I think most folks think of a Collins type machete when they hear "machete". They pretty much set the standard for what we now call machetes. Thin blade, simple handle slabs riveted to the blade tang. With the advent of modern manufacturing techniques, such large blades no longer had to be forged, but could be stamped from stock and mass produced. This made them inexpensive and widely available even to the poor. Almost everybody on earth has seen this common type of machete. The Collins axe company made this type of knife common all over the world. Other manufacturers followed their lead.