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Recommended Application:
1- Timber Limbing, Chopping & Splitting- especially
seasoned woods
2- Clearing vines, reeds and small saplings - especially
seasoned woods
3- Butchering and some processing of large fruits
4- Harvesting
Strong Points:
1- Outstanding grip design
2- Excellent overall dynamic balance
3- Good balance between dimensional stability and lightness
of weight.
4- Effective and wearable sheath- suitable for belt
or pack mounting
Weak Points:
1- Processing fruits and vegetables in kitchen
tasks
2- Cutting through thick sappy stems
Areas Cited for Improvement:
1- Surface
coating material & Steel type
2- Primary bevel could be altered to accommodate a wider
range of tasks
Cost
(MSRP): $62.93 Sales
Source: http://www.knife-depot.com
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Ka-Bar
Cutlass Machete
Quick
Specifications/Features:
Total length-16.5"
Total weight (machete)-18.10z/512gm
Sheath weight
-4.8oz
Blade length-11"
Grip length-5.5"
Grip circumfrence-4.25"
Blade Material- 1085 Carbon 52-54HRC
Blade thickness-3mm
Grind Pattern-Hollow
20º edge angle
Available Options:
Summary Comments:
The Ka-Bar Cutlass Machete derives it's name
and heritage from the traditional cutlass swords preferred
for their effectiveness at short ranges. The Cutlass
Machete has relatively straight spine and a curved cutting
edge. The edge belly is pronounced and biased to the
front, causing the cutting silhouette to have a recurve,
resulting from the 'S' shape that is produced. This
shape lends itself to a variety of cutting tasks from
limbing, to sapling harvesting as well as chopping and
butchering. The upwards sweep of the edge towards the
point, makes it suitable for piercing, prying and defense
as well. The chopping zone is approximately 5"
long and the axis of the chop zone is almost parallel
to the spine, with a slight bias towards the hand. This
is typical of most machetes and though the chop zone
on the Cutlass Machete is slightly shorter than on a
classic 'Latin' style blade, where it would extend the
entire length of the edge.It nonetheless affords a substantial
margin for error and makes the Cutlass Machete a more
powerful close-range limber than traditional Latin style
blades. The blade thickness is sufficient to give it
exceptional stiffness- a requirement for a good chopper
. Blade rigidity also aids in mitigating deflection
from target materials. This stiffness also allows for
baton-aided splitting of wood without encouraging blade
deformation.
The grind profile is an 18mm hollow ground primary bevel
with a 2mm sharpened edge. The length of the bevel minimizes
binding in chops and splits of seasoned timber but does
encourage binding in harvesting or clearing of live
saplings or branches. The slightly abrasive matte surface
coating almost eliminates reflections but it also acts
as brake on cutting efficiency. The best part of the
Cutlass Machete is it's handle or grip. The design of
the grip is such that it ergonomically conforms to most
hand sizes from small to large. It's contoured in such
a fashion that matches the contact surface and geometry
of the grasping hand- wider at the spine and tapering
gradually to a narrower belly. The cross-section of
such a profile could be described as nearly oval. The
grip's back is straight and the belly a gentle sweep
that echoes that of the blade's edge, sweeping into
a slight groove for the first finger and a more substantial
one at the rear to accommodate the little finger. Indeed,
the most important part of a grip that's applied to
a machete implement is the tail-hook. On the Cutlass
Machete it's substantial and ideally formed to mitigate
accidental slippage of the grip from the user's hand
on the back-swing. The fore-grip becomes square-shaped,
creating a formidable guard that would protect the hand
from injury in the event that material should slide
along the blade to wards the grip.
Five circumferential grooves incised into the handle
aid in surface grip-ability and may even serve to channel
water or other liquids away from the grip's surface.
The handle material is a rubber-like elastomer that
is very tenacious when dry and fairly aids in maintaining
contact with flesh when damp. The use of a solid elastomer
material for the grip, aids significantly is shock absorption
as well as thermal and electrical insulation as well.
The entire blade is quite light for the power that it
can generate along it's edge and yet this power is due
to a significantly weight-forward bias. The Cutlass
Machete 'charges' with energy easily though little effort
in lifting for the wind-up and delivers the energy smoothly
forwards and downwards.
One can count on a day's worth of painless use as everything
about the Cutlass Machete minimizes stress while delivering
effective blows in the outdoors. In addition to being
an effective wood-cutter, the Cutlass Machete is an
effective butcher or medium or large game. The only
area of weakness being it's inability to safely tackle
small vegetables on a chopping block, due to its pronounced
recurved blade edge.
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Valiant
Co - Parang Bandol
Quick
Specifications/Features:
Total length-18"
Total weight (machete)-22oz/600+gr
Sheath weight
-180 gr
Blade length-12"
Grip length-5.75"
Grip Material-Buffalo
horn
Grip circumfrence-4"
Blade Material- hand-forged-to-shape Spring
Steel
Blade thickness-.25" tapering >.125"
Grind Pattern-Full Convex Buffalo
horn
Available Options: Wooden sheath (included)
Summary Comments:
Recommended Application
Cost
(MSRP): $? Sales Source:
HighDessertWalker
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