I was given this exact machete about 15 years ago from a friend, he acquired it from a US soldier that was issued it back in 1968 and was used in jungles in Africa. I even have the original hard case with built in sharpener! Can't seem to find them anymore.
The blade was pretty beat up but after a lil work and polished the blade to a high shine, same style riveted handle and I put a high flex heat shrink tube over it for a rubber grip. It will cut through a 3" tree in one cut beautifully now.

So I didn't buy this machete but bought other ones new and still the same great quality. If you want the last machete you will ever need, buy this or any version of it, you will never be disappointed.

I still have my first machete I bought at 18 years of age, a few nicks but still going strong at 40 years old.

The only down side is that if you loan it to someone you may never see it again.

Hello,

Here are some remarks that I allow myself to make to you because I appreciate your company and its products. Otherwise I would not waste my time writing to you to try to improve what I think needs to be improved. The rest is very good.

I performed a test with your machete 1-18. I filed perpendicularly with a file to create a fine breaking primer. Difficult because this steel is hard. Then I stuck the blade in a vice and hit with a hammer. As a result, the blade broke like glass.

If I do the same operation with a South American machete (Tramontina, Imacasa, bellotto, Martindale) the blade will twist, it will not break, because the steel is less hard, and therefore less brittle. Such a blade can be redrushed in the field and continue to work. While your machete, if it breaks, will become a useless tool and may have hurt its user while it broke.
Your Ontario Knife Company 6144 Military Machete - 18" is in my opinion a dangerous tool. What do I care if the US Army uses it. I trust South American farm machetes more which usually use SAE 1070 High-Carbon Steel which is a steel much more flexible and resilient to shocks and bending than your 1095 steel which should be reserved for your knives. Even your Ranger RD series were made of very strong and break-resistant 5160 spring steel.
I don't understand your choice of steel for your machetes, nor your stubbornness to continue equipping your machetes of this uncomfortable too angular and square handle while this defect is a criticism which comes back mainly on the international reviews of Amazon. It is necessary to round off the design of your handle of machete in order to make it finally comfortable and, well in hand and safe.

Regards,
S. Nery

Not as easy to get a good edge as the older model, different steel?