Blade reviews, impressions, and feedback

[Mecha]

Despite my careful, honest and measured explanations, nobody cares what I think of Mad Science Forge blades. Conflicts of interest and whatnot.

What's much more important are the thoughts of those who own and use them - how they think the blades stand both on their own, and vis-a-vis steel cutlery.

These blades are the first real titanium alloy swords to be developed in the history of the sword-making craft, and the first hand forged titanium alloy blades, heat-treated by eye, using traditional bladesmithing tools and techniques applied with ti alloy metallurgy theory and science in mind. As such, very little information is popularly known about how they fare as tools (and weapons) from someone with experience using them.

This thread is for those who own and hopefully use their ti Mecha blades to report their impressions and thoughts about the blades in general and these carefully-worked titanium alloys in particular. This exercise is important to the history of cutlery, and to me personally as I continue to refine the new craft of forging ti alloy swords, knives and other cutting tools.

Of course any of the great blade makers who I've worked with are very welcome to post their thoughts as well!

Rule 1: be honest
Rule 2: refer to rule one

Much thanks to everyone who leaves a mark in this thread.

-Mecha

 

[jbmonkey]

I've put my bt23 machete to task a tiny bit tonight. chopped some bushes hanging over my fence. made easy work of it. I'm planning on putting it to hard work tomorrow on a task. I'll take some pics and post.

ill say this from my limited use. titanium is brilliant for a machete. easy wrist snapping accomplishes far more than arm swinging with a steel machete. I'm so impressed so far I wished I had found this years ago.

 

[jbmonkey]

okay so I did some work with it...it being the bt23 number 5.

so this is what I wanted to cut back and clear a better trail.....


so here's the machete.....



so a bit of work...actually pretty easy work due to the lightweight and ease of getting enough speed and force in tighter areas to take it down quick.......


so another section further in ......



and after.....



the end result after about 40 minutes give a couple minutes....I also cleared some side areas but it was time consuming to stop get phone out of pocket and snap pics.....so ya got what ya got here.......sorry



the #5 bt23.....after all work. did fine. about still as sharp as it was from Mecha when I got 'er.....



in complete truth telling as required.........no dings, no real scratches, no sharpening done...still not needed. now I'm gonna head out towards the front and now the grass before the sun sets around 9ish......

 

[Mecha]

jbmonkey thanks much for the feedback! The easy wrist-snap cutting with these things is pretty Cadillac, one of my favorite aspects of using them.

In the third photo down, bottom of the pic, did you cut that big fatty sapling with the machete as well?

 

[jbmonkey]

jbmonkey thanks much for the feedback! The easy wrist-snap cutting with these things is pretty Cadillac, one of my favorite aspects of using them.

In the third photo down, bottom of the pic, did you cut that big fatty sapling with the machete as well?

no Sir. I used a folding saw on that. that trail or space is tighther than it looks from the pics. it would have taken a long time to whack through it.

 

[Mecha]

no Sir. I used a folding saw on that. that trail or space is tighther than it looks from the pics. it would have taken a long time to whack through it.

Ha! No doubt. If you had cut it that cleanly and that low I was gonna say, you have some skills!

 

[jbmonkey]

some more pics of machete in action......still original sharpening job from the factory....you........

 

[Mecha]

some more pics of machete in action......still original sharpening job from the factory....you........

View attachment 1018783 View attachment 1018788 View attachment 1018789

Very cool, thanks for the update jbmonkey. I hope it's a lot of fun to use.

 

[jbmonkey]

Very cool, thanks for the update jbmonkey. I hope it's a lot of fun to use.

yes Sir. even my kid was in on it....



he was having a blast chopping through those water/live oak limbs.

so wheres the other machetes folks........how come I'm the only one posting use in this thread...come on folks ya didnt buy it to hang on the wall........

 

[Mecha]

yes Sir. even my kid was in on it....

View attachment 1019536

he was having a blast chopping through those water/live oak limbs.

so wheres the other machetes folks........how come I'm the only one posting use in this thread...come on folks ya didnt buy it to hang on the wall........

You must be the only person who has ever cut anything with their titanium sword or machete.

 

[WValtakis]

You must be the only person who has ever cut anything with their titanium sword or machete.

I have standing orders to all of my friends to call me whenever there's chopping to be done...but nothing yet Our apartment complex frowns on sword weilding outdoors .

