Lol. A show would be cool tho. Thanks for watching
After all these years , I still admire your videos and your common sense approach . Best wishes to you .
Fantastic to hear that my friend!
Another fun and educational video!
I have the RTAK II, also and I run the lanyard through the flap of the pouch and then fasten the handle retaining straps over the lanyard as well. Very secure! Not going anywhere!
Anyway, Dave, thanks for sharing! Always a pleasure!
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. I know exactly what youre doing with that RTAK! Thanks for watching
As always, great video Dave. Went back and watched it a second time so I could take notes on which blades I should add to my own machete collection. Liked the tips on how to better use a lanyard at the end too! Thanks you for the time you put into your videos.
Thanks Harry, I'm glad you liked it. I would say if its in this video and I didnt complain about it them its a good blade! LOL. Thanks for watching
Fob is an English derivative of the German word for pocket. It is generally used in reference to anything attached to an object for quick and sure retrieval such as a watch or key. And now you know!
Thanks for explaining that! I had no idea what it stood for, just thats what it was called.
A fob was used on watches to retreive them from the watch pocket. You could retrieve a watch from a tight pocket using a fob much easier than fishing for it with your fingers. Take a look at the watch pocket on your Levis and try to imagine extracting a 2" dia 1/2" thick watch from that tight little compartment.
Hi Dave !!! I loved the Big Blade Edition !!!! I wish I had a room like your gear room. I used an 18" Ontario machete for 30 years at my parents ranch. I replaced the original sheath with one of those plastic sheaths that has a sharpener at the top and drain holes on both sides of the sheath. It's held up great on a military surplus belt. Smoky Mountain Knife Works sells the sheath for around 7 bucks. Anyway hope the Mill Closure isn't something permanent. Look forward to your next video. Loved seeing your collection and hearing your stories. Thanks :) Ellis
Hello Ellis! I'm glad you liked it. Man thats proof of how well made those Ontarios machetes are since you had yours that long. That shutdown isnt a permanent thing, it was just to repair a buncha equipment. Take care and Thanks for watching
Dude.....this is by far the most helpful, informative outdoor cutting gear video I've ever, ever watched! THANK YOU!!
In case you don't already know, the good knives Schrade used to make, stopped in 2004 when Schrade Imperial closed it's doors in 2004. Several employees and President Wally Gardiner re-opened as Canal Street Cutlery in the same building a few years ago, but have followed the same demise as Schrade USA. Today, all Schrade knives are made in China under the ownership Taylor Brands LLC. (That Schrade machete is made in China)
Thanks Scott, I'm glad you liked it that much! I knew at one time Schrade was a fantastic company. Its gone down hill and keeps going. They will never get another penny or any nice words out of me. Thanks for watching Brother
Now to get my wife to watch this video so I can explain why I need 5-10 different machetes. 😉. Great video!
Lol! Just tell her for every pocket book she has, you get a machete!
Reallybigmonkey1 Shoes are her Krytonite! I have been learning the “shoe lingo” to “analogize” the machete/outdoor gear debate.
“Well, you know how you need to have open toe high heels in black to match that evening dress. Well I have to have a machete with a 1/4 thick 12 in heavy blade made of 1095 steel with a leather sheath to go with my mora companion HD and Carhart pants for those thorny woods camp and hunt trips.”😉
O try to match my knives and machete sheaths with my camo. Lol.
I only have three 😟!
Funny thing is we go to SMKW and my wife picked up the Condor Amalgam and said...Ohhhh...can we get two?😁
Really enjoying your older machete videos. I've been into all things blades for a while but recently renewed my interests and using them more again. Great content !!
Fantastic to hear that man! Axes are fun but nothing beats the real fun of using a machete. Thanks for watching
Nothing like a Big Ol Blade video!!
I love my blades brother!
I am blown away by the incredible amount of gear you have, Dave. It is indeed wonderful that you can follow your passion and pursue the things that bring satisfaction in life. I paid careful attention to your Condor collection as I have decided to get one of their machetes. You have certainly influenced my final decision. After watching this video I watched another video in which you were tagged to talk about 5 essential gear. The first item you showed looked like the Condor Jungolo, a machete that I was seriously considering. It was either that or the Condor Bushcraft machete. I saw you with the Jungolo, and I said if it is good enough for you to own, it is good enough for me. I ordered it. Of course, I will be making sure that I hook up my Mora knife to the Jungolo sheath as you advised. Thank you so much for the tremendous knowledge you are passing on to us. God bless you and your family, my friend.
