Cheetlang field review
Yesterday, I was working in the backyard for the first time in a while. I noticed that the blackberry situation was getting a bit out of control. The Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor ), for those of you who don't know it, is a particularly pesky weed here in the northwest. It grows fast, two weeks after cutting a path, you might not be able to tell anyone's been there. The thorns are nearly the size of a domestic rose, and curve back towards the stem. That's right, pulling away from it sets the hook. Nice. It does make excellent berries, however, and the canes fruit from late July to September.
As an ecologist, I spend a good deal of my days in the field chopping through thickets of this nasty stuff. Typically I use a machete with an 18" to 24" blade, and I wear leather gloves and canvas work pants. Yesterday, I thought I'd take the Cheetlang out for a field trial. Feeling adventurous, I skipped the gloves and field pants.
I used the khuk to cut stems, dig roots, and move the wicked, spiny things to a slash pile (for future incineration). I wasn't being too careful, as I wanted this to be a hard test, comparable to a day in the field or a survival test. Below are the results of about an hours work clearing. The knife started with the factory edge, and no sharpening or burnishing was done during the field test.
Results
The handle wasn't as comfortable as I expected it to be. After an hour of cutting, the lower part of my palm had developed a severe hot spot. On the plus side, my forearm and elbow felt much better than they would after an hour of machete use. Technique may play a role in this problem. I noticed that the best grip seemed to be with the thumb and first two fingers up near the bolster, allowing the blade to swing freely from the wrist. This is not at all like using a machete, which swings from the elbow and is held rather firmly. Alternately, one could round the top of the buttcap.
The sweet spot was further back than I expected. This was a disadvantage for cutting the springy vines (I received several nasty scratches
), but it felt very good when chopping into the old seasoned stump in my yard. Low, scything cuts with the Cheetlang were very effective at clearing lighter vegetation like grass and lemon balm (one of the weedier mints). Unfortunately, they also increased the likelihood of hitting stones.
The bend in the Khuk blade makes digging roots difficult. The blade generally wants to turn out of your hand, rather than lifting dirt. This may be less of a problem with a shorter blade.
I hit a number of rocks and stones, both on the surface and buried in the soil. Several left small burrs in the blade, about 1mm deep and several mm long
After I was done, I spent perhaps fifteen minutes with the burnisher, and several home made hones (200 to 600 grit). The spots are almost gone now, and the blade is quite sharp again. A burr in the spine (hey, I said I wasn't being careful) was easily removed with the burnisher. The plant juice and dirt left a dark patina on the blade that was easily removed with 00000 steel wool.
Conclusions:
The Cheetlang doesnt make a good replacement for a machete when cutting blackberry vines. Its a bit too short, exposing the hand and reducing reach. In cutting lighter vegetation, the shorter length and rigid blade work to the Cheetlangs advantage, where the longer, lighter machete blade is likely to bind. Neither dig very well, though the Cheetlangs rigid blade gives it the advantage here. This rigidity also gives the Cheetlang the advantage in cutting wood, a task for which the machete is nearly useless. Together, the two would make a formidable combination.
Overall, I was quite pleased with the Cheetlangs performance. It took hard use with only a little damage, and the edge was restored to good condition fairly easily. I may try this again (wearing gloves) just to make the test more even.
Patrick
Here's an update.
I took the Cheetlang out into a blackberry infested wetland area last week. As noted above, the Cheetlang was not at it's best doing trail clearing. Because of it's mass, it required a heaving stroke than a machete. Wearing gloves did make the grip significantly more comfortable, and this time I experienced no hot spots after about an hours clearing.
Carry: Man, does that thing feel great on your belt! It rides high and close, so you can hardly tell it's there.
I have a few cedar scraps leftover from a kayak paddle I'm making, so I did some splitting. I'm sure glad I put a piece of wood under the scrap I was splitting! The Cheetlang went right through the 10" 2x4 and put a good slice in the plywood underneath!
