Types of Machetes & Styles – Choose the Most Elegant for Use!

by Terry R.

Do you know what a Machete is and how many types of machetes on the market? Have a look at the below image for the different machete styles. but, before going into depth about machete designs let's understand what the machete is all about. It is a broad blade utilized either in combat like a short sword or as an implement like an ax.

The typical length measurement of this tool is about 32.5 to 45 cm, and its thickness is 3mm. Machete is a dangerous and sharp tool, and you should not keep it open. Keep this tool in its sheath if you are taking it from one place to another. It is taken as an agricultural tool as per the United States Law. Unlike sword and stabbing knives, these are weapons. It comes with a sharp blade.

Around the world record as per archeologists, this is a hunting knife that is used as a cutting tool. It is a useful knife for hunting as well. It is not very much large for hunting. The first Machete has been made in Spain, and it was crafted again from the Quasi-Sword.

Machete is a Spanish word that means cutting tools. Yes, in Spain, it was used for numerous cutting implementations. It comes in a variety of sizes and is used for different cutting needs. Before, 18th century, it was prepared by hand.

Types of Machetes & Styles

Types Of Machetes
Types Of Machetes

It is divided into different categories as per their formation. This tool consists of different blade designs with lightweight and thin composition. This category machete is used to cut the soft vegetation, and the tools that contain thick blade are meant for cutting hard vegetables.

Whenever you go for buying the Machete, you must know the types of products and most importantly the objective of machete uses. It is vital that you first check the purpose of your tool. It will be good for you because it enables you to select the best machetes blade design to handle your tasks. It comes with a sharp blade.

Machetes come in all sizes and shapes. Throughout its solid history in different areas of the world, these items contain adaptation, styles, and features for certain environments and use. Styles and names are different in different areas. People use these products as per their cutting needs.

In different areas of the world, it is used and formed in different styles and sizes. Its composition is based on the region's tradition and requirements. Some of its modern and famous types are given below.

1. Barong Machete

Barong Machete
Barong Machete

Barong machete is famous for its leaf-shaped unique blade that is sharp from one side as per the tradition. Yes, this is a traditional cutting tool that is used in different tribes. Philippine's people use this tool to frighten European colonizes because of its tendency to cut through rifle barrels.

Philippine is the birth origin of this tool, and these people use it for livestock slaughter and hunting. It is famous with the other names like Rawit and Barung. It is easily available online and in the market.

If you are going to buy these items, always check the quality. It contains a unique configuration that makes it highly efficient. Enjoy its longevity because it is made of durable material. You can use all types of cutting. This is great for farming.

This Machete is formed in a variety of shapes and styles, including oval, square, and round. It is safe in freezers, oven, and microwave. It is portable due to the light material. For offering easy cleaning, this collection is admirable. These are obviously as per the current needs of modern users.

The Different Types of Barong Machetes

Barong Machetes are Philippine machetes that have a unique design to their blades. The barong machete was named after the Barong Tagalog, a traditional formal men's wear in the Philippines. The Barong Machete is designed with a different blade shape than Western Swords, making them much more similar in design to Japanese and Chinese swords. The design of the blade is similar to that of a bolo machete, and they often share uses. The different types of barong machetes include:

1. Tulip Machete

The tulip machete is characterized by its distinct blade tip resembling a "Tulip" flower bloom. The tip of the blade tapers to form this shape, making it similar in design to the sword-like kris and golok. The blade is typically thick and heavy, and the sharp edge of the blade runs through the top half of the machete's width, ending about a palm-width from the bottom tip.

2. Lantaka Machete

The lantaka machete has a similar design to that of a tulip machete, but with a more gradual taper from the blade's side to its tip. The lantaka is also characterized by a square or rectangular hand-guard that covers the palm of the user's hand when gripped along the handle.

3. Kalis Machete

The kalis machete is characterized by a single, curved edge and a long and slim blade. The kalis machete has a half-moon tip that narrows slightly to form an elongated point. The shape of the tip makes the kalis resemble either traditional Filipino swords or sickles, depending on its use.