I really want to beat on the Turbine blade more, I have a feeling it's only going to get better as the edge work hardens

~Chip

 

[StevenRS11]

So, I/my father have had Siberian Slasher # 4 for over a year now and I figure it's time to spill the beans. It is, quite simply, one of the best tools I own. I'll follow this up with pictures later, but a thousand words will have to do right now.

First of all, some background. I have some land in northern Mississippi, mostly forest, that I lease out to hunters, have friends and their kids come do outdoorsy things, and occasionally host Wounded Warriors stuff. All this requires a measure of upkeep, especially trails. The last thing I want is a guest to get closelined off an ATV by a blackberry bush that decided it needed to cross the road. And with over 50 miles of trails, the majority going through mixed deciduous forest, keeping nature off my trails is pretty much a neverending job for me and my dad. Almost every weekend my dad or I is down there for a day, riding the trails. With the Slasher. Cutting stuff. Every weekend. For over a year. You see where I am going with this?

Siberian Slasher #4 has been through the ringer like you would not believe. At some points, it probably had 10 percent of its weight in sap stuck to it. The stuff its been cutting?

Underbrush in Northern Mississippi is dense, woody, and full of dangly viney things that act just like dangling rope in terms of cutting them. #4 treats it all like pool noodles. *zip* Gone. We even have these plants that look like a walking cane just sprouted from the ground, except they are totally covered in thorns. I have no idea what purpose a plant like that serves, but I know you have to cut them off close to the ground. We call call them devil sticks and I've buried #4 in the dirt so many times cutting those.

Near open areas, we have pretty much two types of plants. Grass, and blackberry bushes. BlackBerry patches are so intimidating that some biologists actually think the blackberry is a carnivorous plant- the backwards facing thorns trap animals like sheep until they die and become fertilizer. Thankfully, #4 protects me from that fate. It's just long enough to clip them back without getting thorns in my knuckles each swing.

Its not just the undergrowth, though- the trees gotta be trimmed too. These are generally oak, locust, hickory, osage orange(don't even start me on those monsters) and sappy pine. Oak isn't too bad, but those next three? Locust is one of the densest, hardest woods around. If a blade binds mid cut, good luck getting it back out without some cursing. Hickory is, well, hickory. The single toughest, most impact resistant wood on the planet. You either slice it cleanly or it just laughs at you as it rolls your edge.

Osage orange is in it's own class, though. It's this springy, flexible but still super hard wood that grows like a weed. Where one overhangs a trail, they send down a network of closely packed branches that makes it impossible to cut one at a time. Oh, and they are covered in these inch long monster thorns. As a side note, orange orange is actually my favorite tree. That's why I don't just cut them down. They where intentionally planted all over the USA as hedgerows, where they literally become an impenetrable wall of wood, thorns, and these weird brain fruits that not even pigs will eat. Cutting osage takes a bit of technique, but it's so much better than breaking out the chainsa .
Finally, pine trees. Easy to cut, they just get everything sticky . I've cut small pine trees down with 4 actually.

Anyhow, point is I would have used my Siberian slasher to the point of abuse if it was possible to damage it. I only sharpen it once a month. I'll give you pictures so you know I am not exadurating any of this, but #4 still looks and cuts like new. More coming tmrw.

Edit- by sharpen I really mean steeling the edge with a smooth carbide rod. I've only ever sharpened it with abrasives once, after some barbed wire gave the blade a shiny spot.

 

[Mecha]

So, I/my father have had Siberian Slasher # 4 for over a year now and I figure it's time to spill the beans. It is, quite simply, one of the best tools I own. I'll follow this up with pictures later, but a thousand words will have to do right now.

First of all, some background. I have some land in northern Mississippi, mostly forest, that I lease out to hunters, have friends and their kids come do outdoorsy things, and occasionally host Wounded Warriors stuff. All this requires a measure of upkeep, especially trails. The last thing I want is a guest to get closelined off an ATV by a blackberry bush that decided it needed to cross the road. And with over 50 miles of trails, the majority going through mixed deciduous forest, keeping nature off my trails is pretty much a neverending job for me and my dad. Almost every weekend my dad or I is down there for a day, riding the trails. With the Slasher. Cutting stuff. Every weekend. For over a year. You see where I am going with this?

Siberian Slasher #4 has been through the ringer like you would not believe. At some points, it probably had 10 percent of its weight in sap stuck to it. The stuff its been cutting?