Ric you're gonna love that Jungelo! The blade length, shape and handle size is perfect. Now when mine came in it wasn't sharp enough for me so I thinned the grind some and stropped it. It's one incredible machete for sure
Yeh! Another video! Thanks! I can't wait to watch it. I rented "Machete" on youtube for $2.99 and I was just starting to watch a little of it. I also plan to put a short video together, about the new $15 125th anniversary black companion. It took me a little while to figure out how to get it out of the sheath. I did not realize that a firm pull is all it takes. Anyway, this is my first bushcraft knife. The back of the blade (spine ?) is nearly, but not completely straight and flat. I'm not sure what the purpose of a slight angle is, but I'm eager to research this. Anyway, thanks for informing me of that "Scandi Grind" a while back, this is a new edge type I have never had experience with. Also, I plan to include a short segment where I sing, and play guitar to "Cuts Like a Knife". And, I made a mistake in an earlier comment, which I will explain. It pertains to the "finger groove" in two different Kershaw folding knives. I had planned to try some bushcraft with them, but now I have a Moorakniv! Best Wishes, and I'm going to check out this video now. Hope all is well, and "catch ya soon'!
sounds great man! Oh, and when you have a Mora? You have it all! Enjoy the vid my friend
Another good one! Thank you for your talk on knives, machetes, and lanyards! Very informative!
I'm glad you liked it Kathleen, thanks for watching!
Nothing like a 12 hour outage. Great looking collection of blades sir. Thanks for sharing.
Aint that the truth! Especially a 14 day outtage. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
The SP-53 is my favorite. I always take it when I go fishing and camping. Thanks for the video Dave. Take care brother.
ALWAYS great to hear from a fellow SP-53 fan an, I'm glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching
Learned lots as usual, thanks for the great work Dave.
Always great to hear that and I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
Dave you the only person on youtube that I'll watch for an hour. This morning was like Christmas as a kid. The wife and girls are gone so I got up to cook breakfast and eat. Been watching while preparing bacon and eggs. The SP 53 is the best I've ever used. Good for almost everything. God Bless and have a great day.
Always great to hear that! Man so far, any of my friends that have given the SP-53 a try has loved it! Thanks for watching and may God bless you too Lance.
Your basement ...is...AWESOMNESS!
Thanks!
👍yup !! he has more "stuff" than some military surplus stores 👍
I've got a plan formulating for the Maasai Seme sheath. I'll have to look at the Seme arrives to get the appropriate dimensions then go from there. I saw a video where a Maasai called the Seme a machete. It's often referred to as a short sword so I guess it's left up to interpretation. It needs some rust removed. Carbon steel so it should go well by just soaking it in white vinegar and a little elbow grease.
The other project is a go as well. It's an old Hansa 20" Peinilla (Spanish for Comb) machete...what we'd call a spear point machete. Rusted carbon steel that needs a good vinegar bath as well. Neither are rusted over completely but definitely need attention before it gets too bad. The Peinilla comes with another restoration project, a deerskin sheath with some sort of metal rivets that spell out Ecuador down the length of the sheath. I'm not sure if they're like those Bedazzler things that used to be sold on TV or what they are yet. But I'll more than likely have to take the sheath apart at the seams to get the rust from the back of them taken care of. They actually left ghost-rust on the machete itself...can faintly make out the word Ecuador going down the blade from the machete rusting in the sheath. Cleaning both the Seme and machete will be simple. The real projects will be the sheaths for them.
Took the Mini Duku out for a test chopping session today. Does the job nicely. Very pleased with the parang.
Stephen
Good video Dave. If the SHTF your basement would be the ultimate place to bug out. LOL! Thanks for sharing brother.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it Scott. LOL, I bet I have enough gear to fully outfit 6 to 8 people. Thanks for watching
The best show and tell ever!
Thanks!
Hi Dave---you provide a great deal of pleasure to an old dude that has used up his time for fun in the woods. Enjoy you and those of your family that have been on your site. You are an enjoyable personality....Truth and Honor you display is great-- keep it up.
Live Long and Prosper..
Thanks Doc, I'm glad you like the videos and what all I do. Thanks for watching
My night was made when the alert went off for a new video from Really Big Monkey One! Always find your videos informative and entertaining Dave. I just picked up the Cold Steel Kukuri machete and pair it with a Boy Scout fixed blade made by the Western Knife Co back in the 60's. I used the kukuri to clear my shooting lanes before this deer archery season and it's been a good tool for light to medium chopping jobs. Anyway loved the tour of your big blade collection. Can't wait for the next video. Thumbs up from a fellow West Georgian.
