This is worth every $27.97. I have a Blackie Collins machete with heavy-duty self-sharpening sheath but this thing is more versatile and practical for carry because it’s more compact and plus doesn’t flex as much. About 1/8” thick in most areas and full-tanged. It whacks, hacks, slices and dices. IMO, a great bug-out bag kinda deal. I’ll prolly buy several. Ya know sorta bulk so ya prolly should buy at least one.
The sheath could be hardier but with care should last. I think some folks grab this blade and apply pressure against the inside of the sheath with the sharp edge first which frankly is kinda lack of common-sense plenty stupid. Of course then the sheath gets logically torn up some. When ya grab it, just get used to applying pressure against the top dull and slick edge. It slides out a lot easier anyway which hey it’s supposed to do. Problem solved.
Check it out. I’ve given this the yet narrowly coveted, Lumatic Good Stuff For The Bucks (LGSFTB) seal of approval.
Besides, it really does look Bad A and feels it too. I would also suggest to wrap the handle in 550 Paracord for added grip plus the cord is a nice survival plus. Anytime you have a handle that’s sandwiched between any plastic and not a tuff metal and especially with screws, it’s prudent to also give it extra strength/stability by wrapping it in something that helps keep things from shifting on heavy-shock use like chopping. It’s not put together like a hatchet per se so this is extra handle insurance.
It’s not give it all the whacks you can give it on solid maple type of deal but it’s good enough for general machete type and certainly defensive and camp use. I would also Loctite down the screws before you wrap it. Most failures with this type of design is because the screws loosen just enough to allow things to get hinky under repeated big shocks.
Last note: The unit I got from WalMart had the synthetic material inner sheath protection all-around the sheath - top and bottom and not just at the top fold so they prolly improved that aspect here recently.
high-end enough on a budget flashlight forum. I have to admit I’ve never read any of the knife posts here so I reckon what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Hey I just thought this could be an interesting alternative to your typical BF camp knife that you carry around with your typical BF camp light. Besides, carnivore sounds like it could be also the name for a lumen ferocious torch.
It’s budget enough to get a mention is all. I prefer higher-end blades too but who wants to trash them on rocks, wire, and gnarly tree branches? 8) Btw, I just put an edge on mine and it’s hair shaving sharp now.
Yeah it’s pretty cool as in different cool. At least outside the wild world of flashlights that is. lol That Kabar BK-3 looks like it was forged from a train rail. Quite a bit shorter though than the Carnivore at 12 1/2”. Still, hard to go wrong with Kabar-quality even though it costs about 3x as much.
I was messin’ around with it tonite and to me it turns out the most interesting unique aspect of this thing is the substantially wide gut/wire hook. It is one beefy mean sharp cuss. It’s not until you hook something with it that you realize this could be dang handy out in the field. I can see where hooking barb wire, concertina wire, rope, cable and such, suddenly isn’t so much one of those head-scratchers as in, ‘Just how do I deal with this mofo situation without messing up my hands?’ - assuming all you have is a minimal bug-out bag with you.
Maybe you can envision what I’m talking about here and will also imagine the extra leverage/pull you get way out there on that 1/8” 440-stainless and 18” overall length from that hook - particularly if you yanked on something suddenly hard. Yowza. Things will likely happen. It is IMO the nastiest feature of this blade. It’s inherently very effective because it acts like a direct extension of your arm in an unusual manner (pulling) in a straight line that most BF knives or machetes can’t do. The other thing about it is that toting around a typical full-fledged black machete with widely known profile in a campsite or trail for that matter prolly isn’t something most people wanna see if you get The Book of Eli drift. This thing doesn’t quite have the gutteral voodoo-like connections that machetes tend to have IOW. It’s more like a mache-knife quasi slingblade.
Just some thoughts.
Oh and btw, after fiddling with the screws I’ve decided that it’s best to leave them as is tightened down from the factory. I don’t think they’re gonna move so no Loctite needed. Plus they’re shallow so don’t mess with them. They’re plenty snug as is. The tightly-wound 550 Paracord wrap I put on the grip IMO transforms this into a more solidly integrated unit - that and it helps ensure the screws stay put.
Looks bad-ass indeed!
Cheapest ones over here I could find are either no name 5$ crapChetes or 7-10$ Tramontinas.
