I just realized i have failed to post my machetes on here!!! I've been slackin! I love that Khukuri Shooter!
Here's my $20 contribution from about a year and a half ago. I got this at a flea market in Jersey. Its made in China. I looked at a bunch of machetes that day, most were of the almost non functional variety, the kind with spiked handles and cheap steel blades that arent full tang... This one was mixed in the pile. Its full tang blade has a solid wood grip which is riveted through. It is 440 stainless and is good solid blade, its quite wide and doesnt flex much at all, quite thicker than the Gerber pictured. The wood was a lighter color, so I sanded and stained it then finished with oil and wrapped the leather around it. It was a little slender for me personally but adding the leather took care of that! The sheath is a generic thin cordura thing, though I may yet one day make a leather sheath for it... just hasnt been important yet. I use it regularly on my property for clearing brush my weed eater cant handle and for holding the woods back! The woods tend to wanna sneak up on my yard!

For a chi-com blade, its solidly built and holds an edge. The top of the machete near the end wasnt sharpened when I got it, but I spent a good hour working it down to an edge that could be sharpened.

I also have the Gerber Gatorback! Pretty cool! I like it, but it needs a much better edge! I keep my other other one sharp enough to peel ribbons of wood from a 2 x 4 with little pressure, just laying the blade on the board and controling the depth just by changing the angle, and again with little or no pressure at all. Thats where I need the Gerber to be!