>>247992The angle between your arm and the blade is different, and thus, the cutting motion relative to your arm movement will be different aswell.
A machete will roughly cut things at an acute angle, and the edge moves vertically into the cut. It is thus better at cutting relatively soft things, and will require some wrist movements to keep it stable when cutting harder things, or you will ruin the edge rather quickly.
A kukri will roughly cut things at a right angle, the edge being parallel to the cut. It is better at cutting harder materials, and will need to be well sharpened to cut softer stuff.
