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Post by Adventurer'sBlade on Dec 1, 2020 7:59:35 GMT
www.amazon.com/Marbles-MR374-Sword-Handle-Overall/dp/B01BRTN2T8I just purchased and received the machete above. It is essentially a 22" 1075 carbon Imacasa machete with a shamshir-esque full tang wooden grip and a small integral crossguard. My initial impressions are very favorable from dry handling. It is very nimble and fairly flexible but stiff enough to cut. It will kill bottles like a champ, I'm sure. It is a light slicer like the Condor cutlass, not a hacker like the Cold Steel cutlass machete. It weighs about one pound and feels very similar to a Tramontina 18" Latin, but with better "flow", if that makes sense. Most wood-handled Imacasas, Tramontinas, etc., are not full tang. They are sturdy enough for work but the tang does not fill the whole handle profile. This Marble's sword has a true full tang, although the scales on mine are oversized by several millimeters past the tang edge. This machete would be a good candidate for custom scales. The finish is more like quench scale with bubble impressions rather than the cheap stonewash applique you see on Chinese tactical knives. It came sharper than most real work machetes but not paper-slicing sharp. You could do some yard work as-is. This would make a great training sword for new cutters and especially younger/smaller people who are mature enough to handle a blade but for whom a real saber would be overkill or cost prohibitive. As a practical tool, its light weight and good handling would make it useful for tropical foliage. Not for wood-chopping. Yes on blackberry vines. Buy two and cut in Sinawali flows or with Chinese Dao forms. I dare you. I intend to do a real review with test cutting in the near future.
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Post by paulmuaddib on Dec 1, 2020 10:37:41 GMT
That’s a pretty cool find redmichael. And affordable enough for the poorest of us. Thanks for posting.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Dec 1, 2020 13:06:10 GMT
An interesting find. Thanks for posting and giving your impressions.
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Post by mrbadexample on Dec 1, 2020 17:22:59 GMT
I did a sort of post apocalyptic mod on one of these. I’ll see if I can find pics. They clean up nicely, and work well as a light cutter.
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Post by leed on Dec 1, 2020 22:37:31 GMT
Hmm........ I stayed away because the brochure 1st said it was stainless. Bought Ima Guari with handguard, but at 28", the blade is too long and slow to swing. Can't decide how short to cut it.
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Post by Adventurer'sBlade on Dec 1, 2020 23:50:50 GMT
Hmm........ I stayed away because the brochure 1st said it was stainless. Bought Ima Guari with handguard, but at 28", the blade is too long and slow to swing. Can't decide how short to cut it. I saw some sites say stainless, but some say 1075. It's stamped "El Salvador" and flexes exactly like an Imacasa machete. So I'm confident it's NOT stainless and that is an error related to its rust-resistant coating.
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Post by leed on Dec 2, 2020 2:43:51 GMT
Yeah, I saw both, so stayed away. Was looking for a bit more swing and overall weight, but not as much as a katana or my 28" Guarizami, which balances waaay out at 10" from the handguard. Maybe a thin tip and 24" blade length will bring balance back to near 6". I can always chop more, but cannot add any blade length once committed.
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Post by mrbadexample on Dec 8, 2020 15:36:49 GMT
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Dec 8, 2020 15:54:08 GMT
That looks better than new. I’ve been considering making a similar scabbard but somehow I never get around to it. Have you considered taking a file to those points. I agree, the look silly and dangerous.
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Post by mrbadexample on Dec 8, 2020 16:06:00 GMT
I have considered it, but this piece doesn’t come out that often so it has been a low priority. Now that I have it out for pictures, I plan to round them off this afternoon. I might use it more often if I’m not worried it’ll bite me.
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Post by markus313 on Dec 8, 2020 16:35:44 GMT
Looks really cool, Mrbadexample! Love cool mods on inexpensive stuff!
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Post by mrbadexample on Dec 8, 2020 16:46:34 GMT
Thanks, guys. Yeah, I was going for a wasteland rogue sort of look. Glad it comes through. Simple mods on these types of functional cheapies are fun.
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Post by Adventurer'sBlade on Dec 8, 2020 16:47:17 GMT
That looks great! How did you do the scabbard?
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Post by mrbadexample on Dec 8, 2020 16:57:10 GMT
It’s a sandwich construction. Thin plank on the bottom, negative cutout of the blade in the middle, and thin plank on top all held together with wood glue. I had some very thin stuff around for the middle layer, so I barely needed to sand it to the same thickness as the spine. Once the glue is dry, plane and sand to a a flattened oval, and finish as you like.
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Post by Jayhawk on Dec 9, 2020 18:46:53 GMT
Nice work...with rounded points looks like a usable, yet uber cool, little sword.
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Post by mrbadexample on Dec 12, 2020 16:43:42 GMT
I’m glad y’all gave me the nudge I needed to take 30 seconds to round off those points on my grinder. Much less silly and more comfortable now.
I’m going to go slay some privet with it now.
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Post by goji2527 on Dec 17, 2020 20:05:24 GMT
Seen those most machetes work well as swords if the blade is 3mm,about the only 2.8mm I've seen that would work is the Cold Steel Gladius and the UC Combat Commander thing.
mrbadexample's mod reminds me of a Mongol scimitar of some sort.
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