4. Bolo Machete

The bolo machete is characterized by its rectangular tip, similar to that of the lantaka machete. The top of the blade also tapers evenly from either side into its tip. Unlike other machetes with straight blades, the bolo's design flares out towards the tip so it can be used for chopping and slashing.

5. Parang Machete

The parang machete is characterized by its slim blade, similar to that of the kalis machete. Unlike other barong machetes with straight blades, the parang's design tapers out towards the tip so it can be used for chopping and slashing.

6. Butcher's Machete

The butchers machete is a thinner, more narrow version of the parang machete that has a pointier tip. The butchers machete is often used for butchering animals and slicing through joints.

7. Buntot Pagi

The buntot pagi is a knife made with the barong machete in mind. The blade of the buntot pagi is much more narrow than that of the standard barong machete, and it also has a smaller handle. The tip of the blade varies from one to three inches in length, with some blades having an inverted "U" shape to them. The buntot pagi is often used as a hidden weapon or concealed in clothing for surprise attacks and assassinations.

How to Care For Your Barong Machete

Regular maintenance of your barong can prevent it to rust or corrode. It should be dried properly after use but definitely not while still wet. Regularly oiling the metal parts can help keep them free of rust. When the barong is not in use, it can be wrapped in soft cloth and kept inside a sheath. Here are some guidelines to follow:

  • Do not use your barong for hacking or chopping hard materials such as wood. Use it for gardening, clearing shrubs and brush, cutting open coconuts, peeling fruits, or any such light work.
  • Do not leave your barong outdoors in the open air for hours. It should be kept out of direct sunlight, and away from humidity to keep it dry at all times. Also try to avoid storing them directly on the ground as this will make them prone to rust.
  • When working with your barong, keep it dry by wiping with a towel. If ever there is water on the blade when you are using your barong, wipe it dry immediately after. Though drying your barong while still wet will prevent rusting, this may cause the wooden handle to swell up and crack.
  • Never use alcohol or any strong cleanser in cleaning your barong as this might damage its blade and bolster made from stainless steel, which would require re-tempering of blades for them to become hardened again.
  • Avoid dropping your barong as this could chip the edge of its blade, especially if dropped on concrete or stone flooring or pavement. The best way to prevent chipping is by avoiding unnecessary contact with hard surfaces. If it should drop accidentally, check if the blade remains sharp and has no broken pieces.
  • Using your barong to chop or cut through hard objects may cause its edge chips or break. If ever there are chips or breaks on your barong, you will need to send it back for repair. If the damage is great, sending it for repair immediately is advised.
  • When your barong needs repairs, send it back to the manufacturer or a professional bladesmith instead of trying to fix it yourself. The maker knows precisely how the blade was made and will be able to do a better job in repairing or re-tempering its metal parts.
  • Continue using your barong as usual until it is beyond repair. If the blade has become too dull or simply needs to be re-sharpened, send it back for sharpening instead of trying to fix it yourself with a sharpening stone.
  • Take extra care in avoiding contact between your barong and extreme heat (such as fire), as this may cause its metal parts to expand and become misshaped or too brittle to use.
  • Keep your barong in a dry place, free from humidity and away from moisture, for it to prevent rusting of its metal parts. It should also be kept free from dust that will cause its handle to lose its smoothness. If the wooden handle is cracked or scratched, get it repaired immediately.
  • Never use your barong for hacking or chopping hard materials such as wood, concrete, or stone. Use it for gardening, clearing shrubs and brush, peeling fruits, or any light work instead.

2. Billhook Machete

Billhook Machete
Billhook Machete

It is a wonderful cutting tool that comes with a curved blade. This is one of the best tools that are ideal for chopping. People use it to cut tree chunks and for snedding. It is a process in which a person strip side the buds and shoots from the branch. The sharpened and hooked blade offers ease to grip the product. Most of the people use it to cut brambles and vines.

