Finish is a little uneven, but considering the use, that finish won't be so pretty after a few uses.

Tested this out by hacking the branches off a fallen tree limb. When chopping something a little thicker, hitting at an angle is way better than hitting straight on. Stout machete, excellent value for the money, hard to go wrong with Ontario's US-made stuff. It's a shame the company ended the way it did (though I suspect it'll live on with cheap stuff made overseas a la Schrade).

Use:
I have mostly used this product to clear off my fence line of underbrush and small scrub oaks as well as chop down some thin pine trees that were about 3 to 5 inches in diameter. It preformed very well with basically all the underbrush in the pictures having been cleared by it.

Durability:
During the process it obtained a few very small roles and glinting that were easy taken out by sharpening it. This was likely due to me hitting the wire fence anyway. The machete is of full tang construction and has a ricasso both of which add to durability. Having the roughly 3 inch ricasso does mean that the sharpened portion of the blade is about 15 inches long; I never found myself wishing I could use the ricasso portion to cut with. Handle is secured by three separate pins and has not come lose at all. Although the machete is 1095 steel I have had no rust issues and have not oiled the blade. I live in Florida and it is very hot and wet, and the blade has often been covered in water off of the vegetation and from the the ground, so unless you are dealing with saltwater it will likely hold up fine.

Safety
The tip isn't sharp, which is good because I have poked myself a couple times with it. The ricasso adds safety to the machete in my opinion as if you had slides off the handle forwards the ricasso can't cut you. The handles' swoop down where the third pin is located is effective at keep you hand from slipping off the end of the handle, although it is much easier for your hand to slide forward.

Fit and Finish:
The handle is slick molded plastic and will roll and my slide in your hand, so I used hokey tape on the handle and that seems to have solved the problem. The handle may be small for larger hands and the front of the handle is noticeably square. The only finish wear I have had is from me sharpening, so the finish has held up well. An 18 inch blade is longer than you think, and being front heavy, it was wearing out my forearm that first couple times I used it. You may not have that issue though. Comes rather dull out of the box. It is not quite sharp enough to comfortably cut through a palm frond unless you pull on the frond; if that helps at all. Thx for reading.

I used to have the Corona 18" saw-back machete (which I reviewed) and it was a total turd. I tossed it in the trash can and bought this one instead. This professional machete was only $2 more expensive than the Chinese-made Corona machete that I threw away. If I'd have known then...

Many of the earlier reviewers complained of the machete arriving dull. Mine didn't. Mine arrived razor sharp, seriously. As in, I sliced a sheet of paper in half with a single, gentle stroke...right out of the box. The seller for the one I received was Ontario Knife Co. and it came from the Amazon Fulfillment Center. I don't know if other sellers in other parts of the country are shipping "unfinished" tools or not--but as I said, mine arrived razor sharp.

There have been lots of complaints about the handle being uncomfortable or slipping--or feeling like it will slip--out of the hand during use. I think I understand the problem with the handle: It's not because the handle scales are plastic; it's because they are too small for many of us.
I wear Medium surgical gloves and Size 7 military dress gloves. That basically means I have medium/average sized hands for the average American male. The handle on this machete is too small for me. Yes, it's a bit squarish and boxy as some reviewers have pointed out; however, that doesn't mean the grip is large. It just means it's not an ergonomic shape. What I found is the grip doesn't fill my hand at the heel of my palm and my hand wraps around the handle (at the hilt) to the point that my thumb is all the way over the first knuckle of my index finger. It makes sense if you think about what the military needs to consider. These machetes need to be usable for soldiers with smaller hands who won't have a means of making the handle smaller in the field. Soldiers with medium to large hands can always wrap some 550 cord (parachute cord) around the handle while in the field to make it thicker if need be.

Some reviewers have also mentioned that the scale rivets come loose after awhile and the handle falls apart. At the point when that happens to mine, I will make some comfortable, ergonomic wooden scales that fit my hand well and attach them with screws.

