A good sharp one is best to have! and, buy the best one, the others are probably cheaply made, and won't hold up in severe service!

From my experience using machete (many years ago in dense jungle), we preferred a not overly sharp edge. The overly sharp edge would deform quicker than an undersharpened edge, I guess somewhat like a lawnmower blade but maybe sharper than what I normally do. Ours were military issue and performed well enough for our needs.

A machete is made for cutting at chest level, it is difficult to get an efficient cut near ground level. Would a brush cutter or a trimmer with a brush blade be better for you? I certainly like my trimmer brush blade combo.

I have an old USMC machete that has been excellent over the years. Don't know if they are still available in surplus stores but it would be worth a look.

I've had great results with the products from Cold Steel. I use the Bolo-style, but friends have had good luck with the Latin-style and the Kukri-style versions. For less than $20 for the machete, you're set.

These things are very well made, very durable, and take an edge very well. The Cold Steel products are well worth the money.

Thanks for the responses. My son has a Cold Steel catalog, and I may give one of their models a try.

Cheap ones work fine - though I prefer the kind with a finger guard (less likely to go flying if your grip slips). When you're doing serious work with one it helps to carry a sharpening stone with you.

True story: there was an episcopal church in a not-so-great part of Dallas which had persistent problems with vandalism. During the troubles in Nicaragua they invited a refugee family in, and the man volunteered to mow the grass. The priest said OK, and was delighted to find that the vandalism totally stopped. He understood better a few weeks later, when he found that the man had been mowing the lawn with his machete!

Now that sounds like work to me.