It is utilized to cut small woody items like branches, shrubs, grapevines, and others. It is great for maintenance and hedge construction. The charcoal makers utilize it in woodlot management and coppicing. Its other names are Coa, Sheaf Hook, Reaping Hook, and Bagging Hook.

On the market, this product is easily available. The extraordinary shine of the blade makes it an eye-catchy product. All the items contain mirror polish. It is highly perfect for your use due to eco-friendly nature. It provides perfect cutting. You can eat these thin slices.

It is dishwasher safe and is safe for the cutting of all types. It is made of stainless steel. The shiny blade is sharp and durable for long term use. You will like its anti-toxic material. The Machete is ideal for offering high-quality cutting for farming and all agricultural needs.

A billhook, also known as a crook knife, is a traditional cutting tool that has been around for hundreds of years. It's primary use was to cut crops, especially sugarcane. Billhooks are usually made out of carbon steel or stainless steel (in the modern world), and it has a wooden handle. The blade of the billhook is shaped like a half moon, and has a thick central spine with the angled cutting edge on both sides. There are some more advanced features of this tool which are added to make it even better for cutting, but I will go over them later in detail in this article.

Billhooks are used in agriculture, forestry, and in arts and crafts. They have been around since the Stone Age era, when they were made out of antlers or animal bones. Since then, billhooks have evolved into a more advanced tool that is just as useful for cutting today.

You will like these products because of the high-quality functionality. These are designed in a modern way to handle the specific cutting needs of modern agriculture.

The Different Types of Billhook Machetes

The main types of billhooks are: English billhook, French billhook, and Welsh billhook.

The English billhook

The English billhook is the most common type of billhook that you will find today. It's design originates from England and has been used for centuries to cut crops such as wheat and hay, as well as fruit trees such as grape vines. Then, it was also used to harvest corn, which allowed the corn stalk to be cut just above ground level. This produced a shorter piece of corn that could be stored for longer periods of time.

The French billhook

The French billhook is very similar in design and appearance as the English billhook, but with a few minor differences. The French billhook has a longer handle, and when you put the blade in comparison to the handle it is not as wide. It has the same cutting edge on both sides of the spine, with a thicker central spine. The French billhook's design comes from France.

The Welsh billhook

The Welsh billhook is also very similar in appearance to an English or French billhook, but it can be quite different in design. The Welsh billhook has a thinner handle than the French and English, as well as a wider cutting edge on one side of the blade. This makes it so that you can cut with more force on one side than the other, which is helpful when cutting larger branches or vines. It also has a longer central spine, with a shorter cutting edge. The Welsh billhook's design comes from Wales.

3. Bolo Machete

Bolo Machete
Bolo Machete

Bolo Machete is famous in Southeastern Asia and it is popular for farming and the use of the other agriculture needs. It works as a harvesting tool for row of the crops that are narrow like mung beans, peanuts, soybeans and rice because of the bulge. Its fore blade offers additional chopping power.

The bolo machete is a heavy, large knife with a thick blade typically used in the Philippines. It is similar to the Puerto Rican coa and can be differentiated from it by its straight but sloping upper edge. The bolo's blade ranges in length from 12-36 inches (30-90 centimeters), and often has a curved point.

In the Philippines, "Bolos" are traditionally used in Filipino cuisine to slice and prepare pork, fish and other dishes. In many cases it is used as a weapon of opportunity. In some countries outside the Philippines, the bolo machete is also employed as a survival tool for cutting trails through thick brush, chopping firewood, or clearing brush.

Bolo Handle

The bolo features a distinctive handle shape commonly seen in Filipino weapons, particularly the kalis. The primary purpose of these ergonomically shaped handles is to increase comfort during use and decrease the likelihood that the user will be cut by accident. Many bolos have traditional brass or copper "bulul" (nipple) pommels; these improved the balance of the weapon and prevented it from twisting when used against thicker materials.

The Different Types of Bolo Machetes

The bolo knife has evolved into different forms due to its popularity in the Philippines. There are different types of bolos, based on their size, use and materials that were used to make them.

