Product Review: Wal-Mart's $7 Ozark Trail Machete with Carrying Case

A machete is often considered one of the most beneficial blades that a camper can take into the backcountry. With the ability to hack through tall weeds, down small saplings and branches, shave ribbons for firewood, and provide a decent amount of self-defense, poor quality is not something you want to allow. A poorly constructed machete will not only be difficult to use, but could potential shatter when struck against a tree, which could result in injury, something best avoided when you're 100 miles from civilization.

Is Wal-Mart's $7 Ozark Trail machete worthy of your next backpacking or camping trip. That is up to you, but the overall opinion of this reviewer is less than favorable.

Construction Quality
The first impression upon opening the case was disappointed. The blade of the Ozark Trail machete is thin and bends easily with your hands. The handle is lightweight and made of cheap, easy-to-crack plastic. I couldn't tell if the blade goes through the entire handle or only part of it, so I took the handle off. The handle does run through the entire handle, but is thin. I had no confidence in the handle, so I left it off and wrapped the handle with paracord instead.

Blade Quality
The blade has no edge all straight out of the package; the edge was actually flat. I could run the machete over my arm without any danger. The edge was only ground enough to remove the black paint and make it appear to be sharp.

Using a grinder and sharpening stone for nearly two hours, I managed to get a decently sharp edge on the machete, though it still wasn't as sharp as a higher-quality machete from other companies. It was sufficiently sharp enough to cut through a two-liter filled with water. When I tested it on a sapling (approx. 3-inches in diameter), the blade bent frequently and I wasn't confident enough to continue.

Case
The case is thin, but adequate. It has a closed loop to run a belt through, and an open metal loop to temporarily slip your belt through. As long as you don't abuse it, it will withstand frequent use. It is military green with silver-capped bolts on the seams.

Conclusions
If you're looking for a cheap machete you use as an intimidation tool for self-defense, a light-weight blade for hacking down weeds, or a throw-away option for hacking at firewood without care, then the Wal-Mart Ozark Trail $8 machete will be adequate. If you're looking for a machete that your life will depend on during a long-distance backpacking trip, you should choose a higher quality blade.