My bestie is all about practical gifts; this year he gifted me with a kokri-- a Nepalese machete. Imagine a six foot three manly man giggling like a Japanese schoolgirl, and you'll have an accurate mental picture of the glee infusing every fiber of the Viking's body when he gave me the survival tool.
He got it at Tractor Supply Store; on sale. For less than $5.
He double checked the price with more than one sale associate to make sure that the price was correct; it was.
This image isn't the exact one I got; they don't have them listed online, sadly. But the shape is correct and representative of the blade type.
As soon as he gave it to me, he suggested we take it out back and go work on some bamboo. The Viking put an edge on it, and wanted to see how well the blade would hold up. His investment was awesome in that department-- no knicks or dings, and it cut cleanly through the bamboo, like a hot knife through butter. Didn't take the edge off the blade.
The Viking (despite is Euro-centric moniker) is trained in Jujitsu and is certified to teach things. His expertise is with bladed weapons, and it shows. We spent a bit of time working on my technique, and what do you know? If it comes to whacking the shit out of things like bamboo and dead wood (and maybe jungle), I'm covered. Booyeah!