Some common bolo knives include:

  • Pangasinan Bolo: a large knife with a blade around 20 inches long and a handle about 5 inches long.
  • Santol Bolo: A large bolo knife about 2 feet long.
  • Bolo Tinikling: a small, makeshift, bolo used when in battle.
  • Tausug Bolo: a very short blade that is suitable for stabbing.

Even though the bolos are similar to machete knives, there are some differences. Two of these distinctions are that bolo knives have a "hook" at the end of the handle for catching the opponent's blade and returning it to them, as well as being able to recover tumbling blades during tikling - a Filipino martial art.

Also, many bolos have ornamental carvings on them for decoration purposes.

There is a certain type of Filipino martial art involving the use of bolos, called Kali. It involves quick movements as well as learning how to fight with bolos. In fact, ancient Filipino soldiers were trained in Kali so that they would know how to defend themselves from Moro pirates and other invaders.

Today, many soldiers are trained using Kali, which is great for self-defense situations.

4. Bowie Machete

Bowie Machete
Bowie Machete

It boasts a skinner trip and a clip point for skinning wild game. This type of Machete is famous among the backwoodsmen and survivalists. It is common in United States and its uses are several.

Those people were using it for hunting as well. You can get this product with some other names like Wilderness machete, survival machete, large bowie knife and others.

5. Bush Machete

Bush Machete
Bush Machete

The famous all-purpose Bush Machete contains straight back and a normal blade. It tends to be weighted evenly because it is stout fairly. You will find it portable and it is able to fit in the sheath.

Latin America is its birthplace. This is good for cutting all items and green vegetation. On the market, it is available with the name of Latin Style Machete.

6. Cane Machete

Cane Machete
Cane Machete

This item is great for blunt-tipped, and wide Machete is excellent for hacking sugar cane and corn stalk. You will see that its blade is hooked and it allows the users to drag the chopped cane from the plants still standing. Its blade is thin and it is used to cut through cane style vegetation.

People can use it for corn stalks, bamboo, rice, sugar cane and others. It is famous with the name Machete de Suelo, Espading, cleaver and corn knife.

Also Check:- Cane Knife Vs Machete

7. Colima Machete

Colima Machete
Colima Machete

Its blade is sharpening on both sides and it allows sweeping cut motion on the both ends backhand and forehand strokes. It is used to support in cleaning on the backstroke. Its origin is Central Asia and its uses are several. People use it for large swath vegetation mowing.

On the market, it is available with the name of the Panzon, Costeno, Caguaoyano, and Acapluqueno. This is great for agriculture use. This is the reason; it is one of the most vital types of Machete.

8. Hawkbill Machete

Hawkbill Machete
Hawkbill Machete

This is a curved machete that contains curves from both sides. Its tip is highly sharp, and it is designed to cut very hard material. This is the product that offers easy cutting of the vegetation. It is used to cut the grass and reaped items. You will recognize it with the name of Cuma.

9. Kukri Machete

Kukri Machete
Kukri Machete

This is one of the best products that is designed with a sharp blade that contains three parts. These parts are narrow area near the handle for carving and whittling, wide midsection for chopping, and pointed tip for stabbing. Nepal is its origin. People use it for cutting vegetation, and it is used in Central Asia. It is famous with the name of Rawit and Gurkha Blade

The best-styled Kukri Machete offers a wide range of functionality for executing a wide variety of carving. The broad range of designs is extremely exclusive. You can purchase a branded item to attain the best quality. These machetes are designed in a modern way to meet modern farming cutting needs.

It brings the most recent style to customers around the globe. It will let you enjoy a wonderful dinner or lunch with these innovative items. This is a user's friendly item that is easy to use.

Also Check:- Kukri Vs Machete

10. Panga Machetes

Panga Machetes
Panga Machetes

It is formed in the area of the Caribbean and Africa. With its deep belly, it offers weight for curvature for slicing and chopping. The upturned point concentrates force in the small area to pierce. This item is used for slicing and cutting hard woody vegetation.

You can find it in the market with the names of the Burriquito, Daga, Liniero, and Rozador. Start decorating from the dining table with delightful dishes.

