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Post by Bernhard H. on Oct 10, 2020 22:30:27 GMT
I have seen the videos demonstrating what the Zombie Tools Sharkalope can do. What they do with this blade is wrong. That is not what swords were designed for. No blade should have to go through this. These are signs of sick minds in evil times.
I want one.
Actually, I do not want one enough to spend more than three hundred dollars, plus shipping to Europe, plus taxes. So, I am looking for the poor man's alternative. Well, let's say, the semi-poor man's alternative -- the poor man's alternative, I think, could well be a decent but cheap machete, and I will get myself an Imacasa, or a Marble's, machete soon, anyway, maybe both.
But, an alternative to the sharkalope, sixteen to twentyish inches blade length, maybe in the 100 to 150 dollars area, would still interest me.
If you have any ideas, preferrably recommendations of swords you own, or have handled yourself, please do share them.
Oh, and, since questions for recommendations often lead to the question: "What do you actually want the sword for? Wallhanger, costume piece, cutting...?" You may already have guessed: This is about cutting. Heavy cutting. :-)
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,647
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Post by stormmaster on Oct 11, 2020 3:49:54 GMT
Condor Baryonyx Kingfisher Machete kinda comes to mind, its not 100% a sword tho
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Post by treeslicer on Oct 11, 2020 4:09:26 GMT
I have seen the videos demonstrating what the Zombie Tools Sharkalope can do. What they do with this blade is wrong. That is not what swords were designed for. No blade should have to go through this. These are signs of sick minds in evil times. I want one. Actually, I do not want one enough to spend more than three hundred dollars, plus shipping to Europe, plus taxes. So, I am looking for the poor man's alternative. Well, let's say, the semi-poor man's alternative -- the poor man's alternative, I think, could well be a decent but cheap machete, and I will get myself an Imacasa, or a Marble's, machete soon, anyway, maybe both. But, an alternative to the sharkalope, sixteen to twentyish inches blade length, maybe in the 100 to 150 dollars area, would still interest me. If you have any ideas, preferrably recommendations of swords you own, or have handled yourself, please do share them. Oh, and, since questions for recommendations often lead to the question: "What do you actually want the sword for? Wallhanger, costume piece, cutting...?" You may already have guessed: This is about cutting. Heavy cutting. :-) Find a 1940's-1970's Philippine bolo on eBay. They're DH, BTW, and usually made out of laminated truck springs. The first pattern I show is my favorite, a very common Ilocano type picked up by a lot of guys at Clark, and at Subic as well.
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Oct 11, 2020 5:28:36 GMT
Cold Steel Magnum Kukri or Royal Kukri machete.
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LeMal
Member
Posts: 1,085
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Post by LeMal on Oct 11, 2020 6:36:02 GMT
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Post by Bernhard H. on Oct 12, 2020 19:43:15 GMT
Thanks for all the suggestions, much appreciated.
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Post by paulmuaddib on Oct 13, 2020 19:06:53 GMT
Will second this suggestion from Brother Nathaniel. I have one and like it a lot. Do a google search of it for sale. There are cheaper prices than KoA. But I will admit KoA has one of the best websites for looking at specs and comparing swords. And usually an abundance of great pics.
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Post by Dandelion on Oct 13, 2020 21:30:49 GMT
Will second this suggestion from Brother Nathaniel. I have one and like it a lot. Do a google search of it for sale. There are cheaper prices than KoA. But I will admit KoA has one of the best websites for looking at specs and comparing swords. And usually an abundance of great pics. Banshee is a super cutter and super easy to handly: kight, well balanced, good construction AFAIK.
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Post by Bernhard H. on Oct 13, 2020 21:36:25 GMT
Thanks for this suggestion as well. I had a good online look at it.
Alas, while I see many advantages (very nice scabbard, blade seems to fulfill what I am searching for), I do not like the overall aesthetics - and this of course is meant to be a fun sword, for me. It has much to do with the handle, but since it is peened and has this button mechanism, I suppose it doesn't lend itself to modifications easily.
In case others will chime in with more ideas: Welcome! Again, the focus is on heavy cutting, of the kind no sword should ever be made to do. Things like beating a fridge in half, stuff like that :-)
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Post by Dandelion on Oct 15, 2020 20:58:55 GMT
Thanks for this suggestion as well. I had a good online look at it. Alas, while I see many advantages (very nice scabbard, blade seems to fulfill what I am searching for), I do not like the overall aesthetics - and this of course is meant to be a fun sword, for me. It has much to do with the handle, but since it is peened and has this button mechanism, I suppose it doesn't lend itself to modifications easily. In case others will chime in with more ideas: Welcome! Again, the focus is on heavy cutting, of the kind no sword should ever be made to do. Things like beating a fridge in half, stuff like that :-) Well... then you should stay with Zombie Tools. I wouldnt dare to use any of our other blades on such stuff...