As you can see in the photo, this is a "Latin style" machete. The tip is slightly wider than the edge closer to the bolster (like a Parang style) which puts the weight of this machete near the tip. This aids in giving you more power in your strike. Yet, this machete doesn't feel heavy and I can (and you probably can too) easily use this for hours without much fatigue. Overall, this is an amazing design and this particular machete is an amazingly efficient and TOUGH workhorse! Once you figure out how to make the handle more comfortable for you, you won't be disappointed by this machete. Made in the USA from 1095 high carbon steel. If you didn't already know, 1095 is an incredibly strong blend of steel and nearly indestructible even with hard use.

Don't waste your money on a more expensive machete which will likely be of lower quality than this anyway...get this one. You won't regret it. This has been issued to the US military since the 1940's and has been used on the battlefields of numerous engagements. This machete is a professional soldier's machete; the real deal.

UPDATE EDIT: With all the reviews written about this tool, I know my little review won't push anyone over the edge one way or the other as far as buying this or not, but I wanted to add some additional detail about the handle on this thing in case I can help someone else. Since the handle is a bit squarish, I found that I was getting a sore spot that wanted to become a blister on my thumb. Fortunately, the last few inches at the bolster is not sharpened on this blade. I was able to choke up on the blade a little by allowing my index finger and thumb to hold the blade while the rest of my hand was on the grip. That seemed to help. I also wrapped the handle in sports tape. I rolled up 3 small lumps that I then taped to the handle. One lump was put on the back of the handle where the heel of my hand rests. The other 2 lumps were laid across the handle on the front so that one sits between my pinky and ring finger and the other sits between my index and middle finger (if I were holding the handle and not grabbing the blade as mentioned earlier. I wrapped the handle in sports tape with these 3 bumps under the tape. That seems to have helped a lot with holding the tool; however, like I said the handle is kind of square shaped under your thumb and tends to irritate it so I had to choke up on the blade. The cutting power of this machete is insane! While that "Lowes Special" (the Corona machete) was bouncing off twigs and vines, this machete was slicing right through 1" thick dense wood Azalea branches in 1 stroke (2 strokes if the branches gave way when hit). I'm so glad I bought this! Goofy handle or not, the blade on this thing is all business and no B.S.

Right out of the box, this machete is DULL. However, even right out of the box, it still cuts. I don't have a whetstone or any other type of sharpener/honing tool, and I wanted to test it out straight from the box anyway. I was able to chop down 1.5" tree limbs better than my axe cuts anything. It was too dull for the super soft foliage, like leafy plants and tall grass, but it took down 2-3" trees very easily. The blade edge is still in-tact (if a slight bit duller now) and the blade is not bent or misshapen. I have abused this machete for three days now and it is still going strong and in better shape than I am. I have been using it to clear weeds out of my paddock and around my horse shed. I havs hacked down close to 10 small trees in the past three days with this machete alone. I have been able to clear out the back fence of my 1 acre paddock and have even found my lost wagon which I haven't seen in the past7 years due to the weed overgrowth... And our lack of a weed whacker.

I am able to do with this machete, the job of a bush hog. Just... 10x slower. But who doesn't need a little workout from time to time, anyway? (I know I do... A lot.)

As I mentioned, I have not been nice to this machete. I figured, if the military use it, it is built to withstand abuse. After all, I'm sure it's not just a machete to soldiers. It's a survival tool and that means it can be a lot more than just a blade.

I have yet to actually sharpen the thing though the more I use its factory-dull blade, the harder it is to cut things, naturally. This has required me to find a workaround to get the job done, which includes using the ground and stones as a form of leverage. The ground provides a hard enough surface for me to cut through anything, and sometimes will hit a stone or I can ONLY hit a stone in order to cut what I was trying to cut. Not once has the blade chipped, bent, or cracked.

You really can not beat a better machete, especially for the price. I doubt this thing will ever break, but at this price, if it does, you can easily just replace it.

My only gripe about this is the handle. The top is round but the bottom is squared off which puts uncomfortable pressure on my fingers and has started to cause blisters. It's a minor inconvenience that a pair of gloves could easily cure, but if you have the means, you may want to have the handle remade for a more comfortable grip.

Even still, this thing is way too good to pass up. Forget all of your doubts and go for it - I highly doubt you will be disappointed. I am so glad I bought this.

It wasn't too sharp out of the box but that's easy to fix. It's sturdy as hell. Used it to split some kindling while camping and quartering a squirrel. Good chopping power. Very sturdy construction. Great deal.