Luftwaffe Machete Repro Review
Apr 29, 2021 16:29:05 GMT
Post by pgandy on Apr 29, 2021 16:29:05 GMT
I am not connected with IMA (International Military Antiques) the vendor nor the manufacturer Marto, a division of Windlass.
This is a copy of a WWII German Luftwaffe Survival Machete. Out of the box I was favourably impressed. It is well constructed and fits my #8 hand confortably (hammer grip) with good weight distribution. It feels lively more like a knife than machete. The bluing and polish would do any rifle proud. The wood to metal fit is good. It was less than paper cutting sharp with a minor damaged edge due to the steel scabbard.
The statistics are:
OAL/in 20.75
Blade length/in 16.25
PoB/in 4
Blade Thickness/mm 4.5
Blade width/mm 55.1
Weight/lb oz 1 10
Grip ircumference/cm 8.3-12.4
Grip length/in 4.25
I believe the originals and this one would be good for their intended purpose. It’s smallish and would be suited for tight quarters. It appears to be designed with thrust in mind. It looks like a Latin machete blade at first glance but it’s more pointed with quillons. The 16¼” x 4½mm blade is stiff and could possibly be used I think to cut one’s self out of an airplane. And the uses wouldn’t stop there. It’s fast and agile. I wouldn’t try to replace a full blown dedicated machete with it though. For one it’s short requiring the user to bend over. If the user is on the ground or otherwise needn’t to bend and can use a hammer grip it’s another story.
But the more I fooled with it the less enthused I become. The first sign came while cutting up my dog’s medicine. The upper right grip corner was noticeable to my palm. Later while dry handling simulating cuts ditto again. The handshake grip was coming into play. So I rounded off the corner. Initially that felt better but later outside while pruning I became aware of the corner again and put on a leather work glove least I’d have a hot spot. That solved the problem. Cutting using a hammer grip should not be a problem, if one cuts in that manner. Ditto for small, short jobs, but one bends over more than with a longer bladed machete.
I have not done any testing on the metal hardness as I’d rather not scratch the blade but it appears on the soft side but the school is still out on that, time will tell. It sharpened very quickly. And later I dinged the blade drawing it from the scabbard leaving a small nick. I used a chakmak that quickly fixed the problem. Both are more evidence of soft metal, not that that is a bad thing as that has advantages. However I notice no dulling from the limited cutting I did.
The scabbard is of metal and I have a dislike for those. Having said that, this is the best I’ve seen but intend to use leather. There is a flat spring about 6.75” from the tip that forces the blade against the side preventing it from flopping around and does a good job. In fact it’s possible to invert the scabbard and shake vigorously and the knife will move a fraction of an inch with each shake. It’s very secure. The issue is that there is only a hairline’s clearance, a blonde one at that, between the cutting edge and the scabbard’s mouth. I learned to use the blade’s straight spine as a guide against the scabbard to remove and replace. Nevertheless it’s an exacting move with no room for error. It’s difficult enough setting comfortably in my chair but with it on my belt out in the rough, well lots of luck as I knew it will be only time before the two meet. And sure enough that happened with me comfortably in my chair leaving a nick in the cutting edge. A kukri was nearby so I used the chakmak and that quickly fixed the problem. Another reason I question the hardness.
The scabbard has a frog stud and a frog is furnished. It’s of heavy duty canvass and appears of good quality. The frog has a retaining strap around the handle that uses a stud and hole fastening. Easy to fasten but more effort to open. Actually the strap is not necessary and I had intended to get rid of it but decided to get rid of the scabbard before doing so and use a leather sheath to save the cutting edge. I had one laying around and put that into service. It’s a bit long but will do until I get a shorter one. That sheath will allow me to carry the machete in a number of fashions. I photoed a shoulder carry. The sheath has a drain hole near the tip that will be advantageous here in the tropics during rainy season. Something the steel one lacks. That can be seen near the tip.
Where I think it’ll shine is in use in tight quarters such as home defence in a small room or small apartment especially with a shield due to its speed and agility.