The best budget deals are SogFari ones, around 30-35$ for 13” and 18” ones.
Wouldnt mind getting one of those myself.
at least in some countries I believe. Isn’t Asda what it’s called in the UK? This thing’s pretty new and not all Wally stores over here prolly have them yet either. 18” is good like much better good else just get a BF Bowie knife. lol
Btw I think this would look even badder with an scrimshaw grip with skull and bones etched all over it. Like what wouldn’t, right? 8) Ok, I’ll settle for a custom African hardwood grip then.
It’s the hook, man. Mean and dam*nasty sharp, brother. Ewwwwwwwww. I just cringe when I think what it would do to something breathing.
Of course there’s always something like this but it could be a bit overboard except in Haiti.
pretty cool looking but “titanium bonded 440” made me cringe. its probably a thinly coated 440A which is pretty soft steel at roughly 56hrc if youre lucky.
I would not use the gut hook on metal. i wouldnt even cut paperthin aluminum with the knife, the edge will chip out or roll over depending on the edge hardness.
next time youre in the market for a cheap machete get a condor. high carbon steel, thick leather sheath, and a polished convex edge.
Lumatic, Im not in UK, so no ASDA for me, I know my local retailers and those examples I posted are about as good as it gets.
There are also some Gerber machetes, but havent researched about them much.
All I know that those 13”–18” SOGfaris are good
It’s prolly 440A stainless which is up there in rust-resistance. It just sez ‘440 Stainless Steel’ on the pak and that usually means it’s 440A. But OTOH, that’s why SOG’s Seal 2000 is made of it for of course primarily in salt environments - so it’s not necessarily trashy stuff. Granted, it isn’t the hardest nor ‘best’ SS grade but that aspect also depends on the type of heat treatment. If it has been heat-treated correctly it can get the hardness kicked up a notch like the SOG which sure taint junk. I don’t know what the Rc on this is, but for most everyday use it’s prolly ok enough. I know it wasn’t all that cooperative softness-wise before I could get an edge either.
Since the hook part specifically sez it’s a wire cutter I imagine that they may have heat treated that portion up a bit to achieve durability else it would dull-up too easy and it would then be a real bitc* to sharpen. The SS in that area is visually different too as it’s been obviously ‘ground out’ and left a lot rougher than the rest of the blade. Just the grinding action alone on especially SS and how that’s done can increase hardness as you prolly know. Anyone who has ever tried to mill SS the wrong way can tell you about making it all of a sudden look like it’s Rc 100. :bigsmile:
This is not an everyday going into full-blade-to-blade combat hunk of machete. For that you want the higher grade stuff. But for most of us this blade will do well enough in most harsh conditions (rust resistance) and will definitely do well enough against flesh in pretty much any circumstance. The titanium also adds to rust prevention.
On the package btw, they tout……“3X harder than Steel, Blades Stay Sharper Longer”. So maybe they did heat-treat it some.
Then again, it is made in China. Like most of our torches here. lol
I looked at your link but wasn't too impressed by the photos but I was in Walmart this weekend and remembered to look for it. WOW! Totally badass in person like you said. The pics don't do it justice. I have a Gill Hibben "Hibben IV" combat machete that is practically indestructable but heavy as hell (1/4" thick forged 1090 carbon steel) but this little Carnivore is like a Katana next to the Hibben's claymore.
Unfortunately I don't have the measly $28 needed to walk out of the store with it but I will get one of them ASAP!!
Hibben Combat-strong by any means. But like you said it’s a lot lighter, hence flexes some, and for average strength folks like me much easier to wield with at least some serious manageable blade speed behind it. Big and or real strong types can handle 1/4” stuff like it was 1/8” - throughout the entire swing. Most of us realistically can’t and at best for just short bursts before we’re spent - or the added weight just throws us really off-balance if we miss the target.
