Which one is overall best

[donald1]

Kukri, bolo, panga or the Latin

The Kukri is a heavy chopping knife that's good, full tang with spear point and excellent self defense /has no advantage over the others

The bolo is good for chopping and slashing also has better spear point and excellent self defense /its a little bulky

The panga its good for tough chopping /but doesn't have a good spear point

The Latin has good leverage and reach /but I wouldn't use it for tough chopping

Which one is overall better for all around use??

 

[Blindside]

I am assuming you are talking about machetes, and given the nomenclature you are probably referring to Cold Steel offerings? By all around use you mean a good field utility blade with some self defense characteristics? Have you looked at the current barong? I have the older version and it is extremely good given its price point, however you will have to redo the edge on any of their machetes. If you don't want to to deal with redoing the edge then take a look at Condor Knife and Tool offerings, good quality and the factory edges are ridiculously sharp.

 

[Carol]

The best knife is the one you have with you when you need it

Interesting question but tough to answer. Knives are not served well by a one-size-fits-all classification. Some knives are better for slashing, some better for thrusting, some better for chopping. Some designs can perform more than one task, while others can hurt the user very badly if improperly used.

While I think my folder is a good EDC, its not the first thing I would reach for if I was doing trail maintenance. Heaven forbid should I need to defend myself in the back country, its probably not the first blade I would reach for if I needed to protect myself. I would be more likely to reach for a machete in that circumstance. But that's not my EDC...its not as practical when going in to the office. I'm not as likely to bring it backpacking...my Ka-Bar is lighter and more versatile. But if I'm setting up base camp, I have the luxury of not needing to worry as much about weight. I might have several blades around that that may range from a felling axe to a steak knife.

Personally when choosing a blade, I look at the one that would best fit the actions I'm likely to be doing that day, or for the next series of days, and plan accordingly.

 

[Blindside]

Not many of my larger blades are there for practical purposes, I do a little trail and brushing clearing for my work, so I have an excuse, but I really can't justify having enough machetes to equip the neighborhood in case of a zombie outbreak. (I admit an addiction, because of this thread I just ordered the CS Jungle machete).

 

[jks9199]

Kukri, bolo, panga or the Latin

The Kukri is a heavy chopping knife that's good, full tang with spear point and excellent self defense /has no advantage over the others

The bolo is good for chopping and slashing also has better spear point and excellent self defense /its a little bulky

The panga its good for tough chopping /but doesn't have a good spear point

The Latin has good leverage and reach /but I wouldn't use it for tough chopping

Which one is overall better for all around use??

For what job? A kukri as a camp tool can stand in for a machete, an axe/hatchet, and a large general purpose knife. A bolo style machete is a powerful chopper and brush clearing tool, and can do some axe/hatchet jobs, but its length limits this, and it doesn't really have that much heft for that sort of job. Pangas are just another take on the bolo design, really... The Latin is your basic machete; its good for hacking through light brush, etc to clear a path.

For fighting? Each has strengths; the best advice would be to train with the one you're likely to carry. Though the kukri has a lot of history and reputation...

 

[donald1]

I am assuming you are talking about machetes, and given the nomenclature you are probably referring to Cold Steel offerings? By all around use you mean a good field utility blade with some self defense characteristics? Have you looked at the current barong? I have the older version and it is extremely good given its price point, however you will have to redo the edge on any of their machetes. If you don't want to to deal with redoing the edge then take a look at Condor Knife and Tool offerings, good quality and the factory edges are ridiculously sharp.

Yes to machetes and no to cold steel, that was from my grandpa's weapon collection