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Post by pellius on Oct 16, 2020 2:13:49 GMT
I don’t know that they are much cheaper than ZT, but my experiences with abusive use of TFW swords have been outstanding. As I’m fond of saying, despite the questionable marketing, TFW steel is excellent; very very tough with exceptional edge retention. TFW blade geometry is, imho, superior to ZT, with good distal taper and more complex grinds that are better suited to specialized tasks. ZT has a much stronger following, though, and seem to be much easier to sell used.
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Post by Bernhard H. on Oct 16, 2020 3:58:22 GMT
[...] but my experiences with abusive use of TFW swords have been outstanding. [...] Care to share what you did with them?
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Post by pellius on Oct 16, 2020 5:23:34 GMT
I have an old TFW Itak Tagalog that I have used for clearing fence lines and underbrush, digging up roots, pruning back bushes and young trees, digging in sand to get my jeep unstuck, etc. As a general utility knife, it has served very nicely and reliably. It has always polished back up brilliantly with just a little ammonia glass cleaner and Mothers Mag. It has a robust appleseed edge from the factory that has remained reasonably sharp for ages. It has significant distal taper that gives it a nice balance and makes extended use manageable. The grip is comfortable and secure. It’s a fun and handy short sword. For abusive-use fun, it’s a good choice. I don’t know that this particular model would make a good Sharkalope substitute, as it is not intended to be a fighting knife. TFW makes a couple of fighting-spec short swords that look positively vicious, though. For example, I’ve eyed this one numerous times: www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=TFW009&name=Moro+Janap+A nearly 14” blade at only 14oz! Almost a full pound lighter than the Sharkalope. I never bought one because I was fortunate enough to obtain semi-custom fighters in this general class from LWF, L Driggers, 7th Dragon, etc. (usually on the used market). Nonetheless, every time I think about that TFW (like now), I want to buy one! I’ve kinda moved my focus to antiques lately, so I may never actually get one. Eh, we’ll see. I’ve owned a couple of ZT’s, and I absolutely get why they are popular. I think a couple of their designs are very appealing. For the most part, though, they just aren’t for me.
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Post by Bernhard H. on Oct 17, 2020 18:37:12 GMT
I actually like a lot of what I have seen from TFW, as far as the aesthetics go, and (as you report) functionality is great as well. I do not consider them for the topic of this thread, especially the "poor-man" part. But I do consider them :-)
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Post by Bernhard H. on Oct 17, 2020 21:51:40 GMT
Any opinions on or experiences with the APOC Yataghan? casiberia.com/product/apoc-survival-yataghan/sd35520BTW, since my first post in this thread, I have got an 18 inch Marble's machete. Very sharp out of the box, lovely cutter -- I have not tried it on the extra-heavy stuff, but for what it is, I am really impressed. So much cutting fun, for so little money!
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Post by treeslicer on Oct 17, 2020 22:02:23 GMT
Any opinions on or experiences with the APOC Yataghan? casiberia.com/product/apoc-survival-yataghan/sd35520BTW, since my first post in this thread, I have got an 18 inch Marble's machete. Very sharp out of the box, lovely cutter -- I have not tried it on the extra-heavy stuff, but for what it is, I am really impressed. So much cutting fun, for so little money! Investigate the bolos. A lot of the stuff mentioned is based on them, but they are better and cheaper. I use mine for clearing sweetgum saplings, palmetto, and similar bush. I've split firewood with them like a froe, as well.
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Post by Bernhard H. on Oct 17, 2020 22:09:49 GMT
Started looking at them on ebay. A problem is, I know next to nothing about Philippine weapons, yet (other than really liking the shape of a minasbad, which should not come as a surprise considering I like the sharkalope as well).
But, since I will not get a bada** cutter very soon anyway, I have plenty of time to explore the offerings, and learn.
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Post by pellius on Oct 17, 2020 22:25:17 GMT
I actually like a lot of what I have seen from TFW, as far as the aesthetics go, and (as you report) functionality is great as well. I do not consider them for the topic of this thread, especially the "poor-man" part. But I do consider them :-) Fair enough. I probably should’ve contained my exuberance a bit better. 🙂
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Post by Bernhard H. on Oct 17, 2020 22:50:20 GMT
Not at all, please do exuberate whenever a chance occurs. We are all supposed to enjoy this, are we not? I know I do.
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Post by treeslicer on Oct 17, 2020 23:02:53 GMT
Started looking at them on ebay. A problem is, I know next to nothing about Philippine weapons, yet (other than really liking the shape of a minasbad, which should not come as a surprise considering I like the sharkalope as well). But, since I will not get a bada** cutter very soon anyway, I have plenty of time to explore the offerings, and learn. If you get one, get a WW II through Cold War vintage bringback. IMHO, the ones mass produced since the base closures, for martial arts, aren't as good in the steel or the quenching/tempering. There are some small Philippine forges that advertise on Facebook that might be good, too, but all mine are vintage. They hold an edge much like a good katana.
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