NedFoss 16" Survival Machete with Sheath, D2 Steel 0.22" Thick Full Tang Blade Machete Knife with Flat Grinding, Machete for Cutting Trees, for Yard Work, Clearing Brush with TPE Handle

First the issues, and these may not affect all users. I have the reverse tanto version. There is, maybe a sharpening choil, or maybe it's there to choke-up. It's rather large for a sharpening notch and rather too small to use for choking-up. The 2nd issue(?), that many may never have a problem w/, or, could be seen as beneficial, the hex head bolts that keep the scales that keep the grips on are lock-tighed and the brass(?) heads will deformed when I tried to remove them (to enlarge the choil). Otherwise, this is a nicely balanced, weighted, and tough knife. Mine came with a grey surface treatment that is nicely hard and should add more protection against rust (D2 is considered an 'almost stainless' steel). The .22" thickness compliments the middling toughness of D2 to make a hard use tool. The rubber grips are more comfortable that the micarta on the Tops El Chete, they should better absorb chopping vibrations, and are better for indexing (getting the right grip on the handle and pointing the correct way). -The Ned Foss knife is a shorter both in width and height that the saber ground Tops knife but it has a full flat grind to the height where the Tops saber/flats start. Saber grinds have a noticeable transition b/n the flats and 1⁰ bevel that some believe acts to throw chips out of the cut, where the full flat grind will cut better and and chop deeper. Mine came with a plastic/kydex(?) sheath, which I'm happy with. My knife also came very sharp with very evenly ground convex edge, which is stronger than a straight edge found on most knives and was a pleasant surprise. So far I've only used it to take down cardboard boxes and for food prep. It won't cut paper thin tomatoes, it does a nice job with pizza, sausages, and english muffins. It also cleanly cut paper. Given the fit and finish, the sharpness, coating, convex grind, and kydex sheath, this is really a very good value. As examples, the no longer made Outcast in d2 was close to or over $100, the Tops El Chete is 7x as pricey and I like this knife better.

As a picky old engineer, I can usually spot shortcomings in design or manufacture. For that reason I rarely give out 5 star reviews. This tool is a happy exception. Somebody put some thought into the design, and then saw to it that the finished product met the intent. A fixed blade knife is only as good as the sheath. The best blade in the world is useless if it gets left home because it is a nuisance or danger to carry. This plastic (kydex?) sheath is great. Light, compact, and good retention. It does hang rather low, but I use a waist belt to carry a machete, so it sits about right for me. The blade is a great shape. Good for hacking and chopping. No point to break off, and a relatively straight profile with minimal offset to the grip. A blade with a lot of offset (like a cleaver) will be more inclined to rotate in the hand and do something unfortunate. I also like the grind. There is a gentle flat grind most of the way from the spine to the edge, then a final flat grind. Light and strong. The grip is, um, grippy. Wide enough and long enough for large hands. I own many machetes, and use them when clearing brush and trails. Also for cutting parasitic vines like poison ivy. This tool is going to be a favorite.

This is a really solid and capable chopper. Perfect length in my opinion. I have literally beat the hell out of this blade and it is still strong. The edge needs touching up after a good wood chopping session, but it is easy to sharpen and I don't find that to be a fault. I wish I had opted for the kydex sheath, but I was in a hurry to get this blade in my hands. The grip is excellent and I can swing full power with confidence that the handle won't roll on contact. Excellent value. You get a lot of good steel for the money. This would make a great addition to any collection.

Heavy, heavy, heavy duty durability you can basically chop small wood with this or use it as a machete the forest it is well worth the money oh, and it’s D2 tool steel

This is exactly what I was shopping for. This has the perfect length manageable blade. Its is sharp and can be resharpened easily. I use this for hiking but it a little heavy. The blade is strong and the full tang gives me confidence that this knife will hold up to the task. I like the Kydex sheath with multiple tie points. Yep...this will get the job done!! Great job!!

Awesome heavy blade would have given it 5tars but the leather sheath designed terribly the snap will be sliced in half at some point if you don’t take extra time and caution putting the blade in. They should have made a Kydex or something like it sheath. Very sharp out of the box and heavy duty.

Heavy duty! Delivered Very sharp, well made and the quality is top notch! As a 23 year soldier this would be one of my big mission knives!

Nice heavy chopper, comfortable to my hand. Used it the day it arrived to help me process a pair tree that was a couple decades overdue for pruning