Woodman's Pal... Machete/Axe/Survival Tool

I had never heard of these till recently. Thinking of getting one. Any opinions? Basically unchanged since 1941 when they were military issued.
I have about everything there is in the way of machete, axe, loppers, chainsaw etc. They all have their purposes and some are better than others. I still have an itch that none of them scratches like I want.
My need(want) is something to cut limbs from 1/4" diameter, up to at least 1" with one good blow. I also want it to be portable enough to climb a tree with and to walk a long ways with. Ideally it would be compact enough to stay in the sheath on my belt while Im in and out of the truck and doing all kind of unrelated stuff without being cumbersome. Also, vines seem to be almost impossible to tackle with most tools, but the hook on this one is supposed to help that.
Lastly, if anyone has one to sell or just for me to try out, that would be great.

I have a couple of them. Called the manufacturer to buy one, heard the price, said no thanks at that price, and the gal offered me a ‘second’ at a great price. Bought two. That said, the thing I really like is my Gerber Brush Thinner Machete at $44. Much more useful than the Woodsman’s Pal.

fiskers anvil pruner titanium available at home depot about 40 bucks fit in your pocket like pliers life time guarentee these are rated to cut to one inch, im 6 5 when i go in the so tex brush i have to have these to get through, i had an ontario knife like machette saw back carried it in jeeps and trucks for 30 yrs its still new . go look at those pruner shears youl be glad you did

fiskers anvil pruner titanium available at home depot about 40 bucks fit in your pocket like pliers life time guarentee these are rated to cut to one inch, im 6 5 when i go in the so tex brush i have to have these to get through, i had an ontario knife like machette saw back carried it in jeeps and trucks for 30 yrs its still new . go look at those pruner shears youl be glad you did, also the fresh cut ends mark your trail to get out

I have one of these and it’s awesome. Blade is rigid and the little knife has notches for being halted onto a stick for making a spear.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZSJLBB...TDPP3R2QTN8783N?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

603, you said yours is more useful. Is that for "your" uses? Based on how I plan to use it, do you still think its better? Also, do you not need both, or either anymore? I may want to buy one or both. I may pm if I dont here back.

Get one that is longer and thinner. For me they are much easier to swing and easier to control. Something similar to a Collins Machete is what I have. The blade is 22" to 24" long on the ones I have. I have cut cedar, mesquites, hackberry, bumelia, huisache and live oaks up to 4" in diameter with mine. I learned about the Mexican made machete from a guy who was Belize that I worked with. He told the longer thinner blade was the one to buy and use. The shorter and thicker blade will cut but I did not have the blade control I did when I switched. This is similar to what I have, the local hardware stores had them in stock. https://www.armynavysales.com/collins-22-inch-blade-machete-no-741.html They are not as portable but they have a sheath that can go on your belt. I kept one in the tool box of my truck and one in the box on the Ranger. The longer length was a benefit when cutting Yaupon, green briars, grape vines, all the really thorny brush and dense vegetation.

I will add this link also. I have a set of the loppers from this company and they are 29 yrs old. They stay in my cleaning bag for hunting and have been used on over 1,000 deer/hogs when I am gutting. I have used them to trim limbs over that period also. They show the wear but still work like the day I got them. I have FELCO Model 20 loppers. A friend borrowed mine one day to when gutting some deer and order him the loppers the next day...that was 14 yrs ago. He liked them so much he has bought several other smaller hand pruners and hand saws from them. What I like about them is if you ever need parts you can buy just the part you need to repair a lost or worn part. https://felco.com/en_us/produits

Freerange, I got the Woodsman’s Pals first, and I liked them Ok. Somebody gave me that Gerber Brush Trimmer Machete, and right away I liked it better. I had never seen one like that and didn’t know it was even an option. I keep it on my Honda atv. I keep one Woodsman’s Pal in the Kubota and gave the other one to my good neighbor about a week or two ago. So, I don’t have an extra one now.

I have a couple of big machetes too, but rarely use them. It looks like there are about a zillion choices in machete types, so I won’t say the Gerber is best. I just like the grip a lot, and that I can chop pretty deep with it. I guess I’ve had it maybe 14 years. Oldest daughter’s first husband gave it to me.

You are welcome to drive over and chop some stuff with both choppers and then have a beer.

STX thanks for the good info as always. I have longer thin machetes that appear similar. They are OK but I really hoped to get something more compact. The Woodmans seems to be easier to keep close at hand so Im hopeful I can try one and see.
The loppers link you posted looks real interesting. I have several different kinds and as usual im still looking for the perfect mousetrap. I get joy out of finding tools that are really functional and make my life easier.

603, I may take you up on that offer. Really want to try out the Woodmans. The other you mentioned seems more compact also, so great to try them both. An excuse to meet you would be just as important as the test cuts.

They must've been less expensive in the early 90's.

Buy once, cry once.

Not by a lot compared with todays inflation but compared to the older style loppers you could buy back then, they were extremely expensive. IIRC they were around $75 to $80 back then.

Bought them over the years for Christmas gifts. Originally, I found them in a Wall Street Journal ad and gave them a shot at $65. Last ones I bought were $175 i believe. They're ok. I'm sure there's more functional ones out there. They closed the plant a few years ago and were bought out by a PE company, so I'm sure the quality will soon turn south.

I've found the same thing for me. I've tried a couple of the shorter, heavier machetes and I just couldn't get the same swing with them. I've since gone back to the longer, thinner blade type and they just work better for me. I may get dogpiled for this, but this is the one I currently use and it works great for me. The blade is 18", not the entire length.

https://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-machete-with-serrated-blade-62683.html

I have that one and the Woodmans pal. Each have a use.

I carry a Silky pocketboy backpacking a lot. It's about as light as I could find, very easy to carry and will blaze through 3 to 4" branches with ease.

"Thinking of getting one "
Yes they are a quality tool. And very expensive
It's something you'll have to decide for yourself
whether or not you can get your money's worth
out of it or not, or would you get the re-re's every
time you saw it hanging on a nail in the garage
or shed

I bought a couple of Cold Steel Latin machetes
years back for around $ 20 00 apiece, and I've
used the s*** out of them.

Another thing- you ever used a similar tool
hard for clearing brush and briars for a few
hours at the time? It can be pretty rough
if you can't get the rythm and don't let the
tool do the work.

Good Luck

Collins and Cold Steel

Txhogslayer, thanks the other day for offering to let me try your woodmans pal. I would of took you up on it but I just couldnt get there. Maybe another time. Also, you said "each has a use", what do you see the woodmans do better than the other?

603 also offered to let me try his, which I will take him up on that if/when I get down his way.

Maximum, I appreciate the comments. I dont want to say money is no object, but anything that makes my life easier/faster/more enjoyable when it comes to hunting big deer is usually gonna be worth the money for me. If I am going to clear brush for hours I will be using my light weight chain saw. This tool will be for quick access on my belt and relatively out of the way while I do other stuff and for walking long distance and climbing trees. Think quick and handy, yet effective.

I like the machete for vines and blackberry plants, anything with a thorn or sticker because of the extra length of the blade. I am not using my machete to cut larger branches or to cut down a tree. Young saplings an inch or so in diameter are easy to remove with a lot of effort. I like to travel light and don’t take a chainsaw into the woods with me. I have a machete, my Woodmans Pal and a one-off those pole saw/limb lopper things for stuff up high.

Woodmans Pals are not cheap, I suggest if you get one to look for the military version with the leather wrapped handle and metal hand guard to protect your self from a knuckle busting. Do I use it every time I am in the field? No, but I use it enough to justify owning it.