Patrick
Yesterday, I was working in the backyard for the first time in a while. I noticed that the blackberry situation was getting a bit out of control. The Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor ), for those of you who don't know it, is a particularly pesky weed here in the northwest. It grows fast, two weeks after cutting a path, you might not be able to tell anyone's been there. The thorns are nearly the size of a domestic rose, and curve back towards the stem. That's right, pulling away from it sets the hook. Nice. It does make excellent berries, however, and the canes fruit from late July to September.
As an ecologist, I spend a good deal of my days in the field chopping through thickets of this nasty stuff. Typically I use a machete with an 18" to 24" blade, and I wear leather gloves and canvas work pants. Yesterday, I thought I'd take the Cheetlang out for a field trial. Feeling adventurous, I skipped the gloves and field pants.
I used the khuk to cut stems, dig roots, and move the wicked, spiny things to a slash pile (for future incineration). I wasn't being too careful, as I wanted this to be a hard test, comparable to a day in the field or a survival test. Below are the results of about an hours work clearing. The knife started with the factory edge, and no sharpening or burnishing was done during the field test.
Results
The handle wasn't as comfortable as I expected it to be. After an hour of cutting, the lower part of my palm had developed a severe hot spot. On the plus side, my forearm and elbow felt much better than they would after an hour of machete use. Technique may play a role in this problem. I noticed that the best grip seemed to be with the thumb and first two fingers up near the bolster, allowing the blade to swing freely from the wrist. This is not at all like using a machete, which swings from the elbow and is held rather firmly. Alternately, one could round the top of the buttcap.
The sweet spot was further back than I expected. This was a disadvantage for cutting the springy vines (I received several nasty scratches
), but it felt very good when chopping into the old seasoned stump in my yard. Low, scything cuts with the Cheetlang were very effective at clearing lighter vegetation like grass and lemon balm (one of the weedier mints). Unfortunately, they also increased the likelihood of hitting stones.The bend in the Khuk blade makes digging roots difficult. The blade generally wants to turn out of your hand, rather than lifting dirt. This may be less of a problem with a shorter blade.
I hit a number of rocks and stones, both on the surface and buried in the soil. Several left small burrs in the blade, about 1mm deep and several mm long
After I was done, I spent perhaps fifteen minutes with the burnisher, and several home made hones (200 to 600 grit). The spots are almost gone now, and the blade is quite sharp again. A burr in the spine (hey, I said I wasn't being careful) was easily removed with the burnisher. The plant juice and dirt left a dark patina on the blade that was easily removed with 00000 steel wool.Conclusions:
The Cheetlang doesnt make a good replacement for a machete when cutting blackberry vines. Its a bit too short, exposing the hand and reducing reach. In cutting lighter vegetation, the shorter length and rigid blade work to the Cheetlangs advantage, where the longer, lighter machete blade is likely to bind. Neither dig very well, though the Cheetlangs rigid blade gives it the advantage here. This rigidity also gives the Cheetlang the advantage in cutting wood, a task for which the machete is nearly useless. Together, the two would make a formidable combination.
Overall, I was quite pleased with the Cheetlangs performance. It took hard use with only a little damage, and the edge was restored to good condition fairly easily. I may try this again (wearing gloves) just to make the test more even.
Patrick
Here's an update.
I took the Cheetlang out into a blackberry infested wetland area last week. As noted above, the Cheetlang was not at it's best doing trail clearing. Because of it's mass, it required a heaving stroke than a machete. Wearing gloves did make the grip significantly more comfortable, and this time I experienced no hot spots after about an hours clearing.
Carry: Man, does that thing feel great on your belt! It rides high and close, so you can hardly tell it's there.
I have a few cedar scraps leftover from a kayak paddle I'm making, so I did some splitting. I'm sure glad I put a piece of wood under the scrap I was splitting! The Cheetlang went right through the 10" 2x4 and put a good slice in the plywood underneath!
Patrick