Im happy it made your day brother! Sounds like a good set up you have. I'm glad you liked the video, Thanks for watching
I followed your suggestions on a few of these. The Ontario Knife Spec Plus Gen II SP-53 is my second go to chopper blade, the Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri with that 5/16 thick spine is my first!!! My first chop was a Mountain Maple sapling of 1.5" diameter that I sawed off & laid across a dead stump to cut to length for a walking stick. That CS Kukri glided right through that 1.5" cross grain in one chop & buried itself in the stump by another 1.5". I felt like Superman!!!
5/16 thick? I never knew that machete was that thick! Definitely sounds like a chopping beast!
Dave, I was excited to see a new video posted today! I enjoyed this one as much as your others. I have the sp 53 gen 2 and love, love, love it! LOL. I made it in a kit like the ones you’ve shared except I put the Mora down lower so I could get the Pocket Boy in the pouch. I also set up a way to store my ferro rod on the back with a tool steel striker. It’s a heavy kit but it rides real nice. Thanks again and good luck with the shut down.
I'm glad you liked it Dan. Man thats cool you have the SP-53 and love it! I do need to relocate my Mora. Ive lost use of my pouch in the position my knife is in. Thanks for watching
Great vid Dave. Man you have a cool selection of blades (all of your gear for that matter). I love how you are always thinking and inventing good usable gear. Please keep them coming! Take care. Peace Brother.
Thanks Curt, I'm glad you liked it brother. To me, inventing and creating gear is half the fun! Thanks for watching
awesome set of blades there Dave, thanks for your insights on all of them. Hope all goes well with the shutdown, and cannot wait for your next vid.
Thanks Brother, I'm glad you liked it. The shutdown is almost over and no one got injured so its a success! Thanks for watching
Dave you putting that big O sheath on the modern pistol belt was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while! thank you for that!
LOL, I know it probably wasn't meant to be mounted like that but I saw the matched belt laying on the shelf so I wondered how it would look.
Dave you should patent some of your custom designs. I'd personally buy the bungee grill.
Who knows, I may just do that one day!
I value your knowledge, experience and opinion! We all appreciate the time you take with your videos. Keep on chopping brother!
Thanks, Always great to hear Im trusted. Thanks for watching
I've been interested in Condor but the wodden handles on most of the large blades scare me as there is no guard at all, and I can see myself sliding down onto the blade. However that Condor Bushcraft Parang with the green handle solves that problem without any doubt..Thanks for this video...........lots of great info. All my best from Arizona!!
As long as you have a lanyard in place properly, you will never slide a hand down a blade. Just remember that. I will agree with you tho, its dang near impossible to slip down the handle of the Bushcraft Parang. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching and greetings from Georgia Charles!
Today I saw an ad from a guy selling a large knife. I've been looking for a decent large blade for quite some time, but didn't see anything on the market that I liked. I remembered this crazy youtuber named David Pearson making a couple videos where he swears by his Ontario SP53. So my eyes almost popped out of my head when I realized that this guy was selling an Ontario SP53! Needless to say I drove out right away and bought it. The damned thing is in mint condition! The sheath doesn't have an extra pouch on it, but I'm sure that this crazy David Pearson guy has a video on how to make one. I'm very happy that I finally found a decent large knife/machete to simplify my camping. To quote this crazy David guy, " I love it, I love it, I love it!" ;) Awesome videos Dave. Keep 'em coming.
Fantastic you've got one! You're gonna love it man
@@Reallybigmonkey1 Hey again Dave. I modified my SP-53. I used a die-grinder/pencil grinder with a de-burring bit and enlarged the choil to fit my finger. So with my index finger in the choil and the finger guard between my index and middle finger with my thumb high up on the spine, I have amazing control. Now iIt's very easy to use it one handed and is very easy for push cuts and for feather sticking. Then I used a belt sander to grind off some of the coating on the spine near the tip. Now I can scrape a ferro rod with it. I think that it's now a near-perfect 1 tool option/survival knife.
Great collection dave. As always, well done. Another exiting video. Cant wait for the next one.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching David
This is a helpful video David. I always get great ideas and recommends from you on gear, without you being biased from Corporate America or other monetary influences. I have never regretted purchasing a gear item you have discussed merits on. Not only is David a trusted source, he is a big innovator too. If you haven't yet, check out his other videos where he innovates a new solution, and then shows you how it was designed and/or crafted and the usage.
