- Joined
- Jul 9, 1999
- Messages
- 3,316
Formerly known as The Bush Hog.
I've been anticipating the release of this beastie since late last year and last month I finally got my hands on one.
This is a very high quality machete IMO. I got it home and went to work on the Spring saplings and brush that eternally plagues my yard near and along the fenceline. It easily took out up to 1 1/4" diameter Oak and Camphor tree saplings along with Mulberry with one swipe of it's 14" long 3/16" thick blade.
It is a full height flat ground blade of 0170 high carbon steel. The handle is the same as the other knives in the BK&T line. Fills the hand very well and does not raise any hot spots or blisters with long use. The balance point is 2 1/2" in front of the handle and the blade, while blade heavy, is not unwieldy.
The edge geometry is worth noting here as it is wonderfully done on my sample. I decided to do a little experiment and used it to prune my Azalea's into a rectangular, flat top configuration. Using horizontal swipes of the big blade, it sent that post flowering spring growth flying and I wound up with a hedge that looked like I took the gardening shears to it. Very nice flat top on the hedge.
Then I attacked the Boxwood bushes with the same results. If you are unfamiliar with Boxwood, it is a fairly dense, very woody bush you most often see pruned into balls or squares in some o the better maintained gardens here in the south. Makes a really great hedge as it is THICK.
After I finished all the whacking and chopping and such, the blade was still very sharp. It will still shave hair from my leg.
I almost forgot to mention the sheath.
It is a Cordura looking affair with a flexible plastic kind of insert. It is not custom fitted or anything but it carries the machete and is a step above the average canvas type sheaths one usually gets with a machete.
I won't give it the Cliff Stamp Torture Test treatment, so I cannot comment as to lateral stresses and breaking points and such. I'll leave that to the experts.
All I can tell you is so far I am very pleased with The Patrol Machete.
It was well worth the wait.
BTW, if you get one of these, PLEASE put a lanyard on it and use it! Tis better to be safe than sorry.
Happy Whacking!
------------------
The individualist without strategy who takes opponents lightly will inevitably become the captive of others.
Sun Tzu
[This message has been edited by misque (edited 06-03-2001).]
I've been anticipating the release of this beastie since late last year and last month I finally got my hands on one.
This is a very high quality machete IMO. I got it home and went to work on the Spring saplings and brush that eternally plagues my yard near and along the fenceline. It easily took out up to 1 1/4" diameter Oak and Camphor tree saplings along with Mulberry with one swipe of it's 14" long 3/16" thick blade.
The edge geometry is worth noting here as it is wonderfully done on my sample. I decided to do a little experiment and used it to prune my Azalea's into a rectangular, flat top configuration. Using horizontal swipes of the big blade, it sent that post flowering spring growth flying and I wound up with a hedge that looked like I took the gardening shears to it. Very nice flat top on the hedge.
Then I attacked the Boxwood bushes with the same results. If you are unfamiliar with Boxwood, it is a fairly dense, very woody bush you most often see pruned into balls or squares in some o the better maintained gardens here in the south. Makes a really great hedge as it is THICK.
After I finished all the whacking and chopping and such, the blade was still very sharp. It will still shave hair from my leg.
I almost forgot to mention the sheath.
It is a Cordura looking affair with a flexible plastic kind of insert. It is not custom fitted or anything but it carries the machete and is a step above the average canvas type sheaths one usually gets with a machete.
I won't give it the Cliff Stamp Torture Test treatment, so I cannot comment as to lateral stresses and breaking points and such. I'll leave that to the experts.
All I can tell you is so far I am very pleased with The Patrol Machete.
It was well worth the wait.
BTW, if you get one of these, PLEASE put a lanyard on it and use it! Tis better to be safe than sorry.
Happy Whacking!
------------------
The individualist without strategy who takes opponents lightly will inevitably become the captive of others.
Sun Tzu
[This message has been edited by misque (edited 06-03-2001).]