I don’t know your upper body strength level but nonetheless I think it’s a good idea to have both though just in case you end up in a situation where Hibben pry-strength is needed or you’re partnered up with someone stronger than you that can wield it. Ya never know. Btw, I highly recommend wrapping the handle with 550 Paracord, leather, even hockey stick tape, or whatever suits you. I think you’ll find it gives it added stability and helps to protect and ensure the grip screws and grip itself stay intact.
of course they heat treated it, im not questioning that. im just saying not to ruin the edge of your new blade by cutting metal, no matter what the manufacturer claims about the steel. 440a simply cant cut steel efficiently because it is in fact a slightly harder mild steel. thats like trying to cut a 2x4 with an ax made of sharpened bamboo. it will eventually do the job but your tool will be mangled in the process.
its 99% chance the entire blade is heat treated to the same hardness(which i suspect is not that hard if it flexes as much as you say)
expensive machetes and swords have whats called a differential heat treat. thats a multiple step process that hardens just the edge or any other certain particular part of the knife like say a gut hook. that requires hands on work and a lot of expertise. the spine of the knife stays softer so it can bend while the edge stays rock hard.
the “titanium”(probably titanium nitride) helps with a thin .05mm SURFACE hardness. it doesnt do much for actual cutting performance besides extra rust resistance and a slicker teflon like smoothness when cutting through things.
s. sog uses aus8 in almost all of their blades which is an easy to sharpen, japanese stainless steel. theres actually a considerable difference in 440a vs 440c too btw.
i do actually really like the look of it and camillus was a decent brand a few years ago, i would be tempted to try it myself at that price. anyway im not trying to rain on anyones parade, just trying to educate others…otherwise we will keep falling for lame false mfg specs on their products.
i have titanium scissors from home depot that have the same coating, but since its a carbon tool steel underneath the titanium coating it still sprouts orange specks.
550 paracord is also a good grip if soaked in wax, try googling how to do it.
i use it on my gun scopes and on some of my slippery machete handles. its very grippy and doesnt come off with water. in fact grip increases when it gets wet. i got my 2 colors off of ebay for a good price. can do multiple handles and still have leftover wrap.
someone goes around and tries to slice tuff metal willy nilly with it. It’s not gonna last. You could prolly cut maybe 16 gauge copper and aluminum wire with that hook pretty easily though without too much ado. I haven’t tried that yet, I will when I get a chance and I’ll report on it. I’m not gonna try and cut 16 gauge steel wire with it though. lol
Where I do find the hook aspect much more useful would be in a dire-kind of situation where you need to move something like tangled barb wire, concertina wire, cabling, that needed to get out of the way pronto and you wanted some distance between you and it during the process. Or you’d like to grab hold of a small branch to get a better look at something without making a lot of noise reaching for it with just your hand - safely of course. Or you just plain need to fish something out of water like a fishing rod, a backpack floating downstream, whatever, that’s where that hook can come in field handy IMO. Lot’s of ways that hook can act like a third-hand. As far as dressing deer, it should work ok. Prolly not as good as a specialized knife for that deal though.
I don’t have a Rockwell tester at hand but I just threw out that the hook part and the way it’s ground prolly hardened it up just a bit more than the rest of the blade. I’m just conjecturing from some of my machining experiences. I don’t know if they applied a different heat treat hardening process to the hook part. They may have what with production automation and new techniques. Who knows. But I’m with you, I doubt it. The only way to really find out is to test it. And yes, I’m well aware of different grade aspects of 440. It’s a given this is not top-grade 440. It can’t be for $28. Yeah, it’s got a titanium nitride kinda finish to it. Which ya know, I’ll take it if they throw it in. :bigsmile:
It flexes some as would be expected from pretty much any 1/8” thick 18” long piece of 440a. But it’s not a noodle by any means.
For the money, I’d give it a shot. Maybe you can play with it some heat-treat wise & get it to where ya want it.
Btw, I just remembered I have some of that digital-camo McNett tape. I’ll prolly use that on the second Carnivore in keeping with the original camo look. Thanks for reminding. As far as the Paracord I generally just over wrap it in black hockey stick tape. Talk about grippy! Plus the tape can be used for dual-purpose.
sometimes they can order stuff for ya. If not, you can also try a knife shop or sporting goods store to see if they can do the same. These are made in China so I would imagine they’d be able to get them to Greece distributors. Unless they’re considered a restricted item that is.
Besides, carnivore sounds like it could be also the name for a lumen ferocious torch.
Quite a bit shorter though than the Carnivore at 12 1/2”. Still, hard to go wrong with Kabar-quality even though it costs about 3x as much.