Thank you my friend! I can promise you, I will never be bought out by a gear company or endorse anything I dont like. I speak the truth on gear.
I like that big 30 dollar pirate sword !!!....Thanks for showing the lanyard stuff at the end ..I have practiced a few of the ways you showed
Man that thing surprised me. What a chopping beast! Thanks for watching
Dave, Only discovered your videos a few days ago and I'm LOVING them! Keep up the great work. You are providing a truly impressive service to the community!
I can't remember if you've said this in another video or if I've read it somewhere, but I've heard that conditioning a sheath is very important to keeping rust spots off of a carbon steel blade. In this video you've mentioned wax and oil on (in?) a sheath or on the blade and I'd like to know more. I'd like to get the Condor Village Parang (leather sheath) and I want to do right by the sheath. I know your time is limited but a few sentences about sheath "initial treatment" and maintenance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks! (And I've watched the entire "ultimate man-cave" video and I'm in awe of all the equipment you've collected over the years. Green with envy!!) I look forward to watching ALL of the rest of your videos!
Hello Douglas! I'm happy you found my channel and like the videos! Wax or oil inside a sheath serves three purposes. One is to protect and preserve the sheath from cracks. Two it softens and lubes the sheath allowing for the blade to be easily inserted and withdrawn. Third, it also preserves the blade if you never oil it.
You have so much gear!!! You can def tell you are passionate about this. Awesome video my friend as always.
I do! Im a gear junkie man! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
some people are just negative, period. You do you. Everyone has a point of view, you are just sharing what works for you and what works in your area. I believe that your experiences and equipment evaluations based on actual use have value. Your inventions are amazing. I learn a lot from watching and listening to your videos.
Very well said Robin! Some folks aren't happy no matter what. And all experiences vary so we can learn from everyone. Take care and thanks for watching Robin
BIG BLADE VIDEO ALERT !!! Pop the corn and pull up a seat !
LOL! Sit back n enjoy
You weren't exaggerating, Dave. Those are some big blades. Always love checking out your gear, thanks for the video.
LOL, all quite big! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching C.M.
That Dave Young machete sawback: Good Lord!; It was well worth the close-up...: I've never seen anything like it, and I irrationally crave sawbacks... If all sawbacks were like that, NOBODY would make fun of them. The glass breaker did look funny in a (bad) tacticool way though... The serrations and rope cutter really looked awesome (as if the saw wasn't enough!). Fantastic video, as always.
You're so right about the bad looking tacticool look! Lol. Looks so odd but man has it got some useful features. The sawback on that beast is without a doubt the best saw on a machete I've ever used. I'm happy you liked the video. Thanks for watching brother
.............Dave , it just brightens my day reading all the positive and cheerful comments you get.........and rightfully so because you are a positive and uplifting presenter......always cheerful and always uplifting ....Thank you for being a breath of fresh air in such stale times as we live in................Peace to you and yours always..........
Great to hear that Greg! Man I'm lucky, I have the best commentors!
Your Look'n Great Dave! Excellent content here, such a great opportunity for folks to benefit from your experiences and collection. This will prove helpful to many in making a selection and/or save them money or not regretting a purchase
Later Big D. ...Mike.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and me! Yep, hopefully this will help others not get ripped off or get a piece of junk. Thanks for watching
Mike
I think this has become one of my favorite of your videos. It is my third time watching it. Thanks for the information! I really enjoy your videos.
Thank you Brian! Man I love talking about machetes!
Hey dave. Good video. I think you are the only TH-camr I can watch an hour video and enjoy. Good tips there. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and thats always good to hear! Thanks for watching
I love this guys running commentary and humor. Great job.
Thank you my friend!
Yet ANOTHER great video that I thoroughly enjoyed! I'd REALLY enjoy a similar video comparison of your favorite bushcraft knives. I currently have a Sharade that I'm particularly pleased with, but wonder about other knives that might be lighter yet as strong, but lighter and as durable... I'm sure you've found the 'idea' knife and one that I might like also... :>) May the good Lord continue to bless you and yours forever!
Thanks Kenn, I'm glad you liked it. Well the knife video would be a little boring because it would pretty much be a Mora video. LOL. Yes Moras are my all around favorite. You mentioned having a Schrade? Well from the comments on this video Im hearing from a lot of people saying Schrades knives are good but Schrades machetes are lousy. I suppose their steel excels at cutting, slicing and carving but is lousy for chopping? Thanks for watching and may God bless you too!
