Ben
New York

Sep 21, 2013

Pros: Weight, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Great packable machete

I bought this machete for field work in the Amazon. Light, fits in my backpack and extremely capable cutter and chopper for the size. Holds an edge well, sharpens quickly. I made a kydex sheath for it and covered the bright orange handle with a section of bicycle inner tube for better grip and lower visual profile. Mine came back from an extended trip with a bit of rust which buffed out quickly. Best to keep some oil on hand if in a wet environment.

Kyle M
Harriman, Ny

Jun 25, 2012

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Awesome Light Weight Large Knife

Fantastic brush clearer for backpacking while keeping the weight down. Great size with a 12" blade. Other machetes are just too large and heavy for backpacking use. This is just what I was looking for! The handles are very comfortable and the hi-vis orange is fantastic! The yellow poly sheath is cheap, but it is visible, pretty light, and it works so you can't complain too much. Very happy for the price!

Wb
Fla

Jun 05, 2012

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Strong and light weight!

Great camp machete, not sure i like the sheath but the machete is a really good value and has great steel!

Dennis
Auckland

Nov 20, 2012

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Svord Machete

Fantastic weight, quality and finish. I like that its high carbon and not stainless. The factory blade sharpness has to be felt to be believed. I think it would have benefited from a different sheath. It is quite thick but its not leather and its very yellow. Guess it makes it harder to lose. I have a K.O.A. D2 Magnum with a disappointing build quality (great design though).....wish I had bought a Svord Drop Point instead.

The Coywolf Nomad
Arizona

May 16, 2017

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Svord Kiwi Machete

I am not usually one to post a review this early as I like to wait for the long term but this blade is sweet. Big enough to get jobs done quickly but light enough to go for a long time. This is a blade for proper traditional use. Yes, it's very sturdy and flexible but is still a light machete. Right tool for the right job, my tomahawk does the heavy stuff. That said, I live in Arizona. Sun dried mesquite can really do a number to a blades edge... no sweat for this lil darlin'. It ate through green mesquite quite well, clearing many low lying branches on my neighbors property beware the thorns)Not really fold of the orange color, but the feel of the handle is great. Little bit longer than MY hand (I wear a size Med) but offers great leverage when I grip way back with just 2 fingers and a thumb. The pommel is great preventing likelihood of lost grip while swinging... wields like a fighting knife, well balanced and agile giving the user absolute control. Just beautiful, a true pleasure to use. My personal hobby is in a state of lightweight durability. This fits the bill VERY NICELY. I don't torture test my gear, but I won't baby it either. This is a good solid piece of working equipment that will likely stand the test of time from what I have experienced already. The sheath is my only real concern. It's rubberized canvas. Long lasting, cut resistant... Aaaannnd doesn't breath. Make sure to oil and care for this blade in the sheath. Though not fond of the sheath material, simple blade maintenance (which you should be doing anyway) will prevent any problems. Great tool, this has already become a standard in my kit bag. Happy wandering.

Paul
Dunedoo

Sep 05, 2021

Pros: Weight, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

handle the toughest job

I have used this machete for 3 years ,lots of hours, the sheath is designed by someone who has never used a knife or has no brains. keep your fingers away from sheath slot ,when withdrawing blade or you slice them bad. blade comes super sharp. orange handle I like, makes it easier to find on ground , my first cuts on dead iron bark rolled the fine sharp edge, but with more chops the rolled edge came off,but still sharp. light weight and thin to swing fast,making a whipping noise, slices grass to 10mm green twigs easy and clean, I have cut down 75mm green trees a little hard on the hand. it does take heavy chopping , blade is easy to sharpen, holds edge, and can handle heavy work. used mainly to prune trees.

Gearskeptic
SLC, UT

Feb 01, 2014

Pros: Weight, Blade Material, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material, Sheath/Scabbard

Lightest sharpest machete I've seen

This is hands-down the lightest, sharpest machete I have seen - and I own many of them, from Ontario and Condor principally. If you want to carry a machete backpacking, this is the size and weight to choose. The blade stock is really thin for a machete - but sturdy enough if you're sensible. It doesnt' have a lot of weight behind it as a result, so you'll need to modify your technique if you're used to longer and beefier machetes. Edge-holding has been great so far - better than Condor carbon steel for sure. This machete should be about perfect for green/springy stuff - grasses and live conifer branches for shelter building. I like that the handle is orange, but in general the texture of the Victorinox plastic is better than the stuff Svord is using. The sheath could use some sort of retention aid and some additional attachment points for a pack. The handle sits so deeply the lack of retention isn't much of an issue unless it ends up upside down or sideways.

Rodger
Duchesne, Ut

Apr 25, 2026

Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Finish, Materials, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Weight

Cons: Handle Material

Only the Handle Drops the Score on this Excellent Cutter

The hand ground convex edge slices grasses, weeds, and slender branches like it's a Yanagiba going through sashimi. It's got great spring, touching up the edge takes only a piece of old belt leather with a little buffing compound (I use green) on it to keep is like a razor. The only problem I have with it is the handle. I don't know if all New Zealanders have little girl hands, but there is no way Svord is making these orange handles for DCA or people with large, American knife-using hands. The easy solution was the one I learned from Chris at PM101, I just wrapped hockey tape around it. I like this Svord Kiwi Machete enough that I've set aside my LT Wright Survivorman machete for it. If you know LTWK at all, you must know how profoundly superb that recommendation is. This is worth every penny.

Jean G
Ajaccio France

Mar 24, 2015

Pros: Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish

Cons: Weight

A beautyful blade.

A beautyful blade. The aspect of this machete is very pleasant, the blade is spectacular and I enjoy my purchase. The efficiency of such a blade appears to me in bamboo’s field. Cutting through bamboos is effortless. Cutting through brambles appears more difficult, asking for more skill in machete handling. I think it is due to the shortness and the lightness of this tool. The only reproach would be for the handle, a bit too thin for me. Also the blade sharpness has to be improved. About Knife-Center, everything was great. Good communication, fast shipping and very reasonable shipping-costs.

A-H
OREGON

Apr 16, 2020

Pros: None

Cons: None

Skeptic

From a certain point of view, this machete looks beautiful: the bluing on the blade, the hygienic orange handle. Don't kid yourself: that handle is meant for kitchen knives, feels too slender in the hand to really wack at things. When you start swing it around at blackberries, you will understand automatically how limited this thing is, its like a kitchen knife on steroids. Might be good for very limited trail clearing, but make no mistake, this brilliant little chopper is a kitchen knife on steroids and should be considered a baby for man's work.