Underbrush in Northern Mississippi is dense, woody, and full of dangly viney things that act just like dangling rope in terms of cutting them. #4 treats it all like pool noodles. *zip* Gone. We even have these plants that look like a walking cane just sprouted from the ground, except they are totally covered in thorns. I have no idea what purpose a plant like that serves, but I know you have to cut them off close to the ground. We call call them devil sticks and I've buried #4 in the dirt so many times cutting those.

Near open areas, we have pretty much two types of plants. Grass, and blackberry bushes. BlackBerry patches are so intimidating that some biologists actually think the blackberry is a carnivorous plant- the backwards facing thorns trap animals like sheep until they die and become fertilizer. Thankfully, #4 protects me from that fate. It's just long enough to clip them back without getting thorns in my knuckles each swing.

Its not just the undergrowth, though- the trees gotta be trimmed too. These are generally oak, locust, hickory, osage orange(don't even start me on those monsters) and sappy pine. Oak isn't too bad, but those next three? Locust is one of the densest, hardest woods around. If a blade binds mid cut, good luck getting it back out without some cursing. Hickory is, well, hickory. The single toughest, most impact resistant wood on the planet. You either slice it cleanly or it just laughs at you as it rolls your edge.

Osage orange is in it's own class, though. It's this springy, flexible but still super hard wood that grows like a weed. Where one overhangs a trail, they send down a network of closely packed branches that makes it impossible to cut one at a time. Oh, and they are covered in these inch long monster thorns. As a side note, orange orange is actually my favorite tree. That's why I don't just cut them down. They where intentionally planted all over the USA as hedgerows, where they literally become an impenetrable wall of wood, thorns, and these weird brain fruits that not even pigs will eat. Cutting osage takes a bit of technique, but it's so much better than breaking out the chainsa .
Finally, pine trees. Easy to cut, they just get everything sticky . I've cut small pine trees down with 4 actually.

Anyhow, point is I would have used my Siberian slasher to the point of abuse if it was possible to damage it. I only sharpen it once a month. I'll give you pictures so you know I am not exadurating any of this, but #4 still looks and cuts like new. More coming tmrw.

Holy crap, someone actually left a feedback! I got a geniune 'lol' out of some of those descriptions. Thanks very much, StevenRS11. I'm very pleased that #4 is being such a good tool for you and your Dad, and look forward to the photos.

 

[StevenRS11]

So now that you know what I'm cutting, hopefully what I'm saying next will have a bit more context. Actually cutting with #4 is a pleasure, and distinctly different that using a traditional machete or hooked blade. If you have used either you know they cut with a combination of smashing, tearing, and almost sawing.

With the slasher, only two things really matter- tip speed and edge alignment. This is because the blade is so light and its moment of inertia is so low for its length, you can get it moving at truly terrifying speeds with minimal effort. If you can get that tip moving fast enough and in the right direction, it will pass through almost anything(that you would cut with a machete) with virtually no resistance. So much so that at first, its next to impossible not to overswing. I had to learn that you do not muscle this blade through the swing- imagine you are almost throwing the edge at the target instead. I try to generate edge speed first with a quick flip of my elbow and wrist, and then focus on guiding the now fast moving blade at the correct angle through the target. Done correctly, it feels almost effortless as the Ti makes it's unique *zink* noise and whatever I was aiming at falls in two. It's honestly quite addictive.

Hi Mecha!

 

[Mecha]

So now that you know what I'm cutting, hopefully what I'm saying next will have a bit more context. Actually cutting with #4 is a pleasure, and distinctly different that using a traditional machete or hooked blade. If you have used either you know they cut with a combination of smashing, tearing, and almost sawing.

With the slasher, only two things really matter- tip speed and edge alignment. This is because the blade is so light and its moment of inertia is so low for its length, you can get it moving at truly terrifying speeds with minimal effort. If you can get that tip moving fast enough and in the right direction, it will pass through almost anything(that you would cut with a machete) with virtually no resistance. So much so that at first, its next to impossible not to overswing. I had to learn that you do not muscle this blade through the swing- imagine you are almost throwing the edge at the target instead. I try to generate edge speed first with a quick flip of my elbow anid wrist, and then focus on guiding the now fast moving blade at the correct angle through the target. Done correctly, it feels almost effortless as the Ti makes it's unique *zink* noise and whatever I was aiming at falls in two. It's honestly quite addictive.