Great show-n-tell, very informative. Thanks, Dave!
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching my friend!
I love the big blades too! You have a great collection, but I know how it is to have favorites, there’s always a couple that I end up reaching for, those are my go-tos as well. Thanks David🏜️
Who doesn't love big blades! I definitely have favorites! Thanks for watching brother
Great video brother! I love that Esee and Tops blade, freaking sweet.
Thanks, I'm glad you like em. Them two are some fantastic blades.
Hi David!! I'm sure you're busy with work! I hope you get some rest my friend!!
Always great to see your videos, absolutely some of the most thought out and comprehensive stuff on here .. and 'fun' 😉 I remember the last machete video, this was interesting comparison!!
.. so okay!! I'm TOTALLY looking forward to a tree platform!! I just got a few new books on building in the woods actually, because I'm trying to decide where to put my camp on the land I've been allowed to play on 😬😬 the problem is that it's got some serious elevation changes in most places and some others are 'wet' or will be some of the year.. so I was considering an elevated 'bog/swamp" shelter or one up a tree to account for the crazy hillside (and coyotes) 😉.. thanks for taking the time and sharing everything with us Hon!! Really appreciate the effort and the knowledge!! Talk to you soon! 😊😊
Hello Ruth! Well shutdown is over and Im finally getting things back to normal round here. Great to hear you have land to play one. Look to the uneven land as a challenge. Some of the most fun and creative shelters are started on a slope or hillside. Take car and Thanks for watching
great video dave . alot of cool blades brother . i was glad you showed kong . that is my favorite machete of yours its a beast . and i see you have the same mora companion hd i do lol . man i have to say when i first saw mora i thought they were cheap looking and dint even want to give them a chance . but i won one in a give away and man i love it . changed my mind on mora forever . well any way brother as always it was great to hang out with ya . cant wait for the next one . god bless you .
Thanks Brother, I'm glad you liked it. LOL, Kong had to make an appearance. I thought the same thing about Moras until I first used one. And man Ive been hooked on them ever since. Take care ,Thanks for watching and may God bless you too brother
It only gets better every time I check in to see what you are up to. Keep up the good work my friend.
Thanks David! Man Im always up to something different! Thanks for watching
I have to quote you because it put a smile on my face. "People that don't film videos they don't understand how hard it's to record this videos, pay attention to the camera, pay attention to watch you doing,and thinking a step ahead and knowing what to say, it gets pretty hectic really quick" end quote.you head it in the nail I takes me months to upload a video for the same reason.
Very well said and from a man who knows what its like! We make filming easy but it honestly like work. Take care brother and thanks for the comment.
Another Great Video Dave, really appreciate all your time and effort, sharing your knowledge. Thank you Sir.
MIC
Thanks Mic, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
David, I love your knife videos so much. You could make a daylong documentation about them and I would watch it. Haha. Thumbs up, my friend. Ok, now to the content: You said, you would not pay more than 100 Dollars for a Machete, but the ESEE Junglas is much more expensive. Or was it a birthday present?
And I have never seen such a stupid sheath as the one on the Timberline Tactical Machete. Thats more like a snowboard to me ;)
And last but not least, the selfmade Machete is the real eye catcher. I love it, I love it, I love it. If I had the machines to make one on my own, I would do it exactly like you did. All the best my friend. Christian
Thanks Brother, I'm glad you liked it! Yep, that Junglas was a present. LOL, I hear ya on the snowboard thought. That machete is a chopping beast but the sheath really stinks! Thanks for watching Christian
I always learn something, and I always have fun watching your videos. I've said it before, I'll say it again, a thousand thanks for your efforts. The world is a better place because of you, bro.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it,me and what all I do! Thanks for watching
Great video!i remember the machete one!!
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. That blade has been through a lot with me!
Hey Brother Dave !!
Thanks for another exciting video...Even though I'm a hatchet/saw guy..it was cool seeing you showcase your collection of machetes,... ooops *cough*, I mean ''big blades''...Yes, it's my understanding that ''rescue machetes'' having no point at the end to harm anyone are called ''coping'' machetes...The term ''fob'' comes from history....in the past a small piece of chain was attached to our pocket-watch to help pulling it from our pocket...same idea as using that leather ''fob'' to pull the knife from the sheath...I've got a lot more to add, but I won't take any more of your time...we tend to ramble at my age...Another good one Mr.P....Be well, and Blessings to you and yours Brother...CHEERS !! ⚔️✌️
Hello Steve! I'm glad you liked it. Good thoughts and good comments on "big blades" LOL. Thanks for watching
I love the collection Dave and I wanted to thank you for mentioning safety glasses in your first aid kit video about a month ago. I had my eye removed when I was 14 and always wear safety glasses all the time now. Unfortunately people take things for granite and I see people carry everything under the sun but no safety glasses. Take care and thanks for your great video's.
