It had served me well for the last 2 years. I accidentally hit a rock on the backswing and it broke into 3 pieces. It was probably weakened by exposure to the elements, aggressive sharpening, and being low quality to begin with. The new one is much much better
Where I grew up in Central America, machetes were pretty commonly worn/used out in the countryside. AFAIK they were always shaped like your new one. FWIW Home Depot calls your old one a “Shearing Knife” and a “Christmas Tree Knife”. idk why.
I think they’re used to shape trees into the traditional Christmas tree cone, hence the name.
Oh, that makes sense… I wonder if that’s why yours broke? Maybe it was designed for thin branches and pines, and you were using it for something else?