What is the best type of machete for trimming the palm fronds on a palm tree?
If you’re sure you want a machete, you should get a fairly small one with a fairly high Rockwell hardness rating. If you’re just going to use it for trimming fronds, you definitely shouldn’t get a machete with a blade longer than 12″; anything longer will be too heavy and thus dangerous for what you’re looking for. Also, a harder machete will be better than a softer one, as it’ll take less sharpening–chopping fronds isn’t likely to chip the blade, so hard is fine for your needs. I’d look for a hardness rating of RC 57 or higher. You might consider a Cold Steel machete. The 12″ Barong model (model number 97BA12S) might fit your needs. Cold Steel is a reliable brand, and their knives tend to have fairly high hardness ratings. But if I were you, I would consider getting a large pair of garden shears (look for “lopping shears”) instead. Working with large knives is quite dangerous, even if you’ve got experience; I had a bad accident a few years back and nearly lost a thumb. For trimming p