P.S. do you have a favorite axe?
Ah man, I hate to hear you had to go through that! Yes, safety glasses are a must have in outdoor situations. Right now my favorite axe is the Council Tool 1.75 lb. Hudson Bay. I'm glad you like the videos, Thanks for watching Fred
Hey Dave! Great Videos! I like the way you ”cluster” the machete/knife/saw/ferrorod, I will try something similar with a thighrig
Hello Christian! I'm glad you liked it, that cluster/combo is what I'm known for!
Great Show Monkeyman!
I love my Condor, everything in front of me is halved.
Beauty Mate.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Having a good Condor means chips all in your yard! Thanks for watching Jono
Just got pizza and now this? Yes!
What a fun night!
I wish Dave was my neighbor. What a cool/chill/fun individual. Thanks Dave.
Thanks! My current neighbors think I'm weird. Lol
@@Reallybigmonkey1 That's OK, you've got us :D!
Awesome video as always!
Thanks Brother!
You are a breath of fresh air, David. Honest and mainly soft spoken. Full of practical knowledge. By the way, back in my culinary days, I acquired some stuff that looks like some of your machetes: 2 antique butchers cleavers. I just reground the latest with a file. What I wanted to point out was, in the kitchen, we never used whet stones. We used honing steels. The idea behind steels was to kind of iron the edge back into a good cutting edge. Do you ever use honing steels?
Thanks, I'm glad you like the way I do things. Nope, no honing steels for me. I own one but havent used it. I guess I need to try it. Thanks for watching
Having 2 channels just means I get to tell you great job twice.
Thanks Brother!
Thanks I really enjoyed watching as always I do appreciate you for taking your time to share your experience with us
I'm glad you liked it and Im always happy to share. Thanks for watching Ellis
Hi David great video nice one buddy
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it David. Thanks for watching
The rain finally stopped today and it warmed up enough to do a little chopping. I'm the (un) fortunate owner of a branch of what I call Stinkwood (Bradford Pear). It smells to high heaven but it's hardwood and good for fires (burns really well). A neighbor had it tossed to the side of the road near the Bradford Pear tree so I grabbed it up. Free wood is always a good thing.
I tried out the Nata and compared it to the Esee Libertariat. They both chop pretty well and are light enough not to wear you out. The Nata performed a little better but has a thicker blade. If I had a lighter wood I'm sure they both would perform well but overall, in hardwood, not bad.
The Village Parang wins out over all my machetes. I took a couple light swings and it cut in. Then I did a nice flick wrist swing and it cut through sending one piece of the wood sailing. Very impressed. It truly is a chopping beast!
For fun I took out a few other machetes to see how they'd perform in the Stinkwood. The Latin machetes (Colima spear point and Hansa Latin) did cut into the wood and would work in a pinch but performed best on the smaller limbs of the branch. I wasn't surprised.
The surprise was the Hansa Yegua machete. For as goofy Rambo it looks, it sank in halfway into the branch with one swing! I was chopping with one end of the branch leaned against the house. Branch roughly 2" thick. So the Yegua sank in a good inch or more.
The Okapi machete is a good chopper as well. I took one of the two out and it cut really well too. I also tried the Japanese pruning saw and Laplander. The Japanese saw has a more aggressive blade than the Laplander and cut through faster, but that's not knocking the Laplander. It cut through easily, just not as fast and the blades are replaceable. The Japanese saw will be worthless if the blade ever broke. I sawed a little on one side before sawing through on the other side to keep the blades from binding. I just figured while I was chopping a little, I might as well saw a little too. Haha.
The Nata has a couple more advantages than just chopping. It easily works as a froe with little effort. Can be used as a drawknife and feathersticks like a dream for such a thick blade. I have another Nata on order that should perform just as well. They're hard to locate locally but I found one and went ahead and bought it. They will chop hardwood but will perform better on a lighter wood due to their short length. Since they perform as a wood splitter, draw knife and featherstick so well...on hardwood nonetheless, they're not something I am opposed to using.
The winner for chopping however is the Condor Village Parang. It cut through that Stinkwood like it was butter. (I always laugh when people say that something cut through like butter...I've only seen butter melt. I've never seen it cut through anything. Haha.
