If you were suddenly castaway on a desert island or stranded in the wilderness or a jungle, what's the one tool you would want at your side? The answer is a good machete. You see the machete, over the last three centuries, has proven to be the ultimate outdoor and survival tool. It will cut, chop, slash, hack, split, scrape, scoop, hammer, dig, crush, carve, whittle, crack or smash just about anything you can put in front of it. It can be used to kill both fish and game and will gut, scale, filet, skin, quarter, and butcher them for the table as well. And when you look at its meager cost, it's got to be one of the best bargains for hard earned cash in the world. In fact it's so cheap and useful that even the poorest peasant in South America or tribesman in Africa invariably owns one and counts on it as one of his most precious possessions.

These blades are made out of 1055 Carbon Steel with a tough spring temper and are surfaced with a black, baked-on anti-rust finish. Each Cold Steel machete comes with a good utility edge which, with just a little work (we recommend the Lansky Puck), can be made hair shaving sharp. The tough, Polypropylene handles of our machetes are designed to provide a comfortable secure grip, and they are rugged enough to resist chipping, cracking or breaking, so they last practically forever.

NEW FOR 2016! We’ve prototyped a whole host of different short bladed Machete shapes over the years, but the Tanto remains one of the best we’ve tested. Although the “Americanized Tanto” is known primarily for its combative application, it also makes an excellent multi-purpose bush craft blade.

In our tests the Tanto Machete cut and pierced exceptionally well while remaining tough enough to endure hard use. Its solid full-tang construction and hard wearing weather-resistant polypropylene handle only add to its durability and functionality.

	Imperial	Metric
Weight	16.6oz	0.47kg
Blade Thickness	0.08"	2mm
Blade Length	13"	33.0cm
Handle	55⁄8"	14.3cm
Handle Details	Polypropylene
Steel	1055 Carbon Black Anti Rust Matte
Overall	185⁄8"	47.3cm
Sheath	Cor-Ex
Country of Origin	South Africa