Martindale Golok No.2: Road Test

The humble machete needs an image makeover. And Martindale’s Golok No.2 is a thing of utilitarian beauty.

TWAM-20150711 EMBARGO FOR TWAM 11 July 2015 NO REUSE WITHOUT PERMISSION Martindale Golok No 2 machete Pic : Guy Bailey

What is it?

The king of machetes.

Eeek! OK, machetes get a bad press, but they’re not just used by bikies to slice bits off each other. A decent one is a thing of utilitarian beauty, a versatile tool. And such fun to use.

Vital statistics: It’s 35cm long, full tang, and weighs 520g. The carbon steel blade – stamped with Martindale’s crocodile logo – is hot-rolled at the firm’s mill in England. The handle is German beech.

And? It’s a bit rough straight out of the box – but nothing that a file won’t fix. You’ll need to spend a bit of time reworking the edge to your liking, too. As for handling, it’s heavy but well balanced, with serious chopping power.

What’s it for? Felling trees, trimming toenails, Crocodile Dundee “That’s not a knife” routines, solo bush-camping.

Solo camping? Hell yeah. For getting firewood. Plus, nothing soothes the night terrors like half a kilo of razor-sharp steel.

$85 with postage, thebushcraftstore.co.uk