Back to the grind tomorrow. Glad I got some chopping in before then. I wanted to see how the VP performed. Color me Impressed!
Stephen
Thanks for the comments Stephen
Say Heah Dave, Oh, you did great as usual. As far as the shape of our SP-53, I always called it a Bolo Shape. Every Bolo shape Knife Video, that shape Knife always chopped great, Dilly, Dilly, (I stole the Dilly, Dilly from a Budweiser commercial) heh heh heh.,,.p
Thanks Brother!
A nice knife video. Always happy to see one of those + your cheerful smile and laugh. Looking forward to the tree platform vid. I've built a few of those, too. ReallyBigMonkey1 fan and fellow knife addict in the Czech Republic.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Always great to hear from a fellow knife addict! Thanks for watching
Dave just ignore those who wish to argue.
Oh I do. Its usually a block N delete!
Nice 😂😂😂
I'll see the "thumbs down" on your videos and I'm like "why???" You do great and I learn from everything you do. Thank you again!
Thank you for another fun video! I love that you encourage people to get outdoors! Peace.
You are very welcome and I love getting folks outside as much as possible! Thanks for watching
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly! Great to see your big blade collection. Nice steel. I'd like to see you showcase some of your other gear, like tarps or packs or cookware in a similar video.
Lol, Thats a good description Jim. Funny you mentioned that. I am planning on a video showing ALL my homemade cooking gear! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
Dave thanks for the grip reminder at the end. I'm out in the woods right now choking my lanyard up. It was to long and floppy. Now I have a real firm grip.🤓
Youre very welcome my friend. Once that length is right, it will work on all the lanyard styles.
Hope shut-down isn't a nightmare, but I'm guessing it ain't much fun... Good video brother... We'll get into all the mistakes and wrongful things in the video when you have more time... ahahahaha Just kidding... Enjoyed ! Hope all is well with you and yours... See ya in the next one... Peace....
Its almost over and no one got injured and nothing got destroyed. LOL. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching Brother.
Always a pleasure my friend... Glad shut-down at least went smoothly for ya... Peace...
Thanks for the up beat attatude and showing us your collection. I got the mini duku because you were using it and I love it. Keep it up. Dig it!
Thanks, I'm glad you like the way I do things. That mini duku is one fantastic blade!
Great video. You might look into a Terävä Skrama bush knife from www.varusteleka.com/en/group/terava-skrama-bush-knife/1566. It is a real beast of a knife, modest price and very machete like. It is from Finland. Keep up the videos!
That Skrama is top of my wish list :D
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Ive been told about that blade at least 20 times now so it must be a huge hit! I need to get one. Thanks for watching
I would also be very interested to see what your thoughts are on the Kershaw Camp 10. I bought it for under 40 dollars and it has been outstanding. I did wrap some tennis tape around the handle and put an earplug in the sheath to stop the rattling, but other than that, I cannot find any flaws with it. Keep up the good work, your videos are awesome!
From the looks of it, I do like the shape. Cant say much for performance but since you have one and say it aint chipped yet its probably a good one. Kershaw seems to be an ok company.
I asked for your reccommendation about a year ago. The price of the OKC SP 53 caught me unprepared. I have waited and been rewarded as current price from Midway is down to about $65 w/ free shipping. Thanks for your experience and advice. IT EXCEEDS MY EXPECTATIONS!
I have the Schrade Kukri, also bought it because I liked the design as soon as I saw it. I have been using it to clear shrubs and vines from my jungle of a yard for about the last year. I really like it but I did have an issue with the edge too, first it kept getting dull pretty quickly and then I had a rolling issue on mine as well. I can't say it was Schrades fault though, as it didn't have any problems with rolling until I got too close to the ground with a wild swing and it hit a rock (we have a LOT of rocks here in Kentucky, they grow up out of the ground so often I call my yard a rock farm). The divot that put in the blade took me about twenty minutes to smooth out with a file and puck, since I was that far into it I went ahead and re-profiled the entire edge since it was already past time to sharpen it anyway. Since then the edge hasn't given me any trouble at all, it doesn't get dull fast and I've not another roll. A friend of mine was helping me in my yard, he liked the machete so much he bought one for himself. He had the same problem with it going dull right out of the box, so I re-profiled the edge on his and since then no more problems. It just seems to take a good sharpening/re-profiling to dial the edge in on one. At least in my experience with two of them, anyway. For the money and to use as a yard tool I don't see any problems with the Schrade Kukri. Would I take it as my SHTF "one tool option"? Not unless it was the only tool left standing when that time comes, as there's better options obviously. But as a tool it's been quite serviceable for me. Now, the mini kukri that they sell, it's the same design but smaller, is a SUPERLATIVE throwing knife. Bryan from Survival On Purpose showed that in his review of it and I showed to another friend who likes to throw knives. He bought three and has been throwing them ever since, he simply loves them. Don't ask me why, I have no idea, but they throw extremely accurately. Thanks Dave! Another great video.