Machete & Scabbard Nice peen Wood to metal fit
In leather sheath Shoulder carry
Here’s a video that edelweiss posted earlier that show the machete in action. I noticed that he used a hammer grip throughout.
This is a copy of a WWII German Luftwaffe Survival Machete. Out of the box I was favourably impressed. It is well constructed and fits my #8 hand confortably (hammer grip) with good weight distribution. It feels lively more like a knife than machete. The bluing and polish would do any rifle proud. The wood to metal fit is good. It was less than paper cutting sharp with a minor damaged edge due to the steel scabbard.
The statistics are:
OAL/in 20.75
Blade length/in 16.25
PoB/in 4
Blade Thickness/mm 4.5
Blade width/mm 55.1
Weight/lb oz 1 10
Grip ircumference/cm 8.3-12.4
Grip length/in 4.25
I believe the originals and this one would be good for their intended purpose. It’s smallish and would be suited for tight quarters. It appears to be designed with thrust in mind. It looks like a Latin machete blade at first glance but it’s more pointed with quillons. The 16¼” x 4½mm blade is stiff and could possibly be used I think to cut one’s self out of an airplane. And the uses wouldn’t stop there. It’s fast and agile. I wouldn’t try to replace a full blown dedicated machete with it though. For one it’s short requiring the user to bend over. If the user is on the ground or otherwise needn’t to bend and can use a hammer grip it’s another story.
But the more I fooled with it the less enthused I become. The first sign came while cutting up my dog’s medicine. The upper right grip corner was noticeable to my palm. Later while dry handling simulating cuts ditto again. The handshake grip was coming into play. So I rounded off the corner. Initially that felt better but later outside while pruning I became aware of the corner again and put on a leather work glove least I’d have a hot spot. That solved the problem. Cutting using a hammer grip should not be a problem, if one cuts in that manner. Ditto for small, short jobs, but one bends over more than with a longer bladed machete.
I have not done any testing on the metal hardness as I’d rather not scratch the blade but it appears on the soft side but the school is still out on that, time will tell. It sharpened very quickly. And later I dinged the blade drawing it from the scabbard leaving a small nick. I used a chakmak that quickly fixed the problem. Both are more evidence of soft metal, not that that is a bad thing as that has advantages. However I notice no dulling from the limited cutting I did.
The scabbard is of metal and I have a dislike for those. Having said that, this is the best I’ve seen but intend to use leather. There is a flat spring about 6.75” from the tip that forces the blade against the side preventing it from flopping around and does a good job. In fact it’s possible to invert the scabbard and shake vigorously and the knife will move a fraction of an inch with each shake. It’s very secure. The issue is that there is only a hairline’s clearance, a blonde one at that, between the cutting edge and the scabbard’s mouth. I learned to use the blade’s straight spine as a guide against the scabbard to remove and replace. Nevertheless it’s an exacting move with no room for error. It’s difficult enough setting comfortably in my chair but with it on my belt out in the rough, well lots of luck as I knew it will be only time before the two meet. And sure enough that happened with me comfortably in my chair leaving a nick in the cutting edge. A kukri was nearby so I used the chakmak and that quickly fixed the problem. Another reason I question the hardness.
The scabbard has a frog stud and a frog is furnished. It’s of heavy duty canvass and appears of good quality. The frog has a retaining strap around the handle that uses a stud and hole fastening. Easy to fasten but more effort to open. Actually the strap is not necessary and I had intended to get rid of it but decided to get rid of the scabbard before doing so and use a leather sheath to save the cutting edge. I had one laying around and put that into service. It’s a bit long but will do until I get a shorter one. That sheath will allow me to carry the machete in a number of fashions. I photoed a shoulder carry. The sheath has a drain hole near the tip that will be advantageous here in the tropics during rainy season. Something the steel one lacks. That can be seen near the tip.
Where I think it’ll shine is in use in tight quarters such as home defence in a small room or small apartment especially with a shield due to its speed and agility.
Machete & Scabbard Nice peen Wood to metal fit
In leather sheath Shoulder carry
Here’s a video that edelweiss posted earlier that show the machete in action. I noticed that he used a hammer grip throughout.