Monday, March 29, 2010

Martindale Machetes


Ralph Martindale & Company Ltd of England produces an incredible variety of edge tools for sale all over the world. Many of their machetes are produced in their factory in Ghana, West Africa. Once produced, they are sold all over the African continent. Martindale also makes other styles popular in Asia and the Americas. Well-known for consistent quality and attention to detail, Martindale supplies machetes and survival tools to the British Armed Services.
MacheteSpecialists.com now offers the largest selection of Martindale machetes in North America.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Palm Tree Trimming Tool


Most people knowledgeable about pruning palm trees know that some type of blade is required. Though old, dry fronds do not harm the tree, they can become unsightly if left for too long. A dense, shaggy mass often remains where the dry fronds broke from the tree, which can build up and become a fire hazard and a favorite nesting spot for rodents. With as many different palms as there are, it would be hard to recommend a specific machete for this task, but we can give some suggestions.

Palm trees are very sensitive to damage to their trunks, so utmost care must be taken when removing spent fronds. Generally speaking, pruners can better control their blades if they choose a machete with either a straight or concave cutting edge. Both provide more control compared to a machete with a convex, slicing blade. Sickle like blades have the further advantage of gathering the fronds together right before cutting them.

Since palm fronds are usually not woody, a lightweight machete is preferred to avoid fatigue. Avoid heavy blades.

Machetes with a hook have the advantage of allowing the uses to pull down vegetation to within reach.

If you are needing a palm tree pruning tool, look no further than MacheteSpecialists.com.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

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.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Machetes for Surveyors


Here at MacheteSpecialists.com, we get a lot of responses from surveyors looking to find a machete. They need a good machete to clear sight lines when making boundary surveys. Most are looking for a medium-long, hefty machete that does not bend or wobble.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Bill Hooks: the European Machete

Condor Bush Knife $59.99

The billhook is any many ways the machete of Europe. Featuring a curved blade that concentrates vegetation in the center of the curve for controlled cutting, they are great for stripping side branches or cutting around curved objects like tree trunks.

Billhooks were useful for woodlot management, particularly important in an earlier time when wood was the fuel for virtually every household.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Gerber Gator Recall


New Model



Recalled Model



Gerber Legendary Blades Recalls Machetes Due to Laceration Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Gerber® Gator® Machete and Gator® Machete Jr.

Units: About 149,000 Gator Machetes and 6,000 Gator Machetes Jr.

Importer: Gerber Legendary Blades, of Portland, Ore., a division of Fiskars Brands Inc., of Madison, Wis.

Gerber Blade Company has added a finger guard on their Gator® and Gator® Jr machetes.

All the new Gerber Gator machetes sold by MacheteSpecialists.com feature the new handle, which prevents the hand slipping onto the serrated blade while sawing.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Gerber Legendary Blades toll-free at (877) 314-9130 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.gerbergear.com (pdf)

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Imacasa Machetes


MacheteSpecialists.com is the only website in the US currently selling machetes from Central American giant Imacasa. Based in El Salvador, Imacasa sells a wide range of tools throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. They are knows as some of the best machetes produced.