The edge sucked but like I said in the video, I really liked the shape of that Kukri so I may just spend some time on it and see how it lasts. Maybe Schrade put too thin an edge on it? I'm glad you liked the video Bob. Thanks for watching
You forgot to mention your shovaxe! ...Oh that's right, we're not supposed to tell the machete :)
LOL! Very cool you remembered that line!
That's the best line you've ever uttered! (Other than "Heyyyy, Everybody!) When you cuddled up with the shovaxe and said "Don't tell the machete" I laughed so hard my sides hurt. I live vicariously through your videos so keep up the good work.
Great video David, enjoyed it very much. Very informative as always.Looking forward to more gear vids. Randy
Thanks Randy, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching and see ya in the next one brother!
Dave, how can you bad mouth something like that?? Lol. Seriously man, follow your govt's emergency advice and "FEMA"...
Fk 'EM All !! ;)
Its your life matey. Live it to make yourself and those around you happy. Not a bunch of people on the other side of a screen who are just bitching for something to complain about. So long as you're not crapping on others as you go through life then tough luck to those who don't like what you have to say about something(s)
Very well said brother!
I am moving toward this same type of setup. A big chopper / machete and a bushcraft knife. I back pack so what would be your recommendation of the lightest and smallest large blade that could be carried distances but perform a variety tasks well. Great video . Thanks
Sounds great! As fa as a smaller lightweight chopper, what come to mind is either the Kabar Cutlass, Condor Mini Duku or the Tops 170. All weight very little but are great choppers. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
This is one of my favorite videos...WoWeY!!!
Great Work.
Fantastic to hear that Dale!
Dave you have a great Collection. And your sheet modifications are inspiring. I Like your videos!
Thanks, I'm glad you liked the collection and my vids! Thanks for watching
We can always count on you for the "cutting edge" on all your stuff.....love these videos
Thanks Dr. Ron and I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
And yet another awesome video from you David! Thank you so much!!! :)
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching my friend!
Great vid Dave....Fantastic breakdown of (your) misc machetes... Their styles, sizes, designs etc... Like you I'm a big fan of Condor. I have a few knives.. Bushlore and Nessmuk... Which are very nice but no machete...but I will get one now after your reviews so to speak... Keep em coming brother... See ya on the next one
Thanks Roger, I'm glad you liked it. Absolutely get a Condor machete, you will love it! Thanks for watching
A really SHARP video Dave. I always look forward to the next video.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. See ya in the next one!
Thanks for another Friday night video. Love your vids and thanks again for your time! Keep them coming!
I'm glad you like em. Thanks for watching and plenty more in the works!
Dave,
I respect your opinion because you have actually used all the machetes and knives. I purchased the Tops machete after watching one of your videos-excellent machete.
I know you said you wouldn't spend more than a hundred on one, but have you ever looked at the Tops bushcraft kukuri?
Its a Nicholas Fury design and it's my go to knife/machete. Very versatile.
Thanks for all the hard work in making your videos. Really appreciate it.
Thanks, I'm glad you respect my opinion. So, I'll be respectful of your Kukri. If you like it thats awesome but for me? Theres no way I would want a Kukri with a 7.75 long blade. Man thats just too short to be an effective chopper in my book. 10 inches is the bare minimum and I prefer 12 inches for a chopper. Thats just me tho man. Take care and Thanks for watching
Thanks for a very informative video on machetes and 'machete style' products. What I have always wondered is: can the parangs be used effectively on grasses so they are more multi-purpose or can a slicing machete be effectively used as a chopper on anything other than green wood? By the way, 'fobs' are small pockets such as the coin pocket in men's slacks or in vests. The meaning transferred to apply to a ribbon or cord for pulling a pocket watch out of a vest pocket or a pouch out of a small pocket.
Thanks James, I'm glad you liked it. I would say no. Ya just can't do it both with one machete. A grass machete is light weight so it can swing with lightning speed and requires a thin razor edge. That edge never lasts on wood chopping. Parangs are just too heavy for swinging to cut grass