The Infamous Machete

In most of the world, a machete-wielding man would not even raise an eyebrow. Unfortunately, machetes have a more sinister reputation in the US. Most people think of violence when you mention a machete, and although classified as an agricultural tool by most governments, it always pays to be circumspect in shipping or carrying a machete. Whenever called upon to identify the contents of our packages, we try to use the harmless sounding "Edge Tools" as opposed to "Machetes."

Old Edge Tools-Machetes and Billhooks

There are several sites in the UK that specialize in old-time edge tools, many of which are no longer manufactured.

Some great places to look:

timelesstools.co.uk
oldtools.co.uk

Agriculture in the UK has a long history, and for hundreds of years people used hand tools to harvest fuel and food. With the recent mechanization of agriculture, many of these implements were discarded and replaced by newer machines. In the UK however, land parcels still tend to be small, and the growing movement towards sustainable, small-scale agriculture has once again created interest in billhooks, machetes, and other edge-tools.