Hi Mecha!

You're hitting on some of the things I try to convey about these blades, the speed and ease of use due to the low weight, the toughness. How that can make blade work more enjoyable.

And also how longer blades are when the right ti alloy, worked the right way, can really shine as a blade. Imagine one with a 26" blade, and enough handle for 2 hands - even more blade speed with less body movement. That is the perfect size for a ti sword/machete combination blade, imo, both weapon and tool.

 

[pease]

Great description of the work you and your father do with #4.

 

[jbmonkey]

So, I/my father have had Siberian Slasher # 4 for over a year now and I figure it's time to spill the beans. It is, quite simply, one of the best tools I own. I'll follow this up with pictures later, but a thousand words will have to do right now.

First of all, some background. I have some land in northern Mississippi, mostly forest, that I lease out to hunters, have friends and their kids come do outdoorsy things, and occasionally host Wounded Warriors stuff. All this requires a measure of upkeep, especially trails. The last thing I want is a guest to get closelined off an ATV by a blackberry bush that decided it needed to cross the road. And with over 50 miles of trails, the majority going through mixed deciduous forest, keeping nature off my trails is pretty much a neverending job for me and my dad. Almost every weekend my dad or I is down there for a day, riding the trails. With the Slasher. Cutting stuff. Every weekend. For over a year. You see where I am going with this?

Siberian Slasher #4 has been through the ringer like you would not believe. At some points, it probably had 10 percent of its weight in sap stuck to it. The stuff its been cutting?

Underbrush in Northern Mississippi is dense, woody, and full of dangly viney things that act just like dangling rope in terms of cutting them. #4 treats it all like pool noodles. *zip* Gone. We even have these plants that look like a walking cane just sprouted from the ground, except they are totally covered in thorns. I have no idea what purpose a plant like that serves, but I know you have to cut them off close to the ground. We call call them devil sticks and I've buried #4 in the dirt so many times cutting those.

Near open areas, we have pretty much two types of plants. Grass, and blackberry bushes. BlackBerry patches are so intimidating that some biologists actually think the blackberry is a carnivorous plant- the backwards facing thorns trap animals like sheep until they die and become fertilizer. Thankfully, #4 protects me from that fate. It's just long enough to clip them back without getting thorns in my knuckles each swing.

Its not just the undergrowth, though- the trees gotta be trimmed too. These are generally oak, locust, hickory, osage orange(don't even start me on those monsters) and sappy pine. Oak isn't too bad, but those next three? Locust is one of the densest, hardest woods around. If a blade binds mid cut, good luck getting it back out without some cursing. Hickory is, well, hickory. The single toughest, most impact resistant wood on the planet. You either slice it cleanly or it just laughs at you as it rolls your edge.

Osage orange is in it's own class, though. It's this springy, flexible but still super hard wood that grows like a weed. Where one overhangs a trail, they send down a network of closely packed branches that makes it impossible to cut one at a time. Oh, and they are covered in these inch long monster thorns. As a side note, orange orange is actually my favorite tree. That's why I don't just cut them down. They where intentionally planted all over the USA as hedgerows, where they literally become an impenetrable wall of wood, thorns, and these weird brain fruits that not even pigs will eat. Cutting osage takes a bit of technique, but it's so much better than breaking out the chainsa .
Finally, pine trees. Easy to cut, they just get everything sticky . I've cut small pine trees down with 4 actually.

Anyhow, point is I would have used my Siberian slasher to the point of abuse if it was possible to damage it. I only sharpen it once a month. I'll give you pictures so you know I am not exadurating any of this, but #4 still looks and cuts like new. More coming tmrw.

Edit- by sharpen I really mean steeling the edge with a smooth carbide rod. I've only ever sharpened it with abrasives once, after some barbed wire gave the blade a shiny spot.

right on. now that's some real working. great descriptions...cant wait to see pics.

it's lame my backyard clean up are the only pics on here when I know others have done far more, like yourself Sir.

 

[Dawkind]

I just checked....I’ve got #3.

 

[Mecha]

We got another feedback, from @ShannonSteelLabs!

https://bladeforums.com/threads/mad-science-forge-custom-backpack-machete.1747609/#post-19991486

 

[sloth357]

I have #667

And boot knife #1 of 1.

And... yeah. What up Sam Tinfoil hat on secure during these times I hope!