USMC Tanto Marine Machete With Sheath

I have previously written a positive review on this knife and have not changed my mind, so much so I have recently bought a second one! I will have to sharpen the knife since it is not very sharp from the factory. The serrated points on this one are a bit flat on the ends so will need to be fixed too. The pommel was a bit loose but already fixed that with applying JB Weld in the end of it. So there are little things to do. The sheath is not good quality which I have already replaced. Still having said all this for $17.99 it is a great value. If your looking for something to rely on when push comes to shove this one can take care of business.

Great Bargain! Old fashioned design and style...not really a machete, more of a K-Bar style knife with a little more blade length. Great price, razor sharp, but the sheath is a little weak in construction.

Not exactly a dollar but $16 with the 20% discount! Whether for $16 or $19 this is an outstanding bargain. It is a big solid knife, thick and sturdy, like good Russian woman! I chopped through a 2x4 and there are no nicks or dings in the blade (didn't try batoning). The false edge isn't sharpened and will require some grinding to get it sharpenable(sp?) but it will be done. One immed problem I noticed is that the grind lines don't follow the blade, a very noticeable cosmetic flaw that affects nothing. Also, the guard is a little small, I wish the top quillon had been a little longer. But, you know what??? $16!!! I can live with that! I can also live with the really REALLY lousy sheath! I'm going to get a MOLLE-compatible Kydex sheath with the money I saved on this baby and just chuck the sheath. The grip is stacked leather washers just like the KaBar and it has a steel pommel. All in all, a great bargain and I highly recommend this blade.

The USMC Tanto Machete first of all is not a machete. It is a large fighting knife with a Tanto blade. It is very much like the Kabar Big Brother in style. That is the reason I bought this knife, because I wanted a Ka-Bar Big Brother style knife with a Tanto blade. It is hand made in China with AUS-6 SS which is a bit soft but serviceable enough for what it costs. You should not confuse AUS-6 SS though with AUS-8A SS steel which the later is very hard and tough. Both steels are made in Japan. The overall quality is pretty good but keep in mind this is not a Ka-Bar. The hilt and pommel are good and tight on mine and and made out of steel which I like. The leather handle is pretty good also. I do like the overall shape of the blade and the serration is just right on it. I use ceramic sharpeners for quick sharpening and natural Arkansas stones for a more complete sharpening. I used the later on mine to get the edge exactly where wanted it. No mine did not come razor sharp but it is that now since I sharpened it with my natural stones. I used it some the other day to chop some blackberry bush vines back and it did a fine job of it with out any dulling I could tell in it's edge. I got mine for $17.99 with the Kennesaw 10% off the whole year discount. If your going to buy any cutlery at all during this year it is worth the money to joint their club to get the discount. It amounts to free shipping most of the time depending on how much you buy. I also ordered the sword version of this knife called the 1942 leatherneck sword. I will get it next week and think it will be just a sword version of this knife which I will like. It looks functional enough to be of some protection in the woods for hikers,backpackers,hunters,etc. who maybe concerned about cougars. Of course no knife or sword can take the place of a gun but a good Bowie or in this case large fighting Tanto knife is mighty handy when all else fails. Well hope this helps anyone who is interested in this knife.

Knife is awesome for the price; if it only had a decent sheath it would be perfect. Blade is razor sharp, and seemingly solid quality but the sheath is cheap vinyl plastic and detracts from the whole package. If they would throw in a real leather or even a cordura nylon sheath for a few bucks more, it would be perfect.