It will make your guests amazed with its elegant appearance. Beautifully prepared dishes will be the center of all eyes. This 100% efficiency is a burlap texture that feels the medium-weight item.

It is perfect for home use. It adds extra flair to your special event. This is a rustic, simple, and nice table runner. It is easy to use. It is available in various sizes and styles.

11. Parang Machetes

Parang Machetes
Parang Machetes

It is famous with the name of Golok machete. It comes with a curved shaped blade, and both sides have sharp edge blades. It is like a scimitar, and it tends to be long and heavy. It is used in Indonesia. This thick blade item is good for cutting woody material without lodging in the material. It is available with the names of sable, bedog, and Golok.

It contains an exclusive quality. You will like this product because it is a compact, lightweight and durable item. Most of the farmers use this product for cutting and other needs. It delivers the quality that satisfies the customers due to the finest quality. It is designed with modern technology.

Today, these machetes are designed with a variety of styles and designs. You can use it for all styles of cutting in your agricultural fields and farms. All these devices are made up of solid and sturdy material that is durable enough in use.

Also Check:- Parang Vs Machete

12. Heavy machetes

Heavy Machetes
Heavy Machetes

It is the workhorse of machetes. It is heavy because of the blade design. It comes with a variety of weight towards the top. You can use it for cutting woody and thick vegetation easier. It contains rich and innovative designs. The great recognition of these knives is to provide you the royal appearance and special feel by offering this style product that is full of extensive modernism.

These are extremely economical. The tools are extremely economical, versatile, and simple. This new equipment is particularly intended to work anyplace, and needs just to work, permitting you to appreciate an outclass riding when there is no force source accessible.

13. Survival Machete

Survival Machete
Survival Machete

Survival Machete is a wonderful combination of a variety of features. Its sharp blade is good to provide ease in cutting. It is a heavy-duty item that is utilized for chopping and splitting wood. The blunt tip of the Machete is an excellent pry bar. It helps people to offer then security for a safe rescue in any situations.

It is ideal to dig pit during camping or hiking. Its backside works like a saw, and the front side is good to pounding stakes. This heavy-duty item is good for offering you longevity. You will enjoy its functionality for the long time.

14. Latin Machete

Latin Machete
Latin Machete

This is a type of Machete that comes with thin shape and long handle. It helps stating balanced while working. This is very easy to use for the people to perform their cutting tasks. You can use it as a multi-purpose tool that increases your efficiency. Due to its slim and sleek design, it is in great demand.

15. Combat Machete

Combat Machete
Combat Machete

The Japanese blade design machete comes with a strong point and it is used for piercing armor. Best Combat Machete sharp blade is good enough for cutting and long handle offers a good grip. In this way, you can use it safely.

16. Tactical Machete

Tactical Machete
Tactical Machete

This is the type of Tactical Machete that is utilized as the tool for self-defense. Most of the people use this item for survival needs. It is designed as a slash tool. If you want to get vine in the forest then you have clear the area. This Machete will help you a lot.

You can use it during your camping as well. It is like a sword and some other tactical functions like sawing. It is a compact tool that is good for hikers and campers.

Conclusion on Types of Machetes

Infographics for Types of Machetes & Styles
Infographics for Types of Machetes & Styles

So, as you have noticed that there are broad types of machetes on the market these days, it ranges from light-duty to heavy-duty material. These are used for cutting things and available with the variation of the blade thickness, size, and designs. Now, you need to learn about the complete features of the Machete that you are going to buy.

Choose the item that can fulfill your needs. To get an appropriate item, you need to check the blade size and design. Length and thickness matter a lot. For the soft item's cutting, it is good to buy a thin and lightweight item. For the hard products, prefer thick blade and long length because it is a heavy-duty item.

About Terry R.

Hello everyone, Nice to meet you!I'm Terry. The man behind the sweet revelations blog. I'm a father of two energetic kids. I grew up in New York. I love to read books. I like to spend most of the time with my family and friends. I used to learn new things and wish to share my knowledge with others.

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