The Camp 18 from Kershaw Knives is definitely one of the best machetes to be manufactured by Kershaw, well in our opinion anyway, and is more than worthy of a place on our list of best machetes for survival.
If you’re looking for a survival machete that will do just about any task you could reasonably expect from a machete and to do those tasks well, then you really need to give the Camp 18 some serious consideration.
With its 18” blade and extremely comfortable handle this is one formidable survival machete.
Did we mention that it looks pretty awesome too!
Description
Blade
The blade of the Kershaw Camp 18 is made with 65Mn high carbon steel which is the equivalent to 1070 high carbon steel but is actually harder, keeping an edge longer.
The blade is also coated in a durable protective black powder coating that provides rust protection.
The Camp 18 has the style of a point drop blade and has a full flat grind. For a machete of this length that has a blade this thick (0.2″) we were surprised how light it was, particularly when first impressions would have you believe otherwise.
We have concluded that the fuller (a groove that runs along the side of a blade) that runs about two thirds of the way down the top edge of the blade is probably responsible for keeping the weight down.
Kershaw has a good reputation for delivering their cutting tools well honed with razor sharp edges straight from the factory and the Camp 18 is no exception to this.
In fact there is nothing to stop you taking your new machete straight outside after taking delivery and putting it through its paces, although, if you’re anything like us, you’ll probably unwrap it and admire it unblemished for a while first!
Handle
The Kershaw Camp 18 machete has a polymer handle that encompasses a full 6″ tang, although you can not physically see the tang as the handle has a Sure-Grip rubber covering. There are guards at the front and at the end of the handle which are designed to stop the machete slipping from the users grip whilst in vigorous use.
For anyone who likes to use their machete with a lanyard then the Camp 18 has one at the front and one at the back of the handle.
The blade can be removed from the handle by simply unscrewing two bolts after which you will be able to slide the full tang blade from the handle housing it.
It should be stated that the polymer handle is extremely light when compared to handles of other machetes but this does not reduce the machetes performance, in fact it enhances it by making the machete lighter and easier to wield for longer periods of time.
The Sure grip rubber grip is extremely comfortable in the hand and the handle in general is nicely ergonomic.
Sheaf
The Camp 18 is supplied along with a hard plastic grey sheath. The sheaf incorporates slots along its sides designed for sliding Velcro attaching straps through. These straps are supplied with the sheaf and are extremely strong. One of the big advantages of this type of sheaf is that the straps can be fed through the slots in the opposite direction meaning you can attach it for left or right handed carry.
There is a retaining strap at the top of the sheaf to secure the machete when it is housed. There is also a Velcro belt loop.
One problem that a solid sheaf often has is that moisture accumulates in the bottom causing any blade stored in it to rust. Not so with the Kershaw who have had the good wisdom to incorporate a drain hole at the tip of the sheaf. All in all, an extremely high quality machete sheaf
Specifications
- Total length: 24”
- Blade Length: 18”
- Blade Thickness: just under 0.2″
- Weight: 1lb 7.1oz
- Blade Material: 65Mn High Carbon Steel (1070)
- Blade Finish: Black epoxy powder coated
- Full Tang: Yes
- Handle: Polymer plastic covered with Sure-grip rubber
- Sheaf: Grey hard plastic with Velcro straps attachment
- Country: Manufactured in China for a US Company
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Our View
We absolutely love the look, feel, and balance of this modern and stylish looking survival machete. It ticks all the boxes that we would want it to tick for a machete we would happily carry into hell and back!
It is great at doing all the tasks we would expect of a survival or tactical machete, keeps a sharp edge really well.
Hell, it looks so good too, we wouldn’t want it to get dirty, it’s just too darn pretty!
As for the sheaf, we know there are those of you out there that simply do not like any sheaf made from hard plastic but we have to admit to being in love with this particular sheaf…it.is.awesome!
It does have the minor flaw in that the machete can sometimes be heard moving inside the sheaf, but hey, it looks great, so who cares?
If you want to see why we and so many others rate the Kershaw Camp 18 machete read the customer reviews on Amazon by clicking on the button below.
