TOPS TPMAC230-BRK Machete 230

Wow, this is a really bad ass machete! The down-sides are that it is heavy and wears your arm out, and comes some what sharp, although not super shard! The sheath is really heavy duty nylon and comes with two clip pockets. It also has a belt loop, but no where to add another leg strap or pack strap which is a downer. I have some FBAPluto 8pcs ITW MOLLE Web Dominators with Elastic String that hold the bottom part on the side of my pack, and they work great. The 2 pockets do have a clip strap over the top of them, and an elastic band around the top of them to keep what ever it is you are putting in them, from coming out. The pockets are perfect for 2 sharpening stones (course and fine), or 1 stone and a fire starter kit, which is what I did, or whatever you want. The grey coating on the blade is thick, and works really well to protect the blade. I did some batoning with it already, and after about 10 min going through a 10 inch branch, the blade barely lost any sharpness, and did not damage the coating. It does come with a plastic Tops whistle, and it is really loud! I have seen people complaining about the micarta handle, however the size feels great in my hands, and is so-so, comfortably speaking. The elastic cord at the end of the handle is really handy. It wraps around your wrist, and when batoning acts an extra force for the down swing, at least it was notable while I was doing it. I would not try to cut down tall grass with this, it is a little to heavy, but will work. Oh, one more thing, make sure you use a glove while working with this machete if you don't have rough hands. I think it will give you blisters without them.

Tops always delivers great quality. The blade came very sharp, and equally strong. The length is great for the majority of machete type tasks. The tip is set up to make divits for bow drilling and works very well. The micarta scales feel great in the hand, and the shock cord lanyard works very well. If I had to make one complaint it would be the handle is pretty slim. If you have large hands you may want to wrap it in some parachord or something to beef it up a little. I haven't experienced any issues with the handle size yet, just taking some getting used to the feel of it in hand. Over all this machete is more than worth the price, the steel is easy to maintain and holds an edge very well. The sheath is decent and has a few extra pockets for additional items on the system.

Would be five stars if the handle was thicker. Great blade, great fit and finish. The blade thickness is the perfect compromise between a thin blade that slices well, and a thick, stronger blade. Takes a very good edge. This is a more versatile tool than a lighter weight machete, but will still cut brush as well as a lighter machete. Will lopp off branches which might break a lightweight machete. Great overall length. Good sheath. Love the full tang.I think the Sami of northern Scandinavia get their handles right on their leukus. They use a simple, stout, round piece of wood. It is so ergonomic that one can chop and butcher big game with a leuku all day and not get tired.

I’m loving this machete. Great size and weight for me and my woods (6’ 1”, 190lbs, L-XL glove size, North East US). Handles smaller vines and thorn bushes to small saplings no problem. Sturdy enough to chop through 5” dead wood no problem. It is true that the handle is on the small side. Its saving grace is the nice deep finger groove for the index finger. This secures my grip and creates the perfect pivot point for flicking the blade with incredible speed and accuracy. It’s like a trigger firing the blade right through the intended target. I wouldn’t call it a nimble blade. Once the blade is going somewhere it’s going there till it’s recalled. The thin handle actually becomes an advantage encouraging a looser grip with the rest of the hand to allow easier pivots of firing angle. I tackled a nasty patch of shrub brush and thorn bushes on some trails in my woods and was impressed how easily I was able to transition between cuts, especially on low sweeping cuts. Loose and hard hitting… like an AK. That said, the pommel design does not function well at all. It is too small and doesn’t stop my hand from sliding off. Of course, this limits taking advantage of the extra leverage the long handle promises. It’s such a beast though, in my short experience with it, I have not really needed much extra leverage, even on 2-3 inch branches. The sheath is not exciting. Very limited mounting options and poor blade retention. It is now my go-to machete.

It's a very nice mid weight machete. Blade is strong with some flex. Grind was very good. 25 to 30 degrees, so you're not shaving with it, but the edge holds well after a long day of hacking braches after the ice storm

This machete is pretty nice but has a fatal flaw. First the blade comes sharp and cuts well. I cut a lot of thicker branches to cut trails in the open lot across the street from my house. My goal was to cut trails so I could bike through. I didn’t want to take my 24 inch machete because some of the brush is really tight so a shorter machete would work better for this particular use. This works well for thicker branches however a normal machete with a thinner blade is more effective for cutting smaller things like weeds and thinner branches. That said it really cuts fine however the main issue I have with it is the handle. It’s very thin and moves around in the hand while striking. After about 10-15 minutes of heavy cutting my hand was hurting. I kept going until I decided to give in and get out the old trusty 24” machete. The next day my hand had blisters from the rubbing and vibration of the handle. As nice as this machete is I can’t recommend it unless you have very small hands. In the end I ended up ordering a bolo machete for a fraction of the price of the TOPS. I had to sharpen the bolo as it come really dull. I have a ken onion work sharp with blade grinder attachment so it took about 10 minutes to get it sharp. Anyway, the handle was far better than the TOPS and actually cut a little better due to the thinner blade. I am giving it 2 stars because of the build quality but the ergonomics and price are very poor.